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Brethren,

Christ is Baptized!

I was curious how renewal is going in the various Byzantine Catholic parishes in the Metropolia. I thought perhaps we might share what is working in our parishes to help the �other lung� of the church breathe authentically again.

Some nine years after Orientale Lumen, how Byzantine are we?

In Christ,

John

Unfortunately, there are at least 2 to 3 parishes in the immediate Pittsburgh Area that are bracing themselves for closing. This is due mostly to a severe shortage of priests and dwindling families due to population lost.

Would the lifting of the ban on married priests prevent the closing of some of these parishes? The fact is that there are not enough priests, and probably many more churches will close because of this shortage.

Ung-Certez

Ask our bishops.


As for the 2 or 3 parishes in the Pittsburgh area, I wonder how many would actually be able (or willing) to finance a married priest and his family? The fact that they are closing is a sign that they can't even support themselves without a priest, married or not.

We still need to evangelize and fill the pews so our priests have parishes to minister too. This will also extend the opportunity to be Byzantine Catholic to those who desire "a mystical experience."

John,

We might do better if we got rid of most of the pews. After all, without them twice as many people can fit into the same space. The added benefit is that without pews we can actually worship like Eastern Christians.

At any rate, I'm with you. I'd like to read of signs of renewal in our BC Churches.

BTW I think our youth did a fine job in the radio interview. They truly are examples of the believers.

Dan L

Dan,

Our youth were awesome today!

I agree the pews should go. Liturgy is work ... it is not a spectator sport. Benches along the walls would meet the needs of those who can't stand. Visitors could also take a break if needed.

Some parishes might be ready for this ... others might not. This could be a real shock to some folks.

In Christ,

John

How many parishes in the metropolia are on the verge of closing?

Maybe it is inevitable that some of these parishes
will close, but if there were enough priests to go around, many might stay open.

What about the numerous missions that have been started in the economic growth zones of the U.S. Southeast and Southwest? Many now are started by bi-ritual Latin priests. If we had enough priests of our own or (dare I say) surplus, we could open up new parihes easier and at a much faster pace. Having the option of a married priest would tend to lead to an increase in the overall number of priests. It is something that the U.S. Ruthenian hierarchs should carefully ponder.

Ung-Certez

Every year there are dozens of seminarians in the Latin church who have a change of heart because they simply cannot see themselves as celibates.

Their entire time at the seminary becomes for them a period of discernment. They are under the impression that they must choose between a married life and an ordained life. I had the same problem when I was young. Wanting to be a priest and suffering from "opposite sex attraction" caused me to pitch the whole concept of ordination, I was not right for that life then.

But we know that the call from the Holy Spirit to serve at the altar can come to married men as well, and they make fine priests. I think that Roman Catholics who decide to leave the seminary for reasons of desiring to live in a married state should be encouraged to consider joining the Byzantine churches and continue their studies.

The comment that many of the parishes cannot support a priests' family may be so at present, and if they are unwilling to cough up the dough they might just as well close. But there are alternatives, and in many areas parishes can be merged to form a larger support base.

The very fact of merger can unleash some dynamic forces! (sometimes too dynamic! ). Pooling resources and mixing things up a bit can stimulate the whole enterprise. Biblically based tithing and pledging could help. Ditching the bingo and closing the school would be two steps in the right direction.

Also, it is a fact that many Orthodox priests will take on outside employment. It is not unheard of and the situation could be similar to our arrangement with deacons. It would not be a disaster to give up daily Divine Liturgy, in fact it may be more in keeping with the tradition.

If Orthodox churches can thrive with less than 300 families there is no reason in the world that Catholic parishes could not do the same.

Michael

Excellent points, Michael. The old "static model" of running a parish with the priest expecting to move into a furnished rectory, etc. doesn't seem to be feasible now for many Greek Catholic parishes. Many just can't afford the extra support of physical plant, upkeep, etc.

Out in mission country, other measures have to be taken. As you well say, a second means of financial support is needed to make it work. And indeed, except for major feasts, daily Divine Liturgy was not really the practice except in some monasteries and larger parishes that had the priests to do so.

That does not mean that daily prayer can't happen in the domestic church, or that the priest can't rely on someone to have reader's services occasionally. One of our local Orthodox priests frequently had services in his house, and we have had numerous services (including Divine Liturgy) in our home as well.

It is indeed a complicated issue with existing parishes, involving demographics as well as evangelical concerns.

Dan,

That only matters if there are the people to fill the space. Somehow, I doubt that the future vitality of the parishes in any of our Churches is tied to the presence or absence of pews.

Many years,

Neil

Diak,

Absolutely. Our "Byzantine Catholic Renewal" extends throughout our lives as Byzantine Catholics. A key area is the domestic church. How many of us have icon corners? Pray daily? Grace before meals? I've often thought we should all have copies of the synaxarion in our homes to read and reflect upon along with Scripture to remind us that our Faith is "in the flesh."

In Christ,

John

Neil,

You may be correct but renewal must begin someplace. Downward spirals are notoriously difficult to get a handle on. One can't keep people from growing old and dying or moving to warmer climates. However, one can be revived in the faith so that new life, including numbers of new converts, begin coming. It's not clear how downward spirals begin but if we can get a handle on even one component we can stop the spiral and even reverse it. If our prayer life is renewed it can positively affect our attitude toward the way the Church community presents itself. If we renew our entire liturgy including removal of some pews, upgrade the icons, etc. this can have a positive effect upon people's willingness to invite their neighbors or even to unite with another or two other parishes and build a new grander temple which will attract more interest in the parish, etc.

I'm simply suggesting that a downward spiral isn't as complicated as we sometimes think it is. One simple change may trigger other positive changes and pretty soon the congregation begins to find new life. I've seen it happen many times. Yes, I've seen it fail a few times as well. But it's worth a try.

I still remember reading a popular book titled "Divorce Busting" by a young female therapist. Her thesis was that small changes can make a world of difference in any marriage. To illustrate she listed several "myths" that she exploded. One that really fascinated me was the idea that "It DOES NOT take two to tango". A change in one of the partners attitudes or approaches or habits will trigger a change in the relationship. Only in a very few instances are marriages doomed to failure. I think the Church recognizes this and that's why the Church offers anulments. But that suggests that the marriage was not ever truly consumated. The marriage never really took place in the first place.

Is this what we are implying when we give up on struggling congregations, that the Church never really existed in the first place?

Dan L

What comes first, more priests, or filled parishes? Is it a chicken or the egg situation? I think we can fall into clericalism when we think that the solution to problems is simply more priests.

If Eastern parishes grow from evangelization (and evangelization is a major duty of laypeople), then there will be a bigger pool of men from which to obtain priests, and the financial resources to support them. Furthermore, on a strictly political, worldly view, if Eastern parishes are booming, then they will have more clout to force the issue of married priests. If some Eastern bishop has a radically growing eparchy, who is going to stop him from ordaining married men? He'll have the clout to do things the way he wishes.

John, I also agree. "Renewal", as with any substantial societal change, has to begin within the family. The domestic church is not just an extension of the parish church, it is the building block of the parish. This extends all the way to the issue of vocations.

If the domestic church is not in order, which begins by praying together, we cannot feasibly hope to effect renewal and improvement for our parishes. One beautiful aspect of our received Constantinopolitan tradition is that we have such a variety and rich storehouse of prayer to draw upon.