The Mass according to St Germanus of Paris: third apology

One charge that is often brought against the Divine Liturgy of St Germanus is one of heavy byzantinisation, that is, the insertion of elements of the Byzantine rite into what ought to be a western Liturgy.

While it is true that, for various reasons, Byzantine elements were indeed incorporated into the restored Gallican Mass during its 20th-century restoration (and I will address these in a separate post), these are for the most part very unobtrusive and do not interrupt the flow of the Mass, and also are far fewer in number and far less extensive than some would suggest.  They are certanly not there to make a Western Liturgy seem palatable to Eastern Orthodox people, as is sometimes suggested.  One estimate that I encountered was that they account for approximately 70% of the Mass, in an attempt to "win people over".  Less than 5% would be a more accurate estimate, and a generous one at that.  Not wanting to attribute this inflated figure to any intention to cause a deception, I can only imagine that the person who made this observation might have been under the false impression that Western = Roman, and therefore incorrectly identified genuine western elements as eastern simply because he did not recognise them from the Roman rite.

Here I intend to deal with those elements that might appear to the modern observer to be extraneous importations but which are, in fact, authentic ancient Western practice.

The Trisagion sung shortly after the entry of the clergy

Anybody familiar with the Byzantine Liturgy will be aware that, immediately after the entrance of the clergy with its accompanying prayer and chants, the Trisagion - the hymn to the thrice-holy God - is sung.  This is a high point of the Byzantine Liturgy, as it is the first great hymn to God after the clergy have entered the altar.  It is also when they ascend to the presbyterium and, if the bishop is serving, where he ascends to his cathedra to preside over the eucharistic assembly.  For this reason, the consecration of a bishop takes place prior to this point so that the new bishop can ascend and take his place, presiding among his fellow bishops.

In the neo-Gallican Mass, the Trisagion is also sung in an identical position.  The entrance of the clergy is performed with its accompanying prayers and chants, after which the celebrant turns and blesses the faithful.  The Trisagion is sung immediately, three times.  To my knowledge, this is unique among western rites of the Mass and is therefore quite possibly a result of eastern influence.

However, that eastern influence - if that is indeed what it is - is not a modern one but rather had already become firmly established by at least the 6th century, and possibly earlier.  The letters of St Germanus tell us that the Agios (being the incipit), is sung in Greek, and then in Latin, and then in the vernacular.  Thus, this is a natural cross-fertilisation which is common in the history and development of all liturgical rites. (Click on the "ritual overlap" label on this post for other examples.)

As no complete manuscript survives, we do not know with absolute certainty that the hymn referenced here is indeed the Trisagion as we know it, but no other non-festal and non-seasonal hymn with such an incipit is known to have been commonly used in any rite apart from the Sanctus, which is universally a feature of the anaphora and so can be discounted as a possibility here.  Thus there is only a very slim margin of uncertainty about the nature of this hymn.

The deacon's stole worn over the dalmatic

The modern observer might be familiar with the apparent east vs. west distinction, in which Roman rite and most other western deacons wear their stole under the dalmatic, while Byzantine deacons wear theirs over the stikhar.  However, this is an oversimplification.

The reality is that, while the robe-type of vestment takes various forms and goes by different names in various rites, one thing that is very nearly universal is that the deacon's stole is worn over the top of everything else, as an outer garment.  This is seen in the Byzantine, Coptic, Armenian, Ethiophian, and other rites.  This is just as true of the Western rites as any others. As far as I am aware, the one exception was the use of Rome, where the deacon's stole is worn beneath the dalmatic.  The fact that the Roman rite became the most widespread of the Western rites should not mislead us into thinking that its peculiarities are mandatory in all Western rites.  See any celebration of the Ambrosian or Mozarabic Mass for comparison,  (YouTube shouldn't fail you.)

The stole worn on the outside is an authentic Gallican custom.

The deacon's litany with the response of Kyrie eleison

Ask any newbie to Eastern Orthodoxy what the most striking element of the Byzantine Liturgy is and they'll probably tell you that it's the plethora of (often repetitive) litanies.  Do not be fooled: while it was never as prevalent as it is in Byzantium, the litany led by the deacon is also standard Western practice.

As one example, the ninefold Kyrie eleison near the beginning of the Roman Mass is the remnant of just such a litany, the petitions for which survive in Sarum and possibly other manuscripts, and are blessed to be used in the Sarum Mass in the Russian Orthodox Church.

In the Gallican Mass, the corresponding Kyrie eleison was only ever sung a single time.  However, the sources tell us that there was a litany of general intercessions sung later in the Mass, which was led by the deacon and to which the people responded to each petition with "Kyrie eleison".  While this text no longer survives, the Litany of St Martin has been substituted as following this model and being an ancient Orthodox litany with the content necessary to fulfil this purpose.

The seven-branch candelabra

The seven-branch lamp on or near the Holy Table is standard in Byzantine rite churches.  However, far from being a borrowing from the Byzantine rite, its use on many altars where the Mass of St Germanus is served is a remnant of a long-forgotten Western practice.  In fact, it is a simplification of the ceremonial of the Gallican Mass, in which anciently, the seven candles would have been carried in the Gospel procession and held near to the ambo during the reading of the Gospel, to be returned again later.  In modern usage, the candelabra is (are?) stationary.

The deacon's exhortations of the faithful to be attentive

At various points in the Mass of St Germanus, the deacon calls the faithful to attention "in silence".  While this might appear to be an importation from the Byzantine Liturgy, again this is an authentic Western custom.

Remember that a universal feature of liturgical rites is that part of the diaconal role is to give practical instructions for the ordering of the worship of God by his people.  It is the deacon who calls the faithful stand, to kneel, to be attentive, to depart in peace, to pray to the Lord, to bow their heads, to give the peace, to hear the holy Gospel, and who directs the priest to bless the holy Bread and the holy Cup.

Therefore, it is the deacon who, in the Gallican Mass, calls the faithful to silence.  In some instances this might be an auditory silence, (such as prior to the Gospel, so that everyone can hear), but this is secondary.  Its true meaning is to call us to silence of the heart, so that we might be free from worldly distractions and focus on entering fully into the liturgical mystery.  (This is particularly pertinent in the Gallican Mass, which is textually much more explicitly eschatological than most other Western forms and even some Eastern).

We are called to such silence at the start of the Mass, prior to the Trisagion, in preparation for the Gospel, prior to the confession of Faith, and finally immediately prior to the Anaphora.  This calling to silence is the equivalent of the Byzantine calling to attention but was anciently phrased in terms of silence in the Gallican Mass and remains so today.

