Christmas Carols at Holy Cross Monastery

[@ignatiusl.7478]

The whole Orthodox Church should witness this. This stirs something deep in my heart.

[@t0pclips811]

Yes! Have you heard Christ is Risen in the Appalachian shape note melody? ☦️

[@jordandeardorff601]

I come baxk every year for these carols

[@isaiahkerstetter3142]

The first song sounds super Appalachian Baptist! Wow! I love how the seed of Orthodoxy grows in different soils. The Faith of the Fathers with the warmth of home.

[@NoahRobertGraves]

That's because it more or less is. It's a Shape Note Christmas Hymn, which was originally introduced in the North, but really took hold in Southern Appalachia.

[@Barsanuphius.1]

I'm hoping American Othodoxy can take this traditional style of singing for our chants!

[@1dcondave]

I had the blessed opportunity to pay the monks a short visit (2-3 hours) last winter as I was traveling through. I missed lunch and noonday prayer, but one monk was nice enough to give me a short tour (without disturbing the work of the others), showed me the relics (St Pantaleimon and the Elders of Optina) in the chapel, and allowed me to pray for a while. I bought a few things from the bookstore before going; but the whole time I felt like time had simply stopped. I wouldn't have been surprised if I had seen birds and bees in slo-mo or frozen in mid-air. The holiness in the place was palpable. I hope to go back soon.

[@bisrattesfagiorgis334]

Couldn't agree more, esp about time seeming slower there!☦️

[@anon.carpenter4201]

Thank you for sharing the story of your visit, glory to God

[@Matt-zx7uj]

Have you had the good fortune to go back?

[@1dcondave]

@Matt-zx7uj I've had the opportunity to go back once, and they invited me to pray with them on the commemoration of their dead, shortly after Pascha. Again, the holiness is heavy in that place, even in the open air.

[@ThroughKinAndClan]

The first song is an old english anglican hymn from the early 1800s which like so many others really took hold in southern America. It is called Brightest and Best.

[@CapIvo214]

Amen. I must say... Divine tunes of the orthodox in America

[@bensirach3586]

I'd be lying if I said I didn't tear up from this. Such beautiful voices!😀

[@matthewhall1540]

🙏🙏🙏the carols were sung very well. Blessings to the monks in God's name!

[@gregmkay]

I have been there and met many of these men. They are wonderful, and peace and holiness exudes from the place.

[@mansourannab7078]

ربنا والهنا يسوع المسيح يا ابن الله الوحيد احرس كنيستك الارثوذكسية وشعبك امين

[@whitemakesright2177]

I love this. God bless Holy Cross Hermitage and God bless the much-struggling monks there!

[@seronymus]

So beautiful, this moved me to tears in an instant ;( thank and bless you for the peek into this. We need more carols done by Orthodox....

[@carolweaver3269]

Beautiful Christmas Carols. The Lord blesses us all. I come to you from the Holy Trinity Monastery/Seminary Jordanville NY. ( Do not live there of course but part of the church. With Fr Luke ( Abbot) and our spiritual father and Fr Cyprian my husband's god-father. Daniel and Katherine

[@andrewofarkansas2121]

Lyrics of the first song (doing this by ear so please forgive any mistakes, "[ ]" means I'm unsure about those lyrics) Hail the blessed morn, see the great mediator down from the regions of glory descend. Shepards go worship the babe in the manger. Lo, for his guard, the bright angels attend. Cold on his cradle the dewdrops are shining Low lies his bed with the beasts of the stalls. Angels adore him in slumber's declining, Wise men and shepards before him do fall. Say, shall we yield him, in costly devotion, [quarters of edom] and offerings divine, gems from the mountain, and pearls from the ocean, myrrh from the forests, and gold from the mine? Vainly we offer each ample oblation vainly with gold we His favor secure. Richer by far is the heart's adoration, dearer to God are the prayers of the poor. Lo, at His feet, we, in humble prostration, lose all our sorrows, and troubles, and strife. There we receive His divine consolation, flowing out fresh from the fountains of life. He is our friend in the midst of temptation, faithful supporter Whose love cannot fail. Rock of our refuge and hope of salvation, light to direct us through death's gloomy veil. Star of the morning, thy brightness declining, [sure thee must fade] when the sun doth arise. [Evening refulgent is glory eternal], shines on the children of love in the skies Edit: Looked up this hymn and found several different versions, none of which really match the one they're using. Made some edits where applicable but otherwise this is as close as I'll get without the actual thing or at least another set of ears to suggest changes

[@irene1234]

Are these Orthodox hymns?

