Byzantine Catholicism: Option and Opportunity?

Pontifications | 2/28/2005 | Fr Chrysostom Frank

[sionnsar]

That's impossible. The Church ruled against the words of the Anglican. If it is the very same, and violates the tenets of the Faith similarly, then how can it be Catholic? It would specificaly be anti-Catholic, yes? unless some key words have been changed, and perhaps much else. You say it hasn't.

Somebody on FR recently posted a link to the Roman "Anglican Rite" online. (Sadly I didn't bookmark it.) No, it is not the same exact service as found in the (P)ECUSA 1928 or 1979 Book of Common Prayer -- but for a vast majority of the service it is identical, literally word for word, comma for comma. As you note, it has to change in places, and did. But anyone who knows the 1928 Holy Communion service would recognize it in a flash.

[Kolokotronis]

Try this:

http://www.cin.org/anguse.html

See, in matters theological or liturgical, always go to the Greeks!

[Vicomte13]

It is not impossible. It is so.

[sevry]

Roman "Anglican Rite" online.

Are you referring to something called, the Sarum Rite?

[sevry]

It is so.

What?

[sevry]

always go to the Greeks!

But which? When Martin and the others were forced to Rhemes by the Anglican persecution, they didn't just refer to the Constantine or Alexandrine, nor to Erasmus, nor various others, and even at times admitted they could find no reference matching that described by the early Church fathers in any extant manuscript. So their Greek were the Church fathers, not always the supposedly 'received' text which had become corrupted, whether before the schisms or in efforts to justify them. So it depends.

[torqemada]

"Do that, and I would attend your church in preference to the Novus Ordo down the street."

Why? I don't know what the Anglican rite in the RC Catholic Church is...but, unless it's a carbon copy of the '28 BCP or the old Tridentine rite, there's not a nickel's worth of difference between the Novus Ordo & the '79 re-write of the Book of Common Prayer. Episcopalians, in fact, have Vatican II to thank for most of the liturgy in the '79 Book & that abomination known as "passing the Peace" - which totally disrupts the mass with 5 minutes of glad-handing & boisterous chit chat. Yeah, I know, it isn't supposed to be like that, but that's what it's degraded to over the past 30 years in ECUSA. The Novus Ordo is precisely the reason why I haven't considered swimming the Tiber to be an option.

[Kolokotronis]

Here's a link to the Anglican use liturgy for Roman Catholic parishes:

http://www.cin.org/anguse.html

[Mershon]

Then don't go halfway to the Novus Ordo. Go full circle to traditional Catholicism, which is one of the vibrant and growing and fluorishing "charisms" within the Catholic Church.

Besides, in 20 years, we will be the only ones with any priests. The Novus Ordo is dying...

[Vicomte13]

"Why?"

Why?
Because the Anglican High Liturgy is extremely beautiful and moving, like the Latin Mass. But it is in English, which is the language in which my mind works. Latin is beautiful, but foreign. I understand most of the Latin of the Mass, but I do not think in Latin, and therefore I do not talk to God in Latin, because I CAN'T.
The Anglican High Liturgy has the beauty and power of the ancient Latin Mass because it is an ancient liturgy in its own right. But it is in the language in which I speak to God.

THAT is why.

Also, there is the sense of successful reunion.
England separated for some bad political reasons a long time ago. Those reasons are not longer operant. The Holy Father has seen fit to invite back in the English who choose to come back into Communion with Rome, and to allow them to use (mostly) their Liturgy. The prodigal son returns, therefore slay the fatted calf and celebrate.

So what you get is an ENGLISH High Mass.
And there would be nothing in the world more moving to me than THAT. The ancient liturgy in my own native tongue.

That is why.

[Convert from ECUSA]

NYer, thanks for the ping - very interesting points you made.

Sionnsar - thanks for posting the articles.

I've also heard of Western Rite Orthodoxy as well as Anglican Use parishes. They were among the things I was considering when I knew that one day - unless a drastic miracle took place - I would be leaving the Anglican community due to the ECUSA's wackiness and apostasy. I ended up at a great Latin Rite parish due to the witness of some great Catholic friends who recommended that particular parish and its pastor. I attended a Byzantine Rite parish in Williamsburg last October, and it was wonderful!