www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Holy Week, the Triduum and Easter

Dear Robert and All:

I too have always liked this picture and think of it often. It appeared in several publications prepared by the Rev. Dr. Julius Grigassy, of blessed memory, secretary to Bishop Takach and pastor of SS. Peter & Paul Church in Braddock, PA, a suburb of Pittsburgh, in the steel valley along the Monongahela River, where there was one of our churches for almost every little town. These include "Moi Molitvennyk - My Prayerbook" standard for all of us who grew up before the newer publications, "Devotions to Our Lord & His Blessed Mother - Molebens" and the Holy Week book you mention. Believe it or not, that holy week book still serves as a useful tool, especially for anyone who wants to sing the services in Church Slavonic.

The picture is from the church in Braddock and shows the magnificent altar and baldachino (yes, they are proper to our churches, given that they should cover the altar only) that the church possesses. This church is truly majestic in its architecture and would be wonderful if it only had an iconostasis. If it did, it would truly be an example of the "high Greek Catholic" period. Unfortunately, the church is in such a ravaged neighborhood, that I doubt it will ever be updated. I do not know what type of vessel the Blessed Sacrament is being exposed in though, (it is hard to see) and it may even be a photographic insert, as are clearly the "rays of light." Unlike churches in Galicia, in the Subcarpathian Rusyns most always used a ciborium for this purpose,(sometimes with a crowned top) rather than the monstrance or "melchesidech."

Thanks for the memories. Fr. Joe

[ 03-22-2002: Message edited by: Joe ]

At a certain Church in Pittsburgh I have some knowledge of, there are beautiful silk hand-painted veils for the "Ciborium" (artophorion?). These are painted with the crown of thorns, and the Sacred Heart image, and were used to cover the mysteries, the "ciborium" for this procession on Great Friday. I understand that it was the custom for four men to carry the "shroud" over the head of the priest, who underneath, carried the mysteries to the tomb, the "altar of repose".

It is an obvious imitation of the 'eucharistic' procession on Holy Thursday in the restored Roman Holy Week services.

Elias

Could you please tell me when are we going to celebrate the Holy Pascha?
It's confusing. At least, before we knew, that the Eastern Pascha was celebrated (most of the times) a week after the Roman Easter... and now I've seen there'll be three paschas (correct me if I'm wrong)...

Angela, I forgot to mention that some of the people from slavic Churches who are members of my parish bring pussy willows to be blessed along with the palms.

Vicki Williams
(Melkite)

Three Paschas ?

I was aware of two - ours [= Western/Latin/New] on March 31 and Old [=Orthodox/ Ukranian] on May 5 but three = even more

I had thought this would be educational and so it has proved - elucidation please for this puzzled ignorant RC.

Slava Isusu Christu!

Father, Bless.

Father Joe:

I have started a website

www.geocities.com/greekcatholicliturgy/KanonBVM [geocities.com]

And have scanned the Canon of the Lamentations of the Theotokos from my very old Greek Catholic Holy Week Service Book.

I pray that you and my Byzantine brothers and sisters enjoy it.

I wanted to offer something for all of you for Lent and so here it is

Father, Bless.

Sincerely in Christ,


Robert

Robert,

Thank you for that Lenten offering. I may not be Byzantine , but I do appreciate such treasures ! This really appeals to me , and I will print it off for my use next week.

May our Blessed Lady, the ever Virgin Mary, Mother of us all, my Mistress keep you in Her most tender care.

Slava Isusu Christu!

Dear Friend:

Thank you so much! I really wanted to get the webpage roughly finished by Pascha. And I did, thank goodness. They are scanned and turn out rather nice when printed; with slower modems pages will take a while to load, but for those on DSL et al it should come up rather quick. I have many old Greek Catholic texts and I want to make them available over the web for not only my Byzantine and Latin brothers and sisters, but also the Orthodox. I am so glad that you will be using them. I could not find this service, of the Supplication of the BVM, on the net so I wanted to provide it for our faithful before Great and Holy Saturday. I like the text translation, it has a "Jordanville prayerbook" feel to it. Now, of course we us American English translations of liturgical texts. There is such a lack of Byzantine texts on the internet and so I will try my best to help add more to the salad so to speak

I will try to work more in at the end of Great and Holy Week. May you have a Blessed Pascha my friend!

In the Theotokos:


Robert

Again, from Vespers...

SATURDAY OF THE RAISING OF LAZARUS

P. Let us pray and beseech the Lord for grace and mercy.
C. Merciful Lord, have mercy on us and help us.

The priest continues...

Hoosoyo

Praise, thanksgiving, glory, honour, and exaltation, continually and without ceasing, at all times may we be worthy to offer...

Proemion

To Him who awakens those who have fallen asleep in the dust and makes them to stand, the Creator and Fashioner of all creatures who in His Economy for our Salvation works glorious deeds, and with a great cry called Lazarus His friend, and raised him from the dead. To Him belongs glory, honour, and adoration, at this time, and at all times and seasons and hours and moments of the days of our life forever. Amen.