(Incidentally, it is also why the importation into the neo-Gallican Mass of the hymn "Let all mortal flesh keep silent" is very apt in the absence of the original text for the sonus, as it is very much in keeping with the spirit of this rite.)

The next instalment will focus on a particular liturgical development that applies to all forms of the Liturgy served within Eastern Orthodoxy, but which is curiously only pointed out as a negative criticism when it is applied to the Mass of St Germanus.

The Mass according to St Germanus of Paris: second apology

One criticism commonly heard of the Liturgy according to St Germanus of Paris is that it has nothing to do with St Germanus of Paris and cannot therefore be relied upon as being authentic.

Essentially, very little in terms of manuscript survives of the ancient Gallican Mass.  There is certainly no surviving complete extant missal or anything like that.  What we know comes from manuscript fragments, from extant books of closely related rites, and from descriptions of the Gallican Mass in other ancient writings.  One such description comes in the form of two treatises on the Gallican Mass known as "The Letters of St Germanus".

In these letters, we have a very detailed description of the Orthodox Mass as it was served in 6th-century Paris, from which it is relatively easy to compile a form of Mass for use in our own day, closely resembling what our Orthodox ancestors did before us.  This is precisely what was done by St John of Saint-Denis and his contemporaries in the 20th century, and the result of which has come to be used and known in our own day as the Divine Liturgy according to St Germanus of Paris.

So what's the problem?

Well, the authorship of these treatises is in dispute.  I've come across a number of suggestions, one being that these texts did not appear until the 7th century, after the death of St Germanus.

This really isn't the foundation-shattering news that opponents of the rite seem to think it is.  There are all sorts of reasons why writings attributed to a saint might not have surfaced until long after the repose of that saint, but let's assume the worst.  If the letters were not by the hand of St Germanus or a secretary writing them on his behalf, what would be the situation with which we would be faced?

It would mean that we have an ancient text, clearly written by a person of great piety and highly knowledgeable about the details of the liturgical worship of God by his people, which tells us how the Mass was performed in a specific part of the west in Orthodox times.  It would give us a glimpse into the form of worship that formed the sainted Bishop Germanus of Paris, known for his piety, wisdom, and generosity to the poor, as well as numerous saints besides him who are celebrated as beacons of Orthodox life and examples for us to follow.

That really doesn't seem to me to be any great undermining revelation.  In fact, if, as it is entirely possible, the letters were written by a pious woman - a nun, perhaps - and the name of the great saint was used because it is the only way that a writing of such provenance would have been given any credibility in an age when women's contributions to liturgical life were perhaps not greatly valued, then it is likely that this attribution to St Germanus is the only reason that this text survives today, and that rather than try to disparage this noble effort as a deception, we should be applauding and welcoming it as a means of intimately knowing part of our Orthodox heritage.

Whether or not St Germanus wrote this text, the authenticity of the present-day Mass resulting from it cannot reliably be called into question and, either way, it can be legitimately called the Divine Liturgy according to St Germanus of Paris.

There are, of course, other objections to this rite which I intend to deal with later in this series.  I intend to post those here once I have gathered my thoughts.

The Mass according to St Germanus of Paris: first apology

A friend of mine - a fellow lover of all things liturgical - asked me some months ago to share my thoughts once I had finally experienced the Divine Liturgy of St Germanus.  That experience eventually came three days ago, on Palm Sunday, at the monastery of St Michael and St Martin near Luzé, France.

I had been curious about this Liturgy for years, fascinated by the communities that used it and by the music composed for it, some of which I managed to acquire in recorded and sheet form, in French and English.  So I was very excited at the prospect of taking part in it.  Then the Liturgy began and the curious excitement simply disappeared as my heart took over from my head and I realised that I was at the Divine Liturgy, as I had been hundreds of times previously, and that a fascinated curiosity was not how I usually faced that situation.  It just felt like an Orthodox service, which of course, it is.

I must say that prayerful contemplation did not always replace the curiosity, as I had offered my services to the singers, and so found myself sight-reading music, much of which I had not seen before, while trying to read and correctly pronounce the French words.  Doing this for a full Mass was very exhausting but rewarding.

Still, a few things stood out as markedly different from the Byzantine liturgies in a way that they did not from merely reading the text and rubrics:

Clear meaning

The Byzantine liturgies to which I have been accustomed for over a decade have been in continuous use for about 1700 years and have developed significantly in that time.  As such, they have a great many elements that are accretions, and others that are obsolete remnants of a time when things were done very differently, obscuring the true meaning of various parts of the service.  The fact that the Mass of St Germanus is a modern reconstruction of an ancient rite invites much criticism but it does mean that it is largely free of these things, and the cumulative effect of these little differences makes for a Mass that is refreshingly clear in expressing the faith that it actualises.

1. The entrance of the clergy is genuinely the point where the clergy enter the sanctuary.  The entrance prayers and ceremonies in this context make so very much more sense in this context than they do when the clergy start the service already at the altar, only to go on a little perambulation out of one door and back in through another, as an homage to an entrance procession that has not existed for centuries.  I think that the revised Byzantine liturgies of New Skete contain a worthy attempt to correct this, but they are used hardly anywhere.

2. The dismissal of the catechumens has featured in some recensions of this neo-Gallican Liturgy so I was curious to notice that it was absent on Sunday.  I have since been unable to find it in the books used here at the monastery.  Whether this is because there were no catechumens to dismiss or because there is no longer any expectation for catechumens to leave, I do not know.  I do know that, either way, it avoids the oddity of giving instructions ("Catechumens, bow your heads", "Depart, catechumens") to people who at best are not present and at worst do not even exist.  I know that some Byzantine Rite parishes omit these elements when there are no catechumens present but this is generally not the case in my experience in the Russian Church.

3. The deacon performs his proper role of the Preparation of the Gifts and the transfer of them to the sanctuary.  Why and when the priest started to do this in Byzantine custom is something that I have never been able to find out.

4. The kiss of peace is something that really does happen among the faithful and is not reserved to the clergy alone.  The celebrant kisses the Altar, and then the deacons, who bring the kiss of peace to the faithful while they sing the responsory "Peace I leave with you".  Seeing it done, and seeming so natural and reverent, was very beautiful indeed.  It shows that the exchange of the peace needn't be the excuse for a good old chat that it often became in the Anglican and Catholic churches of my childhood and teenage years.

Many Orthodox Christians of Byzantine tradition do not even realise that their Divine Liturgy contains such a thing as the kiss of peace, and will tell you that this is an exclusively Catholic/Protestant thing to do.  In fact, I don't think that it was ever formally removed from the Liturgy as much as the practice simply fell into disuse.   At this time of year in particular, the ancient practice of omitting the kiss of peace on Maundy Thursday (given the very different significance that the gesture of kissing has on that day) becomes a very poignant marker of the Passion of the Lord in a way that it cannot if the Peace is never given at all.

