Essay about All Saint’s Orthodox Church Field Research

Having very traditional beliefs, the Catholic Church uses numerous different terms and practices that are not familiar with non-Catholics. Inside of the Discourse community, Catholics have set terms that are used widely to discuss different matters. For instances, the term “priest” is used to describe what others would typically call a “pastor.” In addition to the terms used, there are also rituals that are based on their traditional beliefs. The most drastic of them would be the Eucharist. This tradition is referred to by Catholics as “Holy Communion” and is referred to by protestants as “The Lord’s Supper.” Meg Kane described the differences by saying, “Catholics actually believe that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ. It has much more meaning behind it than other communion services.” (Kane). Drastically differing from other religions, Catholics believe that their priest was granted the ability by God to turn the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

Bishop James opened with the Penitential Rite that refers to the sins of everyone, and the Kyrie, Eleison meaning "Lord, have mercy" which is the form of an confession. Following he reads scriptures from the Bible relating to the scheduled topic. Standing firm in ones faith and identifying ones true identity was the focal point as Bishop James preached while quoting scriptures in the Old and New Testament. Additionally baskets were passed along for monetary offerings as the Mass prepared for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. During this ritual the Priest distributes bread and wine unto the Mass as the traditions of the early church used for the celebration of the Lord's Supper. The celebrant gives high praises to God for the sacrifice of Jesus in which the bread symbolizes the body of Christ and the wine as his blood. The rite concludes with a short prayer and ringing of bells at the Consecration, signifying the holiest moment of the Mass, a symbol of reverent rejoicing. Lastly the Mass ends with the priest blessing the congregation and sending us forth to spread the Word of God and put it into

The second difference evident between the religions is the partaking of Communion. In the Catholic Church, Communion is a very sacred act, and the members are encouraged to receive it frequently. Communion is offered at each service and is always presided over by the priest. The members believe that they are consuming the actual body and blood of Christ during Communion, and are required to fast at least one hour prior to receiving it out of respect. Communion is believed to be the most important of the seven sacraments by the church and required to obtain salvation. On the other hand, Baptists rarely partake of Communion, and is usually reserved for special occasions like Easter and Christmas. Some Baptist churches may partake every few months or quarterly. Although, the pastor of the church normally presides over Communion, any member designated by the church can do so. Baptist religion does not support the rule of fasting prior to Communion, and believe it to be a symbolic reverence to Christ. It is not believed that the actual body and blood of Christ are consumed during Communion.

I attended a mass at Saint Haralambos Orthodox Greek Church. The church is located in Niles which is a suburb of Chicago on Caldwell Street in between Touhy and Howard Street. The mass I went to was on the Sunday of Orthodox which is known as the first Sunday of Lent where they honor the icons. The most important foundations that are highlighted in Greek Orthodoxy are the Bible and Holy Traditions that have been passed down (“Greek Orthodox Church”). The Greek Orthodox Church believes that the bible is motivated by God. Some important dogmas of the church include things such as the Holy Trinity, Jesus, the role that Virgin Mary had, and honoring the icons. The holy sacraments are what lead Greek Orthodox believers that they are reaching

Okay people, try not to laugh too loud, but I thought the bread and wine were called sacraments. Now, I find out that to be politically correct, they are referred to as the elements of the sacrament. As a Baptist, the Lord’s Supper or Communion, which are ordinances, were not commonly referred to as a sacrament which is the religious ceremony.

On the Sunday, the 20th of September I went to St. George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church located in 4335 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20011. The church rents out the National Theater for service every Sunday. This church is a non-denominational church and it is not at all traditional. The Pastor is Brandon Samuel, a middle-aged man with a wife and kids. The service was from 10:00 am to about 12:00 pm. I am a Christian so this church experience was not new to me, but it was quite different from my church at home as the church I attend back home is a Pentecostal church.

Russian Orthodox Christianity as we know it today has a unique and distinct identity from other Orthodox Christian Churches around the world, specifically when it comes to asceticism, monasticism and the understanding of Hesychasm. The devotion that people have towards their faith, along with the majesty of the services with thousands flocking to the cathedrals and monasteries to venerate relics and miraculous icons is rarely seen elsewhere. Russian Orthodoxy has come to where it stands today because of the efforts of many saints and blessed men and women. They fought and persevered through many temptations and difficulties in order to maintain and preserve the faith of the Fathers. This journey, which was filled with glories and persecutions, began with the baptism of Russia in 988, under the rule of Prince Vladimir. It continued through laying the foundation of monasticism in the early eleventh century by St. Theodosius, and later on with the introduction of Hesychasm and mysticism through St. Sergius of Radonezh. Nevertheless, at a certain period in history, roughly around the early fourteenth century, monasticism had reached a stagnant point. The Tartar invasion of 1237, that lasted for about three years affected most of the old communities and produced great disorders in both the religious and moral life of the Russians. Society had not recovered from the aftermath of the invasion until the fourteenth century, when St. Sergius played a great role. Through the efforts

he Russian Orthodox Church when through many troubles during the Soviet Union Era. When the Tsarist government was overthrown and Bolsheviks took over, the Russian Orthodox Church was without official state backing for the first time in its history. The new Communist government issued a decree that declared freedom of religious and anti-religious propaganda which banned church programs from television and led to a decline in church power and influence.

