Difference between revisions of "Western Rite"

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[[Image:Alexander Turner2.jpg|right|frame|Fr. [[Alexander Turner]] celebrating the Mass]]
 
 
The '''Western Rite''' is a strand of Orthodox Christian worship based on the liturgical traditions of the ancient pre-[[Great Schism|Schism]] Orthodox Church of the West.  Western Rite Orthodox Christians hold in common the full Orthodox faith with their brethren of the Byzantine Rite, and at present, all of the [[bishop]]s who care for such [[parish]]es are themselves followers of the Byzantine Rite.  
 
The '''Western Rite''' is a strand of Orthodox Christian worship based on the liturgical traditions of the ancient pre-[[Great Schism|Schism]] Orthodox Church of the West.  Western Rite Orthodox Christians hold in common the full Orthodox faith with their brethren of the Byzantine Rite, and at present, all of the [[bishop]]s who care for such [[parish]]es are themselves followers of the Byzantine Rite.  
 
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{{westernrite}}
 
==Modern History==
 
==Modern History==
{{westernrite}}===The Nineteenth Century===
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===The Nineteenth Century===
 
:''Main article: [[Western Rite in the Nineteenth Century]]''
 
:''Main article: [[Western Rite in the Nineteenth Century]]''
 
In 1864, 44-year-old [[Joseph Julian Overbeck]], a former German [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] priest who had left the priesthood, disillusioned with papal supremacy, became Lutheran and later married, was [[chrismation|chrismated]] into the [[Orthodox Church]].  He then published, in 1866, ''Catholic Orthodoxy and Anglo-Catholicism'' which contained the groundings for his work for the next twenty years.  A year later, be began publishing a periodical, ''Orthodox Catholic Review'', aimed at putting forward Orthodoxy and rejecting Catholicism and Protestantism.
 
In 1864, 44-year-old [[Joseph Julian Overbeck]], a former German [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] priest who had left the priesthood, disillusioned with papal supremacy, became Lutheran and later married, was [[chrismation|chrismated]] into the [[Orthodox Church]].  He then published, in 1866, ''Catholic Orthodoxy and Anglo-Catholicism'' which contained the groundings for his work for the next twenty years.  A year later, be began publishing a periodical, ''Orthodox Catholic Review'', aimed at putting forward Orthodoxy and rejecting Catholicism and Protestantism.
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====France====
 
====France====
 
[[Image:Kovalevsky-Maximovitch.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Bp. [[Jean-Nectaire (Kovalevsky) of Saint-Denis]] and St. [[John Maximovitch]] in 1964]]
 
[[Image:Kovalevsky-Maximovitch.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Bp. [[Jean-Nectaire (Kovalevsky) of Saint-Denis]] and St. [[John Maximovitch]] in 1964]]
''Main article: [[Orthodox Church of France]]''
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:''Main article: [[Orthodox Church of France]]''
 
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In 1937, the [[Church of Russia]] received a small group under Louis-Charles (Irénée) Winnaert (1880-1937), under the name ''l'Eglise Orthodoxe Occidentale'' ("Western Orthodox Church").  Winnaert's work was continued, with occaisional conflict, by [[Jean-Nectaire (Kovalevsky) of Saint-Denis|Evgraph Kovalevsky]] (1905-1970) and [[Denis (Chambault)|Lucien Chambault]], the latter of which oversaw a small Orthodox Benedictine community in the rue d'Alleray in Paris.  After 1946, Kovalevsky developed the [[Orthodox Church of France|Eglise Orthodoxe de France]] to restore the [[Gallican Rite|Gallican usage]] based on the letters of St. [[Germanus of Paris|Germanus]], a 6th century [[bishop]] of Paris.
In 1937, the [[Church of Russia]] received a small group under the former Liberal Catholic bishop, Louis-Charles (Irénée) Winnaert (1880-1937), dubbing them ''l'Eglise Orthodoxe Occidentale'' ("Western Orthodox Church").  The work of Winnaert was continued, though not without some occasional conflict, by [[Jean-Nectaire (Kovalevsky) of Saint-Denis|Evgraph Kovalevsky]] (1905-1970) and Lucien Chambault (later known as ''Pére Denis''), the latter of which oversaw a small Orthodox Benedictine community in the rue d'Alleray in Paris.  Also associated with them was the former Benedictine monk, Archimandrite Alexis van der Mensbrugghe (1899-1980), who favorably viewed the restoration of the ancient Roman rite cleansed of medieval accretions and supplemented by Gallican and Byzantine interpolations. In 1948, he published his ''Liturgie Orthodoxe de Rite Occidental'' and in 1962 the ''Missel Orthodoxe Rite Occidental''.
 
