The Portal October 2017 | Page 6

THE P RTAL October 2017 Page 6 Robes and layout Fr Mark Woodruff considers the robes and the arrangement of churches in east and west W hat do the different rites of the Byzantine Catholics, the Syriac Catholics and the Maronites of Syria and Lebanon, the Syro-Malankara of India (the West Syriac family), the Chaldeans of Iraq and the Syro-Malabar of India (the East Syriac family), together with all their non-Catholic counterpart Churches, which we compared last month with the Latin rite in its Divine Worship form, feel and look like? In the East, no colour scheme is defined beyond “light” and “dark” – usually white for Sundays and feasts, or crimson for fasts and mourning. Among the Byzantine Catholics and Orthodox, other colours often substitute for white (e.g. gold, blue for Angels and Virgins, or green at Pentecost), and purple and black can replace red in Lent. But in the two Syriac traditions, white and red prevail. The Byzantine deacon wears what looks like a full- length dalmatic, but it is really an ornamented alb, usually in the same material as the priest’s phailonion. Over this he wears a stole hanging before and behind from the left shoulder, sometimes looped across to his right waist. He holds out the front end as he leads the litanies at the head of the people facing the sanctuary. It is his The priest’s vestment began the same as in the West role also to incense the Altar, the icons of the Lord - the round “cloak” mentioned by St Paul in 2 Timothy and the saints around the Church, together with the 4.13 (phailones, in Latin pænula). We know it as the clergy and people, at the beginning, before the Gospel, chasuble (casula, “a little house”, being so capacious). and at the Great Entrance with the Gifts, veiled in Originally the practical outer-wear of soldiers, slaves, honour to prepare them for transfer to the Altar for horse-riders and itinerant workers (Paul was a the Eucharistic sacrifice. wandering tent-maker), it became the official every- day robe of a Roman senator. Eventually it took In the Byzantine Churches there are no musical different forms, suiting different Churches’ customs. instruments apart from the bells sometimes on the censer. In the Armenian Church the organ has become In the West it was shortened at the arms as the popular thanks to western influence. In the Indian material became heavier, and as the elevation of the Churches, stringed, wind and keyboard instruments Host and the Chalice for adoration during the Canon form part of the tradition, arguably pointing to roots assumed high significance. In the Byzantine rite, this in ancient Temple worship. was not a consideration. So, to ease the movement of the hands and arms for censing and consecration, the Perhaps the most striking feature of Eastern worship phailonion is shortened at the waist. In the churches to Latin eyes is the veil, or the screen of icons, that of the two Syriac traditions (where it is called payna usually marks off the Holy of Holies within the Temple. or phayno), another solution evolved. The same Not a barrier, but a means of revelation, it is opened to capacious vestment is slit down the front and resembles draw us into heaven’s worship, but closed at the most a western cope. solemn moments until, again, Christ God comes forth in Holy Communion. Eastern bishops serve the Liturgy with diverse headdress: the mitre borrowed from the Latins The Anglican patrimony of the Ordinariates is (Armenians and Syriac Catholics), an unpointed simply another part of this diversity across time, mitre with two rounded peaks (the Chaldean and place, Church and culture that is integrated in Syro-Malabar), a hood in similar material to the Catholicism’s unity, and without which Catholicism payna (Syro-Malankara and Syrian Orthodox), or the cannot be universal. On the last Saturday of October privilege of wearing an imperial crown, granted by we can see a realisation of this universal Church, the Byzantine emperors. Byzantine-rite bishops wear when the Eastern Catholic bishops serving Europe the sakkos instead of the phailonion: it resembles the gather to serve the Divine Liturgy of St John western dalmatic, but it is really the imperial robe Chrysostom at Westminster Cathedral, led by His that privileges bishops when celebrating the Divine Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Father and Head of Liturgy. the Ukrainian Catholic Church.