www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Molebens to Theotokos in May

I have two very simple questions (yeah, right!):

Is it correct and/or proper for a Byzantine Rite parish to hold Molebens to the Theotokos every Sunday through Friday evening during the month of May?

If that parish follows the Julian Calendar, should its May devotions correspond to the month of May as it is held on the Julian Calendar (which would translate into May 14 - June 14 on the Gregorian?)

Just wondering.

Yours,

kl

Dear KL,

Well, my parish of St Nicholas holds "May services" or the "Mayivka" daily in May (civic calendar).

But they use the Paraclesis to the Mother of God from Monday to Friday and sing the Akathist on the weekend evenings.

Mr. Evhen Ivankiw from Sts. Volodymyr and Olha parish in Chicago once wrote an article about the Mayivka.

He said while the tradition is a strong one, it does cut into the liturgical ordering of the Church, especially with respect to the Paschal Season.

But he also said, "It is good that people wish to come to Church daily" and the like.

What he recommended was the singing of the traditional Moleben/Paraclesis such as the one in Patriarch Josef's "Do Tebe Hospody Vosnoshu Dushu Moyu."

The practice is SO imbedded in the hearts of so many of our people that to try and tamper with it is to invite some serious problems . . .

Alex

I know of Russian Orthodox parishes that have the moleben to the Mother of God every Sunday afternoon.

Spasi Khristos -
Mark, monk and sinner.

Dear Fr Mark:

I didn't say there was anything wrong with the Moleben' itself. I'm just asking whether setting aside the month of May for such Molebens is in keeping with Byzantine tradition.

However, in the spirit of coming clean, I should say that it smacks of Latinization to me - hence my question.

I also take issue with a Julian Calendar parish doing these "May devotions" using the Gregorian calendar May.

Having said all of this, Alex's point is well taken. The May Molebens to the Theotokos are SO ingrained in our Ukie Greek-Catholic parishes that you would have a near riot by many-an old lady if they were taken away.

Yours,

kl

Your calendar comment is a very good and pertinent one!!!

I agree that this is Latinisation, but am not particularly worried by it!

Spasi Khristos -
Mark, monk and sinner

Dear KL,

Yes, Latinization . . .

But our parish uses this tradition to expose the people to some traditional Byzantine liturgical services to the Theotokos, the Paraclesis and the Akathist, and that's a good thing, I say!

I remember my Godson's grandmother sobbing as she told me, "And my children don't want to come to the Mayivka - in my day, you didn't question such solid traditions!"

Alex

Dear Alex:

"Solid traditions?" Thanks for the chuckle.

As far as the introduction to the Akafist is concered, I agree that piggybacking on something that people are used to is a good thing.

Yours,

kl

Dear KL,

And doesn't St Volodymyr and Olha's in Chicago have something similar?

Alex

Definitely. Isn't that what we've always been good at? At least that's what my fundygelical friends tell me when they bring up things like Christmas trees and pysanky!

Dear Mike,

Well, the May devotion is not as Eastern as the Stations of the Cross or the Rosary, granted . . .

But at least we can Byzantinize what is not completely ours . . .

Alex

Dear Alex:

While we use various Akafists during the Great Fast with some frequency, the May "devotions" are still exclusively the "Moleben do Presviatoyi Bohorodyt'si."

Looks like St. Nick's in Toronto has "one up" on Sts. V&O on this issue.

Yours,

kl

P.S. To all of our Canadian friends: now that my Flyers are gone, is there still room on the Senators' bandwagon? (Anyone but Jersey.)

Dear KL,

You mean it's that Latinized litany-like liturgical thingy?

Alex

Dear Alex:

I haven't been to one in a while (go figure ) but as I recall, it's the one that begins with Nachalo Oblychne, after which there's a litany and the troparion "Za Vsich ty Molyshsia Blahaya."

After that there's "Vsiake Dychaniya," a Gospel reading of St. Elizabeth's greeting and then the "litany-type thingy" where the response is "Presviataya Bohorodytze Spasy Nas."

After that there's a long troparion with every line beginning with "Raduysia" and the Dismissal.

I've probably missed a few steps, but I think you get the picture.

Yours,

kl

Dear KL,

Ah, so it IS that Latin thing .

Our parish doesn't use it, since Patriarch Josef actually forbade the use of "novotvorstva" like that and decreed that we go back to the Paraclesis, and his prayerbook contained two such examples, with Canon et al.

My in-laws' parish and others, I know, use the tried and true Latin thingy, probably because it is so familiar and most people know it by heart.

Myron Fedoriw, also from Chicago's St Volodymyr and Olha parish, wrote a monograph that the Basilian Press publish where he discussed this phenomenon.

He basically says that our people liked such devotions and were quite willing to attend Latin church services etc.

To avoid this, the Greek Catholic hierarchy ordered new services, resembling the Latin services, to be constructed.

And the Orthodox Church did similar things, as we've discussed before.

Alex

I for one don't see any problem with "that Latin thing." In the Russian/Muscovite tradition, when a moleben is served, the refrains of the canon (in this case, "Most-holy Mother of God, save us!") would be repeated a few times. What's wrong with sticking a few lines in between the refrain? I love the Paraklis with the full Canon, but I also love the Moleben (an "abbreviated Paraklis" one might say) with the responsorial "litany". So what if it might have some relation to a Latin Litany! It seems to have gained a particularly "Eastern" character to it.

Sometimes it is hard to distinguish between organic development and "Latinization"...

Dave
Founder of the True Carpatho-Rusyn Orthodox Greek Catholic Traditionalist Church in the Diaspora