Bizarre Question

[Robert]

Here's a stumper for you guys.

Last time I checked, the MP almost 99% of the time conducted liturgy in good ol' Church Slavonic.

Now, I was checking out the website of russianchurchusa.org this evening, and was looking at some of the parish listings, where I noticed that the cathedral in NY actually conducts liturgy in Russian!

I can see English, but can't see why some of the parishes use church slavonic as their liturgical language, but Mercurius's in NY uses Russian.

Anyone care to speculate?

Bobby

[Mor Ephrem]

I can see English, but can't see why some of the parishes use church slavonic as their liturgical language, but Mercurius's in NY uses Russian.

I didn't know that they didn't speak as much Russian in Russia as they did Church Slavonic.  

Seriously, though, why not Russian?

[TonyS]

Here's a stumper for you guys.

Last time I checked, the MP almost 99% of the time conducted liturgy in good ol' Church Slavonic.

Now, I was checking out the website of russianchurchusa.org this evening, and was looking at some of the parish listings, where I noticed that the cathedral in NY actually conducts liturgy in Russian!

I can see English, but can't see why some of the parishes use church slavonic as their liturgical language, but Mercurius's in NY uses Russian.

Anyone care to speculate?

Bobby

Dear Robert,

AFAIK no canonical Orthodox Church anywhere uses modern Russian for Liturgy.  RCs use modern Russian in Russia for their services.

As for Orthodoxy, I would not be surprised to hear that some modern Russian has been used in in some sacraments but I have never heard of it being used in any divine liturgy, other than for the homily and announcements, of course.  

I have been on that site before and I went back to it now and I can't find any reference to what you mention above.  Can you tell how to get there or provide a page?

Tony

[TonyS]

I found it.  On http://www.russianchurchusa.org/SNCathedral/english/rpcd.asp?ID=21
it says "Liturgical Language: Russian, English"   That, of course is wrong.  You can e-mail them to be sure, but I will bet money on it, lots BTW if you care.

Many BCs call Church Slavonic variously:  Slovak, Russian or even po-na+íomu.

[Orthodoc]

[Now, I was checking out the website of russianchurchusa.org this evening, and was looking at some of the parish listings, where I noticed that the cathedral in NY actually conducts liturgy in Russian!]

I have a very good friend who just moved to Dallas, Texas and is attending the OCA Cathedral there (St Seraphim's).
He has nothing but praise for the Cathedral and their cycle of services.  If I understood him correctly, they have Vespers every day and Liturgies throughout the week.  Since there are three priests they serve entire Liturgies in English, Church Slavonic, Serbian, and modern Russian.


Orthodoc

[The young fogey]

St Seraphim’s Cathedral (OCA) has Liturgy in modern Russian?

I’ve been to St Nicholas Cathedral in New York for Vigil and per standard Russian Orthodox practice it was all in Slavonic.

With the possible exception of St Seraphim’s I too know of no Orthodox church that uses modern Russian liturgically.

It can be done — in fact before the Revolution the Holy Synod of the Russian Church considered changing over to it — but just isn’t right now.

So I agree with Tony and am fairly sure that by ‘Russian’ in the online listing for St N’s they really meant Slavonic.

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