www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Differences between the Byzantine Catholic Churches

Interestingly, from all reports, Bishop John Michael and the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church's daughter in the US - the Eparchy of St George in Canton of the Romanians - have been working hard to achieve what Rome has asked of us all.

Not even the orthodox are identical.

But in 1948 these all were present in the life of our communities.

We wouldn't want to see all of the Latin Churches scrap all their authentic traditions and use ours would we? I would certainly hope not.

Enthusiasts and armchair champions of the Eastern rites often condemn efforts aimed at the revision of the Eastern liturgies because they are not familiar with the difficulties encountered by the clergy, who must make the best of a ritual which does not fit in its entirety into the circumstances of contemporary life. They do not seem to understand that our generation no longer has the patience to sit (much less stand) through services which last for hours, such as the rather monotonous Good Friday Matins of the Byzantine rite, or the long monastic vigil service on Christmas Eve. In many instances, the Byzantine church does not offer an opportunity to satisfy devotional aspiration as understood by our generation. Thus it has no appropriate Lenten devotion which would appeal to the average American, who would like to have something similar to the Way of the Cross. Too often priests must use their own imaginations in arranging for some occasional devotion, as when, following the end of hostilities last year, the clergy had to compile a special thanksgiving service, since such a service is not to be found in the Byzantine rite. Nor have Byzantine Catholics the opportunity to venerate, publicly, the more modern saints because they are not provided with appropriate and ecclesiastically approved devotions. Little wonder then that so many of these Catholics find their way to Latin churches, where they find a variety of devotional exercises adapted to modern ways of life. One should strive towards idealism, but it is folly to lose sight of the reality of one's daily need! In a similar manner these idealists do not hesitate to condemn the American Byzantine clergy for sometimes abandoning the eikonostasis (a screen, covered with pictures, separating the sanctuary from the nave). They do not realize that the artistic and structural atrocities which often pass as eikonostases are not only unliturgical, but frequently either makes it impossible for the majority of faithful present to follow the action in the sanctuary or distracts their attention from the action altogether. These are some of the reasons why the American faithful often insist that the eikonostasis be omitted from the more modern structures.

I'm reminded of these words written by, Fr. Stephen C. Gulovich, in Eastern Churches Quarterly back in 1946.