Thanks for the news. I wonder exactly what prayers they used at these Vespers - did they include the Troparion of St. Nicholas or something local to West Virginia?
It is interesting that they prayed at Vespers. And they hardly sang the troparion to St. Nicholas there - after all, he is a Catholic bishop, they have their own rites. It would be interesting to know which psalms and prayers were chosen.
It is interesting whether at that vespers they sang psalms from the ordinary Catholic breviary or did they adapt something because of the new bishop. In our country, Saint Nicholas would certainly be mentioned, but here it is a different church, so it is normal that they have their own. Thanks for the news.
Yes, Vespers is really different for Catholics, and the troparion of St. They definitely don’t sing to Nicholas there. It is interesting that they chose this particular rite - perhaps because it is more solemn than a simple service. Have you been to Catholic vespers yourself, Valentina?
It’s interesting, Valentina, that you noted about the troparion to St. Nicholas - indeed, Catholics have their own texts for Vespers. I once read in an old newspaper about their service in one of the American parishes, they sang Psalm 141 and the Magnificat, and the prayers were more about the episcopal service. How did you know about their rites?
Yes, their rite of solemn vespers really looks more magnificent than ours. I was at Catholic services in Moscow a couple of times when my daughter lived there, but I really didn’t hear the troparion to St. Nicholas. How do you know about their rank, Vera, from books or have you been there too?
Yes, their ceremony is really more magnificent, with incense and everything else. I myself was at a Catholic Vespers in Tula, when I went to visit a friend, and I also noticed that the troparion of St. They don’t sing to Nicholas. What do you think they wanted to emphasize by this, Vera?
Yes, their rite is really different, without our troparion to Nicholas. A couple of years ago I myself attended a Catholic vespers in a church in Moscow when I went there for work, and I was also surprised at how solemn everything was with the censer and choir. Do you, Vera, often compare our services and theirs, or is this a one-time interest?
Yes, the Catholic rite is indeed more solemn, with these processions and vestments. I learned about their Vespers from an old missal that a priest I knew gave me to read back in the 90s. What church did you and your daughter go to in Moscow, if it’s not a secret?
Yes, they do everything on a grand scale, especially these processions. And my daughter and I were at the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Malaya Gruzinskaya; she was still studying at the institute and really asked to see it. Do you still have that missal somewhere or is it already lost?
Yes, the missal is still in the closet; sometimes I take it out when I need to clarify something. And the church on Malaya Gruzinskaya is truly beautiful, especially when the choir sings. My daughter is now in college, and sometimes she also asks to go somewhere together, so I think maybe we’ll come see you sometime.
