About Holy Dormition · Ormond Beach, Florida
Holy Dormition Byzantine Catholic Church is a small Byzantine (Ruthenian Rite) Catholic parish serving Ormond Beach, Florida and the surrounding Volusia County area. A parish of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic (with the Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh), it is in full union with the Bishop of Rome but preserves the Eastern Christian liturgical tradition originating in Constantinople and the Slavic lands. The community gathers weekly to celebrate the Byzantine Divine Liturgy in English, with its signature features: chanting a capella, incense, an icon screen (iconostasis), and a priest who faces East together with the people toward the altar.
- Established
- 1975
- Patron
- The Dormition of the Theotokos (the 'falling asleep' of the Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Father Vincent (Vince) Brady
- Diocese
- Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic (Ruthenian Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh); geographically within the territory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando
Why belong here
Holy Dormition offers Christians in the Ormond Beach and greater Volusia County area the rare opportunity to experience the ancient Byzantine liturgical tradition in full union with Rome — the same apostolic faith celebrated by Eastern Christians for centuries, now sung in English. Weekly a capella chant, incense, and the icon screen create a deeply prayerful atmosphere, and confession, communion, weddings, and counseling are available through the parish. Anyone properly disposed and in the state of grace — Eastern or Roman Catholic — is welcome to receive the Divine Eucharist at the Sunday 10:00 a.m. Liturgy.
Mass times at Holy Dormition
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Confession is listed among the parish's services; specific times are not published online — contact the parish office at (386) 677-8704 to arrange.
About Holy Dormition Byzantine Catholic Church
At Holy Dormition the mission is to live, proclaim, and preserve the beauty and truth of ancient Apostolic Christianity in the Ormond Beach area and beyond — echoing back to apostolic times and 'contending for the faith that was once for all handed down to the holy ones' (Jude 3). The parish is in union with the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) but is not Roman Catholic; it preserves the Eastern Christian patrimony as part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
- Rite: Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic
- Parish of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic (Ruthenian Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh)
- Geographically within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando
- Founded 1975
- Sunday Divine Liturgy: 10:00 a.m.
What Is the Byzantine Catholic Church?
After the Last Supper, the disciples carried the Gospel to different parts of the world and adapted the Liturgy to local customs and music. Four great centers of Christianity emerged — Jerusalem, Antioch, Rome, and Alexandria — each with distinctive customs but the same faith. When the Roman capital moved to Constantinople, an adaptation of the Antiochian rite became known as the Byzantine Rite. From Constantinople the Slavic peoples of Eastern Europe were evangelized by Saints Cyril and Methodius, and the Byzantine tradition rooted itself across Eastern Europe. Eastern Catholics and Roman Catholics share the same faith and same seven sacraments; what differs is the way they are expressed — Eastern Catholics have a distinctive liturgical rite and customs.
- Byzantine Rite rooted in Antioch and Constantinople
- Same seven sacraments/Mysteries as Roman Catholic
- Eastern Catholics share the same faith as Roman Catholics — only the liturgical expression differs
- In America the Ruthenian Church is the largest Byzantine jurisdiction and a melting pot of different nationalities
The Liturgy: Experience, Celebrate, Thrive
The parish's tagline — 'Experience. Celebrate. Thrive.' — captures the rhythm of Byzantine worship. Services are sung a capella with melodies passed down for generations, incense is used throughout as a sign of reverence and prayer ascending to God, and the priest faces East toward the altar together with the people rather than across the altar at them. The entire service, including the epistle and Gospel, is chanted.
- Chanting or singing of all divine services (epistle and Gospel included)
- A capella only — no musical instruments in the liturgy
- Priest and people face East together
- Incense used throughout as prayer ascending to God ('Let my prayer arise like incense before you')
- Vibrant iconography, including the elaborate icon screen (iconostasis) with Christ, the Theotokos, saints, and scriptural scenes
- Services in English, with some traditional Slavonic retained in some parishes
The Iconostasis and Sacred Imagery
The most striking feature in a Byzantine church is the icon screen or iconostasis — the decorated wall that divides the sanctuary (representing heaven) from the nave (representing the worshipping earth). It symbolizes the joining of created with Creator and a welcome into the mystery of God through public and personal worship. The opening and closing of the Royal Doors repeatedly emphasizes the community's relationship with the Almighty.
