The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-08-24
RUTHEN|AN CATHOLICS
Growth in Numbers, Schools and
churhes-5ishop ortynsky an Ener-
getic Leader-The RuthenIan Rite
Differs From the Latin Rite.

getic Leader-The RuthenIan Rite
Differs From the Latin Rite.
Since the advent of Bishop Ortynsky
in 1907 the Ruthenians have establish
ed large number of churches through
out the United States. Philadelphia is
their educational and religious centre
Their Cathedral of the Imma aculate
Conception is at Franklin and Brown
Streets, and Bishop Ortynsky resides
in the adjoining house with several
assistants. Since his appointment,
says the Philadelphia Standard and
Times, the Bishop has worked hard to
bring the Ruthenians together. The
ten Ruthenian priests then in the
whole country have been increased to
more than 120. In towns where his
countrymen have settled the Bishop
has built small churches and placed a
resident priest, and in addition to-
bringing clergy from his native coun-
try, he has recently ordained five
young men who studied theology in
American seminaries.
A school for the children of the
Greek rite is located at Seventh and
Parrish streets, Philadelphia, and an
orphan asylum adjoins it, both being
conducted by the Sisters of st. Basil.
1t is Bishop Ortynsky's intention to
build a permanent and substantial
seminary for students who wish to
study for the Ruthenian priesthood,
and also to build well-equipped hos
pital for the poor.
In carrying out his many projects
Bishop Ortynsky has spent large
personal fortune. He is the scion of
one of the most aristocratic houses of
Austria, and inherited large fortune.
The Ruthenians, who are either
Hungarian or Austrian, and not
Greeks, as is commonly thought, use
mother countries, but are as loyal to
the Roman See as the people of the
Latin rite. They believe the same
doctrines, the only difference being in
the ceremonies and some minor rules
in the matter of discipline. Ruthen1ans,
while using the Greek rite, have no
relation with the Greek schismatical
Church, and to distinguish them from
the so-called "Orthodox" Church of
Russia are frequently called "Uniat
Creeks" because of their being in
union with the Holy See
The Ruthenian Rite.
The rite used by the Ruthenians is
that of Saints Cyril and Methodius,
and is one of the Oldest of the Church,
being that of the ancient Slavs. In
succeeding centuries, as the Latin rite
prevailed in most of the European
countries, the Ruthenians were al
lowed to preserve their ancient GUS
toms, and have in recent years
brought them to this country Their
forms of worship seem strange to the
Catholic accustomed only to the Ro-
man rite, and have frequently made
them the objects of distrust to Ameri-
can Catholics.
The Mass as said by the Ruthenians
is in ancient Slavonic. The altar is
separated from the body of the
church by high partition called the
iconastasis, upon which the picture
of Christ and His Mother, as well as
various saints, are placed. Even the
vestments used in the celebration of
Mass are quite different from those of
the Latin rite.
In the Ruthenian rite communion is
given to the laity under both forms.
Organs are never used in the
churches, and their church year fol-
lows the Julian calendar, which is now
thirteen days behind the Gregorian
calendar, which is in use in the
United States and Western Europe.
Another quaint difference from the
Latin rite is the display of the So
called "three-armed" cross, instead of
the usual Crucifix. This cross, in
stead of one cross-arm, has three, the
lower one being placed obliquely. In
all their religious services the men
and women are separated, occupying
different sides of the church.
During the past ten years the i'm
migration of Ruthenians has grown to
an almost phenomenal extent, and it
is estimated that there are at present
in the United States more than 400,.
900 Greek Catholic Ruthenians, one
half of whom have located in Penn
sylvania.
With the growing number of Ruth
enians in this country and the neces-
sity for providing for their spiritual
poodc fbo popo annoiufod a roprocor
tative to direct the work of the clergy.
In 1907 he made Rev. Stephen Softer
Ortynsky, a Basilian monk, head of
} the Monastery of st. Basil, in Galicia,
as Ruthenian-G Greek Bishop In the
United States and Titular Bishop of
Daulia. He has had remarkable sue
| cess in building up substantial institu-
J tions for his flock, and he is doing
much toward inducing his Ruthenian
| L G T. A =