ST. ROMANOS THE MELODIST (OCT. 1ST)
Edited by Bp. Joseph ( Ancient Church of the West ) Today, October 1st, the Western Orthodox Churches celebrate the life and legacy of St. Romanos the Melodist, born in AD 490 AD and died in AD 556. He is the father of Byzantine hymnody and the author of the Kontakion and Psalm Chorus Verses that are sung in the Eastern Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. This musical tradition influenced Western Orthodox hymnody as the ancient Gallican, Mozarabic, and Stowe Rites were resurrected by our early sainted bishops. The Archdiocese uses the pre-Schism Gregorian Rite, with its unaltered and profoundly beautiful Greagorian Chant, so St. Romanos’ legacy is felt less in our jurisdiction than in our Sister Churches. According to the legends of the Church, St. Romanos was not at first considered to be either a talented reader or singer. He was, however, loved by the Patriarch of Constantinople because of his great humility. Once, around the year 518, while serving in the Church of the Panag...