The audible Anaphora

For good or for ill, the anaphora is chanted aloud, and the epiklesis is spoken audibly.  I know that the historical and spiritual merits of one practice over another have been the subject of Orthodox debate for years, and I do not intend to reproduce any of that here.  However, it is worth noting that, unlike the fixed Byzantine anaphoras the neo-Gallican (as indeed the ancient Gallican) anaphora is mostly variable according to the feast or season, and so has great catechetical benefit that would be lost if prayed quietly.  I mainly want to say that I was deafened by the silent reverence at the epiklesis in particular.  The sense of "God is here" really was astounding.

Communion

At Communion, the Body of the Saviour was placed in the communicants' hands, and the people drank directly from the chalice, as in ancient times.  When I was a catechumen, back in 2005, I was told to read the lectures of St Cyril of Jerusalem On the Christian Sacraments, where he describes just such a practice.  Those hands and lips have been sanctified with the waters of Baptism and sealed with the Holy Chrism: with proper catechesis I see no reason why Communion should not be given in this way.

"Homely" Orthodoxy

Perhaps the most important thing that struck me about this rite was that it just felt "lived in".  Much of the discussion of the rite that takes place online is by people - critics or enthusiasts - who have no direct intimate experience of it.  I don't mean an occasional visit to a parish that uses the rite but actual sustained Orthodox prayer and sacramental life with the Divine Office and Mass of St Germanus at the heart of it.

Yet here is a monastic community that has known nothing but that for decades.  Those Russian nuns who can tell you without consulting any books what is to be sung to which tone on any given day, and who will know when you are singing a text that should be omitted in that particular week - those nuns have counterparts in the Western Rite, and I got to see that on Sunday.

So I think that, what stood out to me most of all is that, for this community, the Divine Office and the Mass of St Germanus are not a matter of academic scrutiny or curiosity, they are not a subject for debate about the appropriateness or otherwise of their use; rather they are the channel through which they worship God, and how they form their Orthodox prayer life.  It's a bit like apostolic succession: we know we have it so we don't spend too much time worrying about how we came by it.  It just is.

I know that we Orthodox love the ancientness of our services, and the rich heritage that comes with them, but the simple truth is that, for most of us, regardless of the rite we use, once we have become steeped in that cycle of prayers, hymns, and bodily acts of reverence, in one sense it doesn't matter so much whether they have been in continuous use for over 1000 years, reconstructed from ancient manuscripts and blessed for use a half century ago, or composed by the bishop last year.  As long as the services are true expressions of our Faith and they "pray" in an Orthodox way we seem able - and very happy - to make them our own and incorporate them as part of our spiritual life.

Perhaps that is the Orthodox way.

Ash Wednesday

'When you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.'

- Matthew 6:16-21

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday: and the first day of Lent. Many Christians, Orthodox and non-Orthdox alike, will be familiar with the ceremony of the imposition of ashes which has become customary on that day. This comes to us directly from the custom of the dismissal, in former times, of those who were excommunicate for one reason or another, and were serving a time of penitence before being received back into the full communion of the Church. Eventually, it became customary to impose the ashes on the heads of all who presented themselves.

Indirectly, this custom comes to us from Scripture, where numerous times in the Old Testament, we see reference to dust and ashes thrown upon the head as a sign of mourning, penitence, and a reminder of human mortality. (Job 2:12; Joshua 7:6; Lamentations 2:10; Ezekiel 27:30, among others).

Yet the Saviour warns us in quite clear terms not to disfigure our faces in order for our piety to be seen by others. This certainly ought to make us at least think about the widespread custom of being seen with a dark smudge or Cross on our faces, and how wee see this in light of this Gospel, particular in places where the ash is mixed with oil for the specific purposes of giving it a darker, more noticeable hue, and causing it to stay in place for longer.

Yet surely it cannot be that this has never occurred to anybody before.  Surely others have heard the excerpts from St Matthew's Gospel and wondered how to interpret them in light of the liturgical practice that they have always known of priests deliberately placing a visible and sometimes lasting mark on the faces of the people.

It is curious that all of those Old Testament references make mention of the dust and ash being specifically thrown upon the head. There is no mention of making a mark on the face.

Similarly, the rubrics of the service books make no mention of making a visible facial mark in ash but state simply that the ash shall be placed on the head.   The relevant rubric in the Sarum Missal simply says:

Afterwards the ashes shall be distributed on the heads of the clergy and laity by the higher dignitaries, making the sign of the Cross with the ashes...

The precise manner of how the ashes are to be distributed is not specified and it seems perfectly possible to me that this is the case because it was simply assumed that clergy would know how to do it.

Here is a missal woodcut that depicts the same thing, (sadly I do not know its provenance):



It was only a few years ago that I learnt that it is mainly in our anglophone world that the Cross on the face is as widespread as it is, and that in the Latin church, in many European countries, the custom is for the dry ashes to be sprinkled over the inclined head of the penitent in the form of a Cross, which is then barely, if at all, noticeable to anybody.  Could it be that this is the more ancient custom, and what is intended by the rubrics?

Below we see the sprinkling form of the imposition of ashes employed in the cases of two recent popes.














What is important is the action of the imposition of the ashes and its significance to the penitent: a sorrow for sins and the attitude and mindset that pledges repentance and amendment of life; a conversion of heart.  There is no need for a lasting mark on the face intended to be seen by the world.  Let our lasting mark be the visible fruit that we bear and that others see in our lives.

'Do you fast? Give me proof of it by your works. If you see a poor man, take pity on him. If you see a friend being honoured, do not envy him. Do not let only your mouth fast, but also the eye, and the ear, and the feet, and the hands, and all the members of our bodies. Let the hands fast, by being free of avarice. Let the feet fast, by ceasing to run after sin. Let the eyes fast, by disciplining them not to glare at that which is sinful... Let the ear fast... by not listening to evil talk and gossip... Let the mouth fast from the foul words and unjust criticism. For what good is it if we abstain from birds and fishes, but bite and devour our brothers?'

-St John Chrysostom, "The Proof of Fasting"

On the one occasion that I experienced Ash Wednesday liturgically in an Orthodox context (in ROCOR), the ashes were imposed using the visible-Cross-on-forehead method.  However, I must say that  am inclined to prefer what seems to be the more ancient custom, and I would ask our clergy to consider whether it might be worth adopting this practice. 