  
After 1946, the [[Orthodox Church of France|Eglise Orthodoxe de France]] was developed by Kovalevsky specifically with the intention to restore the ancient [[Gallican Rite|Gallican usage]], basing his work on the letters of St. [[Germanus of Paris|Germanus]], a 6th century [[bishop]] of Paris.  Eventually Fr. Alexis was consecrated a bishop of the [[Church of Russia]] episcopacy in 1960, continuing his Western Rite work under the auspices of the Moscow Patriarchate.
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Archimandrite Alexis (van der Mensbrugghe) was also associated with them, desiring the restoration of the ancient Roman rite, replacing medieval accretions with Gallican and Byzantine interpolations.  Eventually Fr. Alexis was consecrated a bishop of the [[Church of Russia]] episcopacy in 1960, continuing his Western Rite work under the auspices of the Moscow Patriarchate.
  
After some years of isolation, Kovalevsky's group came under the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]] between 1959 and 1966, and Kovalevsky himself was consecrated with the title of Bishop [[Jean-Nectaire (Kovalevsky) of Saint-Denis|Jean-Nectaire de Saint-Denis]] in 1964.  During this time, the Eglise Orthodoxe de France received considerable encouragement from St. [[John Maximovitch]] (who was ROCOR's representative in Western Europe at the time), and his death in 1966 was a serious blow to these French Orthodox Christians, who had had an influential and holy advocate in St. John.
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After some years of isolation, Kovalevsky's group came under the [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]] between 1959 and 1966, with Kovalevsky consecrated in 1964 as Bishop [[Jean-Nectaire (Kovalevsky) of Saint-Denis|Jean-Nectaire de Saint-Denis]] receiving considerable encouragement from St. [[John Maximovitch]] (ROCOR's representative in Western Europe at the time).  St. John's repose in 1966 was a serious blow to these French Orthodox Christians, who had a holy patron in St. John.
  
Meanwhile, the Moscow Patriarchate's Western rite withered and came to an end, but Bishop Jean's church continued to thrive, though after St. John's death in 1966, they were again on canonical hiatus.  Bishop Jean died in 1970, and then in 1972 the [[Church of Romania]] took the Eglise Orthodoxe de France under its [[omophorion]].  Gilles Bertrand-Hardy was consecrated as Bishop [[Germain (Bertrand-Hardy) of Saint-Denis|Germain de Saint-Denis]], and the restored Gallican rite became the regular liturgy used in the many small French Orthodox [[parish]]es established throughout France.  The full splendor of that liturgy can be seen in the Cathedral of St. Irénée in Boulevard Auguste-Blanqui in Paris.  In 1994, after a lengthy conflict with the Romanian Holy Synod regarding various canonical irregularities, the Eglise again found itself in canonical limbo with the deposition of Bishop Germain.  The Romanian patriarchate established a [[deanery]] under Bishop Germain's brother Archpriest Gregoire to minister to those parishes which chose to stay with Romania.
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While Moscow's Western Rite mission withered and ended, Bishop Jean's church continued to thrive; however, after St. John's repose, without canonical protection.  Bishop Jean reposed in 1970, and then in 1972 re-entered the Church through the [[Church of Romania]].  Gilles Bertrand-Hardy was then consecrated as Bishop [[Germain (Bertrand-Hardy) of Saint-Denis|Germain de Saint-Denis]], and the restored Gallican rite became the regular liturgy used in the many small French Orthodox [[parish]]es established throughout France.  In 1994, after lengthy conflict with the Romanian Holy Synod regarding various canonical irregularities, Bishop Germain was deposed and the Eglise again found itself in canonical limbo with the deposition of Bishop Germain.  The Romanian patriarchate established a [[deanery]] under Bishop Germain's brother Archpriest [[Gregoire Bertrand-Hardy]] to minister to those parishes which chose to stay with the Romanian Patriarchate.
  
Ten other parishes that did not wish to remain under the deposed Germain (and presumably did not want to remain with Romania) formed the ''Union des Associations Cultuelles Orthodoxes de Rite Occidental'' (UACORO) (the Union of Western Rite Orthodox Worship Associations) and began negotiations with the [[Church of Serbia]] to be taken under its omophorion.  Talks officially began in September of 2004.[http://www.orthodoxresurgence.co.uk/Petroc/Michael04.htm]  The intended outcome of these negotiations is that the UACORO be accepted as part of the Church of Serbia's Diocese of France and Western Europe.[http://www.spc.yu/Vesti-2004/12/14-12-04-e.html]
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Ten parishes that neither remained with Germain nor Romania formed the ''Union des Associations Cultuelles Orthodoxes de Rite Occidental'' (UACORO - the Union of Western Rite Orthodox Worship Associations), and began negotiations in 2004 with the [[Church of Serbia]] to be taken under its omophorion, with the intention of the UACORO entering the Diocese of France and Western Europe.
  
