Posted on 03/30/2009 10:05:11 AM PDT by NYer
.- For Byzantine Catholics, the chance to participate in liturgy is an opportunity to experience heaven on earth, according to John Michalski, the cantor at St. Nicholas of Myra Byzantine Catholic Church in Anchorage.
Because of the sacredness of the Mass, almost the entire liturgy in the Byzantine rite is sung or chanted.
"This is to set the tone and speed and create an atmosphere of prayer," Michalski explained to the Catholic Anchor. "When the priest chants the Gospel, it is meant to do it slower to communicate clearly the message of God to everyone."
For Doctor Ron Kichura, who cantors north of Anchorage at Blessed Theodore Romzha Mission in Wasilla, Byzantine rite music "moves like a conversation with God."
Chanted prayer, rich in prayer
To walk into a Byzantine church is to walk into a rich tradition, steeped in a sense of the sacred.
In the way that St. Gregory the Great influenced the Gregorian chant in the Western churches, the liturgy in the Eastern rites — including the Byzantine Catholic rite — is based primarily on the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chyrsostom throughout much of the year, and also on St. Basil’s.
"Right now as we move into the Great Fast (the Byzantine observance of Lent) our liturgy is based on St. Basil," Michalski explained. "That liturgy is a bit longer, more somber in tone and focused on prayer."
The more somber tone heard during the Great Fast of Lent is one of eight musical melodies that are used throughout the year, Michalski elaborated.
The melodies rise and fall in a chanting form, Kichura explained, and are sung either in monotone or with harmonization, depending on the church and the cantor. In keeping with the Byzantine tradition, the music is entirely vocal, with no musical instruments.
"We’ve had some requests (at Blessed Theodore) to do harminzations, but if we do, it’s more of an impromptu thing," Kichura said. "It’s all acappella, that’s just a tradition for Byzantine Catholics over the centuries."
Since the fourth century, the music has remained relatively unchanged, he added.
"Vatican II allowed the Byzantine rite to keep their liturgies and their traditions," he said. "The biggest change is that it switched over to the vernacular, instead of Old Slavonic."
In 2007, the Byzantine rite made some minor revisions to the translations again, releasing a new missal, Michalski said.
Apart from prayers for the Pope, the Byzantine metropolitan and the bishop of the local eparchy, the liturgy of the Byzantine rite is similar in form to what one might experience in other Eastern Christian traditions, such as the Russian or Greek Orthodox Church.
Everyone participates in music
Both Michalski and Kichura emphasize the importance of getting the entire congregation to participate in the liturgical music.
"There is less of an emphasis on a choir," Kichura said. "Rather, it is supposed to be music that everyone participates in, rather than having a choir where people don’t participate."
"When I teach (cantors) I tell them their role is not to be a soloist," Michalski said. "Rather, their goal is to set the tone to clearly communicate the message of God."
Both cantors said the music is organic; the congregation picks up the music by participating in the liturgy.
"We do it naturally, you hear it every Sunday and you just do it," Kichura said. "There is a reverence about it that people appreciate."
Music as a spiritual experience
Kichura has an undergraduate degree in music. For him, the goal of music — even secular — is something that should lead people to the ethereal.
"Music for me has always been a spiritual experience," he said. "It is something that should bring you closer to God."
Singing the liturgical prayers — especially in the slower chant form — helps people to meditate on what they are reading, Michalski said.
"It helps you really feel what you are singing," he said. "If you go slow and say the words distinctively and clearly, it helps you realize what you are here for."
Dr. Kichura would encourage people not familiar with the Byzantine rite to come and experience it for themselves.
"It is a resource that people can tap into, even if they go to a different church," he said. "They might find the style appealing, it may even (help) lead in their spiritual path."
It’s really great to know there’s a mission named after Blessed Theodore Romzha! He was featured in an EWTN documentary called “Holy Roman Spies” about the priests who trained at the Russicum school in Rome and subsequently left to minister to Catholics behind the Iron Curtain.
Wow, NYer! Thanks for this! I never would have seen it. I don’t get a copy of the Catholic Anchor (Diocesan newspaper). Father mentioned the article a couple of times, but I haven’t seen it until now. (P.S. I’m one of those “harmonizers.”) There are only three cantors at the mission right now, but everybody in the congregation sings with us. We just set the note and the speed, and sing the Propers for the day. God bless you!
Our Mission parish in Wasilla is the first one to be named after Bl. Theodore. Our new icons finally arrived from Hungary, and the icon of Bl. Theodore has a little relic embedded in it. We are in the process of acquiring property and raising a building fund for our own building. We are so blessed.
I never even heard of a byzantine catholic until now.
Although it is not widely known in our Western world, the Catholic Church is actually a communion of Churches. According to the Constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, the Catholic Church is understood to be "a corporate body of Churches," united with the Pope of Rome, who serves as the guardian of unity (LG, no. 23). At present there are 22 Churches that comprise the Catholic Church. The new Code of Canon Law, promulgated by Pope John Paul II, uses the phrase "autonomous ritual Churches" to describe these various Churches (canon 112). Each Church has its own hierarchy, spirituality, and theological perspective. Because of the particularities of history, there is only one Western Catholic Church, while there are 21 Eastern Catholic Churches. The Western Church, known officially as the Latin Church, is the largest of the Catholic Churches. It is immediately subject to the Roman Pontiff as Patriarch of the West. The Eastern Catholic Churches are each led by a Patriarch, Major Archbishop, or Metropolitan, who governs their Church together with a synod of bishops. Through the Congregation for Oriental Churches, the Roman Pontiff works to assure the health and well-being of the Eastern Catholic Churches.
