www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Seminarians concert tour

Hey,

Metropolitan Nicholas invited us all to go down and see the boys from Blessed Theodore Romzha Seminary sing their concert at St. Mary's Byzantine Catholic Church in Johnstown last night, the first stop on their tour.

If you have a chance to go see these guys - DO IT!

They're amazing! The singing is magnificent...

Go here for schedule and info:
http://www.seminaryconcerttour.com/

They sound great! I'm going on the 28th to the Parma Cathedral. Thanks for posting this!

May God grant them safe travels around the US!

It figures--they'll be in the Burgh this weekend, and I'll be in NY for a friend's wedding!

I hope that the touring group sounds better than the group of seminarians that recently recorded some CDs. I was very disappointed with the CD of Marian Hymns. (On the other hand, their debut album of the Divine Liturgy, produced in Ukraine, is delightful!)

Dave

Dave,

Are you referring to a Marian Hymns CD that you purchased recently, and of the Uzhorod Seminary Choir, from OLTV or ECP? If so, the choir is MUCH better live than the recording since the recordings were only made with simple video cameras last May when I was there, and they were NOT made in a recording studio but the former Seminary Chapel (to keep recording costs to a minimum).

The live performances are MUCH better, and the Concert in St John's in Uniontown on Thursday evening received two standing ovations, at the end of each half of the program!

Jack Figel
Concert Tour Coordinator

If there is going to be a repeat tour will it be expanded to more locations (the West, South, etc.)?

I would love to expand the tour next time (which I also hope will occur!) If a second is scheduled, I would certainly be glad to visit other parishes in the Northeast and Midwest.

But, the economics of transporting 16-20 people to anywhere beyond the Mississippi River or south of Virginia is difficult to justify -- the only way this current tour works financially is to drive from place to place. 20 airline tickets to Texas or California would run at least $500-1000 and I'm not sure we could collect enough from donations to cover that expense. But I'm certainly open to ideas to try.

Jack

Why not add parishes and Seminary of the Carpatho-Russian Diocese to the itinerary next time around?

They stopped by the carpatho-russian chancery and seminary to mingle.

Johnstown... Rusyn heaven east of Pittsburgh!

I'm happy to report great attendance and response so far on our tour.

Johnstown -- 220
Uniontown -- 160
Seminary -- 80
Pgh Cathedral -- 240

Next stops Warren and Brecksville, OH.

Jack

I hope they're selling lots of CDs. Every touring band knows you make your money on merch sales

Great job Jack! Thanks for getting them here!

Ochon, a Seain! I don't know any touring band, and no touring band has ever any money for me.

Fr. Serge

I had the opportunity to see them at the Cathedral last night. I would highly recommend taking the time to see this group...they sounded great.

Yes, we have CD and DVD recordings of the group, in six programs, over 100 selections, and then a "Favorite Liturgies" and "Favorite Hymns" which are the "top hit parade" of the Carpathians. Sales of CDs are so brisk we've run out of our initial supply and had to have an overnight shipment sent to our next stop. They'll be on our website for sale soon.

We had about 240 attend the concert in the Pittsburgh Cathedral and another 250 in Warren, OH last night. Moving on!

Jack

Excellent, Jack!

I'm glad to hear that this is being so well received...

God bless!

Fr. Deacon Daniel

They are totally going to be at my church tomorrow! I am coming home from school just for this.

The concert tour continues well. We had about 160 in Brecksville on Tuesday and standing room only at St Joseph's in Munster, IN last night with about 175.

The three guys whose visas were not finished in time arrive in Cleveland Friday night and will join the rest of the group this weekend in Parma.

We continue to get standing ovations at the end of each concert!

Jack

Slava Isusu Christu! (Glory to Jesus Christ!)
Slava na Viki! (Glory forever!)

