This section is dedicated to Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco [French site] and
Patron of our Western Orthodox Church!
TOWARDS AN ORTHODOX FRANCE :: A SERMON OF ST JOHN THE WONDERWORKER
Life and Works of Monseigneur John, [French site] Bishop of Saint-Denis consecrated by the Holy Archbishop John (Maximovitch) of San Francisco in 1964.
Our Church here in the United States was established in 1984 "under the Omophorion" of His Eminence Monseigneur GERMAIN, Bishop of Saint-Denis, hierarch of the Orthodox Church of France[L'ECOF].
We celebrate the Divine Liturgy of Saint Germanus of Paris 'French Edition';
'English Edition'
; the restored "Gallican Liturgy" that was authorized by the Moscow Patriarchate in Western Rite Ukase No. 1250, dated June 23, 1936 which also announced the reception of and the ecclesiastical organization of the Western Orthodox parishes.
While the restored liturgy can not be declared to be identical to that which was in use in Gaul [ancient France 425 - 900A.D.] and celebrated by our western ancestors, nevertheless, it is as faithful a restoration as is possible when compared with the extant sources currently available.
'La Liturgie Gallicane' or 'Gallican liturgy' and its Mozarabic, Celtic and Milanese variations, the roots of which are to be found in the 'Liturgy of Ephesus' brought to Lyons by Saint Irenaeus, disciple of Saint Polycarp who was the disciple of Saint John the Evangelist, used to cover almost all of Christian Europe (England, France, German Rhineland, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, and northern Italy) belong to the family of Western Liturgies, which also includes the Roman liturgy of Central Italy. These liturgies were eventually forced from common usage in the West when unity and uniformity became synonymous, and the Frankish-Latin emperors imposed the Roman liturgy upon the Churches in the West as detailed in the writings of Rev. Fr. Ioannis S. Romanides, (1927-2001).
ON THE SPIRITUAL REGENERATION OF FRANCE
ORTHODOX FRANCE :: THE HOLY BISHOPS OF VIENNA
QUESTION: Why the Western Orthodox Church or more precisely the Orthodox Church of the West, when the Eastern Orthodox Church (Orthodox Church of the East) already exists? This question is legitimate and is one that we believe is satisfactorily answered here:
TOWARDS AN ECCLESIOLOGY FOR THE WEST - an Apologia by Monseigneur GERMAIN, Bishop of Saint-Denis!
THE QUESTION OF CANONICITY: Recently we have received a number of queries regarding this matter. We hope that the information presented below will be of interest and assistance in providing an interpretation of the canon(s) and the Orthodox traditional understanding with regard to this question.
A: DOCUMENTS CONCERNING DISCUSSIONS WITH THE HOLY SYNOD OF THE CHURCH OF ROMANIA. - in French.
B: CANONICITY
Part One: Canonical Restoration
Part Two: Canonical Situation
ON THE QUESTION OF WESTERN ORTHODOXY: Letter from Patriarch Sergii of Moscow to Vladimir N. Lossky
APOLOGIA FOR WESTERN ORTHODOXY by Vladimir Lossky - in English
THE WESTERN RITE AND THE EASTERN CHURCH - J.J. Overbeck and his outline for the reestablishment of the Orthodox Church in the West: by the Rev'd David F. Abramtsov
A BRIEF HISTORY OF WESTERN ORTHODOXY: by the Rev'd David F. Abramtsov
SOME NOTES ON THE HISTORY AND LITURGICAL PRACTICE OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF FRANCE: by Fr. Francis DesMarais
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!
We are please to announce that a link to a German-Language site on Western Orthodoxy.
When visiting those sites which are not in English, we offer you this translation site to assist you:
We are Orthodox Christians whose ancestors are from the West - ancient Gallia-Gaul/France, Iberia-Spain, Hibernia-Ireland, Britannia-England,
Germania-Germany, etc., who have discovered the One True Faith of JESUS CHRIST as lived and taught in the (undivided) One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. We have re-discovered the heritage of this Ancient Church of the West which fell asleep in the tenth century and we desire to share this with you.
And should the Holy Spirit set you on a pilgrimage to (re-)discover the fullness of the Faith, "...which was once for all delivered to the saints" [Jude 1:3], perhaps you will be open to His promptings and allow Him to guide your steps should He even lead you in this direction.
N.B. The background color is keyed to our liturgical cycle: White/Silver/Gold - Nativity & Pascha; Green - Epiphanytide & Pentecost; Violet - Septuagesima, Sexagesima, Quinquagesima, Quadragesima (Great Lent), Passiontide; Dark Blue - Advent (Nativity Lent); Rose - Laetare and Gaudete Sundays; Red - Special Feastdays (Pentecost Sunday, Lazarus Saturday, Feasts of Martyrs, et.al.); Black - Great and Holy Friday.
So, while our Home Page and linked pages are under construction, we invite you to visit often and travel with us on an exciting journey, as we continue to "re-discover" our Western Orthodox Heritage!!
CURRENT UPDATE: September 14NS/1OS, 2008
E-mail: wofrgeorge@gmail.comCopyright (c) 1997 [THE HOLY SPIRIT-THE PARACLETE], All rights reserved.
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