Click on the dropdown button to translate.

Translate this page:

+ Western Rite Vicariate +

​“And the Brethren shall dwell together as one…” (Deut 25:5)

Home of the Western Rite Vicariate - OCA-UAOC/SEC

YOU ARE WELCOME...

​The Western Rite Vicariate, a part of the Orthodox Church of America and Dependencies and under the Omophorion of His Beatitude +DIMITRI, Primate of the Autonomous Synod of Bishops - Apostolic Orthodox Church (COAC).  His Eminence Metropolitan +MARTIN serves as Archbishop to oversee the Western Rite Vicariate located in Michigan, USA. He is also the Abbot and General Superior of the Western Rite Religious Order of the Little Brothers & Sisters of Jesus of the Most Blessed Sacrament.  Assisting His Grace is the Right Reverend Archbishop Dom +HAROLD, Auxiliary in Brazil for South America. The Vicariate includes churches and missions located worldwide throughout Ecclesiastical Provinces of the American Dependencies and welcomes both Clergy and Laity who are interested in becoming an active member of our Third Order.

 His Eminence Metropolitan Archbishop +MARTIN
General Superior of the Western Rite Vicariate
Abbot of the Holy Face of Jesus Skete
(Apostolic Orthodox Church of the Archdiocese of Eastern United States of America)

Vladyka Monsenjor +GREGORIUS, Auxiliary of the Wester Rite, Exarcado Do Brasil

Dom +HAROLD, Archbishop & Auxiliary of the Western Rite Vicariate in Brazil

H.G. +MUSONGE JOHN, Prior, Monastic Diocese of St. Benedict, UGANDA (bi-ritual)

​The purpose of the Western Rite is...
1. To provide a home in the Orthodox Church for western people of non-Byzantine cultural and religious background.
2. To witness to the catholicity of the Orthodox Church to her Byzantine Rite people, priests and theologians.

His Eminence Abbot +MARTIN incensing the Holy Altar

+MICHAEL visiting with +MARTIN at the former Monastery in Coleman, Michigan years ago

Beautiful embroidered vestments of the Orthodox Western Rite

Our Brothers and Sisters in the United States

Father John Marion

St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church
in Palm Coast, Florida
visit the website at https://stjohnthebaptistorthodoxchurch.weebly.com/
Rev Fr John Marion, Pastor
​
St. Lucy of Syracuse Orthodox Church
in Riverton, Wyoming
Archbishop +NEKTARIOS, Pastor

Back to Top

Our African Brothers & Sisters...Serving the Lord...

Prior +MUSONGE JOHN outside the Convent of the Sisters of St. Benedict

Religious Sister commissioned by the Prior

Monastic Diocese of St. Benedict
Good Shepherd Parish in Kyankaranga Village, Rubitizi District 
Rev Fr Kahunga Johnson, Rev Deaconess Katusabe Beatres, Parish Leaders

     Christ King of Peace Parish in Ryamatumba Village,      Rubitizi District
Rev Fr Muhindo January, Pastor

St. Daniel Sub Parish in MunyonyiVillage, Rubitizi District
Rev Deaconess Atuhirwe Kellen

 St. Benedict Sup Parish
Rev Deaconess Businge Jacinta and Rev Sister Mbambu Sylvia

St. Zachariah Parish in Ndongo Bwera, Bwera Convent
                  Rev Fr Muhindo Joveneli Deya, Rev Sister Kebirungi Rachel                      and Rev Sister Nasasira Prosy
​
                Rev . Sr. Ainnembazi Anita catechist Holy Trinity Parish Kasese                   and at the Cathedral.
                Rev Sister Kyomuhendo  Moreen is the Catechist of Divine Mercy                 in Kizungu Village, Kasese District
Novice Mbabazi Maxsecia serves where needed but stays in Kasese Convent

---

Prior with Mission Children

Liturgy at Sister's Convent

Liturgy with the Brothers

Back to Top

Anyone interested in becoming a part
of our Western Rite Vicariate
or active in the Third Order
Please contact Metropolitan Archbishop +MARTIN
+ Holy Face of Jesus Skete +
800 East Court Street #247 - Flint, Michigan 48503 USA
at Deporres63@gmail.com

FAITH & TEACHING: Western Rite members shall adhere to the full Orthodox faith without admixture, omission or variation. 

