Western Rite Statistics Outside the USA

[SubdeaconDavid]

While I would like to know the US scene more, I would like to see a collation of statistics in relation to the Western-rite in the following countries:

• United Kingdom
  Germany
  France
  Italy
  Low Countries
  Scandinavia
  Australia
  New Zealand
  Canada
  South Africa
  
  It would be useful to know clergy structures - number of priests, jurisdictions, deaneries etc, monastic houses with numbers of monastics and importantly the numbers of laities in parishes or missions.  By laity I mean Orthodox laity although catechumen numbers would also be useful.   
  
  It is difficult to know the challenges and support needs of the Western-rite if we don't have a clear picture, country by country.  Others may want to refine this wish list. I am not referring to any one jurisdiction either.
  
  It would also be useful to know where there isn't a WR presence and why not.
  

[Irish Hermit]

Australia:

After 14 years of rather intensive missionary work by Fr Michael (Wood) in Australia the results are unfortunately close to zero.   There were two small missions in Tasmania.  The one in Launceston had 9 members but it has gone out of existence as members have left or moved away.  The other in Hobart has 3 members.

A report, rather direct, about WR in Australia:
http://stpetrocabbeyfaq.blogspot.com/

New Zealand:

WR activity in New Zealand is conducted by two priests of the Antiochian Church.  One has been labouring in the Christchurch area for 30 years and has maybe three adherents.  The other has been working in Wellington for perhaps 7 years and has the same number of WR adherents.

[SubdeaconDavid]

Australia:

After 14 years of rather intensive missionary work by Fr Michael (Wood) in Australia the results are unfortunately close to zero.   There were two small missions in Tasmania.  The one in Launceston had 9 members but it has gone out of existence as members have left or moved away.  The other in Hobart has 3 members.

A report, rather direct, about WR in Australia:
http://stpetrocabbeyfaq.blogspot.com/

New Zealand:

WR activity in New Zealand is conducted by two priests of the Antiochian Church.  One has been labouring in the Christchurch area for 30 years and has maybe three adherents.  The other has been working in Wellington for perhaps 7 years and has the same number of WR adherents.

Even within ROCOR alone, there is considerable Western-rite presence outside the USA.  My research found the following:


According to Wikipedia Australia also has a Perth Mission of the St. Petroc Paruchia.
Australia
Saint Dyfan Monastery Mission, Hobart, Tasmania – ROCOR
Saint Stephen Monastery Mission, Launceston, Tasmania – ROCOR
Saint Gildas Monastery Mission, Perth, Western Australia – ROCOR
Saint Ninian Monastery Mission, Melbourne, Victoria – ROCOR

Australia
The St. Gildas Mission Perth WA has a blog-site which appears to have been the same for a long-time, and there is no WR ROCOR priest listed for Perth, so presumably mass is celebrated by Fr. Michael (Mansbridge-Wood/Wood) on occasions.  Perhaps the faithful there attend the St. Peter and Paul parish of ROCOR.  
http://perthorthodox.blogspot.com/

The Hobart listing for ROCOR lists St. Petroc Monastery, St. Dyfan's Mission and the University Chaplaincy as separate WR organisations within Hobart although the Chaplaincy is co-located in the same Ecumenical UTas premises as that which houses the St. Dyfan Mission.  http://www.rocor.org.au/?page_id=2

Melbourne according to Wikipedia directory also has another St. Petroc Paruchia Mission - St. Ninian Monastery Mission but this is not listed in the ROCOR directory and does not appear to have a priest appointed, although again may be served by Fr. Michael (Mansbridge-Wood/Wood).

Philippines There are according to reports two Petroc Paruchia Missions in the Philippines. http://orthodoxmissions.wordpress.com/2011/01/16/western-rite-news-from-2010/ ( Note this is from an unofficial WR commentary site). The official St. Petroc Missionary Society website is at: http://saintpetrocmissionarysociety.blogspot.com/


 It is unclear if these are under the Australian and New Zealand Diocese of ROCOR and they remain unlisted in the ROCOR Australian and New Zealand Diocesan directory which also covers Indonesia (23 Byzantine rite parishes and missions) and Korea ( 1 monastery and 2 parishes, both Byzantine rite).  There is very limited Byzantine rite Orthodox presence in the Philippines with a small Antiochian presence.

SAINT THOMAS MONASTERY MISSION

Wednesday 7th July 2010: We welcome Saint Thomas mission as a new Western Rite mission of Saint Petroc Monastery. With over a hundred people led by Fr. Janel, we wish this mission the utmost success.

SAINT ANASTASIA MONASTERY MISSION

Friday 2nd July 2010: We welcome the new Western Rite ROCOR mission of Saint Anastasia in Davao City in the Philippines. The mission is led by Chrysostom Canezal, and is planning to acquire a house in Davao City for use as the Saint Anastasia Orthodox Centre.

The St. Petroc Missionary Society another arm of the St. Petroc WR Paruchia has a Philippine Mission website: two mainland US missions[/b] of St. Petroc:
SAINT BRENDAN            Panama City, Florida, USA
SAINT PETER & PAUL   Huntsville Alabama


This site lists 2 missions - St. Thomas Mindanao and St. Anastasia, Davao City, although there is no mention of a priest "Fr. Jared" so presumably the parish is visited by WR Petrochian clergy. It does not appear to have been updated since July 2010.