- Iconostasis separates sanctuary from nave
- Icons (not statues) used in Byzantine tradition
- Icons express the public teaching of the Church and radiate divine life
- Royal Doors open and close during the Liturgy as a sign of our relationship with God
Holy Communion in the Byzantine Rite
In the Byzantine Catholic Church the Holy Gifts are given under both forms of bread and wine by means of a golden spoon. Communicants fold their hands right over left on the breast in the form of Saint Andrew's cross; if unknown to the priest, they state their first name in a low voice. The communicant tilts the head fully back and opens the mouth — without extending the tongue — and the priest places the sacred species into the mouth. The communicant does not touch the spoon, and does not respond to the priest's words, as in Roman Catholic practice. All properly disposed Catholics in the state of grace — Eastern or Roman — are welcome to receive the Divine Eucharist.
- Communion given under both kinds by golden spoon
- Hands folded right-over-left like Saint Andrew's cross; state first name if unknown
- Tilt head back; do not extend the tongue; do not touch the spoon
- All properly disposed Catholics, Eastern or Roman, are welcome to receive
Our Priest
Father Vincent Brady is pastor of Holy Dormition Byzantine Catholic Church. A graduate of St. Mary of the Assumption High School in Elizabeth, New Jersey, he began seminary formation at the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1991. He was ordained to the Holy Priesthood by Bishop Michael J. Dudick, Bishop of the Eparchy of Passaic, in 1995. With a professional background in counseling, Father Brady has served in various parishes throughout the Eparchy of Passaic before being assigned to Ormond Beach.
- Ordained 1995 by Bishop Michael J. Dudick
- Alumnus of the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Pittsburgh
- Background in counseling
- Served several parishes of the Eparchy of Passaic before Holy Dormition
Contact and Visiting Information
Parishioners and visitors can reach Holy Dormition by phone at (386) 677-8704 or by email at [email protected]. The parish is located at 17 Buckskin Lane, Ormond Beach, FL 32174, on the outskirts of the city just off State Road 40. The Sunday Divine Liturgy is celebrated at 10:00 a.m.; confession and other sacraments are arranged through the pastor by contacting the parish office.
- Address: 17 Buckskin Lane, Ormond Beach, FL 32174
- Phone: (386) 677-8704
- Email: [email protected]
- Sunday Divine Liturgy: 10:00 a.m.
- Just off State Road 40, on the outskirts of Ormond Beach
Frequently Asked Questions
The parish's published FAQ answers the most common visitor questions: Are Byzantine Catholics really Catholic? (Yes, in union with the Pope.) How is communion given? (By golden spoon under both kinds.) What are the distinctive features of the Byzantine liturgy? (Chanting, incense, the icon screen, the priest facing East.) What language is used? (In America, the liturgy was translated from Slavonic into English in the 1950s, though some parishes retain some Slavonic.) Is the Sunday obligation fulfilled by attending the Byzantine Divine Liturgy? (Yes — attendance at any Catholic church's liturgy fulfills the obligation.)
- Byzantine Catholics are fully Catholic, in union with the Pope
- Chanting of services is a capella — no instruments
- Liturgy in English since the 1950s translation
- Sunday obligation fulfilled by attending Divine Liturgy in any Catholic church
Eastern Catholic Presence in the Diocese of Orlando
Holy Dormition is one of five Eastern Catholic churches listed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando in its directory of Eastern-rite parishes in central Florida. The Diocese of Orlando notes that the Byzantine liturgy is based on the liturgy developed by St. James for the Antiochian church and later shaped by St. Basil the Great (329–379) and St. John Chrysostom (344–407), and is similar — often identical — to the liturgy used by the Orthodox churches. After the Great Schism of 1054 many particular churches remained separated from Rome; over the centuries some returned to full communion. The Diocese of Orlando cites the words of Pope Paul VI's Orientalium Ecclesiarum, holding the institutions, liturgical rites, and traditions of the Eastern Churches in high esteem.
- One of five Eastern Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Orlando
- Byzantine liturgy shaped by St. James of Jerusalem, St. Basil the Great, and St. John Chrysostom
- Same faith and sacraments as Roman Catholic; different liturgical expression
- Recognized by the Second Vatican Council (1964) in Orientalium Ecclesiarum
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Vincent (Vince) Bradyserving as pastor as of 2014 (publication date of News-Journal feature); continuing
Ordained 1995 by Bishop Michael J. Dudick, Bishop of the Eparchy of Passaic; graduate of St. Mary of the Assumption High School (Elizabeth, NJ) and the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Saints Cyril and Methodius (Pittsburgh, PA); background in counseling; served in various parishes of the Eparchy of Passaic.