Justice wrote:The OCA appears to venerate him as a saint though every other jurisdiction calls him blessed.
You must realize, Justice, that in the USA many of the OCA's original members converted from the Ruthenians and from other Eastern Catholic Churches through the missionary work of Father Alexis Toth, who was canonized by the OCA. These former Eastern Catholics had been heavily latinized with the Stations of the Cross, statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, recitation of the Rosary, Altar Societies for the ladies, Holy Name Society devotions for the men, and private confessionals included in their churches. In fact, in the USA, married priests among the Eastern Catholic were not allowed to continue their priestly ministry, and married seminarians could not be ordained to the priesthood thanks to interference in the lives of Eastern Catholics by Bishop Ireland. Indeed, Bishop Ireland caused much grief among the Ruthenians and Melkites.
Re: Father Alexis Toth, please see https://oca.org/saints/lives/2017/05/07 ... -orthodoxy
It was not until after Vatican II that the Eastern Catholics were told to return to their Eastern Orthodox roots. Indeed, the extensive Orthodox libraries found in Eastern Catholic parishes inspired many Eastern Catholics to convert to Orthodoxy as they read about their roots in Holy Orthodoxy. This also led to my conversion
The OCA continues to be influenced by Roman Catholicism. Witness the recent conversion of the Franciscan New Skete to the OCA. They were allowed to continue venerating Francis of Assisi and Therese of Liseaux, and to continue other Roman Catholic traditions. In addition, their nuns continued to avoid wearing the monastic veil, and their altar vestments were heavily influenced by latinizations (garish materials). Several of the Bishops in the OCA are pushing for unity with Rome.
They [New Skete] are unique in that they have instituted wide-ranging reforms to the divine office and eucharistic liturgies of the Eastern Orthodox Church, aimed at rendering the services more comprehensible. They maintain an open stance regarding ecumenical contacts with other Christian groups; the nave of their Holy Wisdom Temple features iconographic portraits of Orthodox saints as well as prominent non-Orthodox people such as Pope John XXIII, Archbishop Michael Ramsey, and Mother Teresa of Calcutta,[1] and the communities celebrate the feast of the Roman Catholic saint Francis of Assisi. This openness has brought them criticism from Orthodox conservatives and traditionalists; but the Monks and Nuns strongly defend their renewal of liturgy and monastic life as a necessity if Orthodox monasticism is to be more than "museum-keeping" in the modern world. The monastery has a chapel community as well as a fellowship of lay people, Companions, who seek to be formally connected with New Skete in order to deepen their spiritual lives. Through their connection with New Skete they look to incorporate monastic values that help them live out the call of the Gospel in a lay setting at the same time as helping to support New Skete's mission. This enrichment program serves those who seek to integrate prayer and spirituality in their daily activities, and enhances the individuals' vocations as members vis-à-vis their commitment to their own Christian life.
.
cf. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Skete