You guys are killing me...I want so much to see them sing in concert! But I just can't make it. My church is having a bus trip to the concert in Hermitage, but I'm having surgery on October 1 and can't make it. I will certainly be looking for the cd's for sale on the website, but as a former professional actor as well as a former deejay---a recorded performance is great but can't equal what you hear at a live concert. I am familiar with the church in Johnstown and I can just imagine how wonderful it sounded! The acoustics would have been incredible. I was in the church a few weeks ago and was standing in front of the altar, thinking of what the concert would sound like and I turned green with envy. Please, PLEASE make a return tour as soon as you can! I live in State College and we have Penn State University---you might want to check with them on booking dates. They have more than one venue and the acoustics would be great at any and all of them, especially Schwab Auditorium They book international acts all the time, of all kinds. Have mercy on a poor Rusyn boy--come back and come to Penn State!

Tim

What are they doing in Parma? Is it just a concert? Or are they singing a Divine Liturgy? I'd love to go to a Slavonic Divine Liturgy. But I don't think I could bear the RDL in Slavonic. I just don't go to a Ruthenian parish anymore. Friends don't let friends go to the RDL.

Now that's a good question. Which DL are the Seminarians doing? I am guessing it will NOT be the RDL. As stated previously in multiple threads, the Eparchs and ArchEparch have concelebrated multiple Liturgies in Slavonic, so the language will not be a problem. And I can't see the Eparchs making the Seminarians use the RDL. So I would guess it would be the DL they use back at the Seminary in Uzhorod. Which I would love dearly to hear. I wonder how it differs from the RDL? I wonder how it differs from the Slavonic DL's we grew up hearing in the 50's, 60's and even 70's? And I understand they do at least one DL in Slavonic at the Pilgrimage at Uniontown each year. Do they do that Liturgy in Slavonic but use the RDL as the basis? I'm not being sarcastic or mean-spirited here. I'm really curious. And how does the Seminarian's Slavonic DL differ from the Slavonic DL done at Uniontown?

If the DL the Seminarians do in Slavonic is really good, maybe we could petition the Eparchs to use that DL as the basis of a new RDL and translate that new DL from Uzhorod Slavonic to English? I understand the embattled RDL is translated not from Church Slavonic, but from Greek texts. Maybe this would be better accepted? Even though the English DL we have had since the 1940's was translated into English from Church Slavonic, if I'm not mistaken. Please do not get me wrong or misinterpret anything I am saying--I am not slamming the RDL, nor am I slamming the Eparchs. I am not making fun of anyone or being disrespectful. I am merely saying there seems to be some dissatisfaction with the RDL and with some of the Eparch's in some posts. Maybe this would help make everyone happy. Any thoughts or input? Especially about the Slavonic DL the Seminarians are using?

TIm

First my apologies for an incorrect church name -- the concert tour took place at St Nicholas Church in Munster, IN, not St Joseph's. Too many cities and churches on this tour to keep track of!!!

I'm happy to report continued success with over 100 in Homer Glen, IL with Fr Tom Loya on Thursday evening, and over 200 in Livonia, MI with Fr Joseph Marquis on Friday evening.

The three guys arrived safe and sound, and despite flight delays, we arranged for them to arrive in Cleveland this afternoon and we met up with them at the Parma Cathedral. It was like a reunion for all to be together.

Please don't bring the RDL into this thread or discussion. Let's keep it to the Concert Tour. When the guys sing a Church Slavonic Divine Liturgy, it is accounding the Sluzhebnik published by Rome and with a few minor adjustments that they normally follow in TransCarpathia. Each one we have done so far has been a little different, depending on the parish priest, cantor and congregation. The Divine Liturgy in Parma is scheduled for 3 pm in the Cathedral with Bishop John tomorrow with the concert at 7 pm in the evening. Although we have not worked out all the details, it will be Hierarchical and mostly according the Archieratikon of 1973. Because it will be in Church Slavonic, many of the issues with the RDL will not come into play (text, music, rubrics).

