Liturgies Page:

In keeping with the Command of our Lord, and having a pastoral sensitivity to the deep attachments believers form to their style and form of worship, the Autonomous Diocese of the Pacific Northwest permits a wide diversity in worship, pious opinion, and pious practice, so long as such practice, opinion and worship is consistent with Orthodox Teaching, deeply reverent to the Lord, and Charitable to others.

We, therefore, have approved the following Divine Liturgies for immediate use in the Diocese.  (The texts of these Divine Liturgies, and our other services of devotion and worship will be available through this site as soon as possible.  Please keep checking back!)

Eastern Rite Liturgies Approved for Use:

• St. John Chrysostom in traditional English, Ukrainian, or Old Church Slavonic  (or the language spoken by the people of the Parish.)

• St. Basil, in traditional English, Ukrainian or Old Church Slavonic (or the language spoken by the people of the Parish)

• The Pre-Sanctified Liturgy, in traditional English, Ukrainian or Old Church Slavonic (or the language spoken by the people of the Parish)

Other Eastern Rites may be approved by the Bishop.

Western Rite Liturgies Approved for Use:

• St. Tikhon (1928 Episcopalian Book of Common Prayer with theological corrections):  Traditional English

• St. Gregory,  traditional English

• St. Mark, traditional English

• St. James, traditional English

• Sarum Rite, traditional English

Other Western Rites may be approved by the Bishop.

Generally speaking, we will not approve the Tridentine Mass of the Council of Trent, the uncorrected Episcopalian Book of Common Prayer (of any date), the Roman Novus Ordo, Protestant services for Divine Liturgy (certain Protestant prayer services which do not involve a Sacrament are quite acceptable for devotions and even for public worship), or any other expression which is not fully Orthodox in theology.

“Celtic” Liturgies are normally “reconstructed” Liturgies, and may be approved on a case-by-case basis.

For Baptism,  Chrismation (Confirmation), Ordinations and Consecrations, we utilize the Eastern Rite services, as the theology of these Sacraments diverged quite early on, and we do not have reliable historical Rites for these essential Sacramental Offices.

Both Eastern and Western Rite Betrothal and Marriage Liturgies may be utilized.  The writing and exchanging of privately written wedding vows has never been permitted in the Orthodox Church, as often these do not represent the everlasting or Sacramental Nature of this beautiful Sacrament.

The essential end of all Orthodox Worship is to render our praise, thanks, obedience, worship, contrition, and desire for eternal union with Him to the Lord.  Orthodox Worship also teaches the essential doctrines of the Church, week after week, month after month, year after year. 

While there are clearly some modes of worship which fall short of these goals in one or both of them, we recognize that our Lord is beautifully and rightly worshipped and the Faith effectively taught in many different ways. 

And in the end, these things constitute the reason for our corporate worship.  If it is being done in the fullness of the Faith, with reverence and awe, and teaching what we, as the Body of Christ, believe (and always have believed), we are convinced it is blessed by the Living Lord.

+Andreas, 

SchemaBishop-elect

The Autonomous Diocese of the Pacific Northwest

The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in the USA and

The Autocephalous Slavonic Orthodox Catholic Church in Exile.

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