While this diversity within the one Catholic Church can appear confusing at first, it in no way compromises the Church's unity. In a certain sense, it is a reflection of the mystery of the Trinity. Just as God is three Persons, yet one God, so the Church is 22 Churches, yet one Church.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church summarizes this nicely:
"From the beginning, this one Church has been marked by a great diversity which comes from both the variety of God's gifts and the diversity of those who receive them... Holding a rightful place in the communion of the Church there are also particular Churches that retain their own traditions. The great richness of such diversity is not opposed to the Church's unity" (CCC no. 814).
Although there are 22 Churches, there are only eight "Rites" that are used among them. A Rite is a "liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary patrimony," (Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, canon 28). "Rite" best refers to the liturgical and disciplinary traditions used in celebrating the sacraments. Many Eastern Catholic Churches use the same Rite, although they are distinct autonomous Churches. For example, the Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Melkite Catholic Church are distinct Churches with their own hierarchies. Yet they both use the Byzantine Rite.
To learn more about the "two lungs" of the Catholic Church, visit this link:
The Vatican II Council declared that "all should realize it is of supreme importance to understand, venerate, preserve, and foster the exceedingly rich liturgical and spiritual heritage of the Eastern churches, in order faithfully to preserve the fullness of Christian tradition" (Unitatis Redintegrato, 15).
A Roman rite Catholic may attend any Eastern Catholic Liturgy and fulfill his or her obligations at any Eastern Catholic Parish. A Roman rite Catholic may join any Eastern Catholic Parish and receive any sacrament from an Eastern Catholic priest, since all belong to the Catholic Church as a whole. I am a Roman Catholic practicing my faith at a Maronite Catholic Church. Like the Chaldeans, the Maronites retain Aramaic for the Consecration. It is as close as one comes to being at the Last Supper.
Please freepmail me if you would like more information on the Eastern Catholic Churches.
There used to be a web site that listed Eastern Catholic Churches by state. Unfortunately, he ran out of resources.
If they ever make holy cards and/or copies of the icon above, I’d like to get one for myself! He’s a real hero of the faith!
there’s a good link posted at #9
Is “Byzantine” singing done by the Orthodox?
Singing the liturgical prayers — especially in the slower chant form — helps people to meditate on what they are reading, Michalski said.
It really, really does. I haven't been able to attend at a Byzantine church in recent years, now I'll have to seek one out...
Really? I'm glad for you then that you came upon this post and thanks to NYer for posting it! I have numerous relatives who are Byzantine and Orthodox (though I am now far from such a parish) and it is a beautiful Liturgy and tradition.
I'm not an authority, just grew up around Orthodox and Byzantine Liturgies, and can say they are very similar. Very beautiful and moving.
Catholics aren’t usually given to saying we “enjoyed” the Mass, but I certainly did enjoy the three or four Byzantine Masses we had in our area several years ago. I dragged a couple of other Latin/traditional Catholics to them as well. Can still smell the incense and hear the sung liturgy (in my mind).
Actually, it is called chant. But let's ask an expert. Calling Kolokotronis!
Here’s a link to a page of Chant in both Greek and English for Great Lent, Holy Week and Pascha. Not all of it, but most of it, was written by +Romanos the Melodist in Constantinople in the 6th century. He was, you will be interested to hear, NYer, a Syrian by birth.
http://lent.goarch.org/media/audio.asp
Theoretically (yes, according to Vatican II) the Roman Rite should have the Ordinaries sung in chant by the congregation, in similar fashion. The music is of course different, Gregorian, etc, but having a choir or folk group doing the four “standards” (entrance, offertory, Communion - please!, and recessional) is a corruption. Nothing wrong with singing hymns there (but there is something very wrong with songs, which is what you usually get unless it’s a good priest), but the first priority should be singing together the Pater, Agnus, Sanctus, etc, in English if necessary (just teaching the congregation and may not know Latin pronunciation), and instead we find those recited and something dreadful like Amazing Grace sung during Communion.
Another beautiful thing you rarely hear is the priest chanting the Eucharistic Prayer. Why is this so uncommon? The Mass could be just as sublime and beautiful as the Byzantine if there were more priests or music directors who bothered to read and follow the Church’s instructions on liturgical music.
However, let me give the Byzantine Liturgy credit, I only went once, it was a very small church, there was a sense of reverence and seriousness. The music is true chant, so very easy to sing along. The lady “cantor” (or whatever proper term) did not stand in front and “direct”, she was in back so we could hear her and follow with booklets. I will be in the area of this Byzantine church again in July and plan to go if at all possible. Also, Theotokos is much more prominent in the entire liturgy!
This website may interest you; nice info and also has a place to search for location of churches.
byzcath.org
I am in the Eparchy of Passaic, here are some pictures of my home church:
Sts Peter and Paul BCC, Beaver Meadows, PA
Can I be put on your list?
Welcome to the Catholic ping list!
It is beautiful and moves the soul when sung from the heart. Our organist went south for the winter this year and left us to chant the liturgy ;-) Recently, a new family visited the parish and returned the following week for a 2nd dose. They confessed that hearing the Eucharistic Prayer chanted in Aramaic had moved their hearts to return for more.
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