www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship Old-Ritualists Forum Mt Angel Abbey and Old Believers

Does any one know about Mt Angel Abbey and Old Ritalists? I've heard they've got an Old Believers museum and that one of their priest-monks is actually an Old Rite Byzantine Catholic. Having read about the Russian Catholic Church, I'm interested to find out whether there are still any 'Old Believers in communion with Rome'. If I understood rightly, there are still Old Ritualists in the Catholic Church, in one abbey at least!

Spasi Khristos -
Mark, monk and sinner.

Blagoslovi!

Well I've heard about Mt. Angel Abbey and I know a good bit about the Old Ritualists...those out of communion with Rome, at least. As far as Old Ritualists in communion with the Holy See, I am sure there is probably a few and I'd love to learn about them as well. I'm a Russian Greek Catholic myself.

In Christ,

Timofey, rab' Bozhiy (Timothy, servant of God)

If anyone can find out more info on this situation please let me know. I am attempting to compile a history of the Old Believer communities in communion with Rome. I really have very limited information from North America.

I had heard that several of the families of Nizhnaja Bogdanova, a parish of over 800 Old Believers which came into union en masse under the ompophorion of Blessed Andrey Sheptytsky with their pastor, Father Patapy Emilianov in 1918, had emigrated to areas of the Northwest near other Old Believer communities. Father +Patapy died in 1936 after much persecution by the Bolsheviks.

There are several Old Believer groups in Oregon, a fairly large one near Woodburn. I don't know if this is the same person but there was a Brother Ambrose who is an Old Believer monk and was the curator of an Old Believer museum at Mt. Angel which the monks of Mt. Angel have graciously sponsored.

Another bit of Old Believer news for those who haven't heard this:

LVIV, UKRAINE, Dec 20, 02 (RISU.org.ua) – Bishop Savatii of Kyiv and all Ukraine of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Old Believers visited southern Ukrainian Odesa at the invitation of Metropolitan Ahafangel of Odesa and Izmail of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP). This news was reported by the press service of the UOC-MP on 18 December 2002.

The two hierarchs met in the Assumption Cathedral in Odesa. They discussed the split in Russian Orthodoxy in the 18th century and expressed their common desire to cure it. Bishop Savatii and Metropolitan Ahafangel also agreed to conduct meetings for the clergy of both churches in the future.

During his visit, Bishop Savatii visited the Odesa Theological Seminary of the UOC-MP.

Yes, Brother Ambrose O.S.B. the curator was the man I read about, but although he was an Old Ritualist he was definitely a Catholic Benedictine, not an Old Believer as such - at least not in the Orthodox sense of the word. I am very interested to know whether he has translated any liturgical texts into English liturgical. The whole subject of Byzantine Catholic Old Ritualists realy is fascinating and is worthy of research.

Spasi Khristos -
Mark, monk and sinner.

In the early 70s, Father Feodor Palczynski, a Marian Father from their monastery in Stockbridge, Mass., went to Mt. Angel Abbey to minister to the Old Believer community. Fr. Feodor was of Polish and Ukrainian extraction, and while the Marian Fathers are of intense Polish heritage, he maintained his Eastern identity. Father took a group of us young Jesuit seminarians on a visit to Jordanville where we had a nice visit until one of the inhabitants suspected our allegiance and we were unceremoniously evicted from visiting the chapel. We Eastern seminarians also visited any number of other Orthodox facilities where we were always very graciously received. I even assisted in the sanctuary at Paschal Matins at a local Greek Orthodox community with the full knowledge and acceptance of the pastor. I guess it was Fr. Feodor's totality of Orthodoxy that allowed even the most reluctant of Orthodox to accept him and anyone who was with him.

He wore a massive full beard; the monastic riason, the monastic pleated cape, and full klobuk. (He once complained that his dragging monastic cape got completely filthy after walking up the aisle in the National Shrine.) He also spoke fluent Polish, Ukrainian and I believe Russian and so was an excellent candidate to go to Oregon. I lost touch with him after that (early 80s) and I believe he either died out there or returned East to his community. (I know a fellow Marian from whom I could get this information.)

He was certainly a wonderful person, a very spiritual man, and totally dedicated to the entire historical and contemporary development in the Slavic church. (He was periodically invited to celebrate Byzantine Vespers at the Jesuit novitiate; he routinely smoked up the place so intensely that the white-bread/mayonaise folks would excuse themselves and head for the doors. We Easterns - Greek Byzantine, Hungarian Byzantine, Melkite and 2 Maronites sang long, loud and hard and made it what it was supposed to be: us praying. And our Romaniak brothers certainly took notice. And to Fr. Feodor's credit, when setting music for the Latin Rite Mass, our music folks used Russian Byzantine tones to set the propers. Even for our Founder, St. Ignatius of Loyola.)

Memory Eternal.

Thanks for that great info, Dr. John! I'd love to hear more about the ministry of Father Feodor. God bless!

Not the same place is it?

http://www.mtangel.edu/Seminary/history.htm

A wonderful post Dr John! Who were the Old Believers that Fr Feodor ministered to? The only local Old Believers I know of are intensely Orthodox and would have no involvement with Byzantine Catholics.

Spasi Khristos -
mark, monk and sinner.

As a former Oregonian, I have to attest the beauty of this place! My family and I have been there couple times. Beautiful place! Of course, Oregon being naturally beautiful, with all these trees, green being everywhere...grasses...mosses...ferns...etc.

But is it Byzantine? We had the impression that it's a Roman monastery. I remember mom buying some stuff from them, don't remember what, but they sell different stuff like food, cards, religious items, etc.

Don't remember if it was Byzantine. But remembered mom making the sign of the cross the Byzantine way.

SPDundas
Deaf Byzantine
Former Oregonian

Yes it's a Roman monastery, but has the rarity of the Old Rite Byzantine Catholic monk who still seems a mystery to everyone, apart from his name, which I got wrong! Brother Ambrose Moorman O.S.B.

I've emailed the monastery asking about the museum and their Old Rite monk, but haven't received a reply. It would be wonderful if they had some English translations of services.

Spasi Khristos -
Mark, monk and sinner.

I did the same, Father Mark. We can compare notes if one or both of us gets a reply.

Wouldn't it be correct to state, as I know Fr. Mark has said before, that there are no Old Believer Byzantine Catholics, simply Old Rite Byzantine Catholics?

In the same way, I assume that there would be no Old Believer Russian Orthodox within the "current" ROC (under Alexy II, I mean).

ChristTeen287

CT, "Old Believer" and "Old Rite" are often used interchangebly when discussing those who held to pre-Nikonian Russian tradition. There were several Old Rite communities in communion with Rome before the intense Soviet persecutions of the 1930s and 1940s.

In his ukaze for the 1917 Russian Catholic Sobor, Blessed Metropolitan +Andrey Sheptytsky stated that either the Old Rite or "Synodal" Russian liturgical forms were allowed under his omophorion, but forbade any admixture of the two.

One Russian Catholic Old Rite parish in particular had over 800 members. Unfortunately the Soviet persecutions took the lives of most of the Old Rite Russian Catholic clergy and spread the faithful far and wide during those sad years.

There have been Old Rite parishes in the Moscow patriarchate since 1800. They are the Edinovertsy - the United faith parishes. They have become a locus of unity for many Old Believers from different backgrounds. It may be that the patriarchate will lead the way to the reunion of the priestless Old Believers with regular Orthodoxy.

Spasi Khristos -
Mark, monk and sinner.