OCA Vesperal Service for U.N.

[Orthodoc]

Yesterday was a beautiful day in New York.  I must state my pleasant surprise and deep appreciation to His Eminence Archbishop Demitrius for turning over the Greek Orthodx Cathedral to Metropolitan Herman and the OCA for a truly beautiful Vesper Service in honor of the United Nations Orthodox representatives.

The Archbishop and Metropolitan walked down the main aisle side by side.  And they are both short (like myself) and exactly the same height!  The Archbishop allowed the Metropolitan Herman to sit in the Bishops chair while he sat with the other representative Bishops of both SCOBA ad the Oriental Orthodox Churches.

The entire service was done by OCA priests and deacons and the responses were sung by a combined choir of seminarians from both St Tikhon's and St Vladimir's seminaries.  The service was entirely in English except for the honorary 'Espoli eti Despota' !  And what a beautiful service it was!  I left with such a warm feeling in my heart for the future of Orthodox unity in the U.S.  And couldn't help but remember the recent posts on the 'other' non Orthodox site regarding the so called non recognition the canonicity and/or the autocephally of the OCA by both other jurisdictions here in the U.S. and abroad.  To the extent that one claimed the MP has to set up separate Liturgies in separate buildings on separate Altars when the OCA serves in Russia because of the amount of Russian priests that refuse to serve with them.  Where do these people come up with such stuff?

Another pleasant event was once again meeting Dustin and finally meeting Mor Eohrem and TonyS.

Orthodoc

[David]

Glad you had a good time Orthodoc...did you enjoy Met. HERMAN's speech?

[Orthodoc]

[Glad you had a good time Orthodoc...did you enjoy Met. HERMAN's speech?]

Yes I did.  What I could hear that is.  Some times he talks a little too fast for me.  He's like a ball of energy!

Orthodoc

[Anastasios]

Here is a pic from the Orthodox UN Prayer service of some of us who happened upon one another:

L to R: JoeS, TonyS, Orthodoc, Anastasios, Mor Ephrem

[Αριστοκλής]

Great photo!

What's with the ocelot, Anastasios? I thought you were a 'goat' man

Demetri

[TonyS]

Here are some pics of the event:

http://www.oca.org/pages/events/2003/10.October/1006NewYorkCityNY-UNPrayerService/index.html

[Mor Ephrem]

Nice pictures, Tony, but I think our picture is better, don't you?  

[arimethea]

Is anyone else surprised to see Met. Herman sitting on the throne of the Cathedral church of the Greek Archdioces of America?

[Robert]

LOL I laughed when I saw that too.

I wonder how much he had to pay the Greeks to get that privledge.

Boby

[Mor Ephrem]

Why would he have had to pay?

[Robert]

Oh come on, it's no secret. To get anywhere with the GOA you need to have money and lots of it!

[Mor Ephrem]

You're joking right?  I would've thought it only made sense for the presiding hierarch at a particular service to use that throne...

[Elisha]

Yes indeed, REALLY nice pics!  Looking at the OO Churches' garb, it is amazing how similar these Churches are to the EO considering the the time they've been separated.  I must say though, the pointy hats of the Armenians look spooky - almost KKK like.  

Anyone who was there, what did the Coptic choir sound like?  I've never been to any Coptic services before, but would like to.  Was it in English?  Was the music liturgical or 'folk song' (the description in the pics left something to be desired)?

Tan: to those, more hardliners out there.  In reading certain Orthodox books/articles, they mention the right kind of ecumenism vs the wrong kind (which I guess many EO Churches are accused of - the WCC, for example).  So, was this the 'wrong' kind?  If yes, why do you think so?  I wasn't at the service mentioned above, so I can't comment.  It looked to me that the SCOOH attendees didn't serve, so I don't see any problems.

[Mor Ephrem]

I rather like the Armenian hats.  And I'm a minority myself.  

Non-liturgical garb is very similar among all Orthodox.  When you discuss liturgical vestments, however, there are differences.  Generally speaking, though, even these are more similar than they are different, particularly between Syriac and Greek/Russian vestments.  

The Coptic choir sang in English, with cymbals and triangles and all that good stuff.  They were liturgical hymns, if I'm not mistaken.  It was nice.  I'm not used to mixed choirs singing Coptic chant, but it was good.

The Oriental Orthodox hierarchs did not serve.  Neither did most of the Eastern Orthodox hierarchs.  It was basically Met. Herman presiding, and EO priests of various jurisdictions serving in the altar.

[arimethea]

You're joking right?  I would've thought it only made sense for the presiding hierarch at a particular service to use that throne...  

I was not joking at showing surprise that Met. Herman was presiding in the Greek Archdiocese Cathedral. With Archbishop Demetrios present at the service and the church being his Cathedral he would have every right and honor to be in the position of protostaminos. The only time a bishop would give up the right to sit in seat of honor in his own Cathedral is as a gesture of respect, but even then the Bishop of the Cathedral would still be next to that Bishop.

This is a huge step towards our future unity in this country because in many ways this acknowledges that the OCA is a legitimate Autocephalous Church. And from the pictures it didn’t look like it was only OCA clergy serving, but rather at least one representative from each of the major jurisdictions (I recognized Antiochian, Carpatho Rus, and Greek among others) also assisting in the service.

[Orthodoc]

[This is a huge step towards our future unity in this country because in many ways this acknowledges that the OCA is a legitimate Autocephalous Church. And from the pictures it didn’t look like it was only OCA clergy serving, but rather at least one representative from each of the major jurisdictions (I recognized Antiochian, Carpatho Rus, and Greek among others) also assisting in the service.]

What you saw was true!  Archbishop Demetrios has my utmost love and respect for this jesture of love and recdognition he bestowed upon both Metropolitan Herman and the OCA.

There is a future for Orthodox unity after all!

Orthodoc

[Hypo-Ortho]

His Beatitude, Metropolitan +HERMAN, seems to have earned the respect of many of his brother Orthodox hierarchs across the globe since his election as Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, the "OCA."  

His Eminence, Archbishop +DEMETRIOS, GOA Primate, is not the first hierarch to give up the episcopal throne in his cathedral as a gesture of respect for Metropolitan +HERMAN.  When Metropolitan +HERMAN recently made his first official visit to the Orthodox Church of Russia as OCA Primate, His Holiness, Patriarch +ALEXY II of Moscow and All Russia invited Metropolitan +HERMAN to preside from the patriarchal cathedra of Moscow's great Cathedral of Christ the Savior in his stead at the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy that Metropolitan +HERMAN served there.  Metropolitan +HERMAN was the first Primate of an autocephalous Orthodox Church so honored by the Russian Patriarch.  The previous evening Metropolitan +HERMAN presided at Vigil from the Patriarch's cathedra in Moscow's Epiphany Cathedral.

Hypo-Ortho

(modified only to correct a typo not previously detected)

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