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Anthony Offline OP
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What are the services like there? Do they celebrate the full cycle? Thanks!

When I was in Rome, my hotel was a few blocks away from St. Maria Maggiore. I found out after I returned to the U.S. that the Russicum is very close to St Maria. I really regret not knowing the location of the Russicum when I was actually in Rome. Hopefully I will have the opportunity to return to the Eternal City one day.

In Christ,
Anthony

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When I was in Rome about a year and a half ago, I was able to briefly slip inside the Russicum by following a student through the locked doors. It's roughly half a block down from the Orientale.

The chapel was on the 2nd floor and not too terribly large. They were vacuuming the place at the time. It was nice to see an Eastern chapel in Rome. There were no pews and some of the icons were artistically a bit Western-style - on the whole, a beautiful chapel.

The language barrier prevented me from asking any questions I had (rather, prevented me from getting answers I understood). Apparently most of the students there are Ukrainian.

There was a little gift shop on the ground floor around the corner from the 'guard' who checked you in (once you made it inside).

Sorry I don't have any answers to your specific questions. It was definitely worth checking out.


"A fire broke out backstage in a theater. A clown came out to inform the public. They thought it a jest - and applauded. He warned them again - they shouted even louder! In this way I believe the world will come to an end, amid all the wits who think it is a joke."
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A number of Rusyn students (seminarians) are there, from the Eparchy of Mukachevo. Seems they are sent there instead of the Ukrainian College (the old Ruthenian College).

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At least when Patriarch Josyp was at St. Sofia they had a couple from Uzhorod/Mukachevo there as well. The Russicum is now only a residence and is not a college anymore. Most of the students that reside here attend the Orientalium, although they have services in the Russicum chapel.

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I had the honour of being a guest of the Russicum in January of this year. It was really cool. The building is like something out of a mystery novel. Extremely cool. hmjd obviously didn't get into the main church. It is huge. It has a 3 in 1 iconostas (i don't think they ever use the side altars). The liturgical life there is o.k. at best. They don't have All-Night Vigils on Saturday! They're not going to convert Russia to the sacred heart with THAT attitude.

Fr. Ludwig Pichler has been the choire director there for something like 50 or 60 years. The seminarians sing very well but too mellow, like chevetogne. It is definately lacking in flavour.

The iconography is very turn of the century russian, i like it a lot, especially the icon of Saint Theresa in the chaple.

I makes me sad to say this but it is kind of a dumb thing to have a russian catholic college when you have no russian catholics. The original intention for the russicum no longer exists. It should become a center for revival of orthodox tradition in the greek catholic church.

In a few years I hope to go to study in Rome and live at the Russicum. Maybe I can take Father Ludwigs place?

Ilya Stephanovich Gavshev


Ilya (Hooray for Orthodoxy!!)Galadza
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Take me with you, earthling. I'll just be happy as the porter there... smile

Your point is well taken, Gavhsev. It should be more of a vostochnyk Byzantine liturgical center associated with the Orientalium than the obscure residence for students it has become.

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I have had the great opportunity to visit the Russicum couple times earlier this year...in March. Even a great personal visit with Archmantrite (sp?) Fr. Taft. He's a jewel to the Byzantine theology. Such a funny guy too.

The Chapel is very nice, I think. It's very strongly Russian influence as far as being influenced somewhat by the western civilization. But it is nevertheless a beautiful chapel.

I was there couple times, for the Pre-Sancified Liturgy and the Sunday Divine Liturgy.

The Choir is, in my opinion, VERY beautiful!

The chapel is somewhat pewless...well they had chairs...but still...pewless.

And it's just so neat to see so many guys my age there....I felt like I was one of them, even for a meal.

One of the things that impressed me...was that they have few icons of the recently beautified Ukrainian saints in a RUSSIAN Chapel! That shows me how Catholic it is...in a sense of being in ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY...as opposed to the Orthodox Churches being here and there and over there...you know...so not all together.

Ukrainians against the Russians and the Russians against Ukrainians. Greeks against Russians, so on.

You won't find that in the Catholic Church! So it gave me a sense of pride for the Church's efforts to remain in UNITY....One Spirit...One Church in and for Christ.

God bless.

SPDundas
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Quote
Originally posted by GAVSHEV:
The liturgical life there is o.k. at best. They don't have All-Night Vigils on Saturday!.
That's not good!

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They're not going to convert Russia to the sacred heart with THAT attitude..
Convert Russia to bad taste? I hope not.

