Page:The Czechoslovak Review, vol4, 1920.pdf/24

1907. His status was defined upon his arrival, by an apostolic letter, Ea semper, which greatly limited his authority, leaving him without jurisdiction, and thus making him virtually an auxiliary to the Latin bishops. It prohibited the rite of confirmation by the priest, and decreed that no more married priests should be ordained here, nor should any more be brought here from abroad.

These restrictions were the occasion of great dissatisfaction, and about 10,000 members went over to the Orthodox church. Most of these, however, came back later, and bishop Ortynsky’s skillful handling of the difficult situation resulted in the creation in 1913 of the “Ruthenian Greek Catholic Diocese of the United States” in which he received full episcopal powers. This diocese includes all the Uhro-Rusin and Ukrainian Greek Catholics in the United States, and also the Magyar parishes which were in existence at that time. Greek Catholic parishes of other races, including Magyar parishes organized since 1912, are still under the Latin bishops.

Between the Uhro-Rusins and the Ukrainians there are numerous minor differences of custom, the most important of which is probably the variation in the use of the language; the Ukrainian using a reformed, phonetic spelling, while the Uhro-Rusins cling to the earlier etymological forms. Their sentiment may be appreciated by the English reader who pictures the English Bible as it would look if printed with the extreme reformed spelling used by a few enthusiasts like Andrew Carnegie. Lack of political sympathy between these two branches of the faith is also a cause of divergence, and as a consequence they organize separate churches whenever numbers permit. This is often confusing to the uninformed, as in Pittsburgh, where two Greek Catholic churches of St. John the Baptist stand within a block of each other. A neighboring storekeeper explained, “They are both Russian, but one is a deeper Russian than the other.” One is Rusin from Hungary, the other Ukrainian from Galicia.

The latest figures give 124 Uhro-Rusin and 100 Ukrainian parishes in the United States, with 500,000 communicants, of whom the Uhro-Rusins are more than half. Bishop Ortynsky died in 1916 and his successor has not yet been appointed. It is possible that the diocese may be divided and pending the appointment of a bishop diocesan affairs are divided between the Rev. Gabriel Martyak, administrator for the Uhro-Rusins, and the Rev. Peter Poniatishin, administrator for the Ukrainians. The distribution of these churches in the United States is as follows:

Many of these churches are fine handsome buildings of the Byzantine style of architecture, conspicuous with their bulbous domes and three-barred crosses. Their interiors follow the Eastern arrangement with slight variations. Pews are provided and the characteristic banners are scattered through the church, supported above the pews by high standards. Because these churches are built by congregations of immigrants who came here poor and who give of their earnings, it is seldom that one is completely furnished at its building. Decoration and equipment are added from year to year, and each addition to the furnishing of the church is an occasion of celebration. The iconastasis, which takes the place of the chancel rail in the Western church, is the most expensive part of the furnishing, costing, when properly constructed and decorated, from $3,000 to $10,000 according to the size of the church, and it is therefore usually the final achievement. The minor furnishings, such as crosses and reading desk, are often Hucul mosaics.

The services of the Greek Catholic church are practically identical with those of the