www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Understanding of the "Church" thru Byzantine eyes

Dear Krylos Leader,

I understand your desire for an intellectual discussion and I appreciate your recent post. You are very well versed in Orthodoxy.

However, there are currently, and have been for some years now, many political problems in the GOA here (and the politics are nasty and downright unchristian), and in fully answering you I would have to reveal some of that, and I truly do not want to for the sake of my soul and this forum.

The spirit of this forum is such a blessing, I cannot begin to tell you. When some see polemics, I don't....everything is relative!

This is one of the most beautiful forums EVER!

My heart and soul rejoice here...with my brethren of Orthodoxy, Orthodoxy in communion with Rome, and Roman Catholics.

God bless all of you.

In Christ our Lord and Saviour,
Alice

P.S. What does 'krylos' mean? Should it be 'klyros', which means, atleast in Greek, 'cleric'?

Dear Alice:

Of course, I respect your desire to keep certain "dirty laundry" out of the public domain. Consider the topic dropped.

"Krylos" is a Ukrainian mis-tranliteration of the Greek "klyros" -- "klyros" in the sence of the place where the clergy who were not serving at the altar stood and sang during liturgical celebrations. The word "krylo" in Ukrainian means "wing," so I guess that the Ukes figured that becasue the "klyros" stands off to the side of the church, that's what it must be.

So, when my UGCC parish formed a choir twenty-odd years ago of young people who would concentrate on traditional chants, the services of the Great Fast and the Hours, they named it "Krylos" based upon the aforementioned mis-transliteration.

If we only knew then what we know now... Anyway, the name sticks despite its built-in Ukrainian fault.

Yours,

kl

Dear Alice, I was touched by your frank and honest discussion here. The Greek parish in my Oklahoma hometown growing up (my father was transferred when I was very young) always accepted me "as is" and that parish was there for me during some serious teenage rebellion years with open arms.

Even though I never "officially" joined them and felt an unspoken desire to stay in communion with Rome, they always accepted me. It was at that Greek parish that early on I was suggested works from the Fathers and truly came to love the Byzantine tradition since at that time we had no Ukrainian Greek Catholic mission or parish. (I can still remember "Pater Imon, o en tis ouranis... "

When an ex-Lutheran married RC priest (one of the married Lutherans and Episcopalians ordained as RC priests) years later decided he wanted to help establish a Greek Catholic parish there, the GOA priest at this same parish not only gave him liturgical instruction one-on-one, but let him stand right at the altar with him for many Liturgies and other services to walk him through all of the rubrics. The people were also very nice to him.

The priest from another Orthodox jurisdiction whom I won't mention hung up on my friend when he asked him for the same assistance to learn the Byzantine tradition.

May God grant us all peace and charity and have mercy on us as we discuss these things as Byzantine Christians.

Now that is as it should be - Christian charity in action.

Please God we will see more of it

Anhelyna

Dear Diak,

It is GREAT to hear stories, positive experiences,and examples of Christian and brotherly outreach of priests, like the ones you have shared!

A very holy Archimandrite I know of, (and who once was a Franciscan friar for his first 15 years of monastic life), has also echoed the warm reception he felt in the Greek church. His personal, (and I stress 'personal') experience was not as positive in the OCA. He is presently the current director of the Belarusian Council under the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

The bottom line is that all churches, no matter what the ethnic jurisdiction or Papal affiliation, are made up of individuals...and if those individuals have allowed the love of Christ in their hearts, that love will speak loudly and will touch others---and politics be damned!

In Christ our Lord,
Alice

Dear Alice,

You posted:

"The bottom line is that all churches, no matter what the ethnic jurisdiction or Papal affiliation, are made up of individuals...and if those individuals have allowed the love of Christ in their hearts, that love will speak loudly and will touch others---and politics be damned!"

Amen! Strong words for a central truth, it seems to me.

I am glad to say that the love of Christ in your heart touches the lives of many here.

Thank you for that!

Steve

Even when the Orthodox Church hs few missions and is not as powerful as the Roman Church, i think it's not a fair comparisson. The Roman Church is supported by the Vatican State and Banks, and many things that help her to be missionary and build hospitals, while the orthodox outside the Orthodox countries are totaly poor, there's a lack of priests and jurisdictional problems. In spite of this, the RC's problems are far graver than those of the Orthodox. In Mexico most Orthodox priests I know, are working priests, and they celebrate the liturgy in many parishes driving from town to town, even if the number of faithful is small.