What is expected of you in a Russian Orthodox service?

Oct 15, 2008
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Y'all can hit me up when you need "What is expected when attending a Serbian service" any time! Can't speak to the Russian experience!

We just had Bishop Maxim come to visit our parish for our parish slava. Always incredible, even if I was reading the Epistle after only 1.5 hours of sleep all night. ^_^:sigh::sick::sick::sick:
 
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Mary of Bethany

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It depends where. Most ROCOR are more conservative, they're even offended if your kids are noisy. Most OCA will assume you haven't been there in a long time and will commune you without question. And of course, many are somewhere in the middle.

This is not true of any OCA parish I’m familiar with.
 
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abacabb3

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I don't think anything in your first paragraph is untrue, but that doesn't mean the OCA communes everyone. I have been around to many Orthodox parishes and never seen communion as open as you are claiming. certainly not enough to be a stereotype.
It is that open sometimes. It depends on who is serving. I have also seen fights break out with the priest in the communion line over it too.
 
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ArmyMatt

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It is that open sometimes. It depends on who is serving. I have also seen fights break out with the priest in the communion line over it too.

yes, sometimes. I have been OCA a while now, so I am aware of our issues. that said, it's incorrect to just simply say the OCA doesn't ask when folks approach the Chalice.
 
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Red Gold

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I wouldn't worry about blending in. just go and soak in the experience. I'd say check out a service on YouTube so you can see what it's like.

I agree!
I have been to Russian Orthodox Church services in Perm near the Ural und elsewhere near Perm.
And also in Baden-Baden in Germany.
And I just blended in.
And it always was a solemn and pleasant and moving experience!
 
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ArmyMatt

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I agree!
I have been to Russian Orthodox Church services in Perm near the Ural und elsewhere near Perm.
And also in Baden-Baden in Germany.
And I just blended in.
And it always was a solemn and pleasant and moving experience!

glad you had a blessed experience!
 
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E.C.

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I suppose you think its untrue that there are several OCA parishes that commune homosexuals as well and that there are unrepentant Origenists within the OCA ranks, including a Bishop (this is not an accusation, the former is based upon firsthand knowledge including a priest who is a personal friend who left the OCA), and the latter from the written and spoken statements of that Bishop.
There's no canon that bars simply being a homosexual from receiving Communion. The catch is not being celibate. That has been the entire Orthodox Church's basic position here in the USA; and I've heard this across the three major jurisdictions. I.E, a celibate homosexual may commune, but a non-celibate one may not (generally speaking)
And how do you know that these clergy are unrepentant? Are you a priest, much less the one whom they confess to? Are you their spiritual father? Have you remembered to take the log out of your eye before trying to take the splinter out of there's? That's their salvation, let them deal with theirs and you deal with yours.

And so does everyone meet the stereotype? No. But if you are on vacation, chances are you can just show up at an OCA parish and they will commune you.
As someone who has lead an extremely transient life the last nine years I can not tell you how wrong you are. I have been a visitor to many parishes; OCA, ROCOR, Antiochian, etc on both US coasts including the Deep South (peace be unto y'all!) And I have actually been denied Communion from OCA parishes for not introducing myself beforehand or at least emailing or calling the priest prior. Or because the priest didn't check their email in time. Usually when I email or call I'll explain who I am, where I'm from, and either give a description of myself so they know who I am at the chalice, or just simply say "Constantine, Navy" when I receive Communion AFTER sorting that out with the priest.

So again, chances are that these folks have made similar arrangements beforehand and you simply don't know about it because you're not the priest of that/those given parish/es. And since you seem to be picking on Northeast PA here, chances are pretty good that the priests know who the people are beforehand anyway, which parish they are from, and, whom their spiritual father is since the OCA family tree in Northeast PA is more tumbleweed than tree! Just like the majority of ROCOR in America!
 
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All4Christ

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And since you seem to be picking on Northeast PA here, chances are pretty good that the priests know who the people are beforehand anyway, which parish they are from, and, whom their spiritual father is since the OCA family tree in Northeast PA is more tumbleweed than tree! Just like the majority of ROCOR in America!
Yep. All the OCA parishes in this Pennsylvania area (Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania) are tightly interconnected. We are pretty much just extended church families. St Tikhon’s Seminary summer camp, monastery visits, and retreats also help to glue us altogether.
 