Jack
Tour Coordinator

I will respect your wishes and keep the RDL out of this discussion, sir. You have enough headaches without us adding more. But thank you for the information as to what they are using. Each concert will be different, that is understandable. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do. If you are up to it, please feel free to schedule more tours anytime soon!

Tim

Further report -- the concert tour continues along its path. Sunday Liturgy in the Parma Cathedral was over 200 persons, as well as the concert that evening. Monday evening in Mentor, OH had a full church of about 80 and tonight we had nearly 200 more in St Michael's, Hermitage, PA (including some repeats from other sites!) And Father Taras, seminary rector from Uzhorod who is traveling with the group, was even able to fish in Lake Erie today! He said he was in heaven! All are having a great time.

Now we head eastward to the "coal region" in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre the next two nights. One lady tonight was in tears as she thanked me for bringing her tradition alive with this group that she had not heard since her grandparents were alive. I think the choir is truly touching people in their souls.

Jack

Delighted that the tour is going so well, and that both the visitors and the locals are enjoying everything. One caution - please alert Father Taras not to eat any fish he catches in Lake Erie; it's polluted.

Fr Serge

I know it's off-topic but I have to offer a comment. Hierarchs like Metropolitan Nicholas, of whom there are still way too few, are the hope for the future of Eastern Christians to be united in a single Church. He cares so much about both people and God - it's never about the ecclesial politics, what others might say, or whose ox is being gored.

Eis polla aeti, Despota

My wife and I attended last evening's beautiful concert in St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church of Scranton, PA. Their singing is magnificent.
Interesting that many of their hymns are sung identically to those in our Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The commentator referred to "Greek Catholic" and not Byzantine Catholic. The host pastor spoke of the Church in Ukraine having been persecuted yet the seminaries are full, while they are "empty" here in the States.
What puzzles me is why the Pittsburgh Ruthenian Archeparchy and the Philadelphia Ukrainian Archeparchy are separated? Listening to the Uzhorod Seminary Choir clearly demonstrates that we "Ukrainians" and "Ruthenians" have so very, very much in common.
Pray that all may be one!

A further status report --

After driving across PA on Wednesday, we were hosted at St Mary's Church in Scranton with over 80 at the concert, and then at St Mary's Church in Wilkes-Barre with over 200 at the concert. Last night was at Holy Spirit in Binghamton, NY with another 220 at the concert. Tonight the group sang the Divine Liturgy at St Michael Cathedral Chapel in West Paterson, NJ with over 150 attending.

Tomorrow is 10 am Liturgy in St Mary's in NYC. 3 pm Liturgy at the Baslian Monastery in Matawan, NJ, and then a concert at 7 pm in St Michael's Cathedral in Passaic. Monday will be a well-deserved DAY OFF!

All is well except for a few sore throats and sniffles. Crowds continue to give enthusiastic responses to the entire program.

Jack

sounds wonderful - wish I could be there!

Fr. Serge

me too. I received an e-mail from my pastor who took members of several congregations to the concert in Hermitage, PA. I was quite jealous. If we are lucky, they will come back again and do a full Liturgy at each site in stead of Liturgies at just some concert sites.

Tim

Another update --

Sunday's events were great. Liturgy in NYC at St Mary's had over 150 attending, then another 100 packed the little chapel in Matawan for the liturgy with Bishops William and Andrew. The concert at St Michael's Cathedral in Passaic Sunday evening packed the auditorium with nearly 200 attending.

On Monday, we visited Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. The guys thoroughly enjoyed it all.

After a lovely liturgy in the Cathedral in memory of Bishop Michael Dudick, the concert in the evening at St Thomas in Rahway was another great success with over 200 attending.

Last evening's concert at St Mary's in Hillsborough topped the charts with nearly 300 people filling the church and giving a standing ovation for both halves of the program!

We're on our way south to Mont Clare, PA and the Baltimore-Washington area for the weekend. All is well and guys are getting some reflective time in parks during the middle of the day this week as they prepare to return home next Tuesday.

