Cooperation between Western Rite groups — and a conference this year
There are very positive signs of cooperation between the different canonical Orthodox groups using the Western Rite in their liturgical life.
First, a meeting between Antiochian and ROCOR (Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia) representatives took place in New York. On 14 February 2011, Father Edward Hughes, Vicar General of the Western Rite Vicariate of the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, and his duly appointed assistant, Father John W. Fenton, met at the Russian Synod chancery with His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral), First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR); His Grace Bishop Jerome (Shaw), Bishop of Manhattan and vicar of the Eastern-American diocese (ROCOR); and the V. Reverend Anthony Bondi, Pastoral Vicar for the Western Rite (ROCOR). The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the present situation, and to compare visions in order to foster cooperation in furthering Western Rite Orthodoxy in America.
Second, the wish to hold a Pan-Western Rite Conference should soon become a reality, God willing. According to Father Aidan’s blog Oremus (4 April 2011), a Pan-Western Rite Conference will take place “from Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011, at 1:00 p.m. to the afternoon of Friday, Oct. 7, 2011. The conference will take place at the Mt. Alvernia Retreat Center, Wappinger Falls, New York. There will be a Pontifical Mass celebrated at this retreat by Bishop Jerome of the Russian Orthodox Church.” (Once more details about the conference will be sent to us, they will be published on this website.)
Several ROCOR parishes using the Western Rite in North America
Under the guidance of Metropolitan Hilarion and Bishop Jerome, there is currently a revival of Western Rite Orthodox presence under the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) in the United States. They enjoy stavropegial status: this means they stand directly under the omophorion of the Primate of ROCOR, Metropolitan Hilarion.
The Fraternity of St Gregory the Great gathers several of those parishes. Their website offers information on their background and a directory of parishes (they are also listed in the directory of ROCOR, with the mention “Western Rite”). The same website makes some interesting liturgical material available for download in PDF format.
There are additional ROCOR parishes in the United States where the Western Rite is in use: for instance, Saint Benedict Russian Orthodox Church in Oklahoma City is a bi-ritual parish: that means that the services of the parish are offered both in the universal Byzantine Rite according to the Typicon of the Russian Orthodox Church - but also according to the Western Rite as authorized by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow in 1872.
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Short news, links and resources on Western Rite Orthodox parishes and groups belonging to canonical jurisdictions.
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