Sedro

Christ our God, Lover of Truth and Right, and Hope which does not put to shame, You do not forsake Your friends in life or in death. In Your coming to us You descended to the utmost lowliness and You took upon You all that is human except sin. You made for Yourself beloved friends, disciples and companions, fathers and brothers and kindred. While in Your Godhead You are high above all sensible and spiritual intelligences, You were pleased to reveal, even to those who were far off Your benevolence, Your boundless love for mankind. You so loved our fallen and sinful nature, that You were pleased, suddenly, according to Your divine will, to appoint an end for Your friend Lazarus, separating his soul and spirit from the body. And when he was as one who is without consciousness, You said to Your disciples, "Come, let us go again into Judea." And when the sun's rays were still strong, You came with the glorious company of Your apostles. You found Your friend already dead, and his holy sisters Mary and Martha standing in sorrow with those who had come from Jerusalem to sympathise with them over their brother. Then You suffered in a human manner and You revealed Your humility by shedding tears from Your eyes, and by Your prayer at the grave, and by Your sorrow for Your friend, and by Your thanksgivings offered to Your Father. But when You cried to Lazarus "Come forth!", it was Your divine authority which was revealed, for straightaway the dead man came forth, with his hands and feet still bound and his face wrapped in a shroud and he began to walk. Satan was terrified! Death howled! Sheol was cast down! The people were confused, and the Scribes and Pharisees covered their heads.

Therefore we beg of Your love, our God, all-adorable, abounding in all things, that as You raised Lazarus You will raise us from death in sin, and make us stand like Your friend, from our wretched fall into disgrace. Give us joy as You did to Mary and Martha, Your disciples and friends. Bestow on us the healing of our diseases, refreshment in our afflictions. And make us worthy, with all those who have followed You in Your Passover with faith, to stand at Your right hand and to praise Your Majesty, with your Father and Your Holy Spirit, now and always and forever. Amen.

Ok Let me see.
I thought that the Byzantine Catholic Churches celebrate according to the Orthodox calendars (the "revised" Julian Calendar, and the Old Julian Calendar in Ukraine, Serbia & Russia)and not according to the Latin Calendar. The only Orthodox Church that celebrates the Pascha the 31th is the Church of Finland (I don't know why).
But I saw he Ruthenian Calendar at this site and it says that Pascha is the 31th Apr and not the 5 may. I visited the Melkite one and it has the same date.

Dear Remie,

That must've been a misprint. I just checked the calendar on this site, and it has 31 March as Pascha.

Let's not get more divided than we already are. :p

Oh this poor person is getting more and more . I thought I was getting the hang of the 2 Calendars and then this happens

GLory to Jesus Christ!

Dear Remie , Lady, et al,

You are right, the ONLY Eastern Orthodox Church that celebrates Easter on the Western Date is The Orthodox Church of Finland, they do so because they are required to do so by the Laws of the State of Finland. All other Eastern Orthodox Churches follow the Orthodox Paschalion by agreement (whether they observe the old or new calendar, Orthodoxy is united on the date of observance of Pascha). This agreement was made in the 1920s when some jurisdictions accepted the modified Julian Calendar that is primarily based on the western Gregorian Calendar with some ecclesiatical requirements imposed.

As I understand it, some Byzantine Catholic Churches follow the Old Calendar and thus observe Pascha on the same date as the Eastern Orthodox Churches. Other Byzantine Catholic Churches follow the new, Gregorian Calendar completely and thus observe the Western date for Easter as Pascha with their Roman Catholic brethren.

I know that his holiness Pope John Paul II views this ununity on date for Easter/Pascha as a scandal to the non-Christian world. His Beatitude the Patriach of Antioch, during Pope John Paul II's visit to Syria, was overheard asking the Melikite Patriarch, "Isn't it about time that we observe Pascha on the same date." The Orthodox believe that the Orthodox Paschalion as the older method of dating Pascha/Easter and was established by joint Ecumenical Council and should thus should be used rather than the much more recent Roman Paschalion method. Most Patriarchs are in agreement that the seperation of Christians on this the holiest of all Christian Feasts is a scandal.

For those of us on the Old Calendar or using the Orthodox Paschalion, this is the end of the firts week of Lent with tommorrow being the Sunday of Orthodoxy. I will be carrying my grandchildren with their Patronal Icons in the procession Tommorrow. I can Hardly wait!

Your brother in Christ,
Thomas

[ 03-23-2002: Message edited by: Thomas ]

Dear All,

Christ, the King of Glory, enters Jerusalem!

Below you will find a link that has much information on the Slavic customs surrounding this day - Flowery Sunday.

Enjoy.

http://members.tripod.com/ResurrectionWillows/index.html#menu

Benedictine

Benedictine,
Thank you for that link - Flowery Sunday - a good name for a day that should be triumphal.

I looked at our Church today - a large container of Palms on the altar steps, 2 small vases with palms on the altar - and thought where is the joy ?
The congregation were half hearted waving their palms, there were no flowers [ it being Holy Week] and the fidgets during the Gospel left much to be desired. Oh dear

Well it has put me into a solemn mood in preparation for the rest of the week.

Please could we start to look at the Triduum as I'm sure that you have all so much to teach me , I Thought of the Winding Sheet mentioned by Alex at this point ?

Angela - who has not prepared for the Great Feast as well as she hoped - God forgive me a sinner