But you may notice that under this Patriarch they now have altar girls (see altar girl on the left).
Another oasis where traditional churchgoers used to find refuge is gone, and St. Athanasius would turn over in his grave.
Lou Niewiadomski
Staten Island, NY
Editor's Note: Thanks, Mr. Niewiadomski. Back in the 1980s my family took refuge in the Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Mass of St. John Chrysostom. It was a beautiful haven at that time, far removed from Vatican madness and largely untouched by the evil spirit of Vatican II.
But the Ukrainians, many of whom had fled the Soviet menace, thought they'd arrived in God's promised land here in America. They let down their guard almost immediately. They underestimated the liturgical innovations that were on the horizon, as well as the cultural threat and its ability to rob their children of any desire to preserve the customs of the old country--customs that had survived Stalinist persecution but were no match for MTV.
The result? Within one generation, the very same church that had been packed to the walls Sunday after Sunday back in the '80s--that had enjoyed ample support to renovate the entire building, with the pastor even managing to bring in world-class artists to transform the dome and all the beautiful icons--is today barely able to keep the doors of the church open, let alone find young men to walk with the priest through "the doors, the doors." With ample room to sit now on any Sunday morning, only a few old timers are left, with the young people conspicuous by their absence.
The modern zeitgeist -- in liturgy and culture -- that was so warmly invited into the Catholic Church fifty years ago has proven to be a demonic entity that has wrought the unilateral and universal destruction of everything our fathers and mothers held sacred and would have died for.
And as your note and photo show, the Eastern Rites were just a generation behind us, and catching up fast.
Again, well played, Vatican II!
