www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West I just noticed something...

If you look at an Orthodox or an Eastern Catholic Church's website most of the time there will be pictures of the inside and outside of the Church.

At a Roman Catholic Church's website, more often or not, there will be no pictures of it except the facade on the main page. Is it because there isn't really anything to see inside of most of the sterile Novus Ordo parishes?

I've yet to see an Eastern Catholic or Orthodox Church that isn't visually impressive at least on the inside. True, there are some whose exteriors look like strip mall banks. (Only because they probably can't afford Onion Domes yet!) But they are in the minority.

What do you think?

Sounds good but have you seen the inside of some of the Byzantine Ruthenian churches? I've seen some pretty 'sterile' looking ones due to the latin priests playing byzantine priests!

Recently the clergy developed a working paper called "Heaven on Earth". Ask your priest to show it to you. In it there is a call for every Temple to become an actual Temple. It would be amazing to see it happen.

The difference in approach is the difference between the two lungs of the Church. The Western is Masculine and rational always striving upward. Evangelism is a "thrust".

The East is Feminine and intuitive always receiving. Evangelism is an "invitation" to come see and experience.

That's not the whole of it but I think it gets at the gist of it.

CDL

I attended my cousin's wedding in what I thought was a RC church last Friday. I'm still not sure if I was in a church or an auditorium.

One of the main reasons I did not convert to the RCs.

CDL

Recently I asked our Priest if we could install a Curtain................................................................................................

We don't have one yet but I understand that it's in the offing. I've seen Orthodox Churches both in and out of communion with Rome with them and many without them.Getting rid of most of the pews may be even more important.

CDL

By the way, I am fortunate to visit Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in West County St. Louis and it has pews! But the rest of it is packed with Icons!

If you find out please let me know about what a Curtain goes for these days. And don't be too shy about asking for $$$$$$$ for such a wonderful endeavor.

I don't think I quite agree with you about removing the pews as more important. Removing pews is of course super, super, super important. However, Temples are supposed to have curtains, since Moses's time or thereabouts. Plus to me the Curtain epitomizes the "God is hidden yet God is revealed." I think once people realize the proper relationship between servants and master the pews will come out right quick!

In the Icon on the right "Royal Door" celebrating the Feast of the Annunciation, Mary is often seen holding a spindle with red thread in her left hand. It is explained that she was weaving the curtain for the Temple. Start to point out these important facts to your priest when you ask where the curtain is in your parish!

Cathy

About $400 for materials, and two baba's who can sew!

Thanks!

Please be careful when making blanket statements such as the one above.

I would ask you read "Bridging the Gap" by following this link:

www.franciscan.org/newsletters/province/2005/province_newsletter_Vol10Num4.asp [franciscan.org]

Father Mike says Mass at my Latin parish on occasion and I find him to be a wonderful,articulate and caring priest. He has dedicated his life to serving the Catholic Church both West and East. We all should be grateful for such service.


Bill
(formerly Bill from Pgh)

Dear Bill,

Thanks for the link to the article. I find this paragraph a bit perplexing though:

Is this stating that if there had not been a schism, then the Byzantine rite would not have been in Eastern Europe?

I receive the Saint Anthony Messenger, published by the Franciscans in Cincinnati, OH [my family has been close to many of the brothers in the monastery in Fayetteville for as long as I could remember], and a few months ago, they did, overall, a really good article on the Eastern Catholic Church. The only pitfall that I noted was a blanket statement that we use intinction as the method for distributing the host. That may be due to the fact that there is only a Maronite Church in Cincinnati, St. Anthony of Padua.

Many of my parents' friends [while I grew up and lived in Cincinnati area] were from the Cleveland/Parma area and had settled in Cinci-Polish/Czech] and attended the local Roman Catholic Church. Consequently, all the offspring became Roman Catholic.

Regarding St. Anthony's, we were always told that was a strange church. We were never educated on the Eastern Churches whatsoever in our CCD. I guess the philosophy was 'If you are Roman, then you are the Church.'

Not nice really, is it?

Just wanted to share.

In Christ,

Michael

Dear Michael,

I think what he meant is that the Byzantine "Catholic" Churches (as opposed to the already existing Byzantine "Orthodox" Churches) came about as a result of the schism. An oversimplification, I know, but he wasn't exactly writing a thesis here.

We were never educated on the Eastern Churches whatsoever in our CCD. I guess the philosophy was 'If you are Roman, then you are the Church.' I don't recall being taught anything about the Eastern Churches at the Catholic grade school I attended either. I can tell you the catechetical material used in the CCD classes my children attended did include sections explaining, although not in total detail, the various churches that comprise the Catholic Church.

God Bless,
Bill