www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News new Paschal rubrics

Hello members, does anyone know the details of the "new" Paschal rubrics and are they to made mandatory here in the Van Nuys Eparchy?

Paul,

what do you define as "new" Paschal rubrics? Are you refering to "new rules" for the celebration of Great and Holy Saturday Vespers, St Basil's Liturgy, or Paschal Matins?

Two years ago, the late Metropolitan Procyk was trying to introduce a "shortened" Pascal rubrics , meaning that after Bright Week, there would be less singing of the traditional Paschal tropar and less singing of the Paschal hymns. Some said it was an introduction of the Greek tradition instead of the centuries-old Ruthenian Paschal recension. This was discussed here two years ago, and most were against this "economy". I don't know how many parishes went along with this "shortened" Paschal season, but I hope it has been withdrawn!

Ung-Certez

Could someone explain where the Paschal tropar is used in the Divine Liturgy throughout the Paschal season? I'm 99.9% positive it replaces some of the usual prayers near the ending of the liturgy, but in the past we have been told not to do so, "Because it would only confuse people." As a result, after a lengthy lenten journey, "Christ is risen..." has been limited to one singing, and that only on Pascha itself - sort of anti-climactic and emotionally very unsatisfying.

-- Ed Klages

Sorry, Bisantino, I should have qualified my question more. Ung-Certez stated what i was looking for. But since you mentioned the other services, what is new about them? I have only been a Byzantine Catholic a short time and last year was the first Holy Week services I have attended and so that,at this point, is my "yardstick " so to speak. Thanks, Paul

Paul,

there are no "new rubrics" for the services I mentioned. When you mentioned "new Paschal rubrics", I though you were refering to rules regarding this main services of Pascha (Easter).
The only "new rubric" was the directive some years back to celebrate Holy Saturday Vespers with the Liturgy of St Basil on Saturday afternoon and not Saturday morning.

As to what U-C posted, I've never experienced the "shortened Pascal rubrics" at the proCathedral in Phoenix. But if you have any questions about the singing of the Paschal hymns and tropars direct them to Fr Mel.

In our parish, we've had the change of moving Vesper/Basil to Saturday evening, followed immediately by Paschal Matins - but without Liturgy. You have to come back on Sunday morning for communion in white vestments and flowers.

The service is WAAAAAAY too long.

Also, psychologically, it's bad news. One begins with minor key, Lenten tones. The church is dark; priest in purple. Then the lights go out. The priest re-appears with the candle, people process outside and come back in to a flowered brightly lighted church. Paschal Matins begins and moves toward a crescendo when it abruptly stops.

Going from Lenten/reflective to Paschal/exuberantin 180 seconds is just bad psychology. And even worse, is the fact that most Byzantines/Orthodox solemnize a liturgical occasion by receiving communion, but are prohibited from doing so in this current set up. The singing gets louder and more spirited, and then WHAMO!: DISMISSAL!! Come back for Eucharist tomorrow!!

Church services developed into what they are today for a reason: they work. And the peoples' culture and psychology are melded to them. To "change the books" (for whatever reason) is to impact the peoples' culture and family life as well as their spiritual psychology. As the old Latin proverb has it: Festina lente. (=make haste, slowly.)

Blessings!

I don't understand this order of Holy Week services that is done in the Passiac Eparchy. I thought that when the late Met. Procyk issued the Holy Week service rubrics that:

A.) St. Basil liturgy should fall between the hours of what, 9:00 am- 3:00 pm.

B.) Ressurectional Matins should be celebrated after 6:00pm and no earlier, and even later if priests offer an anticipated Paschal Divine Liturgy.

The reason why alot of priests don't offer an anticipated Paschal Divine Litury is because we no longer have these Resurrectional Matins after midnight as was the old custom. I have seen too many "empty" parishes on Pascha Sunday because everyone went to the Holy Saturday Matins(abbreviated at best) and anticipated Divine Liturgy. I think we need to get our priorities straight, and have the entire Metropolia be on the "same" typica page!