At a time when we can encounter such things as street corner and drive-thru ashings, and when it is difficult to look at our Facebook feeds at the start of Lent without seeing increasing numbers of Ash-Wednesday "smudge" selfies, perhaps the focus in how this day is presented to the people of God ought to be less on the physical mark and more prevalently on internalising within our hearts the meaning of the Lenten fast, allowing our passions to be subdued, and our hearts imbued with the grace of God, so that they may spring forth in genuine love for ourselves and our neighbours, for the sake of our salvation.

Is it a fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

-Isaiah 58:5-9

On Liturgical Archaeology

There are many objections to the Orthodox Western Rite. Many are founded on ignorance and can simply be either disregarded or educated away according to mood or circumstance, (such as the lady who flat out refused to believe that anything but the Byzantine Rite was ever used in the Church and tried to convince me that the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom was commonly used in England prior to the Schism). Others do actually have some basis in reality and in genuine concern for the proper passing on and living of the Orthodox Faith and for the spiritual well-being of Orthodox people. These deserve more attention and ought to be taken on board to one degree or another. There are yet others which cannot be so easily categorised because their proponents see them as so self-evident that, in expressing them, they do not often go beyond a brief statement, expecting that this will be readily understood and agreed upon by all right-thinking people, (i.e. people like them). The truth is that this simply serves to further polarise already opposing viewpoints. Then listening stops as, due to human weakness, both sides become defensive and dig their heels in.

One example of this is the position that holds that the restoration of pre-schism western services for use in the Church is "liturgical archaeology". This sort of disparaging terminology may serve as a self-congratulatory mantra among those who already agree with each other but to those who remain to be convinced, it simply shows a lack of respect and a dismissive attitude. Reliance on such belittling expressions instead of actual reasoned and coherent thoughts also suggests a severe lack of confidence in a very weak argument. This may be an inaccurate assessment but it is precisely the picture painted by the way in which this is often presented.

So, let us examine the reasons why people perform this "liturgical archaeology".

Read more...

Western Rite Developments

Well, it all seems to be happening!

After decades of existing as a handful of scattered monastic communities and hermitages, it seems as though the Western Rite within the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad is well on its way to being much more firmly established.

First, we got the informal decision of the Synod of Bishops that all Western Rite communities in ROCOR would be given stavropegial status - itself a great blessing, for it freed bishops from having to look after communities whose rite and culture they did not understand and communities with unsympathetic bishops striving to survive against all odds, generally making things easier for everybody concerned and removing some of the barriers that the previous unhelpful situation placed before those who might otherwise explore Orthodoxy as a spiritual home. After all, who wants to join an isolated mission whose ecclesiastical status is volatile and whose stability is precarious at best?

Then a number of parishes and missions started to apear: some of them newly founded, some of them developed from study societies, and some of them received from independent jurisdictions. The most signficant of these were perhaps the reception of the former HOCACA at the end of last year, and the encouraging news of the discussions with the Orthodox Church of France. This is all very encouraging, although it does raise some questions about the haste of things and the stability and formation both in the Faith and the priestly life of those being received.

Now, within the past fortnight, we have received news that the Council of Bishops has established a Western Rite Vicariate, giving much greater structure and stability to the Western Rite effort, and quite possibly addressing the matter raised in the previous paragraph, as now people are actually being received into something that is integrated and should now begin to operate as a unit. The recent meetings and proposed conferences, I am sure, will add to the stability, structure, and growth into a functional family.

Now, to top it all off, if anything makes a bold statement that the Western Rites of the Orthodox Church are as full and legitimate an expression of the Holy Orthodox Faith as any other, it is not that their forms of services are blessed for use, or that they come directly under the jurisdiction of the First-Hierarch himself, or even that those who belong to those rites are increasing in number, but rather the remarkable fact that ordinations are now being done at a western Pontifical High Mass, by an Orthodox bishop in western vestments, and using the Roman ordinal. I am almost sure that this combination is a first in modern Orthodox history and it speaks volumes, opening the way for people to trust the Church in its western expression with the salvation of their souls. May we soon begin to see Orthodox Saints whose lives have been formed in the Western Rite - the true test of its Orthodoxy.

I am truly delighted by this as an Orthodox Christian with western roots, who loves the western hymns, liturgies, and Saints, and I hope that this will also prove to have great missionary potential across the world but particularly in these isles where many of those Saints once sang those hymns and prayed those liturgies.

I thoroughly look forward to further developments and the video footage that we have been promised of this weekend's ordination. Please pray for Dom Joseph of Christ the Saviour Monastery as he is to be ordained to the diaconate.

I leave you with a photo-video collage from 2007, which brings back memories.

Fans

My parish purchased a pair of fans over the summer, which we only started to use regularly a month or so ago, (when we finally got enough altar servers to be able to do so). I had seen them used before in other places and had myself borne fans while serving at the cathedral. However, they were new to most of our people and, while I was able to explain their use and purpose, it occurred to me that I knew very little of their history and development. So I decided to do a little bit of googling and reading. This, of course, meant that a post about liturgical fans was destined to appear here sooner or later, and I must confess to having really enjoyed doing the background work for this. It has been educational and rather good fun.

First of all, the nomenclature is interesting. There is no doubt about the purpose of these implements: they were most definitely functional fans at one point, and the names by which they are called today simply reflect this. In the west, the liturgical fan goes by the name flabellum, which is simply the Latin word for fan. In the Russian church, it is called the ripidi, from the Greek word ripidion, again meaning fan. However, in the Greek church, the fans are generally no longer known as ripidia but rather hexapteryga, meaning six-winged, reflective of the ancient six-winged seraphim that are often depicted on them. Curiously, it seems that this name is applied even to examples that do not bear the image of the seraphim, (which many do not). Better, I think, to stick with fan. I rather like ours. They are a wooden pair, and form a complete set with our processional Cross and icon, which we keep at the High Place when not in use:

It seems that the use of such implements dates from the time of the ancient Egyptians,

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The Worship of God: a Commercial Enterprise?

There are those who may be offended by what follows. I fear that this is simply a hazard of saying what I believe to be right and true. Therefore, if you see your own custom criticised here and feel your back arch a little, I would ask you to take a step back from the initial reaction and ask yourself why you feel that way, and whether there might be something about your practice that could be reassessed.

