Day 6's assignment was to attend a Christian house of worship that I was unfamiliar with. As I had never attended an Orthodox church service, I was curious to what this might look like. I did a quick google church and found an Orthodox church in my hometown of New Lenox. I have driven past Saint John of Chicago many times and marveled at the church with the beautiful stained glass windows but didn't know that it was an Orthodox church. I emailed the church and received a quick response from Father Andrew welcoming me to a service and offered to meet with me after to answer any of my questions.
Upon entering the small church, I found myself among less than a dozen people who certainly noticed me as someone new to the church. They offered smiles and then one of the members brought me a book so that I could follow along with the service. Shortly after opening the book, the churchgoers stood and then service began with chanting in prayers immediately followed by the ringing of church bells. Father Andrew began releasing incense across the altar, the clergy, the congregation and then around the entire church. He then went back to the altar but facing away from the parishioners. Almost all of the service was conducted through chanting but the tones of the chants changed at different points. Father Andrew then began releasing incense throughout the church and then began reading from the Gospel in the center of the church while facing the parishioners. We remained standing until he began his homily. At this time, Father Andrew brought out a stool to sit at the very front of the parishioners and began discussing the holiday being celebrated, "All Saints Day" which in the Orthodox church happens after Pentecost. I really appreciated his homily about All Day saints, modern day saints, and what it means to be a "witness" to one's faith. While he certainly shared a message, he also used his homily as a time to interact with his parishioners to better understand their needs and questions. After the homily, we returned to standing and the churchgoers began chanting the various prayers including the Nicene Creed. They then began to prepare for Communion. As the members went to the altar to receive communion, I noted that they went up to the altar with their arms crossed across their chest with their hands resting on their shoulders. After one of the churchgoers took communion, she offered me a piece of bread that wasn't communion as a gift. Father Andrew then joined his congregation to share upcoming events and news. He then led them through a prayer "to go in peace". What I found interesting was that Father Andrew even though the service was over, none of the parishioners left. Instead they sat down on their pews and then Father Andrew joined them on a stool to offer a lesson to anyone who wanted to stay. He then turned to me and thanked me for coming to the service. In turn, all of the church goers verbally welcomed me as well. Father Andrew then asked what questions I might want to ask. I asked why the prayer was done through chanting and if he could explain the different tones. He explained that the Orthodox church used Byzantine chanting and that it was initially done because many people were unable to read. Chanting was used as a technique to help them memorize the various prayers. I also asked why they took communion with their arms crossed and he explained that this is so no one accidentally spills the communion. As I didn't want to monopolize the informal time with his congregation, I asked if he could explain why the Nicene creed that they recited continued to have the line "one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic church". Father Andrew explained that the Orthodox church could actually be titled "Orthodox Catholic" church. The Nicene creed was written prior to the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Christian churches splitting up but is continued to their belief.
Throughout the church service, I couldn't help but stare at all of the stained glass windows. The images of Jesus were just beautiful. At one point, Father Andrew referred to them as "windows into the Kingdom of Heaven" during his homily. I've included some of them for you to appreciate as well.
I found my experience at Saint John of Chicago to be a very positive one. The church building and service were beautiful. Father Andrew and his parishioners were extremely welcoming and open to any and all of my questions. While I love my current church, I certainly wouldn't hesitate to attend another service at Saint John's.
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