There is also substantial WR missionary efforts of the ROCOR WR in the United Kingdom. [url=http://www.forwardinorthodoxfaith.blogspot.com/]http://www.forwardinorthodoxfaith.blogspot.com/ where the First Hierarch of ROCOR has appointed St. Petroc's Superior, Hieromonk Michael (Mansbridge-Woods) as his Assistant for the UK.  The St. Petroc UK site also reports a new Netherlands Mission of St Swithbert currently worshiping in a private chapel, but seeking a public church or chapel.  Again, no mention of whether a WR priest is serving that community or whether it is served from the UK by Fr. Michael (Mansbridge-Wood).

The Mission of St. Nectean has a website: http://saintnectan.blogspot.com/ as does the Kent Mission of St. Eanswythe [http://kentorthodox.blogspot.com/

Continental Europe also has additional WR missions/parishes listed at the 4 year old entry at http://www.occidentalorthodox.org.uk/directory_of_western_rite_orthod.htm  It is unclear whose jurisdiction these missions are under.

[Irish Hermit]

Even within ROCOR alone, there is considerable Western-rite presence outside the USA.  My research found the following:


According to Wikipedia Australia also has a Perth Mission of the St. Petroc Paruchia.
Australia
Saint Dyfan Monastery Mission, Hobart, Tasmania – ROCOR
Saint Stephen Monastery Mission, Launceston, Tasmania – ROCOR
Saint Gildas Monastery Mission, Perth, Western Australia – ROCOR
Saint Ninian Monastery Mission, Melbourne, Victoria – ROCOR

I am reliably informed that these are paper entities with no real life existence.  The only exception is Saint Dyfan Mission in Hobart which has a membership of three people.  These three people constitute the total of WR parishioners in the Church Abroad in Australia.

[SubdeaconDavid]

I am reliably informed that these are paper entities with no real life existence.  The only exception is Saint Dyfan Mission in Hobart which has a membership of three people.  These three people constitute the total of WR parishioners in the Church Abroad in Australia.
[/quote]

If that is correct Father, given that mainstream Orthodoxy - Byzantine rite Orthodoxy has many priests, monastics and laity who are converts to Orthodoxy in Australia, what does that mean for the future of the Western-rite?  With elderly clergy, where is the succession planning for the continuation of the western-rite after the retirement  of Hieromonk Michael (Mansbridge-Wood), Priest Barry Jefferies and Subdeacon Peter Ball - who appear to be the only 3 clergy in ROCOR WR in Australia?

Do Western-rite clergy attend Jordanville ROCOR seminary?  There is clearly an urgent need for clergy - if it is correct that there are several hundred converts in the Philippines with no ROCOR WR priest.  I would have thought that priestly endeavour there was more immediate and urgent than the UK?

[SubdeaconDavid]

It appears however if one looks at the internet that there is an enormous amount of Western-rite preaching and activity.  I guess the internet is also a legitimate place to preach and perhaps that is what the St. Petroc Paruchia are doing.

The Lord sees the effort, even if the results may appear to be very limited.  Further to my last post, clearly there is an urgent need for the WR to develop succession planning, at least outside of the US.  The US appears to have functioning parishes, healthy numbers of clergy, a new monastery coming on in New Mexico, and several decades of liturgical life in the monastic witness of Christ the Savior Monastery. The prognosis appears much brighter although the lack of a WR seminary, the lack of monastic and priestly vocations provides real challenge.

The challenge outside the US clearly is miniscule numbers of WR laity and even smaller numbers of clergy. In terms of Australia the failure to get parish churches established in the major metropolitan cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane is very telling.  It is a measure of the courage of the Western-rite in ROCOR in this country that they continue to soldier on, with some clear missionary zeal despite so little success.

If as Fr. Ambrose suggests that the numbers are even smaller than the web suggests, perhaps the viability of some of these missions needs to be questioned and perhaps for those without a WR priest ministering to them, that translation across to the Byzantine rite is logical and healthy.

[SubdeaconDavid]

The Western-rite of Orthodoxy is spreading even in the East - even in Singapore, a priest in the St. Petroc Paruchia is serving the Western-rite mass and other services in the Armenian church in Singapore by a Fr. Raphael.  St. Seraphim's Singapore is "under the guidance of Saint Petroc Monastery" http://orthodoxwesternrite.wordpress.com/south-east-asia-missions/ as is St. Anastasia, Mindanao and St, Thomas Mindanao, with 220 souls served by Western rite Petroc Paruchia priest Janel. I don't know whether Fr. Michael, Abbott of the Australian monastery of St. Petroc has visited his Asian dependencies or if they have had episcopal visitation. They also have a dedicated Paruchian mission website at http://saintpetrocmissionarysociety.blogspot.com and have 300 souls according to the site.

Interestingly the Armenian Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator, Singa[pre has not had a resident priest for many decades and is used by the Coptic Orthodox monthly and the Indian Jacobite Church of Syria and it is built in a very Anglican British Neo-Classic style. http://www.thefullwiki.org/Armenian_Church,_Singapore

[Tags:]

OrthodoxChristianity.net > Moderated Forums > Liturgy > Western Rite Discussion (Moderator: arimethea) > Topic: Western Rite Statistics Outside the USA