www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Church Slavonic among Poland's Lemkos

There was a distinct Apostolic Exarchate of Lemkyvshchina, for reasons we won't go into at the moment. But so far as I know there are no moves at present to revive it.

Incognitus

About Estonian as a liturgical language: the point of the controversy is really about jurisdiction. The Patriarchatd of Moscow does not want to lose any of its churches, but there is a preference among many Estonian Orthodox for independence from Moscow, and the result is a split in which one group has gone to Constantinople and the other is loyal to Moscow. The Moscow faction, predictably, is composed mainly of members of the large Russian minority in Estonia, and the Constantinople group mostly of ethnic Estonians, but there are Estonians in the former and Russians in the latter. If it were not for this, I doubt that the language would be controversial.

The Setu group of Estonians are tradtionally Orthodox, but as far as I know did not have their own liturgical language--like the Karelians, they worshipped in Slavonic. (In fact, the present Russian population is half descended from Russified Finnic peoples.) I would be interested in any information about the history of Estonian as a liturgical language. Latvian became an Orthodox liturgical language in the nineteenth century, and there were even services in Livonian (spoken in northern Latvia, related to Estonian), but about Estonian I don't know.

Stephen

Since there has been mention of Church Slavonic vs Slovak in this thread, last week while on R&R leave in Presov and Bardejov from Iraq I noticed a few things. The Orthodox Church in Presov does use Slavonic and some Slovak, sermons are in Slovak and Metr. Dorothey was there last Sunday and all the addresses were in Slovak. I also purchased a "Chlieb Dushi" prayerbook for about $3.000 The main GC Cathedral of St John the Baptist posts 2 evening liturgies, one in Slavonic and the second in Slovak. The church in Bardejov used mostly Slavonic. I both GC churches there were older women who chanted the "rosary" in unison and in Church Slavonic. All sermons were in Slovak.

Since there has been mention of Church Slavonic vs Slovak in this thread, last week while on R&R leave in Presov and Bardejov from Iraq I noticed a few things. The Orthodox Church in Presov does use Slavonic and some Slovak, sermons are in Slovak and Metr. Dorothey was there last Sunday and all the addresses were in Slovak. I also purchased a "Chlieb Dushi" prayerbook for about $3.00 The main GC Cathedral of St John the Baptist posts 2 evening liturgies, one in Slavonic and the second in Slovak. The church in Bardejov used mostly Slavonic. I both GC churches there were older women who chanted the "rosary" in unison and in Church Slavonic. All sermons were in Slovak.

Metropolitan Dorothej was there?! HE'S BACK FROM THE DEAD?!?!?! AHHH!

Oh, perhaps you meant Metropolitan Nikolaj? :p

Dave

Thanks for the info on the current language situation among the Orthodox in Presov and Bardejov.

I assume that the version of literary Rusyn that was codified in the 1990s is NOT used anywhere as a liturgical language.

At the Basilian church on Miodowa St in Warsaw a couple of weeks ago I purchased a kalendar published by the Przemysl eparchy of the Polish Orthodox Church. All the materials there are in Ukrainian, except for a few articles in a variety of Lemko. Does anyone know what is the latest news of the codification of a literary Lemko?

One more question: does anyone know if literary Belarusian is used at any liturgies in Poland? I've found some recent Roman Catholic prayer books in Belarusian on the internet, but don't know what they situation is with Greek Catholics and Orthodox in Poland.

Stojgniev

"a literary Lemko" - how alliterative!

On the liturgical use of literary Rusyn, there's a priest in the Preshov Region - probably in or around Medzilaborce - producing translations of liturgical texts, and presumably using them. Father Russel Duker would know more about this than I do.

Incognitus

Rev. Frantishek Krajnjak is the priest you're referring to. I don't recall if he's still in Medzilaborce, but he's the most vocal of the Rusyn nationalists among the Greek Catholic clergy in East Slovakia.

Here's a PDF of the New Rusyn Times with a reprint of an article on him from the Slovak Spectator:

http://www.carpathorusynsociety.org/NRTJan-Feb2001.pdf

You'll find the article on page 6.

--tim

Fr. Frantishek Krajnak prepared a Gospel and Epistle lectionary in Rusyn; it is a handsomely bound book with brass corners and a large gold-stamped 3 (Straight) Bar cross on the cover. Bishop Jan Hirka gave the Imprimatur for this publication.

The Kalendar' from the Rusyn Greek Catholic Society of St. John the Baptist has a list of liturgical publications in Church Slavonic and Rusyn. I think they listed a Malyj Trebnik, a funeral book, a Rosary book, and some others that I can't remember. If you all are interested in a full listing of these books, note your interest in a post and I will put it on here later.

Dave

Dear Dave - a listing of liturgical books in Rusyn would certainly be interesting; by all means please post.

Incognitus

Thanks for the link on the Carpatho-Rusyn publication from Pennsylvania. Very impressive publication! On p. 8 of that issue is a reference to the codification of a new literary language for Poland's Lemkos, which is being completed at the University of Silesia.

It will be interesting to see how the "Slovak" & "Polish" varieties differ. I think differences overall are slight - it seems that Rusyns in Poland or Slovakia (I can't remember which group) use the same verb of motion for traveling by foot or by vehicle, while the other group distinguishes the two types of motion, like other Slavic languages (isc vs. jechac).

Stojgniev

Liturgical/Devotional Books
Listed in the "Grekokatolickyj Rusynskyj Kalendar'"

In Rusyn:

Jevanhelije od Svjatoho Joana (Gospel of St. John, Latin and Cyrillic letters)

Molitvenik Svjataho Ruz^ansja (Prayerbook of the Holy Rosary, Latin letters)

Jevanhelija i Apostoly Na Ned'il'i i Svjata Ciloho Roku (Gospels and Epistles for Sundays and Feasts for the Whole Year, Cyrillic letters)

Malyj Grekokatolickyj Katechizm Pro Rusinsky D'iti (Small Greek Catholic Catechism for Rusyn Children, Latin and Cyrillic letters)

Akafist svjs^c^enomuc^enikovi Pavlovi Petrovi Gojdic^ovi (Akathist to the Hieromartyr Paul Peter Gojdic, Latin letters)

In Rusyn and Church Slavonic :

Krestna Doroha (Way of the Cross, Latin letters)

Pohrib Virujuc^ich (Burial of the Faithful, Latin letters)

Malyj Trebnik (Small "Book of Needs," Latin and Cyrillic letters)

Radujte sja v Hospodi - Molitvenik (Rejoice in the Lord Prayerbook, Latin letters)