BROOKLYN–There’s a change of discourse. The prayers cease at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church in Brooklyn and the hand greetings begin. The short, intense eye contact suggests that mass is not the only reason for coming to church. Then the blessing is passed on to the next member of the community.
It’s the ‘Kiss of Peace,’ part of the Orthodox mass in which the priest encourages all members of the community to wish each other peace by giving “the holy and divine embrace” before Communion. The mass is read in Malayalam, one of the 23 official languages of India. But for this particular part of the mass, the priest reads in English.
“Let us in love of our Lord and our God give peace to one another, everyone to his neighbor by the holy and divine embrace.” Even though the priest speaks into a microphone his voice is so soft that it is hardly audible. Still, his congregation knows what to answer: "Lord God make us worthy of his peace all the days of our lives.” The words are spoken in Malayalam.
“The priest, Father John, represents Jesus and he gives love to the altar boy by rubbing his hands,” explains Anu Joseph, 25, who teaches at the Orthodox Indian Sunday school after mass. “The boy passes it on by touching the next person's hand. Normally, the men and women don’t sit together, but our church is so small that they might offer the peace blessing to each other anyway.”
Most of the mass is read as call and response between the priest and his congregation. The priest reads a line or two and the congregants answer in verses from a liturgical book.
But the heart of the peace ritual is not necessarily verbal; it is what happens between the worshipers. The stroke of hands and the brief eye contact between parishioners wishing each other peace shows that the church is built on its people and their interaction.
Nancy Crackel, 21, slides her hands between mine. She wears a turquoise sari with golden stitching; little glass pearls are woven into the fabric. She tries to cover her thick, shiny hair with a matching veil, but it keeps sliding down to her shoulders. Six or seven gold bracelets on her left wrist make a rattling sound as she adjusts her veil. She has kicked off her sandals. The nail polish on her feet and hands matches her baby-pink lipstick. “Make sure you don’t leave before you’ve had some food,” she whispers.
The congregation of Brooklyn St. Mary’s consists of 13 families. They rent the church room from a Korean Church in Brooklyn. It’s located on 2870 86th St., not far from Coney Island. After the three-hour mass everyone goes to the basement. They eat rice, fish, beef and vegetable curry and chat together. Married men stay in one group, married women in another. Young people laugh in a corner. Small children run between the groups. About an hour later they all leave, peacefully aware of having done their religious duty, caught up on life in the community and happily full.
This Glimpse of Faith was filed by News21 Fellow Anna-Katarina Gravgaard
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Comments
balachandran.k, 2007-07-09 03:40:08 -- Flag for review
For most of the readers 'Kiss of peace'may be an interesting piece,but not for us from kerala,south India where diversity in Christanity matches the diversity of Hinduism.We have Cyrian christians Of different denominations such asCyro-malabar,cyromalankara(both catholic)Orthodox cyrian,Jacobite cyrian(both eastern church which still follow ancient armaic language mass),Knanaya cyrian orthodox,Knanaya cyrian cathalic(both decendents of ancient immigrents from a place named Kana in holy land),Caldian cyrians(another distinct group),Latin (roman)christians,Anglicans,practise and preach their faith in Kerala the only 100 percent literate state.Octavia Paz the Mexican poet,in one of his poems from Kerala writes aboutCatholic girls going to sunday mass walking past a cemitry where 'shivite'(of hindu god shiva) bulls graze.Kerala still have a miniscule community of jews who settled here millinnia ago.Kerala's church politics is often times far more interesting than the state's politics which is one of the last out posts of communists.Kerala has also a strong Muslim presence that dates back to the times of promphet and connected with spice trade.ketrala is the spice garden of india visited by greeks phonecians,chineese,and arabs from time immemmorial.in fact Columbus was trying to find out the way to Kerala ,when he by chance discovered America.If any one want to do a research on religious,social.cultural diversity,there is no other place as fitting as this
By the way your sub title should have been on 'Indian orthodox christians' not orthodox indians ,who are an entirely different kettle of fish.
Anonymous, 2007-07-09 03:43:16 -- Flag for review
Anna-Katarina Gravgaard, 2007-07-11 07:46:04 -- Flag for review
Dear balachandran.k
Thank you for you comment, it ads an important perspective to my story. I hope non of our readers think this 'glimpse of faith' is representative for all Indian Christian meetings. It was meant as a quick view into a meeting at the congregation of Brooklyn St. Mary’s in which I found Indian culture to be clearly present in a church in New York. However, it is important to keep in mind that Christianity in India is much more than just the Malankara Church of India and to keep an open mind to many different types of worship.
For that same reason many of the writers of this site travelled to India in the spring to report on some of the many different faces of faith in Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi and Amritsar. You can read those stories under the subcategory 'Origins.'
Many thanks, Anna
Anna-Katarina Gravgaard, 2007-07-11 07:48:53 -- Flag for review
As you see, the sub title has been changed. Thank you
pyiguuvexg, 2007-07-31 10:10:54 -- Flag for review
Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! ibqacbduchx
Abraham Philip, 2008-02-27 08:37:11 -- Flag for review
Hello,
First of all, being an Indian Orthodox Christian let me say how happy I am that such a site as yours exists. Many people do not even know that there are Christians in India. Many people who meet me think that I am either Muslim or a Hindu who converted. The fact is that Christianity has been in India (Kerala) since 52 AD when the Apostle St. Thomas came there to preach the gospel.
I am especially proud of the fact that you have a picture of my father in your article. He is the priest of the St. George Church S.I. (standing on the right of H.H. Didymus I holding the staff)
The two people holding candles are the Bishops of the American Diocese.
I would also like to humbly point out just a few minor discrepancies evident in your very well written "Kiss of peace".
First of all it is the Altar Server/ Acolyte who call the congregation to embrace one another. The priest does the prayers prior to this call and greets the Congregation with "Peace be un to you all". And the congregation returns the greeting to the priest saying "and also unto thy spirit"
Secondly, contrary to what Ms.Anu has stated, the priest does not "give love to the altar boy by rubbing his hands”. What happens is that the Altar Server kisses a corner of the Altar which is revealed by a folded flap of the cloth covering the Holy Mysteries.(The fold symbolizes the human and divine nature of Christ) Then having received the peace from the altar, he offers it to the priest. The priest kisses the Censor (receiving the peace) and then blesses the altar server by allowing him to kiss the priest's hand (the hand of Christ). Then he brings that peace down to the congregation symbolizing the peace that comes from heaven (the peace that comes from Christ). It is this peace that the congregation exchanges by sliding their palms between each other (a smaller form of the embrace).
This just the beginning of the “Real Liturgy” known as the Anaphora, Eucharistic or Holy Qurbana in Syriac which is our Liturgical language. (Like Latin for Catholics)
There is so much to say about our Liturgy and I am sorry if I sounded overbearing.
Once Again thank you for "noticing us".