Antiochian Western Rite Vicariate
Encyclopedia
The Antiochian Western Rite Vicariate (AWRV) is the successor within canonical Orthodoxy of the Society of St. Basil
.
by Metropolitan Anthony Bashir in 1961 under the leadership of then Bishop (and subsequently, Father) Alexander Turner. Fr. Alexander had been in conversations with Metropolitan Anthony since 1952 concerning the regularization of the Society of St. Basil.
Fr. Turner served as the first Vicar-General for the new Western Rite Vicariate, a position which he held until his death.
and the publication of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer
, several congregations began to look at the possibility of locating another communion with which they were more ideologically aligned. The first church to be received was the Church of the Incarnation in Detroit, Michigan
. Additional congregations joined over the next several decades, including congregations formerly a part of the Evangelical Orthodox Church
(many subsequently switched to the Byzantine Rite
).
Society of St. Basil
The Society of Clerks Secular of Saint Basil was an organization of Western Rite Orthodox Christians which was absorbed by the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America and was later reestablished out the bounds of canonical orthodoxy....
.
Origins
The Western Rite Vicariate began when the Society of St. Basil was received into the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North AmericaAntiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America is the sole jurisdiction of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in the United States and Canada with exclusive jurisdiction over the Antiochian Orthodox faithful in those countries, though these faithful were originally cared for by the...
by Metropolitan Anthony Bashir in 1961 under the leadership of then Bishop (and subsequently, Father) Alexander Turner. Fr. Alexander had been in conversations with Metropolitan Anthony since 1952 concerning the regularization of the Society of St. Basil.
Fr. Turner served as the first Vicar-General for the new Western Rite Vicariate, a position which he held until his death.
Expansion
Following the conflict over women's ordination within the Episcopal ChurchEpiscopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
and the publication of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
, several congregations began to look at the possibility of locating another communion with which they were more ideologically aligned. The first church to be received was the Church of the Incarnation in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. Additional congregations joined over the next several decades, including congregations formerly a part of the Evangelical Orthodox Church
Evangelical Orthodox Church
The Evangelical Orthodox Church is an Eastern Orthodox Christian movement with its origins in Evangelical Protestantism, particularly in the Campus Crusade for Christ student missionary organization, that came to embrace an Eastern tradition of Christianity....
(many subsequently switched to the Byzantine Rite
Byzantine Rite
The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...
).
Current status
At present, the AWRV consists of more than twenty different congregations in all of the dioceses of the Antiochian Archdiocese. The ordinary of Western Rite parishes is Metropolitan Philip (Saliba) who appoints a Vicar-General to administer the Vicariate. The current Vicar-General is Fr. Edward Hughes. Western Rite parishes are encouraged and expected to be active in the local diocese in which they are located, and episcopal functions are usually performed by the local diocesan bishop.External links
- Official Western Rite Homepage
- Unofficial Western Rite Homepage
- On the Western Rite Edict of Metropolitan Anthony (Bashir) by Fr. David Abramstov (also includes an excerpt from the report of Metropolitan Antony to the 1958 Archdiocesan Convention)
- The Western Rite Criticism by Fr. Alexander SchmemannAlexander SchmemannAlexander Schmemann was a prominent 20th century Orthodox Christian priest, teacher, and writer.-Early life:...
- http://www.kervan.unito.it/contents/documents/n7_11_4_MEDICI.pdf F. Medici, Un abito arabo per Il Profeta. Lettere inedite di Kahlil Gibran a Antony Bashir, "Kervan", 7–11, gennaio 2010, pp. 37–57.