Caroline Saylor- Church Visit #1

Church name: St. Basil Greek Orthodox Church

Church address: 733 S Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60607

Date attended: October 11th 2015

Church category: Orthodox Church

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?

The service I attended was heavily emphasized on liturgy and Greek tradition—making it an entirely new experience for me. Structurally, this Orthodox service included three separate sessions—beginning with Matins/Orthos service, following with the Divine Liturgy service and concluded with the Homily. The Matin service was characterized with traditional Greek Orthodox chant. The congregation remained silent as the Cantor and Priest led the Katavasias of Theotokos. This specific service took an hour and half of constant chanting and prayer. Following this session the Divine Liturgy began which focused on preparation for communion, Scripture readings and honoring specific icons. The Homily ended the service with a quick practical note on improving our responsibility as a church goer. What stuck out to me the most was the emphasis on icons and the seemingly lack of congregation participation in worship. Throughout the three and half hour service the only time the congregation opened our mouths was for communion and to recite the creed. The icons also added something unique to this experience. As I sat in a pew towards the front, I was able to count 45 different icon images surrounding every wall space in the Sanctuary. Both of those components in Orthodox tradition is held in very high respect and plays a very influential role in their values and worship, yet it was a lot to process through. The style of service was also tough to comprehend—although the morning included three separate services there was no way to distinguish between them (unless I fluently knew Greek). Each session seemed to perfectly flow into the next, making the three sessions feel like one fluent elongated service. People seemed to come and go as they pleased which somehow complemented this style of worship. Some only came for the Matins whereas others came two hours “late” to come for the Divine Liturgy service.  

How did the worship service illuminate for you the history and contours of global Christianity?

What I appreciated most about this service was the ability to profoundly appreciate the robust history behind each time the prayer referred to Theotokos or the “blessed fathers who covered in Nicea” and even emperor Constantine. With an extended knowledge on these specific topics I was able to deeply respect the roots of the Orthodox traditions for the significance each of those components stood for and especially from where they came from. This service also marked the first time I experienced Orthodox chanting, which came as a culture shock to me as well. It was very difficult for me to be able to follow along with all the prayers that were spoken in Greek. Growing up in a non-denominational church I never had much experience in the realm of this style of worship. Being able to experience chanting and the importance of icons allowed me to understand the holiness and admiration that encompasses the preservation of ancient traditions. 

How did the worship service illuminate for you your personal identity as a Christian?

Since I had almost four hours to fully soak in all that an Orthodox Church service is; I was able to work through all the stages of the “fish-out-of-water” emotional state. I found it very difficult to know when it was appropriate to stand, next to impossible to recite the creed in English alongside the sea of Greek and I would suddenly become overly aware of my body language when the incense passed by me. However, I think it was through those uncomfortable experiences that I was only able to achieve a better understanding of who I am as a Christian. Meaning it was only through the confusion that I was able to see the major differences as guides to the underlying foundations that all Christians share. I value a major part of my Christian identity through my community with those who share a love for the same Savior as I have. I see this experience as a way to better understand what I personally value in the context of worship; but also as a way to better understand how different ways the Lord gets loved.