Orthodox Life, Sept-Oct 1983
A New Old-Ritual Parish
in
the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
A very significant event for the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad occurred on Sunday 11/24 July, 1983 in Erie, Pa. On that day a large and thriving parish of Old Believers was fully united with the Church. Archbishop Laurus of Syracuse and Holy Trinity, together with Bishop Alypy of Cleveland and many other clergy, participated in the long and moving services, which were performed according to the Old Rites of the Russian Church. This included -- for the first time for this parish, which was formed in 1919 -- the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.
These Old Believers were the "Priestless" variety, which has not had the priesthood and the Mysteries since the 17th century. At that time, Patriarch Nikon decided to correct the liturgical books used in Russia. There were many differences, from place to place, as well as between Russian and Greek usage. In fact, considerable change had taken place in the Greek texts since the time they were translated into Slavonic. There was no major principle at stake in the change -- the doctrines remained the same -- but over the years, liturgical practice evolved along divergent lines in Greece and Russia. The same trend has also continued since the time of Nikon: the Greek service books of one hundred years or more ago are much closer to their Slavonic counterparts than are the current editions.
As a result, the reforms did not succeed in unifying Greek and Russian texts or customs, and it appears that they even introduced some new discrepancies: in some points the old version agrees with the Greek text, but in the new does not. The one thing accomplished therefore, was to create a rift between those who used the two translations.
The situation began to improve when the All-Russian Council was called in 1917 in Moscow, largely through the efforts of Metropolitan Anthony [Khrapovitsky] and his successor, Metropolitan Anastassy. They often served according to the old, pre-Nikonian church books and did much to foster mutual respect and charity between the two groups. Their labors in their regard were renewed by our own Synod of Bishops in 1974, when by a ukase [declaration] the Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad declared that the ancient customs and rites were Orthodox; that the anathemas imposed on the Old Believers were lifted, and that the old rite could be used in certain cases. In this declaration, marked by its spirit of charity and motivated by a real desire to mend an unfortunate rift in the fabric of Russian life, the Synod appealed to all to forget the past and its offenses and change their attitudes toward one another.
After a long study of the schism and the Church, one young member of the parish of Erie, Pimen Simon, left a successful law practice to devote himself to his future flock as a nastavnik, or reader. He made contact with the pastor of the Synodal church in Erie at the time, Fr. Theodore Jurewicz, a young iconographer, who welcomed the opportunity to study and utilize the ancient icons that filled the Old Believer church. Later, especially on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Fr. Pimen became more acutely aware of the loss entailed by the Old Believer position in being separated from the Holy Mysteries of the Church.
At first, the general reaction to his insight was a subdued one, but like a true pastor, he guided and educated and exhorted his parish with words of understanding, so that the decision to reunite with the Church became an almost unanimous one. [As always, in cases of major changes, a small group decided to continue in their former practices.]
Once the decision was made, matters moved quickly to their culmination through the help of many, including Fr. Dimitry Alexandrov, well known for his tireless efforts in behalf of the Old Rite. The change required not only the ordination of a priest, but the addition of a sanctuary to the back of the prayer house, which had been designed so that the rear wall was covered with icons, in place of a traditional iconostasis.
After he and his family were united to the Holy Church through Chrismation on June 24/July 7, the Feast of the Birth of the Forerunner and Baptiser, St. John, Fr. Pimen visited Holy Trinity Monastery to be ordained deacon by Archbishop Laurus. It was then arranged that on July 11/24, the Feast of the Equal to the Apostles, Princess St. Olga, Archbishop Laurus would consecrate the newly constructed sanctuary and ordain Fr. Pimen to the priesthood. Fr. Pimen then used the Dormition fast to chrismate and prepare his flock for their first communion. On the Sunday of the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, almost the entire parish partook of the Divine Mysteries for the first time in their lives.
The parish will continue to hold services in the Old Rite in both Slavonic and English languages. Thus the restoration of the priesthood at the Church of the Nativity and its return to communion with the Church is of benefit to all sides. The Old Ritualists once again have the fullness of the sacramental life, and those who follow the newer books will have an inspiration and access to a rich, edifying, and purely native tradition of great antiquity.
Concerning the Old Ritual
The Decision of the Council of Bishops
of
the Russian Church Abroad
The Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad has considered the question of the attitude of the Russian Church to the customs and rites which She observed in former days, known by the general name of "the Old Ritual," and contained in the liturgical books printed before the middle of the 17th century; and also the interdicts and anathemas which were imposed by the Moscow Councils of 1656 and 1667 and by individual persons in respect of the observation of these customs.
