From Orthodox Field Guide, comes a fictitious story of a visit to an Orthodox Church. Sometimes we forget what a first time visit can be like!
When one first enters an Orthodox church, it may be a scary or intimidating experience. There is often confusion about what everyone is doing, when and why they’re going around kissing things, and what a visitor should do or how to behave.
“And did those people really just kiss the hand of that man in the Matrix outfit? Yes, I’m pretty sure that just happened.”
So let’s demystify this a bit with a story. In this imaginary Sunday morning experience we meet George, a lifetime Orthodox Christian, and Sally, a recent inquirer. Not every detail of this story is replicated in every place, but rather this story is told to give you a sense of what one might see.
George arrived for liturgy, and greeted a few friends on his way in. Fr. Sergius, a semi-retired priest who serves the parish in a limited capacity, was just coming through the doorway, too. He greeted Fr. Sergius by saying,
“Father, bless!”
and then swept his right hand to the ground, bending at the waist. While he was doing that, Fr. Sergius made the sign of the cross over him, and said,
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!”
while George placed his right hand, palm up and open, into the palm of his left hand, and Fr. Sergius placed his own hand into George’s hands, while George kissed it. George followed this pious custom out of reverence for the Lord and respect for hands that were tools in the hands of God—hands used in the great task of bringing the incarnate Son of God to the people of God through ordinary bread and wine. These hands were holy, for they have handled the holiest things on earth.
Sally watched all this from a few steps behind George.
After this greeting, George entered the foyer and venerated several icons. Sally observed awkwardly from the side, noting that George crossed himself twice, bending over and touching the ground, standing up to kiss the icon, and then crossing and bowing one more time, touching the floor with one hand. When George venerated a second icon, Sally watched closely, and saw that George was kissing the hand of the figure on the icon, rather than the face.
Next, George walked over to some boxes of candles and what appeared to Sally to be a sand-filled litter box. George dropped a few dollars in a bin, and took several candles. Sally wasn’t really sure what to do, so she just awkwardly smiled at a few elderly ladies in head coverings eyeing her, then quickly looked away.
George walked into the nave—the main part of the church, where the congregation stands—and made his way to the front. Sally entered right behind him, but lingered along the rear wall. He stood for a few brief moments in front of several icons, apparently praying, and repeated the triple crossing and bowing kissing thing, and occasionally would light the candles he had, cross himself yet again, and place the candles on these interesting-looking gold or bronze stands.
Eventually, George made his way to a place in the congregation to stand. Like many other Orthodox parishes in America and around the world, this church had pews, and he took a place, but he did not sit.
Something then occurred to Sally—there were chanters up front and off to the side, and a priest was swinging a thing full of incense and muttering some barely audible words. It appeared to her that the service was already in progress, but people were still milling about, kissing icons and lighting candles.
Much of the service was a blur for Sally. There were a lot of hymns, a lot of “Lord have mercys,” and a number of strange words, like “Theotokos.” Some of the service was in a language she didn’t recognize—perhaps she even heard several languages, she could not be completely sure.
There were distinctly familiar moments, such as Scripture readings—but even such moments felt unusual to her, since they were chanted instead of simply read. And what was with all the crossings? She must have seen the sign of the cross made a thousand times around her.
There was a sermon in the middle of the service. Everyone sat down, and there were even a few people in flip-flops who just plopped down on the floor along walls and in corners. The sermon was nice, but it felt strange to her. No pulpit, no detailed verse-by-verse exposition, and certainly no emotional altar call. Perhaps most striking was that the sermon clocked in at 15 to 20 minutes or so (who’s counting?) instead of the 45 minutes or more she was used to at her old church.
After the sermon, there was a great deal of commotion up front, behind a strange wall with a lot of icons on it, while a choir in a balcony above sang a cappella hymns. She found it a little jarring when the priest chanted for something or other to depart—over and over he said a strange word about some people and told them to depart. Yet, she never saw anyone depart (except for people with fussy babies, but this didn’t appear to have any correlation with the command to depart!).
After that, more litanies were sung, and the priest prayed a lot of prayers. George appeared to be at home, crossing himself and bowing his head slightly just about every time the choir sang
“Lord have mercy.”
At one point, Sally felt really awkward when a long line of people came out from behind the icon wall…a few kids, a couple assistants, and the priests literally paraded down the north side of the nave carrying a cross, some disc-like things, incense, a chalice, some cloths, and other mystifying items. And as they rounded the corner at the back, she realized she was in the way, and stumbled her way to the opposite side of the center aisle. The entourage rounded another corner and headed down the main aisle toward the altar, praying for various names of people.