Some of you have known me for a long time, whether as a personal friend of from my participation in a particular online Christian discussion forum, which has a real-life social element through which some of you have met me. Many of you will know that, in my Anglican days, I was a great fan of what is commonly called the English Use. This was the particular liturgical style that sought to restore Catholic elements to the worship of the Church of England, not by simply copying what modern or "traditional" Rome was doing but rather by restoring customs, music, and practices that had been part of the Catholic (and previously, Orthodox) tradition in Britain prior to the reformation, largely in the Use of Sarum and others similar to it. Among the benefits of these customs, were that, being part of the liturgical heritage of these isles, they were often found to be more palatable to the average Anglican than some of the more exotic continental customs which had come to be associated with Anglo-Papalism and other ecclesiologies that many found difficult, and had often continued in one form or another even during the most protestant phases of the Church of England. Also, they were free from associations with some of the sentimental devotional excesses of post-Counter-Reformation Roman Catholicism. Many of these early customs, of course, are once again to be found in the Orthodox Church in our Western Rite missions.

One of the most prominent proponents of the English Use was the Rev'd Dr Percy Dearmer, a rather eccentric Anglican clergyman in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, perhaps best known for his contribution to the production of The English Hymnal, (and authorship of some of its contents), and, even more so, The Parson's Handbook, which is just what the title suggests: a practical guide to the decent and orderly worship of God for ministers and those involved in the running of parishes. In it, he is highly opinionated and wonderfully forthright in the most amusing of ways, and demonstrates before his readers his own unique and refreshing brand of tact. Even those who disagree with his points, (and it is difficult to see how any right-thinking person could), must admit that his written style makes him an incredibly attractive author. I often wish he were alive today because I would love to read his blog, which I imagine would have a myriad of followers and receive regular comments, (unlike my own humble offering cough, hint, cough). In fact, my friends and I used to jest that, occasionally, it might be edifying to the people were we to occasionally forgo the Sunday Epistle and simply read an excerpt from The Parson's Handbook.

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New Western Rite Communities

His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of New York is in the process of receiving ten new parishes and eighteen new clergy into the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, blessed to belong to the Western Rite.

They have existed for some years under the name of the Holy Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church of America (HOCACA), an independent group yet studying and seeking to live the Orthodox Faith under the headship of Mr Anthony Bondi, who has served as the group's archbishop. He and his assistant bishop will be received, ordained, and elevated to the rank of archimandrite. The ordinations of all of the clergy are hoped to be completed over the next few weeks, by the invocation of the Holy Spirit and at the hands of Metropolitan Hilarion of New York and Bishop Jerome of Manhattan. As is generally the case with these unions, the joy of union is the focus rather than the separation of the past and it seems that, as it right and proper, there will be no pressure for these new clergy and faithful to relinquish their previous understanding of their situation.

This group has been no stranger to the world of mainstream Orthodoxy and has had close relations for some time with a number of people in the Church Abroad and other Orthodox jurisdictions. I, for one, am glad to see these come to fruition as full sacramental unity and communion in the Holy Orthodox Faith. I welcome them, and hope that their witness may encourage more people teetering on the edge of Orthodoxy to find a home in the bosom of the Church through any of the rites blessed for use.

Here is the statement from the future Archimandrite Anthony, posted to the Occidentalis forum on the 10th of November, 2010:

Dear Brothers in Christ,

It is with great pleasure that I announce to you that the Archdiocese of New York of The Holy Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church of America, the Former Exarchate of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria has petitioned The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia to be received into its fold.

It was our intention to do this quietly, without fanfare, until all the clergy were received and ordained. The post made here unfortunately preempted that.

This is the culmination of a long journey, many prayers, and great patience. It will also require the humility of our bishops, priests and deacons to bow their heads for ordination in the Russian Church which we do with great joy for the sake of the unity of the Church. We have accepted the use of the Julian Calendar as we were already on it for the Paschalion and most of us have been greatly disturbed by the commercialization of Christmas. We will also be able to keep our Liturgy which is based on the Dom Augustine Liturgy. We will also be able to continue our practice of gathering each year in the Fall for a Conference/Retreat and now open it up to other Western Rite Clergy. The 2011 Conference will be held at St Mary's Villa, Sloatsburg NY, Tuesday October 25th to Friday October 28th.

So that we are clear, the parishes being received were non-canonical Orthodox, not Anglican. Most of us come from the Roman Church though some of us have spent time in the Anglican Church, Episcopal, Continuing, or Charismatic Episcopal. We all became Western Rite Orthodox.

Archbishop Anthony and Bishop Michael will resign the episcopacy and be ordained and elevated to be Archimandrites and His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion has asked former Archbishop Anthony to be Vicar/Dean of his group of Western Rite parishes. The historic significance of this is that the Orthodox Western Rite will have almost ten new parishes and, when all are received about 18 more clergy. We will have an informal group called The Fraternity of St Gregory.

Those clergy who have already been received into the Russian Church have experienced the warm welcome and generous kindness of Metropolitan Hilarion and Vladyka Jerome who have been paragons of patience in doing all of the required ordinations for us. The Russian clergy surrounding them have been most welcoming to their new Orthodox brothers who will be using the Western Rite.

Some have commented on the humility that it has taken for me and Bishop Michael to give up the episcopacy. Anyone who knows our history also knows that we did what we had to do to keep our group together and to offer a place for those who wanted to be Orthodox Western Rite as we awaited the time God would appoint for our entrance into the Russian Church. Conversations were being held with Moscow through Fr Daniil Sosoyev (RIP) who through his martyric death has accomplish what he could not finish in this life.

We wish to thank Father James of Christminster who urged us for years constantly to hope and pray, Fr Ambrose (NZ) who continued to fast and pray for us all and who encouraged us, Fr Michael for his encouragement, Fr David (FL) and Fr Ambrose (GOA) for their prayers. We wish also to acknowledge the ongoing novena to St John of Shanghai and San Francisco for the past 9 years and the maternal graces secured for us by the Holy Mother of God.

Finally, we remember the words of the old Western prayer: "O Lord Jesus Christ, who for the accomplishment of Thy greatest works, has chosen the weak vessel of the world that no flesh may glory in Thy sight...." may we who have been called to the work of bringing the West to Orthodoxy have the strength and grace to perform it by your prayers.

Archbishop Anthony
New York

Just what is Liturgy?

'I've never really seen the point to historical liturgy.'

These words were spoken by a very good friend of mine a few days ago and they have repeated on my mind on and off since then as I have tried to understand and to be able to articulate why the phrasing didn't sit well with me. I hasten to point out that they were spoken in friendly tones as part of a discussion we were having about the different preferences for worship styles that we and another friend of ours have. It was simply an expression of his own feeling on the matter and not any sort of criticism of mine - I say that because this isn't very clear with the words quoted out of context.

My friend is Roman Catholic and describes his spirituality as charismatic. He has an appreciation for tradition but finds his home in freer, meditative styles of worship with modern music, and without what he might perceive as too much rigidity as far as rubrics and such like go. I think that is a fair assessment, although I ask his forgiveness and hope that he will correct me if it is not.