Jack

My mother attended the concert and Divine Liturgy in Scranton last week and cannot stop praising it. While she loved the concert she said the Divine Liturgy was incredibly tremendous, and that it was almost exactly like she grew up with (right down to the accent that the visiting celebrating priest used). She and her friends all believe that if they could just get these seminarians to move to Scranton and sing this Divine Liturgy every Sunday the church would be full again. I agree.

John,

I believe that there are still enough of us "old timers" around who can fully respond and participate in the Divine Liturgy in Old Slavonic, if only given the chance. I learned the OS DL as a child by listening to and participating along with my parents and their contemporaries. Sadly, my own children, now grown, have not been exposed to this same opportunity for probably the past 20 years or so. Stands to reason that they'll not be able to pass it on to their children...

...and so it dies with us.

I agree with your mom's assessment (and yours!). I, too, like to believe that the churches would once again be full - would that we were only given the opportunity to find out! True, the magnificent voices of the seminarians singing in our mother tongue would be wonderful to have! But, given the high degree of unlikeliness that they'll actually move to Scranton (or Pittsburgh, or Passaic, or Homer Glen, et.al.), that leaves the future (if there is, indeed, a future) of the Old Slavonic Divine Liturgy in America totally in our hands. Perhaps we should somehow be more assertive in our requests to see more Old Slavonic Divine Liturgies celebrated in our parishes, even if only on a "now & then" basis...

...before it truly becomes too late.

Al (a pilgrim)

Courage! About 35 years ago a friend and I (we're both now in our sixties) were honestly convinced that we were the last of the Mohicans where Church-Slavonic was concerned. I've seldom been so happy to have been mistaken.

The two best things to do for Church-Slavonic are:

1) learn it - for real, and

2) use it.

Try it - you may like it!

Fr. Serge

Bless, Fr. Serge,

Thank you for the "ray of hope" you offer! Fact is, the impetus for an individual to accomplish your item #1 above is probably directly proportional to the opportunity to employ your item #2. I suspect that very few individuals will take the time to learn Church-Slavonic unless an outlet is provided for them to use it regularly.

I clearly recall as a youth seeing the words "Thine of Thine Own, we offer unto Thee, in behalf of all and for all" inscribed in cyrillic text around the sanctuary arch of our church (we had no iconostas in those days). Inquisitive kid that I was, that inscription became my "Rosetta Stone" and I took great delight in using it as a basis to begin to decipher the mysteries of our Church's mother tongue! Had FUN doing it, actually! Of course, it was easier back then because I actually heard the language on a regular basis.

But I digress...

Here's a thought that recently struck me... and please excuse my feeble inability to articulate my innermost feelings:

From all accounts (not the least of which are evident in this very thread), the re-introduction of Church-Slavonic that is being provided to us by these wonderful seminarians (mnohaja l'ita to these fine young men!) is being met with resounding accolades in parish after parish, across the entire metropolia. We've even heard of some folks being moved to tears. Now THAT certainly speaks to a liturgical language that touches the very heart! Could this entire concert tour possibly be the very work of the Holy Spirit? Are we being given a "clue" as to what's expected of us with regard to the custodianship of the sacred liturgical language we've been entrusted with? Are we missing the boat if we now merely sit back and say something like "Those young men were great! The people were really moved by once again hearing our Church's mother tongue! We'll have to invite them back in a few years!"

...or...

Should we (all of us - laity, clergy and hierarchy) be seeing the resounding success of this magnificent tour as a catalyst for action on our part??

Begging your blessing,

Al (a pilgrim)

So someone needs to put together a primer for parishes to teach pronunciation, reading, and such. The only thing stopping my parish from using it more is that almost no one knows it. For those that do it is rote memorization more than real understanding; they can sing through a liturgy but have no idea how to write it out or transmit basic ideas.

Again, I hope the seminary will turn some of their programs (like Church Slavonic I) into a distance education format. I've called Fr. Custer enough on the topic that I'm surprised he doesn't just hang up on me.

