Easter Vigil 2007: Saint Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church

[tenorismo]

performance. not worship.

[jerallovesyou]

curious about what u mean...the easter vigil is the holiest worship service of the entire year, the night when heaven is truly wedded to earth...this video is absolutely beautiful!!! as musicians and music ministers, singing or playing before God is the most important performance we will ever give on this earth, so i guess we should say its performance AND worship....

[choirboyfromhell1]

After chanting my share of Exutets, I have to say this is lovely, but there's more to Anglicanism than just this....

[peterann1]

My mom was buried upon Eastern Rites as we requested.

[Kiezik]

I respect but not appruve. This is for me commedy...sory.

[stilsonkidd]

The priest leading the Spanish prayer is now assistant priest at my church in Riverside! I'm going to St. Gregory's tomorrow to experience this!

[tenorismo]

Playing at church.

[pedro83chileno]

Silly Episcopalians. Trix are for kids.

[choirboy526]

HAHAHA u just made my day

[jowmozart]

This is beautiful!

[BellesAngels]

If I'm ever in San Francisco for Easter, that's where

I'll be. Wonderful, spirit filled service!

[LifterWill]

@BellesAngels This was my first Holy Week at St. Gregory's (2010) ... the most incredible "heaven on earth" liturgies I have ever experience. Please make it a point to join us when you can. It will be worth your trip to San Francisco

[macgeek21]

this is not a catholic mass this is satan worship

[gustavo2828]

Are all their services at this church like this, or it was just this one on Easter ?

[LifterWill]

@gustavo2828 Gustavo .. ALL our services are like this. Please come and visit us!

[SNL918]

Real Liturgical Abuse!

[gilbertobesanko]

what is episcapols church? its like orthodox? or anglican ......what is the pagan drum circle for? plz explain

[raphael3712]

It's a the American branch of the Anglican Communion. The drums seem to be Ethiopian based.

[LifterWill]

@gilbertobesanko The Episcopal Church is the American presence of The Anglican Communion. The drums are, I am told, from the Ethiopian church, yes. Not pagan at all. St. Gregory's is a wonderful and unique experience of what I think of as "heaven on earth". Please come and visit when you are in San Francisco.

[pipeorgan12345]

If I was asked to be called as the priest of an Episcopal church like this... I would become Catholic on the spot hahaha

[lutherheggs]

Who says Episcopalian's are Gods Frozen People? Well,I do, actually. Nice to see them loosen up a bit.

[GenizahGuard]

I just finished reading a book by one of the parishioners of this church, Sara Miles, who wrote an amazing book on Eucharist called 'Take This Bread.' Awesome job, Sara. Thank you!

[MichiganGirl32]

Awesome editing and church service! I would like to go there some day.

[Judge373]

This is good for a laugh.

[FrJcsc]

The Spanish prayer before the peace translates:

Christ has risen. May God who loves us, give us a new life in order to create a new world.

What about heaven? The Resurrection is not about a "new world" that is Marxism. The Resurrection is for the Beatific Vision.

[sweebadadeebada]

Who's talking about Marxism anyway?

[dank1280]

You know, I never noticed that about the Spanish prayer...I question whether heaven was left out on purpose or if it just happens to not be part of this prayer. I find it difficult to believe they wouldn't believe in heaven.

[avantibarbari]

It is acceptable in the Episcopal Church to deny a lot of basic Christian teachings.... I wouldn't be surprised if many of the folks at this service didn't believe that the Resurrection actually happened.

[901cleo]

As an Episcopalian, I like high church best but we have always had a variety of expression from high to low to broad church. The important thing for me is the tolerance within the church to accept the varied gifts of those bringing them and to be an inclusive church. So, dance on St. Gregory's.

[lonesomeg]

Having been there on a "regular" Sunday, I can affirm that there is a real joy in the worship there, while it is liturgically correct as my more conventional Episcopal parish in So. California. The Holy Spirit is there in their worship and joy abounds.

[stanmugs]

I hope to visit there some day, but sure wish they'd add an organ to the place!

[jayboi83]

The organ wouldn't really be appropriate for the Liturgy at St. Gregory. I love the Organ, and it can add to worship in a lot of places. At St. Gregory of Nyssa, it would probably distract and detract from the Liturgy rather than enhance it.