As readers and anybody who knows me will be aware, I am very much of the view that it is right and proper that our worship be in continuity with and a development of that of those before us, as an expression of the same faith held by those before us. The elements that we have inherited only have any meaning and purpose within the entire organic unit of which they are part, which is the liturgical whole that has come down to us. It occurs to me that this is why I was not happy with the reference to "historical" liturgy. To my understanding, this is not "historical liturgy", as though it were some sort of archaeological exercise, dredging up something that is outdated and from the past. They are living rites with a rich heritage and in use today.

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Missions Now!

The missions belonging to the Western Rite within the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad have launched a society to raise funds for their growth and work. I am sure that any assistance that you are able to give would be gratefully received and will go towards the spreading of the holy and saving Faith, for the salvation of God's people.

The website for information and donations is here and the Facebook page is here.

Under Metropolitan Hilarion, the Western Rite has received a degree of support and encouragement unknown in the Church Abroad since the time of St John of Shanghai and San Francisco. It is truly uplifting to see his missionary vision once again restored to the Russian Orthodox Church, which was at the forefront of Western Rite missionary plans before, and even for some time after the revolution and difficult times that this brought.

May God bless their endeavours and bring all who seek Him into his holy Church.

Forward in Orthodox Faith

An American-based friend recently sent me a message, asking about efforts on the part of Orthodox churches in Britain to reach out to Forward in Faith. I very rudely failed to reply in a timely fashion so have decided to make a blog post out of it in the hope that this will go some way towards appeasing the wrath of my acquaintance. I just hope that I don't offend too many people by responding publicly.

The answer is that I know of very little that has been organised on any sort of large scale. There is the quiet evangelism among individuals, for which Orthodoxy is known, but there's nothing such as the OCA's outreach to ACNA. While Metropolitan Jonah's address to their conference was outstanding and inspiring, and no doubt ideal for that context, it was tailored for a situation that is so far removed from the reality of church life in Britain as to be largely an irrelevance to us.

The impression I have got over the years, both as an Anglo-Catholic and now as Orthodox who hears the views of Anglo-Catholics about Orthodoxy, is that English (the factors facing those in Scotland and elsewhere may be different) and North American Anglo-Catholics simply do not understand each other.

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Abbot Augustine Reposes

I have just returned home from the Liturgy and switched the computer on to find an e-mail from Dom James of Christminster, sharing the news that Abbot Augustine of the Benedictine Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Royal has reposed in the Lord. Dom Augustine led the monastery into the bosom of the Church in the early 1960s and they were received into the Russian Church Abroad in 1975. He was a great father to the Western Rite monastics in the Church Abroad and no doubt a source of inspiration elsewhere, and it was to him that St John of San Francisco uttered the now famous words:

Never, never, never let anyone tell you that, in order to be Orthodox, you must also be eastern. The West was Orthodox for a thousand years and her venerable Liturgy is far older than any of her heresies.

In a blessed falling asleep, grant rest, O Lord, to the soul of thy servant the Abbot Augustine, and make his memory to be eternal.

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost 2010

We at Christminster received news this morning of the repose last night of Dom Augustine Whitfield, Abbot of Mount Royal. It was he who not merely brought the western-rite monastic community of Mount Royal into the Russian Church, but also - over many years, and in the face of many difficulties, and often alone - sustained and maintained that mission and vision, handing it on eventually to Christminster and to Holyrood Hermitage in Florida, under its Abbot Dom David Pierce. Abbot David has been a most faithful and dear son to Dom Augustine for many years and cared for him at the end with the Church's holy Mysteries and prayers. He and we at Christminster are the happy inheritors of Dom Augustine's long and lonely struggle.

Thus it is with mixed feelings of sadness and joy that we greet his repose: sad because we have lost a long-time friend and mentor, and joy that he can now receive the thanks he so much deserved for his often thankless task. May God greet his homecoming son as we pray he might greet each of us: Well done, thou good and faithful servant! Because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things. Enter into the joy of thy Lord."

According to his wishes he will be buried privately in a local Orthodox cemetery. There will be a solemn memorial Requiem scheduled for him in early August - possibly at Christminster - to enable all those who would honour his life and work to gather and pray for his eternal repose and heavenly reward.

May his sins lie lightly upon him and may he come to see, face to face, that one Face we all long to see and to adore and praise for all eternity. May this unsung hero of western-rite Orthodoxy and monasticism truly enter into the joy of his Lord. A Mass of Requiem will be offered for him tomorrow at Christminster. Further details will follow.

Dom James M. Deschene
Abbot of Christminster
Hamilton, Ontario

The Same, Only Different

I have today begun to read a book by Professor Robert Taft, generally recognised as one of the people who knows more about the Byzantine Rite than almost anybody else. (Skufiya tip to Joseph for introducing me to him). The book is The Great Entrance: A History of the Transfer of Gifts and other Pre-Anaphral Rites. I have so far made my way through very little of the book but have been truly fascinated by what I have found. What strikes me most is just how ancient much of what happens from Sunday to Sunday at my little parish actually is, and where it has its roots, but yet more interesting is just how much of what we do in Orthodox churches today has retained the meaning that is either original to it or was attached to it very early on, and has not simply become an empty action divorced from its purpose.

The most humbling revelation for me, though, was the realisation that, contrary to what I have simply assumed for the past few years - and told other people! - the Great Entrance is not the Byzantine equivalent to the Offertory procession in the western rites.

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Bishop Daniel of Erie Reposes - UPDATED

His Grace Bishop Daniel of Erie reposed in the Lord yesterday, the 13th (26th) of April, 2010, being the feast of the Holy Hieromartyr Artemon of Syria.

Bishop Daniel had been in poor health for some time and our prayers had been particularly asked for him in recent days. A short biography and photo gallery may be found on the website of the Eastern American Diocese. According to the ROCOR Synod website, the funeral is to take place on mid-Pentecost, which is Wednesday of this week. Although details have not yet been finalised, I would be very surprised if the funeral were held anywhere other than the Church of the Nativity, which to all intents and purposes served as Bishop Daniel's cathedral.

Bishop Daniel was ROCOR's extra-territorial bishop for those who belong to the Old Rite, which has been discussed in some small detail on this blog in the past. This was part of the efforts on the part of the Church Abroad to reach out to those who had been so badly treated in the past in order to bring them back into the Church's fold. However, wounds run deep and many of these communities have developed in interesting ways during these centuries of separation, making reconciliation difficult in many cases. As such, only one parish has so far returned within the Church Abroad, (although I gather that others have returned in the Russian Patriarchal Church). ROCOR reaffirmed its support of the Old Rite in the consecration of Bishop John of Caracas in 2008, which was performed according to the Old Rite. However, whether a new bishop will be consecrated to care for our brothers and sisters of the Old Rite remains to be seen.