LITURGICAL PRACTICE: The clergy and laity of the Western Rite shall conform in all respects to the liturgical standards set by the Western Rite Commission and approved by us. No one shall introduce any modifications, variations, changes, amendments, revisions, “improvements,” omissions or alterations.  “Restorations” or reconstructions of ancient rites or offices are not to be used until approved for general use by the Vicariate Extemporaneous rites or prayers are never to be used in public worship or inserted into authorized rites, except briefly at the end of sermons where it is customary.

LITURGICAL CALENDAR: The calendar of the Western Rite is the annual Ordo published by the Western Rite Vicariate and shall be used in all parishes of the Western Rite.  The Eastern Orthodox Calendar may also be observed.  The Western Rite parishes shall observe the feast of Easter on date observed by the entire Orthodox Church or the Western Paschalia as observed by the Orthodox Church of Finland which is under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

DEVOTIONAL PRACTICES: Devotional customs and practices currently used among Western heterodox may be followed if the use does not imply heresy, as e.g. Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Stations of the Cross, Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Novenas, etc. In particular instances where a community is especially attached to a feast, saint or practice not normally representative of the Eastern Orthodox faith, but well established among Western heterodox, prudent pastoral judgment is to be followed.

FIDELITY TO THE RITE: Western Rite clergy are authorized to celebrate the Eastern Rite in Eastern Rite churches if they have adequate training and have the blessing of the Eastern Rite bishop. Likewise, Eastern Rite clergy are authorized to celebrate the Western Rite in Western Rite churches if they have adequate training and have the blessing of the Western Rite bishop.

ECCLESIASTICAL DRESS: Western Rite clergy are not to use the dress, vestments, rites, forms or customs of Byzantine Rite clergy when celebrating the Western Rite. At common services on pan-Orthodox occasions, clergy who are serving may wear the vestments appropriate to their Rite. 

AUTHORIZED TEXTS: Only time immemorial accepted texts [e.g. the Divine Liturgy of St. Germain of Paris, the Divine Liturgy of St. Tikhon, the Divine Liturgy of St. Gregory and the Gallican Rite] are authorized for use in the Western Rite Vicariate. Many Liturgies/Mass texts have been approved by Old World Patriarchates, most especially by the Russians and Antiochians, for use in the United States and wherever the Orthodox Western Rite is celebrated.

NOTE: The Western Rite, as approved by us, the Russian Church, the Antiochians and other Eastern jurisdictions, is a theologically corrected form of worship used by the Latin Church (Roman) or the Anglican Communion. In some Western Rite congregations, the Liturgy may be a Latin or English form of pre-Vatican-II Roman Catholic worship. (In France , all native French Orthodox Christians, who number in the thousands, use this form of worship). Other Western Rite parishes use a liturgy based on the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.  Modifications, while important, would not be terribly noticeable to even the most regular worshippers. Two of these alterations include the deletion of the filioque (“and the Son”) in the Nicene Creed and the addition of a stronger Epiclesis in the Eucharistic Prayer said by the priest at the consecration of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.

RUBRICS: The bread used for the Mass shall be leavened hosts made of pure wheaten flour, water and yeast. Other forms of leavened breads or the use of unleavened hosts are forbidden except for grave necessity. The Wine must be made of pure grapes for Sacramental use. In cases of extreme necessity the Mass may be celebrated in a place other than a consecrated church building, in which event the Priest must bless the place to be used with Holy Water, and put the sacred antimins on a suitable table on which the Mass is to be offered. 

Back to Top

---