The rest of the service was pretty much a blur to Sally. She occasionally glanced at George, but he seemed right at home, crossing himself and occasionally singing along to “Amens.” The service felt long, and sometimes she got tired from standing, so she would rest in a pew set along the back wall.
The one moment that stood out to Sally was toward the end of the service, when it was time for communion.
The priest announced,
“Holy things are for the holy!”
and the choir responded,
“Only one is holy, only one is the Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father!”
Then a minor rustling began as men, women, children, and the elderly alike began lining up in the center aisle with most crossing their arms against their chests, while a few carried small children. Up front, it looked as if the priest was spoon feeding each person from a golden chalice, but it was difficult to see from the back of the nave. Whatever was happening, it looked pretty special to Sally.
As people moved past the priest, they took a few pieces of bread from a bowl and returned to their places in the building. One stranger greeted Sally with a piece of bread and said to her,
“Christ is in our midst!”
She sheepishly replied,
“Thank you,”
and took the bread.
After the service was over and the priest made a few announcements, Sally was more-or-less swept away into a river of people going down to the front of the Church and speaking with the priest. People were kissing a cross and the priest’s hand, and then receiving more pieces of bread from a bowl held by a young child. Sally was greeted warmly by the priest and invited to stay for coffee hour afterward. Still processing everything that she just witnessed, Sally thanked him, and made her way toward the door.
Ann Asher says
Yep that is pretty much how it went for me ! Including the part about standing in precicely the wrong place.
Tatiana says
This is a good scenario. I always tend to think that every newcomer is in awe at the beauty and truth but this seems more accurate!
Metrpolitan Ephraem says
CHRIST IS RISEN…..to the embarrassment of many ….the Nationals, by insisting on maintaining ancient dead languages, have given the impression that one ‘must’ be Greek or Russian to enter or join The Church Holy Bible is quite clear: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ JESUS.”–Galations 3:28.And again: Colossians 3:11.,…as if God knew He’d have to say it twice to get it through some thick skulls.. Indeed, He is Risen
Kim Bentz says
Everyone else seems to know what is happening. You don’t. You pick up the “hymnal” (if there is one) and try to follow along, but can’t make heads or tails of it. Sometimes you can find it, then for long periods you simply don’t.. Sally Baptist would have come from a church where they either 1) had the hymnal and called out the number so everyone could have the words and music in front of them, or 2) had the words displayed on an overhead screen in front of the congregation.
Sally Baptist came from a church where simplicity and unadorned walls were the norm, even praised. No incense, no doors, probably no robes (except some choirs), nothing happening beyond doors where she could not see, Paintings everywhere, all of them with halos.
If she is awed, it may be because the service isn’t about HER. The bowing, the crossing, the incense, the robes…all of that may seem a distraction, but she may begin to understand, as I did, that the service wasn’t about HER. It’s a stirring experience in an entirely different way than what she is accustomed to.
Fr. David Belden says
In 1985, after graduating from St. Vladimir’s in New York, I was assigned to a Russian parish in Toronto, ostensibly to introduce an English-language ministry for the young. I was told by older members that I had “to be Russian to be Orthodox”. I replied that I was American or English extraction, and that the Orthodox faith had been brought to Britain by St. Joseph of Arimathea in Apostolic times; that the LAST great Archbishop of Canterbury, St. Dunstan, died in 988, the very year of Russia’s conversion! Consequently, England had been Orthodox for almost 1,000 years before the conversion of Russia, right up until the Norman Conquest, the imposition of the Filioque and Roman Catholicism.
This argument did not seem to carry any weight, and I ended up as Orthodox chaplain at the University of Toronto, a fruitful ministry out of which came St. Joseph of Arimathea, Toronto’s first and only English-language parish (of 30)!!
St. Joseph’s has an attendance of 150-200 on an average Sunday.
James Carvin says
This is a great description. Unfortunately, it is precisely why she won’t ever come back. She will now be told by her Baptist friends that the Orthodox worship Mary, the Theotokos and the saints and she will believe that these claims are true because she thinks she has seen it for herself. She will have to be seriously gifted in mental acrobatics to second guess all the reasons why their claims are untrue. The Orthodox will then continue to take a trust us, we know and you don’t attitude. If you are called the Holy Spirit will teach you so we can abdicate any sense of responsibility we have in that area.
reader john says
Father bless. I had the same remark made to me by a Russian lady after she found out that I was a Virginian and a member of a vibrant, English-speaking, ROCOR parish. I merely asked her what percentage of Roman Catholics did she think were actually residents of Rome.
