Just got this from a friend. This is worth checking out since it does not happen very often.
Dear Friends,
Father Serge Keleher, an archimandrite (monsignor) and parish priest
of the Greek-Catholic Congregation of St. Nicholas in Dublin, will be
in Singapore from 20th to 25th September. As he will be in town for
the Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God (on the traditional
Julian church calendar) and for the weekend, he will be celebrating a
full cycle of services according to the Byzantine rite.
The schedule is as follows:
Thursday 20th September—Eve of the Feast:
Vigil (Vespers, Matins, First Hour) at 7.00 p.m.
Friday 21st September—The Nativity of the Mother of God:
Hours and Divine Liturgy (Mass) at 7.00 p.m.
Saturday 22nd September:
Vigil (Vespers, Matins, First Hour) at 6.00 p.m.
Sunday 23rd September:
Hours and Divine Liturgy (Mass) at 10 a.m.
Liturgy on Sunday naturally fulfils the Sunday obligation for those
who are bound by it.
Yes, this IS a Catholic Mass - Fr Serge is a Russian-rite Catholic
Priest and these services are taking place with the blessing of His
Grace, Bishop Peter Stasiuk of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchy
of Ss. Peter and Paul of Melbourne. More information on Fr Serge may
be found here:
http://ugcc.ie/en/latest/congratulations-fr.-serge-keleher-on-40-
years-of-priestly-service.html
The Byzantine Rite developed around the court and cathedral of the
Eastern Roman Emperors in Constantinople, and is thus marked by much
ceremony and solemnity. This is a rare occasion to see a non-Roman
rite of the Catholic Church in use, as the last Greek-Catholic Divine
Liturgy celebrated in Singapore was in June 2000. If you are able to
make it for only one service, do come for Liturgy rather than Vigil,
as there will be a small choir to sing the services.
Vigil on the 20th and 22nd will be in a mix of languages, but Hours &
Divine Liturgy on the 21st and 23rd will be mostly in English, with
small amounts of Church-Slavonic, Greek, Romanian and possibly even
Arabic.
If you are able to help serve or sing, please let me know. For those
who wish to know, services will be according to the Byzantine Typicon
of the Eastern Orthodox Church, with only such abbreviations are
common in parish practice. Music at Liturgy will mostly be that of
the Russian Synodal School of the 19th Century, so with the exception
of the use of English, the services will follow the usage of the
Russian Imperial Court Chapels and Cathedrals. Music at Vigil will be
largely monophonic chant of various traditions - Znamenny, Court
Chant, Galician, Serbian and Byzantine.
All Catholics who have observed the appropriate Communion Fast and
are in a state of grace are welcome to receive Communion at both
Liturgies. Fr. Serge will be available to hear confessions before
the services in English, Irish, Russian, Ukrainian and French. He
will also be available to answer questions about the Christian East
and Eastern Catholicism.
All services will be held at the Armenian Church of St Gregory the
Illuminator, 30 Hill Street, Singapore.