 
====The United States====
 
====The United States====
The most successful and stable group of Western Rite parishes originated within the Orthodox Church under Bishop Aftimios in the 1930s as part of the American Orthodox Catholic Church.  In 1932, Bp Aftimios consecrated an Episcopalian priest as auxiliary Bishop of Washington and assigned him to the Western Rite parishes.  However, in 1934, due to the Bolshevik Revolution which sundered any ethnic unity in America, Bp Aftimios' group was left in canonical limbo.
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[[Image:Alexander Turner2.jpg|right|frame|Fr. [[Alexander Turner]] celebrating the Mass]]The most successful and stable group of Western Rite parishes originated within the Orthodox Church under Bishop Aftimios in the 1930s as part of the American Orthodox Catholic Church.  In 1932, Bp Aftimios consecrated an Episcopalian priest as auxiliary Bishop of Washington and assigned him to the Western Rite parishes.  However, in 1934, due to the Bolshevik Revolution which sundered any ethnic unity in America, Bp Aftimios' group was left in canonical limbo.
  
 
The Western Rite group, known as the Society of Clerks Secular of St. Basil (SSB), was founded by the Bishop of Washington, Ignatius Nichols, as a devotional society for clergy and laity based on daily recitation of the Western Breviary.  His successor was Alexander Turner.  Consecrated a bishop by Nichols in 1939, Turner pastored a small parish in Mount Vernon.  After Nichols' repose in 1947, Turner concluded that there was no future for the SSB outside of canonical Orthodoxy.  Through Fr Paul Schneirla, he began unofficial dialogue with Metropolitan Antony Bashir.  Even before this, Turner had been promoting the Western Rite Orthodox idea through his periodical ''Orthodoxy''. [http://occidentalis.blogspot.com/2004/09/western-rite-history-part-five.html]
 
The Western Rite group, known as the Society of Clerks Secular of St. Basil (SSB), was founded by the Bishop of Washington, Ignatius Nichols, as a devotional society for clergy and laity based on daily recitation of the Western Breviary.  His successor was Alexander Turner.  Consecrated a bishop by Nichols in 1939, Turner pastored a small parish in Mount Vernon.  After Nichols' repose in 1947, Turner concluded that there was no future for the SSB outside of canonical Orthodoxy.  Through Fr Paul Schneirla, he began unofficial dialogue with Metropolitan Antony Bashir.  Even before this, Turner had been promoting the Western Rite Orthodox idea through his periodical ''Orthodoxy''. [http://occidentalis.blogspot.com/2004/09/western-rite-history-part-five.html]

Revision as of 02:50, March 3, 2006

The Western Rite is a strand of Orthodox Christian worship based on the liturgical traditions of the ancient pre-Schism Orthodox Church of the West. Western Rite Orthodox Christians hold in common the full Orthodox faith with their brethren of the Byzantine Rite, and at present, all of the bishops who care for such parishes are themselves followers of the Byzantine Rite.

This article forms part
of the series on the

Western Rite
History
Rule of St. Benedict
Nineteenth Century
Twentieth Century
Criticism
Liturgics
Liturgy of St. Gregory
Liturgy of St. Tikhon
Liturgy of St. Germanus
Sarum Rite
Gallican Rite
Stowe Missal
Service Books
Vestments
Groupings
Antiochian Western Rite Vicariate
Society of St. Basil
Orthodox Church of France
Monasteries
Christminster
Saint Petroc
Holy Name Abbey (Old Calendarist)
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Modern History

The Nineteenth Century

Main article: Western Rite in the Nineteenth Century

In 1864, 44-year-old Joseph Julian Overbeck, a former German Catholic priest who had left the priesthood, disillusioned with papal supremacy, became Lutheran and later married, was chrismated into the Orthodox Church. He then published, in 1866, Catholic Orthodoxy and Anglo-Catholicism which contained the groundings for his work for the next twenty years. A year later, be began publishing a periodical, Orthodox Catholic Review, aimed at putting forward Orthodoxy and rejecting Catholicism and Protestantism.