Pauline Pujol says
I am a baptised twice Protestant, infant by sprinkling and adult by full immersion, both citing the Trinity.
On occasion I visit different Orthodox Churchs in New York City. My regret is that many appear as an Ethnic Country Club. The Orthodox Church claims to be the one true Church of Jesus Christ. This is America, not Greece, not Romania, not Russia. To have to stand and listen in a foreign language is a turn-off. You would do much better and draw in more persons to Orthodoxy if the entire litany was in English.
New York City
Fr. John says
Pauline – that is correct! That is why Journey To Orthodoxy exists! To show that, despite several parishes which still primarily serve an immigrant mindset, there are many – a multitude even – Orthodox parishes reaching out to the local community in the language that community speaks, whether English, Spanish or more!
See this article for more information: Why Americans Need An All-English Liturgy.
Juliana says
This is about how it went for me. I realized something special was happening during communion, particularly when I noticed infants communing (spiritual milk…).
To James Carvin, I hope it was out of humility and awe that these folks were at a loss for words and not out of arrogance. And, yes, I did come back again and again and so did my mother. No matter how much some things are explained to some people even with signs, wonders and miracles some still will not believe.
Daniel says
The Normans imposed the filioque and Roman Catholicism upon the English Orthodox Church? Somehow I doubt that that is the whole truth of the matter.
Think of how Christianity would have been spared so much division if the Byzantines hadn’t have been torn apart by the iconoclastic movement.Rome never had a problem with images but the Byzantine emperor and patriarch persecuted the Western Church for not going along with their destructive campaign,just as they persecuted her for not going along with monothelitism a century or so earlier.If I were a Western Christian I would hate the Byzantines and want to free of their oppressive yoke.Would you like to see the Roman pope be a vassal of an oppressive,frequently heretical foreign power,if you owed your church unity to the See of Peter?
The Byzantine Empire was dying a slow death and the West was on the rise.Rome was forced to take up with the Frankish kings if it were to survive.What would you do in that situation? If it weren’t for the papacy,the West would be under Muslim rule just like the the East.
Fr. John says
The papacy didn’t save the west from Islam, Constantinople did, and when it fell, Charles Martel did. The Crusades were originally formed to protect Christians in the East on pilgrimage, but ultimately they got lazy and greedy, sacked Constantinople themselves, weakening it and leading to its fall. Rome wasn’t ‘forced’ to take up with Frankish kings. Charlemagne refused to reach out to his fellow Christians in the East and made himself the ‘Holy Roman Emperor’ while the real Emperor was still living across the Bosphorus! True, Rome did attempt to barge in on the iconoclastic controversy, which it was not embroiled in, but ultimately it was the Council, not the Pope, which convened and declared iconoclasts anathema.
The whole truth is that many things are often ‘left out’ of the ‘whole truth’, especially in Western Christian texts.
Lori says
I am preparing to attend my first Orthodox Church. I’ve tried to read what it might be like, but the book I read did not mention some of this. I am interested in going, but as an uber introvert, the idea that I might stand out in some sort of religious faux pas way is nerve wracking.
Fr. John says
Lori, relax. Probably you’ll be so self-conscious that you may notice most people won’t notice you – they are too busy worshipping! Go in peace with no expectations and let the Holy Spirit do the work. Also, a call in advance to the priest is a courtesy. Give him the courtesy of letting him know you are coming! Christ is Risen!
Lori says
I Facebooked the Priest (technology does have its uses at times!), so he knows I want to attend. I will let him know that my intention was sincere and plan on going this Sunday. Thank-you.
Fr. John says
Have a good time. We will be praying for you. Remember, though, for many of us the ‘first visit’ was awful! May it be glorious for you!
Pauline says
Lori – May your first visit be a time of blessing for you, even if it’s also a time of many new experiences. My children and I were just received into the Holy Orthodox church a few weeks ago on Holy Saturday – and I must admit that there are still moments I get “wrong” in terms of “what am I supposed to do now,” and that is after 2-1/2 years of attending Orthodox churches in our conversion process. Most people won’t even notice, those who do will either be charitable or not. The latter can be ignored to an extent – we don’t attend the Liturgy to play “spot the outsider,” and it should be the focus of anyone there. The vast majority who notice you are new will be warm and gracious and extraordinarily welcoming.
In my parish, my first visit was just over a year ago. My husband and I were brand new in town (we’d just moved due to a new job for him), and I was immediately put on bed rest due to complications of pregnancy with my fourth child.
