Before your first visit to an Orthodox Church

[tinythinker]

Found this linked on another site...

Twelve things I wish I'd known before my first visit to an Orthodox church

I am not EO, but I hope it is accurate/helpful.

 

[HandmaidenOfGod]

Thanks Tinythinker! That's a classic Orthodox essay.

We've also got it here on this thread:

For those new to Orthodoxy

 

[Protoevangel]

It is quite accurate. It has been linked here a number of times. But once more won't hurt anybody.

 

[tinythinker]

Sorry for the redundancy. Thanks for being so nice about it

 

[Julina]

i found that article right after my first visit, and it made a lot of sense! i really wish i had known all those!

 

[Mozartboy]

Glad I found that! I've been researching Orthodoxy on the Internet, and hope to be visiting a church soon!

 

[Gwendolyn]

What a great article. I don't know if I could handle the standing, though. For some reason, when I stand or walk for long periods of time in most shoes, my knees swell and become difficult to bend. The only time it doesn't happen is when I am wearing sneakers.

 

[Tonks]

HA! They actually had that printed in a booklet for distribution in first Orthodox church I visited.

 

[Michael G]

The best part of that is #9. There is no short way for Orthodox to do anything. When you hear it prayed "Having completed our prayer unto the Lord" there is still a good 30-45 minutes of Liturgy left!

 

[Julina]

What a great article. I don't know if I could handle the standing, though. For some reason, when I stand or walk for long periods of time in most shoes, my knees swell and become difficult to bend. The only time it doesn't happen is when I am wearing sneakers.

you can sit if you need to, if there are pews.

 

[Gwendolyn]

you can sit if you need to, if there are pews.

Sitting is usually for the elderly and the sick, not 23-year-olds with knees that misbehave lol. I'd feel awkward with people seeing a young person sitting there....

 

[Khaleas]

What a great article. I don't know if I could handle the standing, though. For some reason, when I stand or walk for long periods of time in most shoes, my knees swell and become difficult to bend. The only time it doesn't happen is when I am wearing sneakers.

That happens to me and has happened since I was in my early twenties, it's really bad when I fly but it totally annoys me in church because I feel like an old lady. It's actually better during Lent with the prostrations and such because we move during the service. That's why I like no pews because you can move a bit if needed.
No one is going to care if you sit here and there during the services if you get tired. As long as you stay standing during the Small and Great entrance (when the priest brings something out), during the reading of the Gospel and during Communion.

 

[Dewi Sant]

In both of my Greek Orthodox parishes we sit for the sermon and epistle. Provides a rather lovely break mid-liturgy but does have the downside that it divides the liturgy.
I do rather prefer standing for the epistle, I concentrate better when stood up (unless my ankles start complaining, in which case I do the flamingo dance [one foot on the other, and reverse ])

 

[HandmaidenOfGod]

I would not let the standing thing be intimidating. In my experience in the Orthodox Church, the only time I have stood during the entire Liturgy is because I was in the choir loft, and we had to stand.

A large majority of Orthodox churches in the United States have pews or chairs on the side. If you need to sit, sit. God is a god of love and mercy, knows our pains and our weaknesses. It is more with the parishes in Europe that you will see a consistant absence of pews.

I grew up in a Ukrainian Orthodox parish, spent a few years in an OCA parish, and currently attend a Greek Orthodox parish. I have visited various Antiochian parishes, and parishes of other jurisdictions. (As the leader of a pan-Orthodox group, I get around. ) I can assure you, no one will question you if you need to sit.

(Oh, and I have bad knees too, so I understand your pain.)

In regards to the Frederica article, there are a couple things I can't relate to. I've been in plenty of churches with kneelers, and I have never kissed/hugged anyone in the middle of Liturgy.

I think the real take away here is that a lot of times worship in the Orthodox church is very localized. In other words, when you go to an Orthodox Church, be prepared that they may do some things that are unique or customary to that particular parish that may not be seen in other parishes, or may be different from the parish down the street. It doesn't make it right or wrong, just unique.

That is what is cool about Orthodoxy. Although our Liturgy, beliefs, and dogma are all the same throughout the world, each parish has the "artistic license" if you will, to put their own stamp on Orthodoxy.

Example: the local Antiochian parish does the service entirely in English, but mixes Slavic, Greek, and Arabic melodies in their hymnology. While standing during liturgy I recognized hymns that I grew up with as a girl in a Ukrainian parish, and hymns that we currently sing in my Greek parish, while learning new melodies to the hymns we sing. I thought this was really cool how they mixed it all up.

Another example: In the Slavic tradition, most people go up to the priest to venerate the cross and kiss his hand at the dismissal. In the Greek tradition, the priest hands out large chunks of antidoran (blessed bread) and the people kiss his hand at the dismissal.

Just my .02