After a 42 year absence from my baptismal roots of ROCA (1953), I find myself NEEDING to return. It is absolutely critical for me to return to the Russian Orthodox Church of my grandparents (Russians) and earlier, faith. My grandparents lives were taken back in the late 1920's due to the fact they were 'Royalists' and I need not say anymore about that.
My mother and father were born in 1921 & 22 and came here to North America in 1945, thanks to the Brits!
I've attended a particular ROCOR church since mother's reposing back in 2011 because my understanding was that this 'was' the church I needed to be part of as 'ROCA' had melded into ROCOR.
O.K. .. that's fine and dandy BUT; wasn't the ROC (in Russia, pre-Bolsheviks), a Moscow Patriarchate (MP) church????
It's only when the Bolshevik disaster began that ROCOR was formed a few years later outside the country.
So, can anyone point me to a simple explanation of the differences between the 2 churches as I'm thinking I should be attending MP more so than ROCOR. I have heard a ROCOR priest proudly say that they are the big dogs. Then, I've heard a much more humble response from an MP priest saying "we are all of the same". Waz up wit dat??
Since there wasn't much separation between church and state at anytime in ROC history, is it because suspicious minds feel doctrine has been changed/manipulated somewhat by the commies? There are hardly any MP parishes here in USA compared to ROCOR. I was lucky enough to find one only 40 miles away from me for my one visit (so far).
As we all know, they all 'united' back in 2007 .. since I wasn't born yesterday, and my parents ran from the communists, I think I have a bit of the Missouri thing in me ... Show me.
My mother and father were born in 1921 & 22 and came here to North America in 1945, thanks to the Brits!
I've attended a particular ROCOR church since mother's reposing back in 2011 because my understanding was that this 'was' the church I needed to be part of as 'ROCA' had melded into ROCOR.
O.K. .. that's fine and dandy BUT; wasn't the ROC (in Russia, pre-Bolsheviks), a Moscow Patriarchate (MP) church????
It's only when the Bolshevik disaster began that ROCOR was formed a few years later outside the country.
So, can anyone point me to a simple explanation of the differences between the 2 churches as I'm thinking I should be attending MP more so than ROCOR. I have heard a ROCOR priest proudly say that they are the big dogs. Then, I've heard a much more humble response from an MP priest saying "we are all of the same". Waz up wit dat??
Since there wasn't much separation between church and state at anytime in ROC history, is it because suspicious minds feel doctrine has been changed/manipulated somewhat by the commies? There are hardly any MP parishes here in USA compared to ROCOR. I was lucky enough to find one only 40 miles away from me for my one visit (so far).
As we all know, they all 'united' back in 2007 .. since I wasn't born yesterday, and my parents ran from the communists, I think I have a bit of the Missouri thing in me ... Show me.