Catholic-Orthodox Differences In Liturgy

The Orthodox Divine Liturgy, whether the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom (which is usually celebrated), or the Liturgy of Saint Basil (which is celebrated at certain times in the Church year), has changed little since the 5th century. It has been virtually the same for nearly 1600 years.

• Wording

The Orthodox Divine Liturgy is longer, and tends to repeat itself in places.

The Divine Liturgy is chanted almost in entirety.

• Hymnography

The only hymns that change from day to day are those specific to a feast or Saint. Otherwise, the same hymns are sung week after week. This sounds monotonous, but in reality it causes the Liturgy to be "written on one's heart" like a favorite melody. Hymns are sung almost entirely by the choir though the people are encouraged to sing along if they wish to do so.

• Frequency

The Divine Liturgy is usually celebrated on a daily basis only at monasteries. It is impractical to celebrate a Divine Liturgy every day at a typical church. Preparation for a Divine Liturgy lasts at least an hour and a half before the liturgy begins. Therefore, Divine Liturgy is usually only celebrated on Sundays and special feast days. On the other hand, the Orthodox faithful attend many evening services at certain times of the year, such as Great Lent. An altar may only be used once per day to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, therefore Orthodox churches have only one service on Sunday. Vespers is celebrated on Saturday evenings.

• Language

The Divine Liturgy is usually done in the vernacular, but may also consist of parts in other languages depending on the cultural background of those participating (Greek, Russian, Arabic, Romanian, etc). The Greek Church uses ancient Koine Greek (the same common Greek spoken throughout the Mediterranean during Jesus' time, and the language the Bible was originally written in) as the language for the Divine Liturgy. Thus, American Greeks celebrate their liturgies in a mixture of Greek and English, which varies from parish to parish. The Antiochian (Middle Eastern) Church will often have Arabic as well as Greek and English mixed in with their liturgies.

Frederica Matthewes-Green has written a great essay entitled "Twelve Things I Wish I'd Known" about a first visit to an Orthodox Church. This details many of the differences between Eastern and Western liturgy.

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