1867 saw Overbeck, with 122 signatures from the Oxford Movement, petition the Church of Russia for the establishment of a Western Rite church in full communion with the Eastern Rite. A seven-member synodal commission was then formed, and invited Overbeck to attend. The idea was approved, and Overbeck set about submitting a draft of the proposed Western liturgy. The base of Overbeck's submission was the 1570 rite which added in an epiclesis and the Trisagion hymn. This rite was submitted in 1871, and was examined and approved by the commission. Overbeck focused his efforts on the Old Catholic movement, who had rejected Papal Infallibility. He continued to engage in polemics with Catholics, Anglicans and Orthodox converts using the Byzantine rite.

In 1876, Overbeck issued an appeal to the various Holy Synods, travelling to Constantinople in 1879. There he met the Ecumenical Patriarch, who authorised him to deliver sermons and apologetics. in 1881, some success was had when the Ecumenical Patriarchate agreed that the West had a right to a Western church and rite.

However, it went no further. Overbeck's marriage after his Catholic ordination was a canonical impediment to the priesthood, the Holy Synod of Greece vetoed his scheme amongst the Orthodox Churches, the Orthodox Catholic Review ended its run, and by 1892 he admitted failure due to the Church of Greece of the time. Overbeck reposed in 1905.

The Twentieth Century

Episcopalian Consecration of Reginald Weller as co-adjutor bishop of Fon-Du-Lac, 1900.
Main article: Western Rite in the Twentieth Century

The Western Rite continued. In 1890 a Swiss Old Catholic parish in Wisconsin, pastored by Fr Joseph Rene Vilatte, was received by Bp Vladimir (Sokolovsky); however, Fr Vilatte soon led the church into Old Catholicism. In 1911 Arnold Harris Mathew, an Old Catholic bishop, entered into union with the Patriarchate of Antioch, but parted ways soon after, leaving behind a model for future Western Rite groupings to join Orthodoxy. In 1926 the six-parish Polish Catholic National Church was received into the Polish Orthodox Church, flourishing until wiped out by the Nazi's. [1] [2]

St. Tikhon's involvement in the Western Rite has been one more enduring. While he was head of the Russian mission in America, some Episcopalians were interested in the possibility of joining Orthodoxy while retaining Anglican liturgics. St. Tikhon, sending the 1892 Book of Common Prayer, enquired as to the viability of such an idea; in 1904, the Holy Synod admitted its possibility, including many notes on how the BCP could be used in an Orthodox manner. St. Tikhon did not receive any Episcopalians who used revised Anglican forms, but it lay the groundwork for the reception and liturgics of the Western Rite Vicariate. [3]

France

Main article: Orthodox Church of France

In 1937, the Church of Russia received a small group under Louis-Charles (Irénée) Winnaert (1880-1937), under the name l'Eglise Orthodoxe Occidentale ("Western Orthodox Church"). Winnaert's work was continued, with occaisional conflict, by Evgraph Kovalevsky (1905-1970) and Lucien Chambault, the latter of which oversaw a small Orthodox Benedictine community in the rue d'Alleray in Paris. After 1946, Kovalevsky developed the Eglise Orthodoxe de France to restore the Gallican usage based on the letters of St. Germanus, a 6th century bishop of Paris.

Archimandrite Alexis (van der Mensbrugghe) was also associated with them, desiring the restoration of the ancient Roman rite, replacing medieval accretions with Gallican and Byzantine interpolations. Eventually Fr. Alexis was consecrated a bishop of the Church of Russia episcopacy in 1960, continuing his Western Rite work under the auspices of the Moscow Patriarchate.

After some years of isolation, Kovalevsky's group came under the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia between 1959 and 1966, with Kovalevsky consecrated in 1964 as Bishop Jean-Nectaire de Saint-Denis receiving considerable encouragement from St. John Maximovitch (ROCOR's representative in Western Europe at the time). St. John's repose in 1966 was a serious blow to these French Orthodox Christians, who had a holy patron in St. John.

While Moscow's Western Rite mission withered and ended, Bishop Jean's church continued to thrive; however, after St. John's repose, without canonical protection. Bishop Jean reposed in 1970, and then in 1972 re-entered the Church through the Church of Romania. Gilles Bertrand-Hardy was then consecrated as Bishop Germain de Saint-Denis, and the restored Gallican rite became the regular liturgy used in the many small French Orthodox parishes established throughout France. In 1994, after lengthy conflict with the Romanian Holy Synod regarding various canonical irregularities, Bishop Germain was deposed and the Eglise again found itself in canonical limbo with the deposition of Bishop Germain. The Romanian patriarchate established a deanery under Bishop Germain's brother Archpriest Gregoire Bertrand-Hardy to minister to those parishes which chose to stay with the Romanian Patriarchate.

