@Opera_Rocks@BeautyWentFirst There has been a 2000+ years development of liturgical chant that has been guided by the Holy Spirit. Wanting to change something for the sake of change or personal comfort is opposite of Orthodox mindset.
@shagbark_hick It's interesting looking at old photos of some of the towns where they made farms and homesteads. Now all of that is forest again. Being near the Hudson there was a lot of logging, sending the logs down the mills in Glens Falls. Also lots of tanners which used up the Hemlock.
@shagbark_hick St Mark of Ephesus (who is a saint according to some of your Eastern Catholic Byzantine Rite) held fast to the Apostolic Truth and the Church. He was not a reformer and schismatic like Luther. Bad analogy. Anyways Truth has nothing to do with geography. Thanks for the prayers :)
@shagbark_hick No I really don't "have to say" anything. This is not my experience at all at my parish and that is all that matters to me. The OC is better for the whole world as it's the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, full stop. This isn't some east vs west dialectic.
@shagbark_hick I disagree with your assertion that the Orthodox Church is an "ethno-religion." The Church reflects the cultures of the people it resides in, in America that can sometimes come downstream from immigration but there is assimilation. The RCC also has ethnic flavored parishes.
@AmberLakeFarm Nothing beats a fresh baked loaf from the oven. I usually bake 2 loaves a day. I just started getting into whole wheat einkorn. I would love to mill my own someday.
@AppyOrtho I live in a small town in the mountains that had 10 school houses at it's peak population (around 1.3k residents). Last one closed in the 1950s. It's a shame we traded that in for lowest common denominator centralization (which requires 45 minute bus rides)...
@CatholicKingdo1 It's best to follow the ancient practice of Baptism + Chrismation + Communion at the same time and allowing the children full access to the sacraments as infants. One of the big reasons I converted to Holy Orthodoxy.
@SpaceViking@TheLaurenChen lol come on. People think something is good because it was available on radio and tv and on some kind of list. All of it promoted from the top down, not by merit, or by how artistic and good it is. It's about money and promoting degeneracy.