The Western Rite…
is it real and is it necessary?

Prior to the completion of the Schism, (I set this at the end of the pseudo council of Florence) there were valid liturgical practices in the west. Indeed, there is probable proof that the Celtic Church was eastern in format until the mid ten hundreds. However, a liturgy is the exponent of theology, and the liturgies of the west began to reflect heterodox theological processes going on after the schism was complete, if not before. Certainly if one looks at the Filoque controversy, we can see thought patterns in the west, inconsistent with the teachings and definitions of the Holy Councils.

The Orthodox Faith and, indeed, the entire Christian concept began in the East. It reflects Greco-Syrian thought, and as it developed that method of thought continued. Other patterns developed in the west. For a while the faith in the west was parallel to the east, but with the writings of Augustine, and later Aquinas, we can see the difference in the way of thinking.

Orthodoxy is not simply a collection of ancient customs and rituals. It is rather a way of thinking. It embraces apophatic thought rather than cataphatic thought. It stresses the "Mystery" of God. In this, we Orthodox do not seek to prove the existence of God, but we experience Him through His actions/energies/grace.

I will state again that prior to the schism, the liturgical practices in the West were as Orthodox as those anywhere in the then-known world. As the west grew apart from the true Body of Christ, its liturgies began to reflect those differences in the approach to God.

Today, we have only fragmentary representations of the real ancient, pre-schism western liturgies. While a number of Old forms continue to be used in the west (at least on a limited basis) such as the Gallican, Ambrosian, and the Mozarab, they are tainted by time. While they once reflected the True Church, over time, they have been polluted by the developing heterodox theology of the west. Those liturgies did not exist in some sort of Liturgical Vacuum. They continued to be used and most likely modified over the centuries. These formats may have the "feel" of something pre-schism, but in reality still reflect evolving Roman Theology.

Liturgical archeologists have tried to resurrect Ancient Western Liturgical forms, in order (so they say) to make Orthodoxy relevant to the western mindset. The reality is that this is impossible. First there is the fact that the authentic pre-schism liturgies are fragmentary. In order to use these, the gaps must be filled in. In the movie Jurassic Park, dinosaur DNA was spliced (filled in) with contemporary amphibian DNA. This same process is used on the ancient liturgies like the Celtic Liturgy. Those claiming to have a complete Celtic Liturgy have done a lot of "gene splicing" in the Stowe Missal. It’s a fraud, at best.

Second, and perhaps most important, is the lack of ancillary services that authentically reflect the liturgical practices of the pre-schism era. There are no surviving Divine Offices, such as Matins, Vespers, and Compline, to support the Divine Liturgy. As we can well see in the contemporary Orthodox Church, the Eucharistic Liturgy does not stand alone. It has never stood alone. It is the ancillary services that create the setting, as it were, for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. In jurisdictions using some sort of "western" Rite, the ancillary services are from contemporary sources, if they are used at all.

There is also the issue of the lack of a Sacramentary to support whatever Western Liturgy being used. How exactly, would a Baptism or Wedding have been celebrated in 10th Century Ireland, for example? Many Western Rite Groups use one of three methods here. (1) They use Byzantine formats. (2) They use contemporary western formats. Or (3) they have written them themselves. None of these fill the gap necessary.

Perhaps the worse of all is the attempt to make a relatively recent liturgy into an Orthodox Liturgy by removing the Filioque and adding an Epiclesis. This is fraud at its best. There are any number of Pseudo Orthodox Groups using the contemporary Roman Post Vatican II Novis Ordo in just such a manner. They claim to be "western" Orthodox……it would be laughable, were it not so sad.

I do not want the reader to get the impression that Byzantine Liturgies are exactly the same as they were at the time of the Great Schism. Indeed, they are not. Like their western counter parts, they continued to evolve. However, they continued their evolution in an Orthodox setting. They did not cease to transmit Orthodox theology or Orthodox Practice. They, their ancillary services, and the Sacramentaries continue to reflect the true Faith, one and indivisible.

In my opinion, the only reason that there are those people who want to have/celebrate a western liturgy is pure laziness. One can easily learn a western liturgy from reading a book. This is not the case with the deep complexities of Byzantine Worship. Our worship is experiential. It must be "lived" to be understood. One must do it to learn it. One cannot simply buy a Liturgy Book and after reading it, set about to perform it. It takes years to really understand the complexities of the staging and performance of any Eastern Liturgy. This does not take into consideration the celebration of the most used ancillary services, and the non-eucharistic Sacraments. There is also the case that throughout the year, different Liturgies are used, such as the Presanctified of Gregory the Great, of St. Basil, and far more limitedly, that of St James. These are all required for the simple services for a Church year.

In the west, contemporary formats are simple. You can read the Rubrics and after a bit of study/practice perform them. They are easy to do, easy to perfect. As I have pointed out, such is not the case in Byzantine Liturgics. Cost is often sighted as a reason as well. One can purchase the necessary equipment and vestments to celebrate a basic western liturgy for under $500.00 (American). While, the most basic equipment to properly celebrate an Eastern Liturgy can cost in excess of $1000.00 (American).

On a special note: The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese has a Western Rite. It allowed a number of former Anglicans to maintain their specific Ritual and be a part of the Orthodox framework. It is interesting to note that there has been no substantial growth in this area of the AOCA which would indicate a lack of real need/interest. Further, His Eminence himself has never been the Prime Celebrant in one of the Western Rite Liturgies, nor has he appointed a Bishop to specifically over see this group.

In places where there was a seed of the Western Rite has been planted, there is little growth. The Church of France, established by St. John (Maximovitch) of San Francisco under the Russian Orthodox Church has had many problems, the most prominent is lack of growth.

In conclusion: Western Rite Proponents claim that there is a need to resurrect/reconstruct ancient Western Liturgies because westerners cannot comprehend the "exotic" Eastern Orthodox Rituals. I submit that if they cannot comprehend the highly visual Byzantine Ritual, then they cannot fathom the soul saving theology so eloquently expressed in those Holy and Divine Services. The fact is that the Western Rite is not necessary.