The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-03-26
Uhro-Rusin Ukrainian
State

Many of these churches are fine handsome buildings of the Byzantine style of architecture, conspicuous with their bulbous domes and three- barred crosses. Their interiors fol- Iow-the Eastern arrangement with slight variations. Pews are provided and the characteristic banners are
 scattered through the church, sup
 ported above the pews by high stand ards.
 | Because these churches are built i by congregations of immigrants who | came here poor and who give of | their earnings, it is seldom that one | is completely furnished at it's build i ing. Decoration and equipment are | added from year to year, and each 1 addition to the furnishing of the 1 church is an occasion of celebration.
 The iconastasis, which takes the | place of the chancel rail in the West 1 ern church, is the most expensive part of the furnishing, costing, when properly constructed and decorated, | from $3,O0O to $10, 900 according to l the size of the church, and it is there | fore usually the final achievement. | The minor furnishings, such as cross es and reading desk, are often Hucul
 mosaics.
 The services of the Greek Cath oIic
 church are practically identical with those of the Russian Orthodox
 church, the Old Slavonic being the
 church language. Anointing with oil
 is a feature of the service on great
 feast days, as is also the distribution
 to non-communicants of the anti
 1 dOron, or blessed bread, in memory of the agape or primitive lOvefeast. For this purpose five small loaves
 are blessed at ,vespers, syrnbolizing
 the five Ioaves which Jesus blessed
 and with which he fed five thousand people. The services, when well rem , dered, are very beautiful and impres-
 sive. No musical instrument >is per i mitted, but the service is entirely choral and antiphonal throughout, 1 the people being trained to their part
 from earliest childhood. In some 1 churches the whole congregation takes part in a wonderfully effective , unison, in others a trained choir sings l the service.
 ] The cantor, or musical director, oc-
 cupies a position of considerable inn T portance leading the congregation s s part in the service, and also teach r ing the children, to whom he usual ! ly gives instruction two hours a day, A thorough musical training is in = c1uded in preparation for the priest : hood, and many of the clergy are ! accomplished musicians and actively ) promote the musical organizations I which are so large a part of the = Slav's cultural contribution to $ America.
 ! The congregations are most devot- V ed and devoUt. Rapidly @S churches T have been built, they arW still al s ways crowded, and it is no uncom- = mon thing, even on a winter Sunday = to see kneeling on the steps of the r church and there following the ser Ii vice, worshippers who could not gel r even standing room inside.
 Q The clergy include many men ot l. the finest ca1ibre. In the old coun. S try they were almost the only edu y cated class and they were the h medium through whom the nationa g traditional and ideals were passed on $ Many have come to America becaus, 0 of political persecution, which is il e itself a certificate of quality, since