Bishop Daniel was also sympathetic to the Western Rite, seeing it as simply another equivalent to the Old Rite.

Whatever happens, I am sure that the people of the Church of the Nativity have lost a loving pastor, and I pray that they find some consolation.

In a blessed falling asleep, grant rest, O Lord, to the soul of thy servant the Bishop Daniel, and make his memory to be eternal.

Update: 30/04/2010
Photographs of Bishop Daniel's funeral.
And a video:

The Glorification of St John

Here is another treat from my bookmarks. It is a video with excerpts from the glorification of St John of Shanghai and San Francisco at the Joy of All Who Sorrow Cathedral, on the 19th of June (2nd July), 1994, presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Vitaly. Oh, to have been there!

Ashes

'When you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.'

- Matthew 6:16-21

For my Orthodox brothers and sisters who belong to the Western Rite, today is Ash Wednesday, and the first day of Lent. Many Christians, Orthodox and non-Orthdox alike, will be familiar with the ceremony of the imposition of ashes which has become customary on this day. This comes to us directly from the custom of the dismissal, in former times, of those who were excommunicate for one reason or another, and were serving a time of penitence before being received back into the full communion of the Church. Eventually, it became customary to impose the ashes on the heads of all who presented themselves.

Indirectly, this custom comes to us from Scripture, where numerous times in the Old Testament, we see reference to dust and ashes thrown upon the head as a sign of mourning, penitence, and a reminder of human mortality. (Job 2:12; Joshua 7:6; Lamentations 2:10; Ezekiel 27:30, among others).

Yet the Saviour warns us in quite clear terms not to disfigure our faces in order for our piety to be seen by men. This certainly seems to make the widespread practice of people walking around with a dark smudge or Cross on their faces something that is not compatible with the teachings of Christ. Less so seems to be the custom of mixing the ash with oil for the purpose of giving it a darker, more noticeable hue, and causing it to stay in place for longer. Can it be that centuries of Christian tradition have been in direct conflict with the words of the Saviour? Or is there something else going on?

All of those Old Testament references make mention of the dust and ash being specifically thrown upon the head. Could it be that this is the practice that was adopted by the Church but which later became corrupted?

I recently learnt that it is mainly in our anglophone world that the Cross on the face is as widespread as it is, and that in the Latin church, in many European countries, the custom is for the ashes to be sprinkled over the inclined head of the penitent in the form of a Cross, which is then barely, if at all, noticeable to anybody. It is the action and its significance to the penitent that is the focus, and not any lasting mark intended to be seen by the world. After all, a smudge of ash on the forehead is not the natural outworking of the practice of a lively faith but rather the evidence is in the lasting effect on our hearts and lives.

'Do you fast? Give me proof of it by your works. If you see a poor man, take pity on him. If you see a friend being honoured, do not envy him. Do not let only your mouth fast, but also the eye, and the ear, and the feet, and the hands, and all the members of our bodies. Let the hands fast, by being free of avarice. Let the feet fast, by ceasing to run after sin. Let the eyes fast, by disciplining them not to glare at that which is sinful... Let the ear fast... by not listening to evil talk and gossip... Let the mouth fast from the foul words and unjust criticism. For what good is it if we abstain from birds and fishes, but bite and devour our brothers?'

-St John Chrysostom, "The Proof of Fasting"

Below we see the sprinkling form of the imposition of ashes employed in the cases of the current and last popes.













Could it be that this is in fact the earlier practice and that, somewhere along the line, it became customary in some places to place a smear on the face? The relevant rubric in the Sarum Missal simply says:

Afterwards the ashes shall be distributed on the heads of the clergy and laity by the higher dignitaries, making the sign of the Cross with the ashes...

The precise manner of how the ashes are to be distributed is not specified and it seems perfectly possible to me that this is the case because it was simply assumed that clergy would know how to do it. The rubrics in the local Roman use are equally vague. They certainly make no mention of forming a visible and lasting Cross in ash on the face. Here is a missal woodcut that depicts the same thing, (sadly I do not know its provenance):

On the one occasion that I observed the beginning of Orthodox Lent in the Western Rite, the ashes were imposed using the Cross-on-forehead method but that may not be representative of general Western Rite Orthodox practice. Is anybody able to offer any comment from experience of this elsewhere? Has anybody seen the sprinkling method employed? Most importantly, is it worth considering using this method in light of the words of the Saviour? Perhaps then we shall focus less on the foreheads of those around us and more readily internalise within our hearts the meaning of the Lenten fast, allowing our passions to be subdued, and the resultant imbuing of our hearts with the grace of God to spring forth in genuine love for ourselves and our neighbours, for the sake of our salvation.

Is it a fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

-Isaiah 58:5-9

From East to West: part five

In my recent post about Resurrection hymns, Joe observantly commented on the tone 2 Resurrection tropar, noting the similarities of its structure and sentiment to an antiphon from the Divine Office in the Roman Rite for the feast of the Circumcision of the Lord. It appears in the Benedictine Office as the second antiphon on the psalms at Vespers and Lauds of the feast. Here it is:

When Thou wast born ineffably of a Virgin, then were the Scriptures fulfilled: Thou camest down like rain into a fleece of wool, to bring salvation unto all mankind: we praise Thee, O our God.

Because of its structure, especially the way that it climaxes with an ejaculation of praise at the end, I speculated that it may also be found in some form in the Byzantine Rite, so went and looked, and found this:

O Christ, Thou camest down into a virgin womb like rain upon a fleece, and as drops falling on the earth. Ethiopians and Tharsians and the isles of the Arabs, rulers of Saba and Medes, of all the earth fell down before Thee, O Saviour. Glory to thy power, O Lord!

This is the third tropar from ode 4 of the Canon from Matins of Christmas, and seems to have the same origins as the Western antiphon above:

He shall come down like rain upon a fleece, and like rain-drops that fall upon the earth. In his days shall righteousness dawn forth an abundance of peace, until the moon be taken away. And He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the rivers even unto the ends of the inhabited earth. Before Him shall the Ethiopians fall down, and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tharsis and the islands shall bring gifts, kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall bring presents. And all the kings of the earth shall worship Him, all the nations shall serve Him.

- Psalm 71:6-11

Both make reference to the virgin birth, and liken Christ's coming to rain upon a fleece. The Byzantine tropar explicitly mentions the peoples who came to worship Christ while the Western one summarises it by referring to the Scriptures having been fulfilled but they both clearly refer to the same psalm.