Ung-Ceretez

I believe we are talking about two liturgies and not one "anticipated" liturgy. Basil's is celebrated after Vespers and Chrysostom's is celebrated after Matins.

As for the changes in the Paschal troparion no longer being sung so often after Bright Week, I believe it has to do with what is called "creeping paschalism," whereby all the days until Pentecost becomes one long Bright Week. Yet, we do close the doors after Bright Week is finished, the services change, and should our singing of the troparion not match our scaled down celebration after Bright Week too? Or should we be consistent and make the fifty days after Pascha one long Bright Month?

Joe

J.T., yes I know. What I meant was those parishes who have the Resurrectional Matins only vs. those who have abbreviated Ressurectional Matins and then go right into the anticipated Paschal Divine Liturgy. The last scenario is what most parishes do. The earlier St. Basil liturgy usually only concerns the priests, as not too many faithful have the time to attend all of the Holy Week services. As far as the deminished Pachal singing, that is not a part of our South-West Rus'(Ruthenian) recension of the Constantinopolitan Particular Church tradition, and most of the faithful are not in favor this change!.

Ung-Certez

UC,

"As far as the deminished Pachal singing, that is not a part of our South-West Rus'(Ruthenian) recension of the Constantinopolitan Particular Church tradition, ..."

Which South-West Rus' (Ruthenian) recension? Hybrid? Latinized? Elko's? Rome's? Union of Uzhorod's? Western PA? Eparchy of Van Nuys? Typicon-driven or non-Typicon parishes? Blue Army communities? More Orthodox than Orthodox churches? You got me there!

"... and most of the faithful are not in favor this change!."

Define *most of the faithful.* Most of our communities didn't have an iconostasis at one time, but now I don't know of too many that still don't. Could your *recension* argument have been used forty years ago with more weight behind it? I heard the argument that such structures were not *our* Catholic heritage too - even though Rome, in her Ordo Celebrationis, thought otherwise. Of course, this Ordo was ignored too by *most of the faithful*, including bishops and clergy, who didn't or couldn't accept such changes for weightless reasons.

My question still stands: Should we be consistent and make the fifty days after Pascha one long Bright Month? If so, what do we do with Bright Week as a *special* week? Is your *recension* argument consistent with how we celebrate all our major feastdays, especially in their post-festive periods? What does our Typicon and Festal Menaion reflect?

When this deminished Paschal singing started, it did not go by unnoticed by the faithful (ironically, it occurred during Met. Procyk's funeral). Everyone knew that we always sing "Chistos Voskrese/Christ is Risen several times throughout the Divine Liturgy up until Ascension Thursday. This isn't a matter of a prior Latinization as the "Elko Iconoclast Era". I just don't buy the reasoning behind this new rubric, especially since our Orthodox brethren (OCA, UOCA, ACROGC,) who all use the South-West Rus'(Ruthenian) recension still retain the complete Paschal singing tradition. This just do not make any sense.

Ung-Certez

UC,

With all changes it boils down to communication and education.

But not all change is necessary! If this was a necessary change, our brethren in the Orthodox Churches would have done this long ago. I actually think it is a start of a whole sale change in our typica. And we already know that most of the hierarchs in charge want to construct a new "American" chant to replace our traditional Prostopinije because it's "too ethnic". Where is it going to end?

Ung-Certez

Who's "we?"

I'm not aware of a new "American" chant, though I am aware of some tone melodies being published here and there that reflect our Prostopinije much better than previous publications. We should applaud those who are laboring in this area. It is an area that hasn't received proper care for such a long time. Our chant has suffered much since the order of ordained cantors and proper publications died out. Some of the music I have seen from knowledgable sources reflects verbatum the tones and melodies of our older chant books. When I sing them in our temple, the older folks tell me that I remind them of the cantors of old. I don't know how this can be a new construction as you say.

I am also ignorant of the *too ethnic* argument. I don't know what you mean here. Unless you know of an attempt to replace our chant with hymns from "Glory and Praise" as some of our independent cantors have tried to do on their own.

Cantor Joe Thur