www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization Videos from Fr Serge's Liturgies in Singapore

He's quite a nice man, too. He has visited our parish several
times since I have been there, although he has not been with
us recently. I am glad that he posts on this site.

I am sorry to see that he seems to be having trouble with his
legs.

Thanks to Edward for enlightening us on the King Henry question.

I could not make out the words of the Trisagion and it seemed
to take a good deal longer than it does with us in English or
Slavonic. I know the Greek words to it. Was it just the audio and my not-too-sharp ears?

Edmac

Beautiful singing!

And the award for Best All-Asian Choir Singing in Romanian goes to...

Dave

The long procession for both the little entrance and great entrance is common in the Melkite Greek Catholic Chruch. I know at least some seminarians in other Eastern Catholic Chruches which use the Byzantine tradition who wish to also do this.

Dear Father David,

You've asked several questions - in several posts -so responding will be bit tricky. I'll do my best.

At the Great Entrance one may pray for just about anybody (apart from persons who have been excommunicated publicly and by name). Mentioning the names of the Chief Hierarchs of various Local Churches on an occasion like this and in a place like Singapore is a means of assuring the members of those Churches that all is well and that they are recognized and welcome.

The Greek-Catholic Bishop with jurisdiction there is Peter of Melbourne, Australia, New Zealand and Oceania - and I was serving on his antimension.

Attempting to commemorate the proper hierarch of the church edifice would have been a problem; I'm not even sure that the building relates to any particular hierarch. It was at one time the Armenian parish church in Singapore, but while the trustees retain legal ownership, it is available for use by any of the Eastern Churches.

Many, many years ago when I was in High School I happened to attend a Divine Liturgy offered - in English - by an Orthodox priest who was a US Army Chaplain. At every commemoration he mentioned the name of the ruling hierarch of every jurisdiction in the USA - from memory, no less. I took it for granted that this was for the benefit of soldiers who might attend his chaplaincy and found this practice reassuring.

The "King Henry" in question was indeed Henry IX, of blessed memory, and I had announced earlier in the service that we would pray for him - he was the last recognized Catholic sovereign of the Three Kingdoms, it was his 200th anniversary, and I had hoped to be at a Pontifical Requiem for him in England, but my travel schedule made that impossible.

And you are correct - having video cameras and klieg lights on one in the middle of a Divine Liturgy can cause memory lapses!

I was carrying the chalice, not the discarion, in the Great Entrance. The reason is that the steps of the Altar are small and narrow and I needed a hand free to keep my balance.

to be continued - I hope!

Francis II of Bavaria is indeed the current Stuart claimant - but he has no conceivable claim to Singapore. If you're interested, Metropolitan Kallistos is the current Orthodox chaplain of the Royal Stuart Society.

Processions at the Entrances: I've done that ever since I was a Deacon. It is much more effective in the ongoing effort to convince people that they are not spectators and that the Church is not a theater. My suspicion would be that this practice fell into desuetude in the northern churches because of the climate.

Speaking of the climate, there was a teaming rainstorm in Singapore that morning, but the faithful still came in good numbers, which is edifying.

fraternally in Christ,

Fr. Serge

Greetings and thanks, Father.

Your remembrance of King/Cardinal Henry was indeed gratifying
to one who is a member of a clan that was (in general, anyhow)
fiercely Jacobite and who loathes and dispises the Hanovarian
porkers (with the exception of Geo VI and the present Princess
Elizabeth of Greece, who is, after all, a half a Scot).

I am somewhat surprised, however, at your acknowlegement of
King/Cardinal Henry as King of Ireland.

Ed

But my guess would be that good King Louis XIV did not recognise King Henry's claim to the Throne of France.

I read a small book by an Oxford Don (I think) about the Non-Jurors. I have a good deal of sympathy for them, both for their support of the Anointed Sovereign and their sympathy (alas it did not go quite far enough) for the "Eastern Church." I like to flatter myself that I would have stood with them had I been an Anglican back in those days of old. But then I often think that I would have been a Recusant in the bad old days of Henry, Edward, and Elisabeth.

Spoken with the bravery of one who has never endured any persecution whatsoever!

Fr David Straut

Dear Fr Serge,

I am very grateful for your response. I broke my questions up over several posts to try to make it easier for more people to answer the questions they knew something about, though it had the effect of making it harder for the one person who could answer all the questions to answer them!

You clear many things up. Of course it is the pastoral thing to commemorate several Hierarchs in a situation like that.

Thanks for the information on Metropolitan Kallistos and the Royal Stuart Society. I hadn't heard of that, though I am familiar with the Society of St Charles the Martyr, another whimsical organisation.

Fr David

The blessings of God on the priests Serge and David.

Edmac

Of course. He only recognised his cousin (Henry's father). He had already passed on during Henry's heyday. Sorry for the misinformation.

What gets me is that Fr.Serge acknowledged Henry IX as King of
Ireland! The Scottish part of me is only too happy to recognize
him as King of Scots, but the Irish part of me totally rejects
him as King of Ireland which has not had a king since (I think)
Brian Boru.

As for calling that miserable scoundrel Louis XIV "good"!!
His armies ravaged the Rheinish Palatinate three times, and
another part of me is Pfaelisch. (I am a good American mut).

Edmac

Sorry about the "good" part. I was just repeating a phrase that sounded familiar to me, probably concerning another King Louis. There were, after all, a good many of them!


Fr David

Edward,

Thank you for the videos.

Bless Athair Sergii,

Now that you're traveling the world, one might hope to see you visit Boston - any hope for the near future?

I'm guessing that your commemoration of Patriarch Gregory was due to him being the (sole "acknowledged") Patriarch of the Byzantine Rite - besides that you like us Am I correct?

Many years,

Neil

Dear Father David;

I forgive you for the "good". One of the Louis was a saint,
but it wasn't the XIVth one. Some of my friends are monarchists
(or say they are) but it seems to me that a good king is
hard to find. I was very pleased to discover that my own rather obscure patron saint, Edwin of Northumbria (7th Century), is reported to have been a very good king. Credited with founding
Edinburgh, which was at that time part of his turf.

May the Lord God remember your priesthood in His Kingdom

Edmac

I just watched a couple of the videos, they were very beautiful! I saw that in the video when the people received the Holy Eucharist, they then went to the side where the server gave them small cups of something to drink. Could anyone explain what this was? I had never seen nor heard of this practice before and was very curious.

God bless and keep you....

In the slavic tradition, it's called Zapivka. It's a little shot of wine and it's meaning is to wash down all of the eucharist.