In Christ in the Psalms, Fr Patrick Reardon tells us of the historic use of the psalm to speak of the line of earthly rulers of the chosen people; God's anointed kings. He then turns us to the Saviour:

As Christians, of course, we believe that the inner substance of all these prefigurings finds its fulfilment in Jesus the Lord, the goal of biblical history and the defining object of all biblical prophecy ... The liturgical use of this psalm during the festal days of Christmastide suggests still further dimensions of its fulfilment, particularly the anticipated universality of the Messiah's Kingdom ... such lines must put one in mind of those wise kings who came to bow down beforfe the Christ Child...

And later:

No matter how successful his reign, no other king in history fulfilled the hopes outlines in Psalm 71. The Kingdom here described is truly not a kingdom of this world.

Thank you, Joe, for your observation, which led to this.

From East to West: part four

Last year, I posted three examples of overlap between the rites of east and west. You may read them here, here, and here.

Well, I have found yet another. Due to this illuminating post by Joseph, I was moved to compare the candle-blessing ceremonies of east and west for the feast of the Encounter of the Lord on the 2nd of February, and was pleasantly surprised by what I discovered.

Both eastern and western rites have five prayers of blessing of the candles. Here is the second prayer from the Roman Rite:

O Lord, holy Father, almighty everlasting God, Who hast created all things out of nothing, and Who through the labour of bees at thy command hast caused this fluid to come to the perfection of wax, and Who, on this day, didst fulfil the request of the Just Symeon, we humbly beseech Thee, that Thou wouldest vouchsafe to bless and sanctify these candles prepared for the service of man, and for the health of their bodies and souls, whether by land or sea, through the invocation of thy holy Name, and through the intercession of St Mary, Ever-Virgin, whose festival is this day devoutly celebrated, and through the prayers of all thy Saints; and that from thy holy heaven, and from the seat of thy majesty, Thou wouldest hear the voice of this thy people, who desire in thy honour to bear them in their hands, and to praise and exalt Thee; and that Thou wouldest be propitious unto all who call upon Thee, whom Thou has redeemed with the precious blood of thy Son. Who with Thee and the Holy Spirit liveth in glory, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

It is a rather beautful prayer, I think. Now compare it to the first prayer of blessing from the Byzantine Rite:

O Holy Master, Father Almighty, O Pre-eternal God, Who, at thy command, madest all things out of nothingness, and Who, only by thinking it broughtest this creation to the perfect Light, and Who hast fulfilled the petition of the Righteous Symeon on this present day: we humbly pray that Thou be pleased to bless and sanctify these candles, which have been prepared beforehand at the request of the people, for the health of soul and body, whether they be on land or on the waters, at the invocaton of thy most holy Name, and by the prayers of the Blessed and Ever-Virgin Mary, whose feast we now reverently celebrate, and by the prayers of all thy Saints. And from thy holy heaven, hearken unto the voices of these, thy people, who reverently desire to carry them, and, singing hymns, to glorify Thee; and from the throne of thy majesty, be merciful unto all crying out unto Thee, whom Thou hast purchased with the precious blood of thy Son, with Whom Thou art blessed, together with thy Most-holy, Good, and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

This is quite obviously the same prayer. I find this to be quite interesting in and of itself, but there's more. Here, for example, is the third prayer of blessing from the Roman Rite:

Almighty everlasting God, Who as on this day wast pleased that thine Only-Begotten One should be presented in thy holy temple, and received in the arms of St Symeon, we humbly beseech thy mercy that Thou wouldest vouchsafe to bless, and sanctify, and kindle with the light of thy heavenly benediction these candles, which we thy servants desire to take up and carry in honour of thy Name, to the end that, by offering them to Thee our Lord God, and being inflamed by the holy fire of thy most sweet brightness, we may be found worthy to be presented in the holy temple of thy glory. Through the same thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

Compare this to the second prayer of blessing of the Byzatine Rite:

O Almighty, Pre-eternal God, Who on this day didst lay thine Only-Begotten Son in the arms of the Holy Symeon in thy holy temple, we call upon thy deep compassion: do Thou bless and sanctify these candles which we, thy servants, receive and desire to carry for the majesty of thy Name, and be pleased to light them with the light of thy heavenly blessing, that we who are offering them unto Thee, our Lord God, meetly enflamed with thy sweetest love, through a holy fire, may be counted worthy also to stand in the Temple of thy glory. For Thou art our God, and unto Thee do we send up glory: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Sprit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

This raises some interesing questions. How did these same prayers end up in both rites? On the one hand, it should seem fairly unremarkable. After all, eastern and western rites have many traits in common due to their common origins. Many of the readings at the western paschal vigil and the old eastern paschal vigil are the same, as a prime example.

However, something does not seem to quite fit. The two prayers above state an explicit desire to carry the candles. In the Roman Rite, this is a clear reference to what immediately follows the blessing of the candles, where the people carry them, lit, in procession. As Joseph points out, this symbolises or actualises our participation in the event and mystery which the feast calls us to celebrate: the presentation of Christ in the temple. However, no such procession exists in the Byzantine Rite, yet the prayers refer to the people carrying the candles. How do we explain this?

Is the presence of these prayers in both east and west indicative of their antiquity? Or is it more likely that they migrated into the Byzantine Rite due to a later cross-fertilisation of the rites? We have seen this happen in the other direction with the tone 2 Sunday Matins stikheron finding its way into the Sarum ceremonies for Easter Day, so it is possible, and it would certainly explain the references to a non-existent procession. While it is not implausible that the procession did once exist in the Byzantine east and fell into disuse at some point, this line of thought raises another question, which is that of the timing of this ceremony. In the Byzantine Rite, most liturgical actions of this sort are to be inserted near the end of the Divine Liturgy. They customarily take place after the Prayer Below the Ambo and before the threefold "Blessed be the Name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore". This is true of the blessing of grapes at Transfiguration, herbs at Dormition, and of water at Theophany, among other things. This is even the place for the insertion of processions, such as the moleben procession on the patronal festival of a parish or monastery. Yet the rubrics stipulate that the blessing of candles is to take place, not at this point, but after the Sixth Hour and before the Divine Liturgy, which is precisely the position called for in the Roman Rite. Thus it is quite uncharacteristic of the Byzantine liturgical tradition.

My personal suspicion is that this ceremony is a later interpolation into the Byzantine Rite. It is only in the west that the feast came to be commonly known as Candlemass and the ceremonies surrounding the candles do not quite seem to fit when transferred into eastern practice. I am, of course, willing to be corrected by those who know more about the development of these things but here are my own thoughts, open to scrutiny and comment.