I attended Liturgy a whopping once before being put on bed rest, and I was stunned when this small parish of people who really didn’t know me started making a rotation for bringing my family meals. I knew there must be something pretty profound about the faith and practice of a community that showed that much love to a newcomer.
We will be praying for you this weekend!
In Christ –
Pauline
Lillibet says
Finally, I know what that particular, peculiar gaze, which I clearly had, is called. Mostly, I remember being nervous, muttering something like, “5 day deodorant pad, don’t fail me now.” [Just keeping with that personal care product meme.] Having lived past saucer eyes, I’ve still never figured out how to properly say thanks for the bits of bread, lovingly placed in my hands by nearby strangers, as the exact wording depends upon who is giving, and which language tradition is involved. By week three, I did remember to place a clean sandwich bag in the purse, along with a suitable real linen napkin to wrap around this treasure. Upon arriving at home, I am careful to parcel out a little piece of bread, to ensure I have a few crumbs for as many day as possible, until I can get back again. The taste of it brings me right back to Sunday morning.
Sure, Orthodox worship is a lot different than sitting in a service with God’s Frozen People. It’s less different from Greek to Romanian, to the other Greek, to the Russian to the English speaking parishes, yet locals all have their own customs that add to the richness of each service. If Greek I and Greek II would consistently put the emphasis on the same syl-LA-bel, I’d maybe have an easier time. One church only uses readers who are native Greeks, others use readers with Greek as language learned at any time, including adulthood. Has anyone heard Greek mixed with a heavy dose of Louisiana?
Every parish has its own customs, and each has its unique beauty. I’ve tagged along with a variety of Orthodox friends, getting a taste of the UN in the city by the big lake, meaning only a few Sundays in any given parish. This is the wonder of it, in that unity permeates the worship of every church, in unison participating in the same liturgy. Chances are good that in some remote area of Russia there is a service any American could navigate without much instruction, except perhaps in the language spoken. I don’t think every church is steeped in a single ethnic tradition any longer, or at least that’s so around me, but after reading many articles here at JTO, the service was less mysterious, except of course, when the services are supposed to be mysterious. Then the mysterious is delightful.
Patristic Anglican says
I’ve attended three different parishes in three different cities and this is precisely what I’ve exper
Patristic Anglican says
I’ve been to multiple parishes for several weeks and at each one this is precisely what I experience. Orthodoxy in the Southeast US has a long way to go but I pray that it will become Americanized sooner rather than later.
Ann Asher says
I pray God don’t let Orthodoxy become Americanized ! Language isn’t a problem for me. Americans are too ignorant of the classical languages. My first experience, although sharing the awkwardness mentioned here, was also struck with something holy deep within my soul. The last thing I would pray for is Americanization- that is what has destroyed the roman church and eastern Catholics
Kira Mihailitchenko says
I am sure Sally felt the presence of God in the church. People should not make to much of the prostrations and kissing of icons, the essence is always the same and should be always the focal point , your communion with God with sincere feeling of Love to the Creator.
In the story looks like Sally had never been exposed to any cultures which I find difficult to believe since we have so much information about the world thru books, media , travel etc.
The true essence of orthodoxy is universal and can be understood by every person i.e. love for God and love for man, it is expressed by kissing icons, standing for a long time during liturgy, doing prostrations, singing , praying , or just feeling the love of God which every soul perceives it differently.. I never appreciated to much dogma which can not be replaced by the true soul .who instinctively senses the presence of God. and his love for man his own creation. God bless you and keep you well..
Juliana says
To Patristic Anglican,
I live in the SE US in a large city and my experience, though in many ways similar to this article, is very different in one big aspect to other commenters: my parish celebrates services only in English with the very occasional use of “Lord, have mercy” and “Christ is Risen” in other languages. My parish is a beauiful blend of mostly Southerners, a few Yankees, some Middle Easterners and a handful from Eastern Europe and Africa. The Greek parish in town feels the most Southern because the majority of the members are locals to this large Southern city, despite the fact that the services vary from majority English to majority Greek depending upon who is serving. The OCA parish, though very small, has a handful of Russians and a handful of Southerners. I’ve attended Orthodox services in other small towns and can attest that Southern, American Orthodoxy is alive and well and rooted in a love for Greek, Slavonic and Arabic. I’m not quite sure what folks want – to be rid of all ethnicities who contributed to Orthodoxy? I’m grateful not just for priests and laymen who understand the classical languages but who understand them in the context of the Church.