[@michaelparsons3007]

This is a beautiful carol. I would love to know if there is another recording somewhere and what the name of it is. My kids and I love it!

[@CHURCHISAWESUM]

@@irene1234 No, they’re Baptist I think. At this point it’s American folk religion music. Theologically, there’s nothing wrong with the content of the songs, I think

[@4runnerRob]

I never heard this song before. Very nice! Beautiful.

[@galina5901]

It occurs to me that a second version of this video might feature the music so we can learn these great Nativity verses and sing along.

[@podvizhnikband2775]

Just listen and figure it out by ear

[@АлександраНиколаева-ш5н]

Спаси, Господи, и помилуй р.Б. Александры, Миланы, Ксении: отца духовнаго, родителей ее, сродников, начальников, наставников, благодетелей, соседей и всех православных христиан.

[@scottheld4837]

Most beautiful.Amen

[@Agnosticuzumaki]

You can always tell who the strong tenor is lol!

[@nancyincanada5553]

Beautiful:) Thank you.

[@margelatutrandafirulgalben3156]

The last one was my favourite

[@lornadoone8887]

❤️🙏🏻☦️ Thank you!

[@woodstocklad]

Thank you SO much for posting this!

[@sehnsuchtsojourner26]

Christ is Born!

[@Cobruh_Commander]

Glorify Him!

[@kathleenchamis1709]

Beautiful. Waiting for a Nativity CD!

[@MommaRed1862]

GOD BLESS YOU ALL

[@maxdl1034]

You are right that worshipping any created thing whether an idol or Mary or Archangel Gabriel is wrong. But the Scripture says we should highly venerate (not worship) Mary: "All generations will call me blessed." Not to mention, in the Psalms it clearly says that Mary is at Christ's right hand: "The queen stood at Your right hand in apparel interwoven with gold, And adorned and embroidered with various colors." Psalms 44 (45):10 Do you really think as she stands at Christ's right hand that she is not asking for HIs mercy for us?

[@richardmohr9428]

I am a member of St. Barnabas Antiochian Orthodox Church in Costa Mesa, California. Almost all of the adults at St B are converts from the Protestant world. I have an M.Div. from Fuller Seminary. I first attended Orthodox liturgy when I was an English teacher in Harbin, China during the 1980's. First, we do not worship the Mother of God. Worship is for God alone. We venerate Mary and the Saints. There is a difference between worship and veneration. You can read about this at the Antiochian Archdiocese website and the websites of other jurisdictions, as well as at OrthodoxWiki. See the OrthodoxWiki "Veneration" page. Second, I ask you - what do you think you will be doing after you repose? I assume you believe that you will go to Heaven, especially if you believe in eternal security. If that turns out to be the case, will you intercede with our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ on behalf of your loved ones that are still alive, as well as your country, for peace of the whole world and so on? Of course you will. Heaven isn't some kind of spiritual Disneyland that has no lines for the rides and people have no concern for those still here. How do I know this? Third, I was once part of the Evangelical world where personal testimonies were used as proof of God's love and as tools to persuade others to believe. If you believe the testimonies of individual Christians now, how much more believable is the testimony of the Church over the last almost twenty centuries in regard to worship, the choice of what documents constitute the New Testament, the interpretation of Scripture, the role of Mary and the Saints, what you must believe in order to be a member of the Church, what salvation is and how we receive it, eschatology and so on? The disagreements among Eastern Orthodox in no way compare with the disagreements among Western Christians. I've read about certain Baptists that believe that evangelism is a waste of time. The Bible doesn't teach this, does it? Read what we have to say about ourselves and what we believe. Take a look at Kallistos Ware's book, The Orthodox Church. That was an important book for me. Pray for me, a sinner.

