Evangelization: The Byzantine Leaflet Series
Posted by JohnS (July 1, 2006 at 5:40 am)
Our Protestant brothers and sisters have often made excellent use of pamphlets on a variety of topics to get the Good News out to others. In recent years, the lay apostolate Catholic Answers has done this quite well. Conciliar Press publishes excellent pamphlets on Orthodox Christianity that can be found in the narthices of Orthodox Churches across North America.
What is not so well known perhaps, is that our own Byzantine Catholic Seminary Press has a wonderful series of pamphlets that outline the gifts of our own brand of Eastern Christianity.
The Byzantine Leaflet Series includes:
1. Devotion of Byzantine Catholics to the Mother of God
2. The Blessing of Easter Foods/Easter traditions
3. Descent of the Holy Spirit and the Feast of Pentecost
4. Byzantine icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
5. Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord
6. All Souls Saturday
7. Veneration of the Holy Shroud
8. Veneration of the Cross
9. Feast of Epiphany
10. Anointing w/Holy Oil (Mirovanije)
11. Dormition of the Mother of God
12. Blessing of Candles
13. The Great Forty Days (Lent)
14. The Iconostasis
15. St. Nicholas
16. Veneration of Icons
17. Palm Sunday
18. Feast of Holy Transfiguration
19. Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
20. Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great
21. Holy Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts
22. The Creed
23. Liturgical Chant (Prostopinije)
24. Penitential Services (Poklony)
25. Veneration of St. John the Baptist
26. Apostles of the Slavs, Cyril & Methodius
27. Prayers of Blessed Mother of God
28. Spiritual Songs, according to Carpatho-Ruthenian tradition
29. Vespers
30. The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul
31. Matins: Morning Service
32. Christian Burial
33. Resurrection Services
34. Saints Cyril and Methodius, Apostles and Teachers of Ruthenian People
35. The Liturgical Year
36. Immaculate Conception
37. Holy and Great Thursday
38. Observance of Sunday
39. Blessed Bishop Theodore G. Romzha
40. Blessed Bishop Paul P. Gojdich, OSBM
41. Blessed Bishop Basil Hopko
42. Bishop Alexander Chira
43. Bishop Basil Takach
44. The Feast of Annunciation
45. Strasti: Services of the Holy Passion of Our Lord
46. The Akathistos - Hymn of Praise to the Mother of God
47. Holy Mysteries - The Sacraments
48. Holy Christening - Baptism
49. Holy Chrismation
50. Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord
51. Iconography: Sacred Painting in Sub-Carpathian Ruthenia
52. Holy Mystery of Penance
53. The Holy Eucharist
54. The Entrance of Virgin Mary into the Temple
55. Carpathian Miraculous Icons: Mariapoch
56. Holy Mystery of Matrimony
57. Mysteries of Holy Oil
58. Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
59. Weeping Icon of Klokochov
These leaflets are beautifully produced in full color and a bargain at .25 each. Order them from http://www.byzantines.net/byzantinepress/misc.htm. Next: Some ideas on how to evangelize with the Byzantine Leaflet Series.
It’s too bad, but I have heard these wonderful pamphlets derided for any number of reasons that:
- they are too “ethnic” in orientation (they present the ‘Ruthenian’ practice and particular things such as #59, 51, 43, 39, etc. that are from the ‘Ruthenian’ experience that would supposedly be of little relevance to generic American Byzantine Catholics);
- they are not sufficiently ‘byzantine’ (actually I’m surprised that some of them were allowed to be published & distributed at the time they first appeared because they presented a much fuller experience of Byzantine Christianity than was the usual practice in parishes);
- they are too academic;
etc.
Personally I think they are delightful and it is a shame they are not better known. Even a jaded dyed-in-the-wool Rusnak like me still finds interesting things that I’d forgotten about when I look through them.
Comment posted July 2nd, 2006 at 3:50 pm
RDC,
Not being familiar with these pamphlets I have no negative opinion of them. Many of these titles seem very helpful. I will be ordering some in the near future. For example: #3, 5, 10, 14,15,16,17, etc. seem very useful for evangelization purposes.
CDL
Comment posted July 2nd, 2006 at 5:50 pm
Does anyone know if these leaflets can be bought by retailers (ie at wholesale rates for reselling)? There is not much available in this area, but a lot of customer interest in Eastern Christianity in the bookshop in which i work, and I would love to be able to stock them.
Comment posted July 5th, 2006 at 1:10 am
I had forgotten about those pamphlets. Can you let me see what you’ve ordered when you’re done with them, Mr. Lauffer?
Comment posted July 13th, 2006 at 8:02 pm
Nathan,
Sure, but it may be a few weeks.
CDL
Comment posted July 20th, 2006 at 6:25 am