Dear Members,

I work for Archdeacon John DeMeis at Our Lady of Grace Greek Catholic Mission and Society on Staten Island, New York. The Mission receives many requests for information on the Italo-Greek Catholics. I have also read many posts on this site about the request for information on the Mission and Her history.

It is important that folks know our web site address was changed at the end of last year so we now have a new provider. Thanks to our Web Master, Christina Brundage. The URL is Our Lady of Grace Greek Catholic Mission & Society
We also have a quarterly newsletter, OLOGSN.

In addition, the Society has a number of religious items and articles available to the public at minimal cost or for just the cost of shipping/handling. You may contact Archdeacon John DeMeis for more information at e-mail: ItaloGreek@aol.com, or at the following address: OLOGSN 51 Redgrave Ave., Staten Island, New York 10306-3620 - U.S.A. Thank you!

Your friend in Christ Jesus,
Debora Scatuccio
Newsletter Editor,
Assistant to Archdeacon John DeMeis
Our Lady of Grace Greek Catholic Mission and Society

Debora, my friend,

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for the updated web address - I knew the old byzantines.net site was gone, but hadn't remembered that OLOGS was hosted there.

I'll personally attest to the quality of the Newsletter that you edit so very well.

Many years,

Neil

Thank you Neil!

Archdeacon John, Vincent Romano and I work very hard on the Newsletter. Many do not have a clue home many hours go into the post-production and the printing.

I am a Roman Catholic by birth and work hard to keep the spirit of the Eastern Church as the focus in all of the information in the Newsletter. I now consider myself an East-West Catholic, so I can breathe fully with both lungs. (I am also half Sicilian. :))

Debora

Thank you, Debora. I think I'll subscribe.

I was surprised to read this: "The Italo-Albanians have no parishes in the English-speaking world."

Is this true? What about Our Lady of Wisdom in Las Vegas which is part of the Byzantine-Ruthenian Eparchy of the Holy Protection of Mary?

Or is this statement based on the distinction between a mission and a parish?

Clarification, please!

Gabriel,

If I'm not mistaken, that line is quoted from Father Ron Roberson's Eastern Christian Churches - A Brief Survey.

Two possibilities, one being that Father has not updated it since Our Lady of Wisdom was canonically erected - although that was 18 years ago, so it seems unlikely. The other being that Father may be making the distinction that OL of Wisdom is canonically a Ruthenian parish, albeit it is ritually Italo-Greek.

(In fact, I believe that OL of Wisdom serves a principally Italo-Greek congregation, as opposed to OL of Grace, which has a mixed congregation of Italo-Albanians and Italo-Greeks.)

Many years,

Neil

Our Lady of Wistom, technically, is a Ruthenian parish for Italo-Albanian faithful under the care of the Ruthenian Church, and using the Italo-Albanian liturgy.

A nitpicky difference.

But it's the same kind of technical nitpicky difference which can be used in a number of odd situations... like there being no Roman Church Parishes in Ethiopia, only Ethiopian Church Parishes using the Roman Rite.

There are, in fact, about 190 Latin parishes in Ethiopia. They are located in the Vicariates Apostolic of Awasa, Gambella, Harar, Hosanna, Jimma-Bonga, Meki, Nekemte, and Soddo. The Vicariates (and, consequently, their parishes) do not belong to the Ethiopian Church sui iuris, rather they are immediately subject to Rome.

Many years,

Neil

They're part of our eparchy, but I don't think they're canonically Ruthenian. Fr. Vivona (sp?) is also the ordinary for the Italo-Greek-Albanians in the US (at least in some respects--I'm out of my league here).

Oh, and in a talk with our priest a week or two ago (during which he also recoiled in horror when I teased that he could be the new Metropolitan :)), he explained the odd set of titles. For reasons beyond comprehension, Fr. Vivona was named an archimandrite rather than an archpriest. He eventually threw up his hands and uses "Msgr." . . . .

In addition to OLoW, he's started two or three parishes here for the latin diocese (for which he's judicial vicar, and poor Father is apparently doomed to replace him, being currently sent to canon law classes . . .). I understand that St. Joseph, Husband of Mary shows more than slight Byzantine influence . . .

hawk

Hawk,

They are canonically Ruthenian. Canonicity refers to the legal status of a parish - the canonical jurisdiction to which it belongs.

There is no ordinary for Italo-Greek-Albanians in the US or anywhere outside Italy. The sole ordinaries of the Church are the incumbent Bishops of the Eparchies of Lungro degli Italo-Albanese in Calabria and Piana in Sicily degli Albanese and the Abbott of the Exarchic Abbey & Territorial Monastery of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata degli Italo-Grieco.

Neither a jurisdictional nor quasi-jurisdictional (e.g., Apostolic Visitator) title has been accorded to any cleric for the Italo-Grieco-Albanians in the US. It's possible that the Metropolia has designated Father Archimndrite Francis as Vicar for those Italo-Grieco-Albanians under its pastoral care - which does not extend to all such in the US, but is limited to the faithful of OL of Wisdom (and, by stretching, might be considered to extend to those in New Orleans who worship with the Ruthenians).

Many years,

Neil

In the case of Our Lady of Grace Italo-Greek Catholic Mission, the term Mission is used to define a much smaller entity then a parish church community. We do not own a building of worship and rent or use the facilities at another church for worship, Divine Liturgy.
When Father Pinnola first came to NYC we were called the "Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Grace" then our title was changed to the "Roman Catholic Mission of Our Lady of Grace of Greek Byzantine Rite." After that we were called the "Catholic Mission of Our Lady of Grace." Finally the name of the mission became "Our Lady of Grace Italo Greek Catholic Mission." Originally Fr. Pinnola owned a store front building that housed the original Church. It was sold upon his death. The Society was created in the early 1950's
Despite the incorrect title of "Roman Catholic" Our Lady of Grace was always an Eastern Rite Church.