[@whitemakesright2177]

@@richardmohr9428 Excellent comment, brother. I too am a convert from Protestantism, and many of the people at my parish are as well. I would add that, if he can bring himself to, the most useful thing to do is simply to visit an Orthodox parish, experience the liturgy, and talk to the priest.

[@richardmohr9428]

@@whitemakesright2177 Thank you for encouraging him to visit an Orthodox Church. If he can visit one that has converts, so much the better, because we that have made the change can appreciate how foreign the environment can be for many. In normal times, I liked meeting visitors and giving them a little tour of the nave, as well as give them those little topical booklets. Two of my godsons first came to St. Barnabas for a class assignment at Vanguard University. They kept coming!

[@ethiop_frum]

Dear friend! If you become interested in the dogmatics of Orthodoxy (I'm not talking about conversion to Orthodoxy), then you will clearly and unequivocally see that the Virgin Mary is revered as a holy person, not as God. Icon-veneration has gone through a painful era of persecution for more time than your teaching exists, and the logic of icon painting is fundamentally different from the creation of idols. The idol as a phenomenon in all pagan beliefs was an object that, according to the pagan, contained a deity, and therefore to this day you can see with your own eyes how sacrifices are made to idols in Indian tribes. The prophets protected the people of Israel from this. No one dared to portray the God of the Lord, because no one saw Him. Angels were seen - their images appeared on the Lid of the Ark of the Covenant. The prophets were seen - their images decorated mosaics and frescoes in synagogues (Dura-Europos). But now the Lord visited the world with a body, incarnated from a Virgin! His face is imprinted on the Turin Shroud! And we, celebrating, give Him praise and honor, looking at His Face as a photograph. Do you read a photo of your parents? Yes, you will. As a memory, as an important document, as a sign, as a good feeling. Do you think that your parent's soul has moved into the photo? I don't think you are a supporter of the idea of transmigration of souls. Will you ask if your parents' photo is damaged? Yes, you will. Do you consider yourself an idolater?

[@msy787]

الأرثوذكسية هي كالذهب العتيق حافظة الايمان المسيحي المستقيم

[@calebshoemaker]

What's the last song they sing?

[@jm08050]

Sounds like Appalachian part singing.

[@diannecombs8433]

@@Anglicanus1 I thought "shaped note" which I practiced at Civil War reenactments, same thing!! Thanks for rattling my brain.

[@whitemakesright2177]

The monastery is in West Virginia, and the monks there purposefully bring an Appalachian (and more broadly American) character to some of their music. I have also heard a lovely Appalachian melody for the Paschal troparion "Christ is risen" which I believe originated from Holy Cross Hermitage.

[@avinashramroop2842]

A holy family

[@stormshadowctf]

Anybody have the musical notation

[@addiee0771]

What's the name of the first song?

[@ConciseCabbage]

addiee0771 - it’s “Hail the blest morn, see the great Mediator” by Reginald Heber

[@addiee0771]

@@ConciseCabbage ty soo muchhh :)!!

[@whitemakesright2177]

It is also known as "Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning" or simply "Brightest and Best"

[@gabrielgabriel5177]

God bless you all. I just dont understand why this is called eastern orthodox. I mean chalcedonoan orthodox is culturally totally western. I dont feel any eastern in it. Oriental orthodox churches on the other hand are totally eastern. This shoulb be called western orthodoxy and non chalcedonian eastern orthodox.

[@Nicholas_Powell]

I believe it is called eastern because it is under ROCOR's jurisdiction under the eastern rite. However, if I am wrong, please, someone correct me.

[@gabrielgabriel5177]

@@Nicholas_Powell thank you for anwer but i meant the whole eastern orthodox church not just this monastery.

[@noway165]

​@@gabrielgabriel5177the Orthodox Catholic Church uses the term Eastern Orthodox so a not too be confused with the 'western' Roman Catholic Church, that split away from orthodoxy in the 11th century. ❤

[@eliseereclus3475]

They need a better choir master.

[@calebshoemaker]

What's the last carol they sing? I know the first two

[@KhandiiedYams1039]

Name of the first song, please?

[@rollwithethan5572]

The Shepherds’ Star

[@KhandiiedYams1039]

@@rollwithethan5572 thank you 😊