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I makes me sad to say this but it is kind of a dumb thing to have a russian catholic college when you have no russian catholics. The original intention for the russicum no longer exists. It should become a center for revival of orthodox tradition in the greek catholic church.
Ahem. There are still some of us left. We're not extinct yet.

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One of the Ukrainian saints whose icon (and relics) SPDundas saw in the Russicum chapel is an alumnus of the Russicum: the martyred Ruthenian Bishop of Mukachevo Theodore Romzha.

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>>>Convert Russia to bad taste? I hope not.<<<

Edward-

Could you please explain what you mean by this? I suspect that you are bashing a most favorite devotion of Latin Catholics. I wonder the reaction if I made a similiar comment about an Eastern devotion....

If I mis-understood, accept my apology.

Columcille

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Originally posted by Columcille:
Could you please explain what you mean by this? I suspect that you are bashing a most favorite devotion of Latin Catholics. I wonder the reaction if I made a similiar comment about an Eastern devotion...
Hm. The Latins are welcome to their own devotions, but I hope the poster didn't mean for THAT particular devotion to be spread throughout Russia.

I have a distinct aversion to devotion to any specific bodyparts of Christ, and the goriness of certain Latin devotions and prayers aren't quite my thing.

Sorry if it offends anyone, but images of a bearded lady with a gory dripping and blazing exposed heart simply does not fit into my idea of good taste.

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Quote
Originally posted by Edward Yong:
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Originally posted by Columcille:
[b]Could you please explain what you mean by this? I suspect that you are bashing a most favorite devotion of Latin Catholics. I wonder the reaction if I made a similiar comment about an Eastern devotion...
Hm. The Latins are welcome to their own devotions, but I hope the poster didn't mean for THAT particular devotion to be spread throughout Russia.

I have a distinct aversion to devotion to any specific bodyparts of Christ, and the goriness of certain Latin devotions and prayers aren't quite my thing.

Sorry if it offends anyone, but images of a bearded lady with a gory dripping and blazing exposed heart simply does not fit into my idea of good taste. [/b]
I have always understood the "Sacred Heart" to be a metaphor for Christ's burning love for us. I don't think the devotion is about the actual, physical heart of Christ, perhaps I am wrong. The heart is always spoken of as being the part of the body that loves.

As for the "goriness" of certain Latin devotions: certainly the crucifixion was a gory event. Our hearts should be moved to contrition when we think of the pain that our LORD underwent for us.

You seem to be hinting that these devotions serve as a means to delve into certain, perverted facination, ie: death, torture etc.

These devotions serve as a reminder of the price of our salvation.

Columcille

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Originally posted by Columcille:
I have always understood the "Sacred Heart" to be a metaphor for Christ's burning love for us. I don't think the devotion is about the actual, physical heart of Christ, perhaps I am wrong. The heart is always spoken of as being the part of the body that loves.
Dear Columcille,

I have in my possession an old pre-Vatican II "Catholic Picture Dictionary". It basically gives definitions of various ecclesiastical terms mostly having to do with the church building and its furnishings, vestments, etc. I think it was primarily meant for altar boys, since there are directions on how to serve Low Mass in the back. Very useful.

Anyway, it defines the devotion to the Sacred Heart, if I recall correctly, as "devotion to the *physical* heart of Christ as a symbol of His Love". So yes, the imagery of the heart as the part of the body that loves is involved, but still, it is (according to this definition anyway) devotion to the actual physical heart of Christ. Perhaps this is a mistaken definition, but from so long ago, I have no reason to believe it is wrong.

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The pictures may seem gory to you, but the pictures are not the "heart" of the devotion (if you'll pardon the expression!).

Yes, this is a devotion to the physical Heart of Jesus -- in other words, to His incarnation in human flesh. And it is based squarely on the Gospel account of a lance being thrust through Our Lord's side (His Heart) in order to ensure He was dead. The devotion to the Heart of Mary is similarly based on Scripture - the prophecy of Simeon that her heart would be "pierced with a sword".

You certainly don't have to accept these devotions if they're not of interest to you, but please don't trash it or make fun of it. Some people do find great comfort and inspiration in them.

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Edward Yong:

If you don't like Latin devotions, don't practice them.

There is no need to speak of them dirisively, or to blaspheme Christ by calling Him a "bearded lady".

Your words are offensive, not primarily to me, but to Christ who Himself encouraged the spread devotion to the Sacred Heart to the Mystic St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. Sacred Heart devotion was a shot in the arm to a Western Europe that had been paralyzed by the coldness of Jansenism.

And if you ask me, the atheistic, materialistic country of Russia could use a little devotion to the Sacred Heart.

God bless.

LatinTrad

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