The Western Rite, Saint John of SF, and ROCOR

[spyridon]

Western Rite Monastery in Rhode Island
Former Benedictine Monastic Community Continues Western Rite Mission in ROCOR
Christminster is a western-rite monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), established in Rhode Island in 1993 with the blessing of Bishop Hilarion, then Bishop of Manhattan, who authorized Dom James M. Deschene (formerly the Prior of the Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Royal) to continue the western-rite mission of Mount Royal under the title of Christ the Saviour Monastery - or Christminster.

Founded as a Benedictine monastic community in 1910, Mount Royal's mission and work continued as an independent body until 1962. In that year the community was received into the patriarchal Russian Orthodox Church by its American exarch, Bishop Dositheus Ivanchenko of New York. For several years, the monks of Mount Royal staffed a western-rite chapel in the Russian Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Manhattan, later moving to Woodstock, New York. Bishop Dositheus' successor, Archbishop John Wendland, blessed and confirmed the western-rite observance and mission of Mount Royal and the leadership of its Abbot, Dom Augustine Whitfield.

In 1975, under Abbot Augustine, the monastery was received into the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia by Archbishop Nikon Rklitzsky, who again authorized and blessed its mission and observances. In 1993, upon the retirement of Abbot Augustine, Christminster was founded with the blessing of Bishop Hilarion of Manhattan to carry on the work of western-rite Orthodoxy in the ROCOR Synod.

From its beginnings, this work and mission have been guided by the spirit of Saint Benedict and his Holy Rule- the sixth-century foundation document of Orthodox monasticism in the west. It was the vision of Mount Royal's founders - a vision firmly adhered to under Abbot Augustine and lovingly maintained at Christminster - to preserve the contemplative and eremitical dimension of the monastic life as much as possible. Thus one goal of its mission - still awaiting fulfillment - is the acquisition of a suitable, secluded property ensuring tranquillity and silence, and providing hermitages for monks and guests, with common room, refectory, library, office and work space, and a monastic church in which the Liturgy of the Mass and the Hours are celebrated in full on behalf of and for the whole Church.

In the meantime, Christminster remains committed to maintaining the fullness and purity of the Orthodox faith in its western-rite tradition. On one occasion, Abbot Augustine had confided to then Bishop - now Saint - John Maximovitch some of the hardships of promoting western-rite Orthodoxy. Saint John's response was a vehement and memorable one: "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."

Encouraged and inspired by these words, Christminster lovingly maintains the western Orthodox rite, each day celebrating the Mass according to the ancient rite dating from the time when the west was still firmly Orthodox in its faith and observance. The Hours of the Divine Office are celebrated as set forth in the Rule of Saint Benedict. The ancient chants of the western church are used in all services, sung in traditional, liturgical English, and occasionally in Latin.

To all Orthodox believers seeking to recover and maintain the ancient Orthodox tradition of the west - the tradition that nurtured such familiar saints as Benedict, Bede, Ambrose, Boniface, Bridget, Aidan, Patrick, Augustine, Monica and Columba , and a thousand more - Christminster offers its prayers, its services and its welcome.

Schedule of Services
SUNDAYS
9:00am High Mass with Sermon
11:15am Brunch
12:15pm Midday Prayer & Angelus

SATURDAYS
7:30am Low Mass
7:30pm Vespers & Compline
Confessions

WEEKDAYS
6:30am Low Mass
8:00pm Vespers (as announced)

[romiosini]

Notice anything in this photo? In the far left, that's Saint Tikhon of Russian. And the clean shaven priest behind him is Saint John Kochurov the Hieromartyr.

Saint John Maximovitch.

[joasia]

Exactly what aspects of the Western tradition is kept? I converted from Catholic and I don't see anything of their Western rites that I would consider Orthodox. I follow the Orthodox tradition. I left all the Western rites behind. The Eastern Orthodox tradition is the only true rites of Christ's Church.

[Jean-Serge]

Restaoring Western rites is making liturgical archeology... Yes there onece were Orthodox werstern rites but they are lost due to the Papist heresy that have established new practices... So it is very difficult to create again Western rites excepted mùaybe the Mozarabic rite... And I am not sure : do we have all the texts for the Mozarabic rite? So the the best way for Westerners is to use Byzantine rites...

On the contrary, I suggest that Nestorians, Monophysits or Coptics that become Orthodox keep their rite...

[Offieriad Myghal]

There seems to be a great deal of misinformation here regarding the Western Rite within Orthodoxy. For a start, the Western Rite was integral to the undivided Orthodox Church for a thousand years. Secondly, it was formally reintroduced by the Holy Synod of Russia in 1879. That decision was reiterated by the Holy Synod in 1907 and the Patriarchate of Antioch followed suit in 1958. Patriarch Sergius of Moscow authorised the Western Rite in Paris in 1929, and followed this with a Ukase of 1936, establishing the Western Rite Orthodox Church of France. This was re-instituted after WW II and came under the omophorion of Saint John of Shanghai, who subsequently consecrated Bishop Jean-Nectaire for the l'ECOF. Saint John himself celebrated the Western Rite occasionally.

After Bp. Jean-Nectaire's successor, Germain was revealed to have contracted a secret marriage in violation of his monastic profession, he was deposed by the Holy Synod of Romania (which had previously had oversight after an exchange from ROCOR). He remained in civil law as head of the incorporated body of l'ECOF, with a few mostly freemason clergy. The majority of his people, desiring to remain Orthodox, formed a new organisation UACORO and are in discussions with canonical Orthodox authorities. This group of some eight parishes is solidly Orthodox, with no freemasons, no theosophical teachings, no irregular communions. In fact the small group with theosophical leanings left l'ECOF many years ago, but people of ill-will still cite this as a condemnation of Western Rite in general.

ROCOR has two Western Rite monasteries, one in Rhode Island, USA, and the other in Tasmania. It has clergy authorised to celebrate the Western Rite in South America, the USA and Australia (four dioceses in all).

The Antiochian Orthodox Church has a Western Rite Vicariate in the USA, with parishes and clergy - mostly in the midwest and west. It also has Western Rite clergy and missions in Australia and New Zealand.

The majority of Western Rite people coming into Orthodoxy are extremely conservative in their theology and embrace Orthodoxy as their true home. They have experienced the western liberalism in all its forms and are, if anything likely to be guardians of Orthodoxy against such infections.

It is mistaken to assume that the Western Rite used within Orthodoxy is the same as the Roman and Anglican services that one sees on TV or in their churches today. Quite the opposite, the Western Rite is very traditional and in some cases takes almost as long of a Sunday as Chrysostoma.

This is a genuine Orthodox heritage, and ought to be respected as such.

Offieriad Myghal

[Priest Siluan]

I doubt of the "western Orthodoxy" and its "western Rites" they are really a great fall for who practice it and this is demonstrated by its serial failures.

Most of those rites are not the true rites that existed before the Great Schism in West but a medley of all kinds of things that they didn't keep any tradition with respect to Western Church previous to the Great Schism.

I doubt of the orthodoxy of these "western orthodox"

Priest Siluan

[AndyHolland]

Thank you so much romiosini for the pictures of such a venerable and God-fearing Saint. I did not realize that St. John held a positive opinion of western rite Orthodoxy.

St. John celebrated on Moses feast day with his bare feet. The fellow who saw this, serving with him, felt his feet burn until he took off his shoes [remember Moses and the Burning Bush]!!!

sincerely yours,

andy holland
Somerset PA