www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Byzantine Catholics Returning to Prosphora Traditions?

Tsk - surely not for Sale

Last time I was where this was possible there was just a plate with small prosphora and 2 piles of slips - one for the living and one for the dead .

IIRC there was no mention of a donation

And yes after Liturgy there were 2 plates there - one for the dead and one for the living with the prosphora on your slip.

OK, "sale" is sloppy language. The loaves were made and offered to the faithful by the teen group; a donation jar was on the table, too. I took two and donated five dollars, but I did not "buy" them, since nobody twisted my arm and made me put the fiver in the jar.

And, yes, I gave these, with the names of persons to be commemorated, to the deacon, who took them into the altar. However, we did not get them back; rather, they were cut up, blessed, and distributed with the antidoron.

Yes - 'sale' was sloppy and not in accordance with your normally precise language .

The other comments you have made re not having your arm twisted - are unnecessary. The prosphora are there for you if you wish to have someone commemorated .

John: I've not seen that practice in RO parishes in Alaska, nor in the BCC parish here. You'll note it's one loaf per liturgy in the BCC parish.

The use of remembrance books in the Byzantine Catholic parishes I've attended has generally been connected with the Soul Saturdays; the seminary's leaflet on these Saturdays, from 1977, mentions the custom of the faithful's giving these books to their pastor before the first such Saturday before the start of the Fast. This would seem to be an entirely different practice from submitting these books for reading at individual proskomedia services - which I HAVEN'T seen done in our parishes.

Are there any (Ruthenian or Ukrainian) Greek Catholic parishes that have a long-standing practice of submitting commemoration books before individual Divine Liturgies? (long-standing meaning a relatively continuous tradition, rather than one added due to outside influence)

Jeff

At one time I was giving a lot of thought as to how this custom could be introduced in our parish -- how our parishioners might be instructed about it. Nothing having been said, I was taken by surprise when one Sunday before the Liturgy a young man approached me holding out a small piece of paper and saying he wanted Father's prayers. Quite pleased, I took hold of the paper but the fellow wouldn't let it go. We looked at each other quizzically. Realizing he wasn't about to give it over, I finally let go and gave the paper a closer look. It was a lottery ticket.

I saw it in Bucharest--I happened to be there on All Saints: people got candles and small loaves from a lady in the Narthex, then went to one of the priests, who was seated in the north Deacon's Door (split into upper and lower halves, like a Dutch door), gave him the loaf and a slip with the names of the deceased, then went and lit the candle before their patron icon. Later, all of those names--more than three hundred or so--were read aloud during the Great Entrance.

Since you mentioned Bucharest, I'm guessing this was Romanian Orthodox. Or, was it Romanian Catholic? I wonder if Romanian Catholics (or other Eastern Catholics in the "old country") ever do this?

Further, does anyone know what the practice of Eastern Catholics in Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, etc. is about prosphora loaves and whether they use pre-cuts? Did the latinization take root there as well?

Romanian Orthodox.

Here it is...or was. Forgive. All errors are my own.

http://www.blip.tv/file/2626794

Wow! Thank you, Father, for making this video available!

I was particularly moved by the care taken to commemorate those who have asked for prayer and for the names shared during your sermon and your adding those commemorations.

What a beautiful service the Liturgy of Preparation is!