Chris and I had the pleasure of attending St Gregory's Orthodox Church in Washington, DC last Sunday, as well as the luxury of having a good amount of time to spend meeting people afterward before heading to the Roman Catholic mass. St Gregory's is a small, intimate Western Rite parish a mere two blocks from the friend who normally hosts us while we're in town. It was our first experience at a Western Rite Orthodox parish.
The idea of visiting a Western Rite Orthodox church had been lingering since just after our previous visit to DC. There are very few WR parishes in the US and even fewer near Raleigh. Lynchburg, VA is the closest at 3 hours away, but I'm told they primarily celebrate the more Anglican-based liturgy of St Tikhon. St Gregory's, the next closest at 4 hours away, celebrates the liturgy of St Gregory which is similar to the Tridentine mass.
We both enjoyed our experience for different reasons. Chris enjoyed seeing the Tridentine mass as it used to be celebrated in the West. I was mostly lost, but I enjoyed being in a Western rite environment without needing to worry about the orthodoxy of the priest. Many of the things that bother me about the Roman Catholic tradition were absent, though elements of the mass were present that I still don't understand. Afterward we both had a great time meeting the parishioners and discovering the many intricate connections between St Gregory's and my home parish of All Saints. One girl had even been to my house before while on a mission trip to NC! We left with new things to think about, many warm wishes from our hosts, and a mug that Chris uses every chance he gets.
Chris tends to think that people in the West should identify more strongly with a Western style of worship, and that those of us who embraced a more Eastern style did so out of rebellion against our heritage. I don't think that's the case. While it's true that even parts of the Orthodox Western Rite had elements in it that I associate with Protestantism (and thus could bolster his argument), I did truly miss some of the absent elements found the Eastern liturgy. The "otherness" of the Eastern tradition may initially draw disaffected Westerners in, but there is an enduring quality to the Eastern liturgy that keeps us there and slowly transforms our lives.
I believe that the Orthodox story in America is still just beginning to be written. Orthodoxy has not yet defined its legacy here. We see many examples of Orthodox Christians from long-established traditions complaining about the innovations brought to the faith by American converts. I hope that what is really happening is that these American converts are doing the job of translating Orthodoxy into a language that Americans can understand. Our history books record the development of translations and even new languages so the faith could be brought to new lands. What they don't record are the many ways in which that new land was transformed in unwritten ways to receive the Truth. Little-t traditions will change, but the Tradition of Orthodoxy will not change or it will cease to be Orthodox. I hope our mentors in the faith can be patient with us a while longer while we continue our great work.
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2 comments:
Not sure if you've seen this yet, but I've commented a bit on this question of [Eastern] Orthodoxy as an escape from the West. For some, it may well be, but my own experience has been that most converts to Orthodoxy from the West make the move because they believe that Orthodox doctrine is the truth. In other words, the question is not East vs. West, but of Orthodoxy vs. Heterodoxy. One can be Eastern Heterodox and (as you mention here) Western Orthodox. The cultural question, while important and interesting in its way, is ultimately a red herring when it comes to choosing where to go to Church. If it becomes critical to someone in choosing between communions with contradictory dogma, then that means that their dedication is not to the truth, but rather to something else. This is a hard saying, perhaps, but still true.
I've never been to a Western Rite Liturgy, but I tend to agree with you on your thoughts.
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