Whereas:
1. The Orthodox Church has long ago permitted a diversity of local customs in conditions of unity in the truth of the faith;
2. The Old Rites do not express any unOrthodox teaching of which the participants of the above-mentioned councils accuse them;
3. The anathemas pronounced by these councils were the cause of many disasters for the Russian Church and led not to peace in the Church, which was the aim of their authors, but to the schism and falling away from the Church of many adherents to the Old Rituals, to a fruitless polemic on the question of ritual, in the midst of which intolerable "slanderous expressions" were employed by both sides, and also to the persecution of those who held differing views, as a result of which many zealots of the old rites suffered;
4. The old rites comprise a part of our common ecclesiastical and historical heritage which should not be eradicated;
5. From the year 1800, the use of the Old Rituals was permitted by the Russian Church, and the interdicts on active members were lifted and revoked;
6. In the last century, the Russian Church, headed by Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, took steps to revoke the anathemas on the Old Ritual but this was not achieved due to misunderstandings;
7. The Pre-Council of 1906 in which Metropolitan Anthony actively participated resolved to petition the future local Council "to revoke the anathemas on the two-fingered faithful as they were imposed because of bad feelings" and "to rescind them just as the Council of 1667 rescinded the anathemas of the Hundred Chapter Council on those who did not use two fingers in their devotions";
8. The Council of 1917-1918, although it did not formulate a conciliar act concerning this question [since it had no possibility of peacefully concluding its business], still it resolved, on the testimony of Metropolitan Anthony to rescind these anathemas, to accept into our Church the Old Ritualists bishops at the rank they then held and provide Old Ritualist bishops for the Orthodox Old Ritualists, but patriarch Tikhon, shortly after his accession to the patriarchal throne, appointed the first Orthodox Old Ritualist bishop [who was subsequently martyred] as bishop of Okhten, Simon [Shleev], a defender of the old rites and supporter of the rescinding of the anathemas.
9. Their Beatitudes Metropolitan Anthony and Anastassy themselves repeatedly served according to the old books in the Orthodox Old Ritualist Churches.
10. The Synod of Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad, by a decree dated August 26/September 8, 1964 recognized the old rites as Orthodox and blessed the use of them by those who so desired;
11. The Third Council Abroad, with the participation of the clergy and laity, persistently requested the Council of Bishops to lift these anathemas --
Now the Council of Bishops
of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
Resolves:
1. To consider the ancient liturgical customs and rites contained in the service books of the Russian Church before the middle of the century as Orthodox and salutary;
2. To consider the interdicts and anathemas imposed in the past on those who adhered to these customs, by the Councils of 1656 and 1667, and also by certain individuals who took part in the councils, because of misunderstandings, as null and void and rescinded;
3. To permit the use of the old rites by those who wish to observe them and who are in communion with the Orthodox Church, provided however that this does not result in any confusion in the church life of existing parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad;
4. Not to demand from those Old Ritualists who wish to be accepted into liturgical communion, and renunciation of the old rites and acceptance by them of contemporary rites. Also, to appoint priests for them and, if necessary, bishops who will be obliged to observe accurately the ancient ceremonial;
5. To call the Old Ritualists on their part to respect our rites as worthy and of equal honour as the old;
6. While grieving over the split that occurred and, in particular, over the persecutions inflicted on the adherents to the old rites, the Council of Bishops, however does not consider that it has the right to judge concerning the responsibility of the separate individuals for what took place, since all the participants have long ago appeared before the judgment seat of God to Whom they had to give an account for their deeds. The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad has never participated in inimical actions against the Old Ritualists. Therefore, the Council of Bishops appeals to them to forget those previous offences and injustices and instead of remembering this evil, consider rather how to so arrange their church life in exile in the best way for the salvation of Christian souls;
7. The Council of Bishops calls on all Orthodox Christians not to resume, out of imaginary zeal for Orthodoxy, unnecessary disputes over ritual and in particular, not to repeat the intolerable and censorious expressions , since both rituals have been sanctified. Such expressions, whensoever and by whomsoever they were used in the past, the Council of Bishops rejects and considers rescinded.
+Metropolitan Philaret
President of the Council of Bishops
12/25 September 1974
New York
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