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GreekOrthodox

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yes, sometimes. I have been OCA a while now, so I am aware of our issues. that said, it's incorrect to just simply say the OCA doesn't ask when folks approach the Chalice.

Father bless,
What do you do if if someone you don't know approaches the chalice? Just curious as I've never seen it happen personally.
 
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ArmyMatt

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Father bless,
What do you do if if someone you don't know approaches the chalice? Just curious as I've never seen it happen personally.

depends on how they approach the Chalice. but if I am really wary, I will just ask them who their bishop is.
 
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archer75

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It is that open sometimes. It depends on who is serving. I have also seen fights break out with the priest in the communion line over it too.
Fights break out? Like a fistfight? This seems unlikely, do you mean someone arguing?
 
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abacabb3

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There's no canon that bars simply being a homosexual from receiving Communion. The catch is not being celibate. That has been the entire Orthodox Church's basic position here in the USA; and I've heard this across the three major jurisdictions. I.E, a celibate homosexual may commune, but a non-celibate one may not (generally speaking)
And how do you know that these clergy are unrepentant? Are you a priest, much less the one whom they confess to? Are you their spiritual father? Have you remembered to take the log out of your eye before trying to take the splinter out of there's? That's their salvation, let them deal with theirs and you deal with yours.


As someone who has lead an extremely transient life the last nine years I can not tell you how wrong you are. I have been a visitor to many parishes; OCA, ROCOR, Antiochian, etc on both US coasts including the Deep South (peace be unto y'all!) And I have actually been denied Communion from OCA parishes for not introducing myself beforehand or at least emailing or calling the priest prior. Or because the priest didn't check their email in time. Usually when I email or call I'll explain who I am, where I'm from, and either give a description of myself so they know who I am at the chalice, or just simply say "Constantine, Navy" when I receive Communion AFTER sorting that out with the priest.

So again, chances are that these folks have made similar arrangements beforehand and you simply don't know about it because you're not the priest of that/those given parish/es. And since you seem to be picking on Northeast PA here, chances are pretty good that the priests know who the people are beforehand anyway, which parish they are from, and, whom their spiritual father is since the OCA family tree in Northeast PA is more tumbleweed than tree! Just like the majority of ROCOR in America!
I think stuff of this sounds good online but has no real relevance in the real world.
 
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Andrei D

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I think stuff of this sounds good online but has no real relevance in the real world.

"Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own sins and not to condemn my brother, for Thou art blessed unto ages of ages."
 
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Andrei D

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depends on how they approach the Chalice. but if I am really wary, I will just ask them who their bishop is.

I always am fascinated by these differences in tradition (minuscule t). In Romanian church (ROEA in my case) it is not really possible to approach without being known ahead of time that you would because you must have had Confession that day and have been given the "go ahead". It's not a spur of the moment situation, so to say. I wonder about Russian because I know some Russians who have the same rules... I think they are ROCOR, but I'm not sure. Both my Romanian and my Russian acquaintances "gossip" on how "the Greeks are so lax" in this regard. "You could have gone to Confession three weeks ago and still be allowed to partake" (I actually don't know if that's true. Is it???)... Is OCA proper also more lax about who can approach on their own initiative?
 
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ArmyMatt

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I always am fascinated by these differences in tradition (minuscule t). In Romanian church (ROEA in my case) it is not really possible to approach without being known ahead of time that you would because you must have had Confession that day and have been given the "go ahead". It's not a spur of the moment situation, so to say. I wonder about Russian because I know some Russians who have the same rules... I think they are ROCOR, but I'm not sure. Both my Romanian and my Russian acquaintances "gossip" on how "the Greeks are so lax" in this regard. "You could have gone to Confession three weeks ago and still be allowed to partake" (I actually don't know if that's true. Is it???)... Is OCA proper also more lax about who can approach on their own initiative?

the rule as stated is once a month, but I know a lot of OCA clergy who encourage more frequent confession (myself included).
 
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depends on how they approach the Chalice. but if I am really wary, I will just ask them who their bishop is.
I frequently serve as an usher, and if I or my usher partner see someone we don't recognize getting in line, we'll ask them if they're Orthodox.
 
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