Slava Isusu Christu!(Glory to Jesus Christ!)
Slava na Viki! (Glory forever!)

Thank you sir, for voicing what I had been thinking. I'm in the hospital and float in and out at times and so haven't been able to check on the Forum in a few days. But as I read the posts on The Seminarian's Tour, the same thought struck me.

Here we are, over a year and a day, talking and talking about the Divine Liturgy that so few of us can remember in our heads and even fewer can bring our parched throats to pronounce---and suddenly we hear the full beauty of what it can be when done properly! And performed where? A concert hall? A performance stage? No--a church, arranged plainly in front of the altar. In some cases in a Cathedral--where the Eparch's are guaranteed to be present to relive what they surely must have heard regularly as they were children, before joining the Seminary. What memories flit through the Eparch's minds as they listening to the Seminarians sing this joyous noise unto the Lord? Did they sing along? At least in their heads? How many times did they hear this as children--before they decided to become priests.

A coincidence? If you wish to think so. A sign from the Holy Spirit telling us (and more importantly our Eparchs) what to do with Church Slavonic? If you wish to think so. An opportunity to actually DO something about getting our "gutter, kitchen language" back? If you wish to think so. One last bit of nostalgia (thrown like a bone to a dog) before we die and slip away, like our contribution to God's voice on earth? If you wish to think so.

I'm reminded of a line from Shakespeare (who surely was a Carpatho-Rusyn at heart) when in Hamlet the title character says "There is nothing either good or bad but THINKING makes it so." The capitalization is mine. The words are from ACT II, Scene II if you wish to look them up. Hamlet is talking to his friends Guildenstern and Rosencrantz about his "prison."

Do we sit back and do nothing, letting something wonderful and perhaps God given, slip away? Or do we take advantage of the situation and make a positive move?

Tim

Well one thing for sure, they have gotten to see up close and personal the beauty of America. I truly hope they have enjoyed their travels as they have shared their wealth of Chant with the Church.

Who is Father Michael?

My wife and I attended the concert at Epiphany parish in Annandale, VA on Saturday night. It was glorious! My wife insisted that we do some Christmas shopping.

A friend told me that when they sang at his parish he felt like he was at a funeral for our Church.

Another told me that it was a chance to celebrate our Liturgy and get away with it.

I think the bishops were afraid the concert tour might rekindle the memory of what is ours. They haven’t destroyed it yet. Watch for more attacks wherever people raise their heads and ask for the Real Divine Liturgy.

I attended last night's concert at St. Anne's in Harrisburg. It was wonderful!

In attendance were: a Ukrainian Catholic priest, two local OCA priests, the Latin diocese's Vicar for Clergy, two seminarians from the Mount (me and a friend), and Bishop Kevin Rhoades of the Latin diocese of Harrisburg,who was presented with two complementary CDs by Fr. Taras. The Latin diocese and St. Anne's have historically had very warm and healthy relations, and Bishop Rhoades is continuing that tradition.

Congratulations to the organizers of this event! The seminarians from Uzhorod and Fr. Taras will be in my prayers.

I attended the concert in Virginia on Saturday night and the Divine Liturgy on Sunday. The singing was incredible and Spirit-filled. May the Lord God richly bless these seminarians and may they serve the Church in Europe well.

Dear Pilgrim Al,

thanks for your positive response to my urging people both to learn Church-Slavonic and to use it. So here's some more free advice:

Get yourself some sort of prayer-book (there are several around, some of which give a parallel English text) in Church-Slavonic - no, not in the Latin alphabet! - and start practicing how to read the prayers aloud. This is easiest when done in private; one feels less self-conscious that way.

I wish I could recommend a good recording of the texts read aloud by someone who knows how to do it. The problem is not that there are no such people - quite the contrary - but that Church-Slavonic has several pronunciation systems, so you might find yourself learning beautiful pronunciation but according to a system which you would have some dificulty using. If it's any consolation, the same problem occurs in English (don't speak Pittsburgh in Chicago; you'll have difficulty making yourself understood). I have my own preferences, but my preferences are of no consequence for you unless you are in Dublin.

