St. Euphrosynos Taverna and Ouzeri 29

[NyssaTheHobbit]

Since my parish is named "Holy Trinity," we had our name-day celebration yesterday. 3 priests helped with Great Vespers, while we had two guys doing the chanting. It looked and sounded like videos I've seen of monastery and cathedral services. One priest had a thicker Greek accent than my priest. The other one had a booming voice and American accent; he did a sermon on "What is Orthodox and why be Orthodox" that sounded like the arguments I've seen here and on websites. The two visiting priests even had beards (unlike our priest). I couldn't help wishing they were wearing funny hats as well.

From what my priest said at the end, the chanter spot was empty, but then this guy came swooping in the church, up to the iconostasis, and took over the position. My priest said the Holy Spirit must have carried him here.

It's funny how, nowadays, my priest wants to get my opinion on all the special services.

My one quibble was that, in the reception afterwards, all we had was dessert. The service was at 5pm, the reception at 6:30; I was expecting dinner! I had to get some McDonalds nuggets when I went home, and felt kinda sick from all the sugar.

I've also started "homeschooling" my boy in preschool. (Amazing how they used to just call it "teaching the child at home until it's time for Kindergarten." I didn't go to preschool, but my mom was not a "homeschooler." Now, they call it homeschooling preschool. Sigh...) We have plenty of books around the house to help with this, so I haven't bought a curriculum package or anything; the ones I found online were expensive. Anyway, he's a smart little boy, and we're both enjoying this.

 

[Michael G]

For any of you who have ever wondered if gold leafing an icon is difficult, it is much easier than surgically removing a bad gold leaf job from an icon in such a way the panel is still able to be gold leafed when the bad job has been removed and able to make it look like nothing ever went wrong in the first place.

 

[Michael G]

Wow, the Taverna has been quiet.

 

[E.C.]

So I went to a ROCOR cathedral today. The priest there had invited all the Orthodox clergy in the state and the laity from respective parishes to attend.

I. Have. Never. Heard. So. Much. Russian. In. My. Life.

 

[Michael G]

So I went to a ROCOR cathedral today. The priest there had invited all the Orthodox clergy in the state and the laity from respective parishes to attend.

I. Have. Never. Heard. So. Much. Russian. In. My. Life.

What did you think of their liturgy?

 

[Anatole]

I've never been to a Russian DL. I've been to Greek DL and this particular church I really didn't care for. About 75% of it was in Greek, I was so lost.

 

[Michael G]

I've never been to a Russian DL. I've been to Greek DL and this particular church I really didn't care for. About 75% of it was in Greek, I was so lost.

The parish I attended when I was Byzantine Catholic did the DL about 1/2 in Church Slavonic and for a while there I got very good at the responses and singing in Slavonic. It was beautiful.

 

[Anatole]

The people at the Greek church we went to were so friendly. Their choir is not very good though, it really struggles. I guess if their choir was better we might have liked it.

 

[Michael G]

The people at the Greek church we went to were so friendly. Their choir is not very good though, it really struggles. I guess if their choir was better we might have liked it.

Did they have an organ?

 

[Anatole]

Did they have an organ?

Yes they did. I didn't care for that either.

 

[Michael G]

Yes they did. I didn't care for that either.

Yeah, I have been to a few Greek churches and I was not fond of the whole organ thing. I like hearing chant, be it Byzantine or Russian.

 

[Anatole]

Yeah, I have been to a few Greek churches and I was not fond of the whole organ thing. I like hearing chant, be it Byzantine or Russian.

Our choir sings mostly Byzantine music. We have an amazing choir. Everyone in my family sings but me. I can't even begin to carry a tune. I can't read music either.
Kelly and Kelsey have amazing voices. Greg can sing, but he needs voice lessons.
Bishop Basil says that he's never experienced a parish like ours. The majority of people in our parish have trained voices and the congregation sings the whole DL.

 

[Michael G]

Our choir sings mostly Byzantine music. We have an amazing choir. Everyone in my family sings but me. I can't even begin to carry a tune. I can't read music either.
Kelly and Kelsey have amazing voices. Greg can sing, but he needs voice lessons.
Bishop Basil says that he's never experienced a parish like ours. The majority of people in our parish have trained voices and the congregation sings the whole DL.

I met Bishop Basil at the Icon Festival in Pittsburgh in '04, he is such a joy to be arround.

 

[Michael G]

Our choir sings mostly Byzantine music. We have an amazing choir. Everyone in my family sings but me. I can't even begin to carry a tune. I can't read music either.
Kelly and Kelsey have amazing voices. Greg can sing, but he needs voice lessons.
Bishop Basil says that he's never experienced a parish like ours. The majority of people in our parish have trained voices and the congregation sings the whole DL.

I don't sing well either, but I love to sing the liturgy. I figure God gave me a voice so he should have to listen to it!

 

[Anatole]

I don't sing well either, but I love to sing the liturgy. I figure God gave me a voice so he should have to listen to it!

Well God can listen to me sing silently in my head, too.
When my daughter was about 9, she told me to please quit singing because I sound bad. Children are so honest.Thank God.lol

 

[Anatole]

I met Bishop Basil at the Icon Festival in Pittsburgh in '04, he is such a joy to be arround.

Bishop Basil is amazing! He has such a brilliant mind!
Greg and him email each other pretty often. I'm glad they have a close relationship. He loves children!!!

 

[Michael G]

Well God can listen to me sing silently in my head, too.
When my daughter was about 9, she told me to please quit singing because I sound bad. Children are so honest.Thank God.lol

Don't you just love how honest children are?

 

[Michael G]

Bishop Basil is amazing! He has such a brilliant mind!
Greg and him email each other pretty often. I'm glad they have a close relationship. He loves children!!!

He was fascinating to meet. He knows my icon teacher very well and is still praying for his conversion to Orthodoxy.

 

[E.C.]

What did you think of their liturgy?

It was great. There were about 15 priests and six or seven deacons.

The deacons would rotate between litanies in English and Slavonic. They did the Creed and Lord's Prayer in Slavonic then English (as well as Gospel readings).

It was nice. Fr. Alexy (ROCOR priest) said that they'd normally have about ten people on Pentecost Monday. The local ROCOR folks had a look on them that said "If you look at me wrong way, I shank you." But the number of people there (at least 100) kept everyone from breaking out into riots.

One of the visiting priests, Fr. John (OCA chaplain, visits our church every once in a while) has a daughter I met and got along well with.

Overall it was a good day. I ran into somebody here on CF (authiodionitist) who was also there.

 

[Michael G]

It was great. There were about 15 priests and six or seven deacons.

The deacons would rotate between litanies in English and Slavonic. They did the Creed and Lord's Prayer in Slavonic then English (as well as Gospel readings).

It was nice. Fr. Alexy (ROCOR priest) said that they'd normally have about ten people on Pentecost Monday. The local ROCOR folks had a look on them that said "If you look at me wrong way, I shank you." But the number of people there (at least 100) kept everyone from breaking out into riots.

One of the visiting priests, Fr. John (OCA chaplain, visits our church every once in a while) has a daughter I met and got along well with.

Overall it was a good day. I ran into somebody here on CF (authiodionitist) who was also there.

That sounds great!

"has a daughter I met and got along well with"? Care to expound?