Western Rite Orthodoxy

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Western Rite Orthodoxy, also called Western Orthodoxy or the Orthodox Western Rite, are congregations within the Eastern Orthodox tradition which perform their liturgy in Western forms.

Besides altered versions of the Tridentine Mass, congregations have used Western liturgical forms such as the Sarum Rite, the Mozarabic Rite, and Gallican Rite. Some congregations use what has become known simply as the English Liturgy, which is derived from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer,[1] albeit with some Byzantinization intended to emphasize Eastern Orthodox theological teaching.[2] The Western Rite that exists today has been heavily influenced by the life and work of Julian Joseph Overbeck.[3]

Western Rite missions, parishes and monasteries exist within certain jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodox Church, predominantly within the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.[4][5]

In addition, the Western Rite is practiced within religious communities outside the mainstream Eastern Orthodox Church. The Communion of the Western Orthodox Churches and the Orthodox Church of France are entirely Western Rite. Furthermore, there is a small number of Western Rite communities among the Old Calendarists, such as the former Western Rite Exarchate of the Holy Synod of Milan and the Autonomous Orthodox Metropolia of North and South America and the British Isles. Within independent Orthodoxy, the American Orthodox Catholic Church's successors have Western Rite metropolitan jurisdictions. There also are a number of independent Western Orthodox churches and monasteries that are not part of the Eastern Orthodox Church.[6]

Western Rite parishes are found almost exclusively in countries with large Roman Catholic or Protestant populations. There are also numerous devotional societies and publishing ventures related to the Western Rite. Western Rite Orthodoxy remains a contentious issue for some.[7][8]

  1. ^ Farley, Fr Lawrence (2019-09-18). "The Western Rite and the Flow of History". No Other Foundation. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  2. ^ "What is Western-Rite Orthodoxy?". www.stpaulsorthodox.org. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  3. ^ Abramtsova, David (1959). "The Western Rite and the Eastern Church: Dr. J. J. Overbeck and his scheme for the re-establishment of the Orthodox Church in the West" (PDF). anglicanhistory.org. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  4. ^ Bishop Jerome of Manhattan (February 22, 2013). "On the Western Rite in the ROCOR". ROCOR Studies. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  5. ^ "Western Rite: A Brief Introduction". ww1.antiochian.org. Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  6. ^ Melton, J. Gordon; Baumann, Martin (21 September 2010). Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, 2nd Edition [6 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 1904. ISBN 978-1-59884-204-3.
  7. ^ "On the Question of Western Orthodoxy". www.holy-trinity.org. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  8. ^ Cf. Alexander Schmemann, "Some Reflection Upon 'A Case Study'" St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly 24.4 (1980), pp. 266–269; Gregory H. M. Dye, "Some Reflections on the Western Rite – II" St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly 27.2 (1983), pp. 125–126; and Chrysostomos H. Stratman, The Roman Rite in Orthodoxy (Chicago: The Orthodox Christian Education Society, 1957), for examples.