www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Bishops serving in priestly vestments

Friends,

I have been at many DL's where bishops have worn regular priestly vestments, granted, this has been at UGC services. And it seems most common when it has not been a Hierarchal DL.

Is this a common praxis in Eastern Catholicism?

Today I saw Metropolitan Vladimir (UOC-MP) in a picture on a website with him celebrating the DL wearing regular priestly vestments. I didn't know the Orthodox do that as well. http://www.orthodox.org.ua/News-R_ooua.php?id=703

Is it a common practice in Orthodoxy as well?

I would guess that the rubrics would always call for a clergyman to wear the vestments of his title or elevation regalrdess of any Liturgy or service, but I am now guessing this is not the case.

Just curious.

-uc

Maybe he sent his vestments out to the cleaners?

I don't know how common it is, but it is definately wide-spread, especially when the bishop is celebrating a daily Liturgy or some other small-scale celebration. Usually, though, the bishop will wear an omophorion over the phelonion; this is, in fact, the more ancient form of episcopal vesture, as can be seen in icons. This is also common among Old Believer bishops, and there some great pictures somewhere online that show this.

Dave

St.John of San Francisco would serve in a regular priests phelon with a small omophorion if it was a simple daily service(HE LITURGISED EVERY LITURGICAL DAY).Also recently here, a Greek Old Calendarist Bishop served Great Vespers for a Feast Day in a Phelon(the Rector had to work that night as so many of our married priests do).

Most times I have seem it, the bishop did not use an omophorion.

However, I am seeing more and more off UGC bishops using the small omophorion. I think it looks a lot better than those big white ones they wear.

-uc

The use of the omophorion over the phelonion antedates the saccos - which was a later concession that only gradually became common among most or all hierarchs.

But for a bishop to serve without at least the small omophorion is a definite no-no. He does not cease to be a bishop and should be vested accordingly.

Incognitus

Maybe they are just being humble.

Speaking of Bishops vestments I have a question. When Bishop Andrew came to Florida last weekend on his vestments was a cross that looked quit similiar to a Maltese cross.

Why would an Eastern Bishop wear a Crusader cross?

The Greek Cross (four equal arms) in its many forms appear on the backs of Byzantine vestments Catholic and Orthodox. Various Crosses were in use before the crusaders adopted them.

It's not every day we get to see Bishops vestments.

Thanks, I learned something new today.

Does anyone know of any official rubrics on this? I would imagine it would call for all clerics to wear the vestments of their rank. To me it would only seem logical. I can possibly understand a bishop getting away with it, but I have seen Metropolitans and even a Patriarch vest as a priest, which I think would not set an ideal example for their respective eparchial clergy.

I remember once being at a Liturgy in which a bishop was just wearing the phelonion and people were approaching him and addressing him as a priest.

-uc

UC,

I don't think there are any rubrics for this; a bishop wearing a phelonion rather than a sakkos is mainly an issue of practicality. When a bishop has to serve by himself, or with limited assistants, or has to serve a non-hierarchical Liturgy, it is much, much easier for him to wear a phelonion and omophor. It is next to impossible for a bishop to self-vest; try putting a sakkos and omophor on yourself (even if it's a "one piece" version ).

Here are the photos of Old Rite bishops in phelonia that I mentioned earlier in this thread:

http://all-photo.ru/temples/index.ru.html?kk=772ae59de2&big=on&img=25007#picts

http://all-photo.ru/temples/index.ru.html?kk=9f236075ea&big=on&img=23737#picts

http://all-photo.ru/temples/index.ru.html?kk=980f3b5abe&big=on&img=24527#picts

http://all-photo.ru/temples/index.ru.html?kk=e57b92ecc6&big=on&img=25128#picts

http://all-photo.ru/temples/index.ru.html?kk=8a66703f20&big=on&img=6820#picts

Dave

Some nice pics there. My guess they are old ritualist bishops.

Speaking of fake omophors that are all the rage these days among the Ukrainian and Ruthenian bishop I have noted in a few photos that a few brave souls are wearing the real one that does not look like a pallium. In those pics of the seminary where they had the recent Litugy of St James in Slovakia, one of the bishops is wearing a real one. I notice to that one of the Ukrainian bishop is also doing the same.

When Metropolitan Philip (Saliba) served Liturgy at Ligonier during the famous Conference of Bishops with Archbihsop Iakavos and the rest of the SCOBA Bishops, he did so in priest's vestments (Nov 30 - Dec 4, 1994). Copies of the video "A New Era Begins" are probably still possible to obtain from the Antiochian Village or the Archdiocese in Englewood, NJ.

It is very moving to see Saidna Philip humble himself before his Brother Bishops and serve Liturgy for them vested as a common priest. Others may have done so as well along the way. After all, a Bishop is a Priest.

Christ Is Among Us! Indeed He Is And Ever Shall Be!

Three Cents

Harmon writes that "Maybe they are just being humble."

Perhaps they think they are being humble; one cannot read someone else's mind. But objectively humility lies in doing what one is supposed to do, not in following one's own inclinations and ignoring what one is supposed to do.

For example, is a hierarch who refuses to bless anyone and yanks his hand back abruptly from anyone who wants to kiss his hand thereby being humble? NO, he is being proud and overbearing.

Incognitus