Nature of the OCA

[ALoveDivine]

Is the OCA constituted as a specifically American Orthodox Church, or is it also kind of an ethnically-oriented Church? I know it originates from the Russian Orthodox Church, but I'm thinking it is autonomous right?

I'm basically an American mut with no sense of ethnic identity at all, so I'm really looking for an Orthodox Church without an ethnic-centric identity. I almost to the point of giving up on the RCC and I'd like to find an Orthodox Church I can feel 'at home' at. Any advise?

 

[gzt]

It's hard to tell without actually visiting what's nearby. There are some OCA churches that retain a specifically Slavic identity, others that never even had one in the first place. Same story with Antiochians (except Arabic). Greeks tend to all have some Greek flavor to their parishes, but every parish is going to be made up by the people who live there and attend there, no matter their background. The last Greek parish I was a member of, while it had a distinct Greek flavor to it, was more like a United Nations summit because of all the different countries represented.

 

[~Anastasia~]

I'll second what gzt said.

I visited one OCA where all the food was Russian (I think? Potato pancakes were their main specialty that day), the older folks were immigrants, most people spoke Russian, etc. The service was not in English. They were very nice and welcoming, but I did have more trouble fitting in there.

I visited another OCA where most of the people were American, the food was American, the Liturgy was mostly in English, etc.

And I've visited Antiochian parishes that were completely made up of Americans, Liturgy in Enghlish only, and no ethnic influences that I could detect at all.

Our parish (Greek) is mostly Greek immigrants, but we do have Romanians, Slavs, Ethiopians, middle-easterners, Asians, and I don't know what all - last week a woman from Turkey came. But I'd say it's still easily identifiable as Greek with even a brief exposure.

I've been in other Greek parishes I could tell were Greek, based on the sound of the Liturgy, but outside of that, there seemed to be very little influence.

I'm afraid it's impossible to know before you go, unless you can ask someone else who knows that particular parish.

 

[ArmyMatt]

most Orthodox parishes are a mix nowadays, although there are some holdouts. yes, the OCA has a Russian flavor, but it is very American, as are most Antiochian parishes. the Greeks are very American as well. and I know converts to every jurisdiction, that are just as American mutt.

I say find your closest and check it out.

 

[ZaidaBoBaida]

The OCA church near us is nearly all converts - including the priest and his wife.

 

[RobNJ]

My OCA Parish, only time the regular Sunday Liturgy strays from English, is when we alternate "Lord Have Mercy" in English, Greek & Russian.

 

[ArmyMatt]

the OCA parish that received me often busts out some Swahili

 

[rusmeister]

In my church in the heart o' Russia, the choir has been alternating Greek and Russian in the Trisagion for several years now.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

I'll second what gzt said.

I visited one OCA where all the food was Russian (I think? Potato pancakes were their main specialty that day), the older folks were immigrants, most people spoke Russian, etc. The service was not in English. They were very nice and welcoming, but I did have more trouble fitting in there.

I visited another OCA where most of the people were American, the food was American, the Liturgy was mostly in English, etc.

And I've visited Antiochian parishes that were completely made up of Americans, Liturgy in Enghlish only, and no ethnic influences that I could detect at all.

Our parish (Greek) is mostly Greek immigrants, but we do have Romanians, Slavs, Ethiopians, middle-easterners, Asians, and I don't know what all - last week a woman from Turkey came. But I'd say it's still easily identifiable as Greek with even a brief exposure.

I've been in other Greek parishes I could tell were Greek, based on the sound of the Liturgy, but outside of that, there seemed to be very little influence.

I'm afraid it's impossible to know before you go, unless you can ask someone else who knows that particular parish.

Triple what you and gzt noted. I have friends connected with others in the OCA and it does seem to vary a lot. One of those I'm aware of on my side of town (St. Basil Orthodox Mission) seems to be a mix of both American culture and European - and the OCA Priests my spiritual father is friends with are very much tied to American culture (since they came out of the Evangelical world/really help others out in the same situations).

 

[E.C.]

The OCA tries to be the American Church with Russian roots. Liturgically speaking, I think Russian-lite would be accurate. Orthodoxy, at the parish level, has become quite diverse in recent decades. I've been to a Greek parish that had more Ukrainians than Greeks!

I believe that officially the OCA is constituted as the American Church. Since the roots are Russian, most parishes tend to fall back onto them as the default, but do adjust to suit the needs of the parish.

 

[ALoveDivine]

Cool thanks for all the info. I'll be attending my first divine liturgy at the local OCA parish tomorrow, hope all goes well!

 

[~Anastasia~]

Cool thanks for all the info. I'll be attending my first divine liturgy at the local OCA parish tomorrow, hope all goes well!

Prayers go with you!

 

[ArmyMatt]

Cool thanks for all the info. I'll be attending my first divine liturgy at the local OCA parish tomorrow, hope all goes well!

Lord have mercy! let us know how it goes!

 

[ALoveDivine]

Well I went, it was overall a good experience. The liturgy was beautiful of course, and the people were all very kind and welcoming. I was surprised by the lack of a homily, but that isn't really a big deal. The priest was very nice though his English wasn't the best, so understanding what was being said was an issue at times. It was also interested that there were pews and some parishioners even knelt during parts of the liturgy. Very familiar to me as a Catholic but I didn't expect to find that at an Orthodox church.

I was given the antidoran bread, and to my surprise a tiny plastic cup of wine, which i didn't expect. Obviously this wasn't the eucharist, and I expected the blessed bread, but the wine was surprising. I was invited to the hall across the street for coffee and snacks and I obliged. I met some very nice people including another guy my age. There were probably about 20 or so people who attended the liturgy, so the crowd was smaller than what I'm used to at mass. Overall I'm happy I went.

To be honest at this point I don't know which Church is the true one, Catholic or Orthodox. I really wish they didn't split apart, I feel they both kind of need each other. Theologically I'm much more Orthodox, but liturgically I still have western roots and sensibilities. I don't know, I guess I'll have to pray about it. It would be easier for me to remain Catholic but I can't help but be drawn to the theology and spirituality of the Orthodox church.

 

[GoingByzantine]

No homily ALoveDivine? I had the same thing happen at a Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic Church once.

 

[~Anastasia~]

Glad it went well overall!

I've seen a lack of homily a very few times during a Sunday Divine Liturgy. In our parish, it happens maybe once or twice a year.

I forgot about the little cup of wine. I had no idea what to do about that the first time either! As I recall, it was offered to me with the question of whether or not I could receive it, so I didn't know what to say. To be safe (I wasn't baptized yet), I didn't accept it. It wasn't something that was done in my parish ... (Greek)

 

[ArmyMatt]

Well, if your theology is Orthodox, I think you are heading in the right direction. I would not worry about liking the more Western Rite, since we have our own pre Schism stuff

 

[AlaskaFan]

In my experiences with Orthodox jurisdictions, I find ACROD to be the easiest for new people to integrate into.

 

[~Anastasia~]

In my experiences with Orthodox jurisdictions, I find ACROD to be the easiest for new people to integrate into.

Silly question, please forgive me - but what is ACROD? I may have seen it mentioned, but it's not familiar?

 

[ALoveDivine]

Well, if your theology is Orthodox, I think you are heading in the right direction.

Yeah, considering I just can't accept the RCC doctrines of "temporal punishment due to sin", indulgences, mortal/venial sins, and papal infallibility, I think I'm going to have to convert to Orthodoxy at some point.