[dirkm97]

Wow! Looks like the Orthodox Church took a holiday and went on an acid trip in sunny San Fran!! lol

[OrthodoxTeen]

I agree

[dlc208]

@dirkm97 hahaha....so true....!!!

[jtolszewski]

This is not what I'm use to either, but I think the Episcopal church was built on the principles and change in the liturgy. Besides we need to be careful not to alienate newer traditions.

[54spiritedwill54]

It's a very different approach from what I'm used to at my Anglican Church, but they all looked happy and were having fun, isn't that the bottom line!

[jayboi83]

Right on!

[CAndiron]

Speaking of 'o'rthodox (Christianity, not Eastern that is), is this parish a member of an orthodox Anglican province, or is it still in TEc?

[crucifer777]

They are still in TEC. I doubt that any Orthodox Anglican PRovinces would accept them, as they write their own Canons/Anaphoras, and have lay deacons.

[progressiveguy2007]

No, Candiron, they are not fundamentalists.

[OrthodoxTeen]

I don't think that any church can lay claim to True Christianity. I am Orthodox Christian and naturally believe in my church's traditions, teachings, and lineage. But that is no reason for me to reject all religions that embrace Christ as the Divine Son of God, who believe in the Most Holy Trinity. All Religions fundamentally teach love and acceptance, and if we realize this we can embrace each other as brothers and sisters in Christ and leave behind these chains of hate forever.

[redneckmarine87]

Amen

[humpo123callum]

although prob not my cup of tea its great to see people so happy at easter and unafraid to try new things. they truly celebrate the resurrection!

[redneckmarine87]

This is very intresting! I wish Baptist would do something like this!

[scarletwomannedm]

Absolutely wonderful service. I wish our Bishop here in Georgia would approve of something like this.

[rrchapman]

How much approval does it take from a bishop? Yes, if you wanted to use the Eucharistic canon that St. Gregory's uses, you would need permission. No permission is needed for singing and dancing, though.

[roshanar]

Not Christian? Have you even attended a service there? I have, was there 10/7/07. It's entirely "Christian," and the liturgy is more in line with that of the early church than most.

I'm not Anglican, and the style was new to me, but the liturgical elements of any "traditional" service I've attended were certainly present.

Claiming ownership of the only "true" way to worship God is a form of idolatry, by the way. Best be careful with that, Matthew 7:2 has a way of acting like Karma.

[floridaredhead]

This fricking RULES. I wish we could convince Bishop Howe to approve liturgy like this.

[jacero10]

Bp. Howe has sold his soul and is now a stooge of the revisionists. He should be approving just about anything heretical now.

[rockierambo]

Can't belivev the Angilican church is doing something except reading out of a prayer book. You should always attend a religious service where there is joy in the worship you will feel much better.

[skeenbr0]

I don't know about all these people complaining about how unauthentic this is. Nothing says authentic "San Francisco Episcopal Church" to me like a room full of white people trying to act multicultural. I don't think I will be visiting, but if it brings you closer to God, go for it.

[baronsabato]

Sigh. I'm a person of color myself, but it seems to me that whenever white people stick to traditional white Protestant worship, they're told they're being "boring" and "stodgy." When they try something different, they're accused of "trying to act multicultural" (with the implication that it's a failure or a fake). How bout instead of putting everyone into boxes we treat each other like children of God, trying to live our faith in the way it works for us, without the condescension?

[mercywvl]

Amen!!!

[dlc208]

@baronsabato You make a good point.

[mercywvl]

We could only hope this would be revival in the Episcopal Church. There is an interesting book by Sara Miles, "Take This Bread", it will open your heart. Sara Miles is a deacon at St. Gregory's.

[nbdotnet]

Wonderful visuals. I find it odd that some would deem "unorthodox" and "pagan" anything that is outside our culturally biased experience. Check out the Copts or even the various Orthodox liturgies if you want a jolt. The church is bigger than our culture and our tiny little minds. God is even bigger still. Get over yourself because your ignorance is showing. OOPS!

[raphael3712]

At first it looks Eastern Orthdodox, then it has an Ethiopian Orthodox feel. I love it!

[baronsabato]

How odd that anyone would say that this service has "no roots" or that this is sacrilegious and pagan. It seems pretty clear that this church is trying to reclaim the Middle Eastern, Semitic roots of Christianity- how can you get any more faithful than that?

It's too bad so many people are still stuck in 18th century church services and unwilling to change or try something new. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever- but that doesn't mean our worship has to be.

