Ashamed
Dear Visitor to my Church,
You’re probably Protestant?
In your church; you come in, sit down, listen to the preacher, get up and leave.
When you come into our church:
Do you understand how we enter?
We cross ourselves.
How do we cross ourselves?
Right to left.
Do you know how to venerate?
Three bows and kiss the icon.
Do you know where to sit?
Men on the right and women on the left.
Sit or stand? Standing is easier otherwise…
Stand when it says to in the book.
Which book?
Blue (hardback) on Sundays.
Blue (paperback) on Wednesdays.
And green (paperback) on Saturdays.
Which parts do you sing?
The priest parts are indicated.
We switch from the front, to the back, to the cover, to the back again, then the front (again).
But you have to know which “tone” and which “saint” to find the parts in the back.
Check the board and the calendar when you come in.
What can a non Orthodox do?
- You can kiss the Gospel book.
- You can kiss the cross after service.
- You can take the bread if it is offered to you.
You can’t take communion. You will learn our music (in about 3 years time). You may learn our terminology though even the church fathers disagree on the meaning of some of the terms. You will come to recognize some, but surely not all, of the saints depicted on our icons. And you will find that we don’t follow certain widely held beliefs (evolution, for example). Plus, our members will be slow accepting you into the community.
Welcome (lol),
A Penitent
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