The denomination that I have chosen to research is Russian Orthodox. The reason that I chose to write on this religion is because I have been interested in learning about the Russian Orthodox religion and all that it entails. The main points of this research paper is a quick history, some of their beliefs, and how does their cross compare to the Roman Catholic cross.

Christians have been celebrating the Lord’s Supper for almost two thousand years. In this paper I will refer to the Lord’s Supper as an ordinance of the church. “An ordinance is an outward rite prescribed by Christ to be performed by His Church.” There are quite a few varying interpretations among the different churches on how the Lord’s Supper is to be practiced. I Corinthians 11:23-34 provides Christians with the scriptural meaning and reasons for observing the Lord’s Supper, also known as communion. Many consider the Lord’s Supper of little or no value and some consider the ordinance as more of a ritual. In some modern churches, preaching the Word is emphasized the most and communion is only observed once a month or

Gnosticism can be defined as the mystical perception of knowledge and was considered to be a heresy that was condemned by those who followed the traditional Orthodox form of Christianity. In the second century the movement of Gnostic Christianity occurred; it is also referred to as a Christian sect (Carus). Though people viewed Gnostic Christianity as a sect, it has never been denied that Gnosticism is older than Christianity and the relation and importance between the two groups have never been acknowledged (Gnostic Discoveries). Since the discovery of texts found at Nag Hammadi which presents Jesus as a Gnostic teacher, the connection between the two groups has grown exponentially, and Paul Carus the author of The Monist even believes that Christianity is a branch of Gnosticism. Marvin Meyer a professor of Bible and Christian studies, has found that the discovery of the Gnostic texts allows scholars to get a deeper understanding of Christian teachings and relate the findings to biblical texts (Gnostic Discoveries).

Receiving the Eucharist is one of the most important things we can do as a catholic. Holy Communion is the most important of all the sacraments. It completes the Sacraments of Initiation. The bread and wine we receive at communion is the body and blood of Jesus. It becomes the bread and body of Jesus through Transubstantiation. Transubstantiation is the conversion of the substance of the Eucharistic elements into the body and blood of Christ at consecration, only the appearances of bread and wine still remain. We participate in the sacrament of communion to commemorate all that Jesus did for us and getting nailed to a cross so we can be free from sin and have eternal life in heaven.

Two practices important to Christian worship usually take place in churches. These practices are (1) baptism and (2) the Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper. The ceremony of baptism celebrates an individual's entrance into Christianity. The Eucharist represents the Last Supper, the final meal that Jesus shared with His disciples. Worshipers share bread and wine in the Eucharist as a sign of their unity with each other and with Jesus.

The Communion Christians have always regarded the Holy Communion as being one very important element towards achieving discipleship since the very beginning. However, the question in every Christian’s mind is “what are we doing?” it is, therefore, important to discuss what the holy communion means about theology. The Holy Communion has several names given to it. Among them are: the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, Divine Liturgy, and the Mass. Inside the New Testament, there are also varying details given there concerning what entails the Holy Communion on accounts given by Christ himself.[1] The Holy Communion does not compare to Baptism which is another sacrament that is non-repeatable. It is repeatable to some certain degrees as it can be done on a daily basis such as those performed by the Catholic Church. In other instances, it can be conducted on a much infrequent celebration such as the ones that happen in Reformed Churches. Referring to Baptism, there are differences in the practice and its significance, and sometimes the understanding of what it means to be baptized. This has gone ahead to become e a hindrance to churches having a common celebration, but at the same time, there is some spiritual benefit that accrues to the people that partake in it. In the same way, the Eucharist possess the same characteristics. Nature of the Union of Christ and Church The Holy Communion is not just a matter of people ingathering in unity. The purpose of having the communion is so

Christians' Celebrations of Holy Communion There are many different ways in which Christians celebrate Holy Communion, depending on the denomination of Christianity, in which they belong. Holy Communion is one of the seven sacraments found in Christianity. A sacrament is an outward physical act with an inward, deeper meaning, which can be obtained through various, specific rituals. In the case of Holy Communion, which is also known as the Eucharist meal or Mass, Christian worshippers believe that they receive the body and the blood of Jesus Christ, through the act of eating the bread, which symbolises Christ’s body, and by drinking the wine, said to be his blood. This sacrament originates back to