[ajat316]

It's a very different approach from what I'm used to at my Anglican Church, but they all looked happy and were having fun, isn't that the bottom line!

[Gutsy9]

Something for everybody. You name it, they got it.

[daninbigd]

Playing drums and dancing around the altar to a traditional Christian hymn is pagan and sacrilegious? What strange (and superficial) notions of Christian orthodoxy.

I thought it was a lovely service.

[Allo1986]

Incredible! At the end, this rite seems a mixture between a pagan and a jewish ritual... Note that a big number of men has the head covered by a hat similar to the jewish "kippah"... normally is forbidden for men to have a hat in the church, and women have to bring a light veil! Here I see the opposite!!

[k3grappler]

Sort of an "Anglo-Afro-Orthodox-Flower Child" Eucharist. I'm a politically liberal, but liturgically conservative Anglo Catholic Episcopalian, and you know what, this is pretty interesting. Even though it probably isn't my cup of tea, I'd be interested to see what you do for Pentecost. God Bless the people of St. Gregory of Nyssa, and may the Holy Spirit be with you.

[shearugby]

alright buddy actually vigil was made by the roman catholic church and then the church threw it out in refromation, the anglican(episcopal) church just kept it and so did orthodox kidd

[jacero10]

Actually, that is not true. The Easter Vigil was maintained through the twentieth century as a Saturday morning celebration in Catholic cathedrals from the time of about the 7th century when there no more pagans converting in large numbers.

[jacero10]

The Anglicans along with other Protestants did not inherit the Easter Vigil as it was in the Saturday a.m. form at the time of the Reformation. They did Sunrise services. The Easter Vigil was revived in part by Pius XII and then fully following Vat. II. Then it was copied along with the rest of the reforms by higher Protestant churches.

[jayboi83]

It wasn't exactly copied by protestant Churches. Many of the Roman Catholic Theologians whose work led to Vatican II were working right along Anglican and Protestant Theologians. That's why liturgical renewal is not just something that occurred in the RC Church. The only reason the change happened so quickly in Roman Catholicism is because no one had a choice BUT to change. You do what Rome tells you to do. Other denominations have been more flexible and so change has been less quick to come

[sweebadadeebada]

That doesn't make any sense.

[orthodox111]

HAHAHAH Episcopals playing Orthodox, cute

[scarletwomannedm]

Why do you have to be so negative? Hate to let you in on a little secret but you Orthodox don't have ownership of "True Christianity".

To comment on the video though, I thought it was a beautiful service and I wish my Episcopal Bishop would approve of something like this.

[orthodox111]

The Orthodox preserve the most historic and ancient, thus most credible, form of Christian worship. What is in this video is a cacophonical sycretistic conglomerate of, well, everything. Orthodoxy's maintenance of the historical form of liturgical worship shows unity and continuity, not something that is continually in flux and changing, and always losing it's identity (which seems to be the case among Episcopalians, as eloquently put in this videos worship service).

[dlc208]

@orthodox111 yeah i am orthodox, and thats what this looks like to me...a cheap rip off of our liturgy...if you want to do it the proper way, go to an Orthodox Church. if you are espiscopalian you should be following the book of common prayer or your liturgy or whatever you do, but don't copy us, it is a little insulting b/c you can't just take part from here and there that you think are "cute" and think that that makes it a liturgy.

[LifterWill]

@dlc208 what is espiscopalian?

[chaiguy15]

I've never seen anything more sacrilegious...the real St. Gregory of Nyssa would be rolling in his grave.

[brotherjohn00]

What, precisely, is sacreligious?

[aanders9]

chaos. im missing the inquisition.

[rwarren4]

Bedlam

[Prelju]

At first it looked very Orthodox, then it turned into a pagan fast!

[Not2TypicalSFCA]

How um. Interesting. 10 stars for creative worship! :-)

[haughtok]

Yeah, there's always a lot of vested people at Easter, preists and other people, it seems like a never ending parade when the come out at the beginning. Great video, I'm in it twice!

[ZacharyDBrooks]

How many priests are at that thing? There must be a dozen folks in chasubles running around...

[DHRabbit]

At SGN most all of the vested clergy were the main robes. Priest are the ones in stoles... I think I noted 4 or 5

[hulkoverde]

This might be the best thing I have ever laid my tired eyes on. God bless ye merry gentle woman.

[candlefoot]

Looks great!