Jordanville sells an excellent Church-Slavonic grammar - in an English translation, believe it or not, by Father John Shaw, who puts me to shame with his amazing knowledge not only of Church-Slavonic but of several Slavic languaes. By all means get a copy of the book (from the Jordanville book-store). Learn the alphabet, and learn some more.

Of all the modern Slavic languages, Russian is probably the closest to Church-Slavonic, so you could do worse than to take a Russian course. Naturally there are important differences, but the Russian course at least will help. Bulgarian is derived from Church-Slavonic, but modern Bulgarian is rather distant from its origin.

Before you can use the language yourself, you need to hear it in use, fairly regularly, and bring along the texts you expect to be hearing. Again, the books can be found with a bit of searching - you don't indicate where you are living, but all that means is less work for me; you'll have to do your own scouting and find a church which still makes some regular use of Church-Slavonic, and start showing up when you can and when you know that Church-Slavonic will be in use. As you go on, it becomes easier. You can also purchase recordings of the various services; follow the recording in a prayer-book, and you'll pick up some more.

It's amazing how soon you can become an expert - just knowing the alphabet (not the Latin alphabet, not the Russian alphabet, not the Ukrainian alphabet, not the Belarusyn alphabet - the genuine, authentic Church-Slavonic Cyrillic alphabet (there is also the older Church-Slavonic Glagolitic alphabet, but you don't need to learn that - and when you see it, you'll thank me for excusing you from it!).

This is certainly work - and, alas, unpaid work - but if you really love the language, you'll find learning more of it and putting it to use quite a reward. You may also, even in your own parish, find people who themselves want Church-Slavonic but are diffident, for lack of a chanter or reader. You will also find clergy who don't know Church-Slavonic themselves, who don't want to know it, and who feel threatened by people who do know it. Such is life.

You're a pilgrim - so, now and then, make pilgrimages, to places where you will hear LOTS of Church-Slavonic. Such places do exist, and the monasteries in particular will make you welcome. When they know that you want to pray, and you want to learn something, they will be especially pleased to see you.

Anyway, go to it, and by all means enjoy it!

Fr. Serge

A last report ...

The seminary concert tour finished with a "bang" last weekend. Last Thursday, they sang to a full church at St Michael's in Mont Clare, PA, a traditional "Greek Catholic" church and iconostasis over 100 years old. Then likewise, a great visit to Patronage Church in Baltimore after a short tour of the Inner Harbor and Aquarium.

On Saturday, we visited Washington, DC including stops at the White House, Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, and Basilica. Saturday evening was a dinner and concert for over 200 people at Epiphany Church in Annandale, VA, and then Sunday morning liturgy with a SRO church. Sunday afternoon included another liturgy at St Gregory's in Beltsville, MD.

The tour concluded with liturgy Monday morning and concert in the evening at St Ann's Church in Harrisburg, PA, again to a full church of over 200. The guys flew home from NYC on Tuesday evening, and I've had confirmation from Father Taras in Uzhorod that everyone made it home safe and sound.

The group traveled some 4000 miles, visited nearly 30 churches, and sang concerts for almost 4000 people. Media sales and donations also exceeded expectations producing a significant contribution to the seminary's financial support.

Photos week by week can be found on the concert tour website at:

http://www.seminaryconcerttour.com/

Recordings, CD and DVD, can be ordered online at the OL Conference website at:

https://ssl.webvalence.com/ecommerc...dia&class=DVD&group=concert-tour

or www.olconference.com [olconference.com] then choose Online Catalog, Special Events, Seminary Concert Tour.

Jack

Please include Dublin the next time!

Fr. Serge

Really appreciated the Warren and Hermitage concert. Sts Peter and Paul really turned out for our seminarians!