Ten parishes that neither remained with Germain nor Romania formed the Union des Associations Cultuelles Orthodoxes de Rite Occidental (UACORO - the Union of Western Rite Orthodox Worship Associations), and began negotiations in 2004 with the Church of Serbia to be taken under its omophorion, with the intention of the UACORO entering the Diocese of France and Western Europe.

The United States

Fr. Alexander Turner celebrating the Mass
The most successful and stable group of Western Rite parishes originated within the Orthodox Church under Bishop Aftimios in the 1930s as part of the American Orthodox Catholic Church. In 1932, Bp Aftimios consecrated an Episcopalian priest as auxiliary Bishop of Washington and assigned him to the Western Rite parishes. However, in 1934, due to the Bolshevik Revolution which sundered any ethnic unity in America, Bp Aftimios' group was left in canonical limbo.

The Western Rite group, known as the Society of Clerks Secular of St. Basil (SSB), was founded by the Bishop of Washington, Ignatius Nichols, as a devotional society for clergy and laity based on daily recitation of the Western Breviary. His successor was Alexander Turner. Consecrated a bishop by Nichols in 1939, Turner pastored a small parish in Mount Vernon. After Nichols' repose in 1947, Turner concluded that there was no future for the SSB outside of canonical Orthodoxy. Through Fr Paul Schneirla, he began unofficial dialogue with Metropolitan Antony Bashir. Even before this, Turner had been promoting the Western Rite Orthodox idea through his periodical Orthodoxy. [4]

In 1961, the Society was received into the Syrian Antiochian Archdiocese on the basis of Metropolitan Antony's 1958 edict. Upon reception, Bishop Alexander Turner became a canonical priest of the Orthodox Church, guiding the group as Vicar-General until his repose in 1971. After his repose, Fr Paul W.S. Schneirla became Vicar-General. Other communities have also been received into the Vicariate, particularly as a result of the theological and practical devolution of the Episcopal Church U.S.A. Several Western Rite missions have been founded, some growing into full parish status.

The Church of Russia received a New York Old Catholic community in 1962 as Mount Royal Monastery, and later moved to Woodstock, New York, under Archbishop John (Wendland) of the Russian Exarchate of North America. Later, this community was received by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, under Archbishop Nikon (Rklitzsky). In 1993, the monastery was renamed to Christminster and moved to Providence, Rhode Island, under Bishop Hilarion (Kapral) of Manhattan (since transferred). It's present abbot is Dom James Deschene.

Elsewhere

In 1995, the Church of Antioch also established a British Deanery to absorb converts from the Church of England. Not all of these parishes are Western Rite.

Western Rite Orthodoxy, in Australia and New Zealand, has arisen mostly from Anglican and Continuing Anglican communities. Archbishop Hilarion (Kapral) of Sydney, ROCOR, received some communities under his omophorion; while others have been received by Archbishop Gibran and Metropolitan Archbishop Paul, both under the Church of Antioch.

Other small groups following the Western Rite have been received, but usually have either had little impact, or have declared their independence soon after their reception.

Some Western Rite parishes are also in the Oriental Orthodox churches. The Syrian patriarchate of Antioch consecrated Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvarez as Archbishop of Ceylon, Goa and India in 1889, authorizing a Roman rite diocese under him; in 1891, the Syrians consecrated the aforementioned Joseph René Vilatte as archbishop for the American Old Catholics

Liturgy

North American Western Rite parishes generally follow one (or sometimes both) of two types of traditional Western liturgical traditions. The majority celebrate the Liturgy of St. Tikhon of Moscow, which is an adaptation of the Communion service from the 1928 Anglican Book of Common Prayer and The Anglican Missal in the American Edition, as their Sunday liturgy. Until 1977, all Western Rite parishes celebrated only the Liturgy of St. Gregory the Great, which is a modified form of the ancient Mass known to Roman Catholics before the liturgical reforms of Vatican II in the 1960s. Many parishes within the Western Rite Vicariate continue to celebrate the Gregorian liturgy. However, most WRV parishes celebrate more than one weekly liturgy, and many of the Tikhonite parishes celebrate the Gregorian liturgy on weekdays. The complete Roman rite of Benediction is also authorized.

The Western Rite liturgy has much less repetition than its corresponding elements in the Byzantine rite, and generally has a more brisk, succinct manner to it. Celebrants wear distinctive Western vestments, and the faithful follow pious devotional customs particular to their tradition, as well.

The development of the current use within the Western Rite Vicariate is of particular note:

Metropolitan Antony was well aware that the Western Rite was “a work for specialists.