UC,

what about the "of one substance" to "of one essence" change -- that's rather a proper readjustment, I would think. I also agree with the reinstatement of Theotokos. Otherwise, I felt the changes were very minor and hardly worth the fuss.

However, I'm very excited to see how the new music works out.

I'll agree, Fr. Jack Custer's talk was amazing.

Did anyone meet our married seminarian and his family?

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In attending this year’s conference, I thought the committee did a very nice job with its selection of speakers and putting together the day’s events. I would say my only disappointment, was the lack of vendors, which in previous years was more extensive.

Ung commented about no discussion of the vespers music. The conference flyer did say the day was about the Divine Liturgy. I originally thought there might be some information presented about the music. But in thinking about the speeches in total, the emphasis surely was on communicating the updates to the translation in order to pass that information to the parishes.

To discuss in detail the why, how and where our liturgy is derived from would have taken more than a couple hours. I thought Prof. Thompson’s discussion gave good insight into that history. Father Jack’s presentation drove home the importance that the Worship from inside our own temple is what makes us who we are.

Everyone chosen to speak at the conference is a supporter of the liturgical reforms. No surprise there. They were not about to let those faithful to the Ruthenian Tradition speak. Open discussion by those who support tradition simply will not be tolerated.

Has anyone looked at the number of people that St. John’s Cathedral has lost since singing some of this new music? Lots of them now go to St. Elias parish up the street.

Father Jack said that worship inside our own temple is what makes us who we are. He is more correct than he knows. And judging by the new liturgy and music we are not Byzantine-Ruthenian Catholics but something new. We are, I guess, supposed to be very liberal inclusive anything but Byzantine-Ruthenian Catholics. Jesus didn’t become man. He became a mere mortal. This is borderline heresy.

Zeeker,

The beginning of Vespers didn't sound like Prostopinije, it actually sounded more like Gregorian Chant. I would like to know exactly what source material was used in the creation of the music for the Vespers booklet that was passed out and used at the end of the conference.

Ungcsertezs

Ung,

You would probably need to ask someone at the Religious Education department, which provided the Vespers booklets. (As far as the Vespers materials actually published by the MCI over the last two years, there is an entire page at the beginning detailing the sources for the texts and music used therein; I gather from a friend who attended that the Vespers booklets used at the Conference were different, older materials.)

Yours in Christ,
Jeff Mierzejewski

I wanted to ask Fr. Jack about that but he was pressed for time. We "Prostopinije Vostochniks"
don't mean to be so hard-nosed and rigid when it comes to Subcarpathian-Rus' Prostopinije preservation. We are only striving to make sure that we (the Byzantine-Ruthenian Metropolitan Church in America) do all we can to insure that future generations will have the opportunity to hear good Prostopinije, rendered in English. This is just a very, very sensitive issuse.

Ungcsertezs

How can the correction of translation errors made forty years ago and the return to Bokshaj's music be considered borderline heresy?

John, I don't know how you can say this. In reality, nothing has really changed in the liturgy itself -- do you suggest restoring the Third Antiphon is anti-Ruthenian or something?

As for the music, I don't understand at all. Maybe I'm ignorant, and certainly I'm not a cradle Byzantine, so this may color my ideas. However, the cantor at my parish was trained in Europe and does it all old school, and I see the new music is different from what he does -- however, who's teaching the old methods? If Prof. Thompson and the Metropolia's goal is to make the Slavonic music more accessible in English, then I'm all for it. It doesn't detract from the tradition at all, especially if our cantors make an effort to learn the old ways. More of this rests on the cantor, I think.

besides, the Byzantine Church is really no longer an immigrant Church, like the Ukrainians still are. We need to adapt to this reality. Besides those of us here who are die-hards, how many in our parishes still know Slavonic? How many even want to learn it? I know the old folks know it, but the kids don't even care.

If no one (parents, other adults) in our parishes fosters an appreciation for Prostopinije
(Slavonic and English), how are the youth suppose to know what Prostopinije is?

Call me paranoid, but I'm getting a feeling that there exists a subtle push to use "other" liturgical music in the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Metropolia. I thank God for my father and other elders in my home parish who, by instinct, set an excellent example of what authenitic Prostopinije is suppose to be. I'm just not convinced the future generations will have that opportunity and that would be a real shame!

Ungcsertezs

"besides, the Byzantine Church is really no longer an immigrant Church, like the Ukrainians still are." [sounds like a put-down]

And yes we're a proud "immigrant" church - our beautiful Ukrainian heritage lives on here in the United States and Canada while the Byzantine Catholic heritage hardly exists.

It is interesting that so many "Ruthenians/ SubCarpathians" coming to America are choosing to becoame members of Ukrainian Catholic parishes rather than the Byzantine Catholic parishes.

What in the world are "Byzantine" pyrohy? LOL

Pavloosh,

sorry if that sounded like a put down, it wasn't intended. I simply meant that the Ukrainian Church is flooded with immigrants while the Ruthenian isn't. Maybe the DO just go to the Ukrainian church.