Where do I purchase a great schema Greek style online?

[Maria Sydney]

please help me!

where can i buy a Great Schema, Greek style online from ??


many thanks


maria

[Fr Seraphim (Black)]

Please forgive me, but the very idea of buying an 'on-line' ready-made Great Schema shocks me. I admit I am getting on in years, and tend to be a little old fashioned.

In the Slavic tradition the Great Schema is given (never asked for) by the Elders of the Community, be it a Convent or Monastery.

You can buy Great Schemas in the shops surrounding Agia Sophia Cathedral in Thessaloniki, Greece - but what are you going to do with your purchase (which by the way you have bought at a highly inflated cost)? Present it to the Abbess/Abbot and say this is for me for the service of the Great Schema. This, my dear is not the monastic way.

Best, in my opinion to follow the footsteps of our Holy Fathers and Mothers before us.

[Maria Sydney]

perhaps i was asked to purchase it on behalf of an old retired bishop who cannot fly overseas and who doesn't have internet access?

obvioulsy it isn't for me since im not even a monastic

you should have asked about this before providing advice

thanks for your reply

maria

[Fr Seraphim (Black)]

Dear Maria,

Forgive my smugness and lack of charity.

I will post today, a place where you can purchase, on-line beautiful Schemas.

A touch of patience and you will have the web site.

unworthy seraphim

[Maria Sydney]

thank you father
i am aware of a number of russian online places, but not greek ones

may the lord remember you!

[Fr Seraphim (Black)]

Dear Maria,

Sadly, I also am aware of only Slavic schemas available on-line - can someone else help?

[Olga]

Pardon my ignorance, Fr Seraphim, but what are the differences between Greek and Slavic schemas, apart from te use of Greek vs Cyrillic alphabet? Or is this the only difference?

[Fr Seraphim (Black)]

Dear Olga,

Please forgive the delay. I have just returned from seven days in hospital.

You are correct about the Greek to Slavonic alphabet.

The Greek Schemas are very sober.

The Slavic Schema depending on the Monastery/Convent are i) longer in length ii) more colourful iii) depict Seraphim/Cherubim iv) the cowl, as seen notably in Valamm, is very elaborate and detailed.

In the Slavic tradition, again depending on the country, the Great Schema is given in general after 20 to 25 years and is dependant upon ascetic struggle.

In the Slavic tradition, again depending on the country (thus Romania is vastly different in its allowance of ecclesial activity compared to most parts of Russia) the Great Schema is a total death to this world. Thus a priest monk upon reception of the Schema generally no longer serves, though there are exceptions. In Romania I know many Priests and Bishops who have the Great Schema and function as Priests and Bishops.

My own tradition is 'total death'. No priesthood, no bishopric, only (to borrow from Romania) seven spoken words per day.

Hope this helps.

[Father David Moser]

Archbishop Anthony of SF (of blessed memory) was a monk of the great schema prior to his election to the episcopal throne. The Synod did very careful research and found that while a bishop cannot take the Great Schema, there is no prohibition for consecrating a Schemamonk to the Episcopacy. Vladyka Anthony was a monk first always considered his episcopacy as a "monastic obedience". At his death, rather than accept burial near his catheral, he was laid to rest back at Holy Trinity Monastery, beneath the catheral there.

A/pr David Moser

[Paul Cowan]

Not sure if this is relevant after all this time, but perhaps the internet has caught up with us.

Here is a site to purchase a Greek Great Schema (http://www.istok.net/greek-great-schema-megaloschema.html).

I can't read this so i don't know if iti s Greek or Russian, but another site (http://conventofsaintelizabeth.org/apparel/monastic.html).

Whether this is heresy or just in poor taste, here is a pitiful use of the Schema (http://www.zazzle.com/eastern_orthodox_great_schema_tshirt-235687144372249222). Lord Have Mercy!

Paul

[Olga]

Whether this is heresy or just in poor taste, here is a pitiful use of the Schema (http://www.zazzle.com/eastern_orthodox_great_schema_tshirt-235687144372249222). Lord Have Mercy!

Paul

There oughta be a law .... >:-(

[Christina M.]

Yes, this is terrible! I shouldn't have looked, but curiosity got the best of me.

[Cyprian (Humphrey)]

Yes, istok.net has been selling both Greek and Russian great schemas for some time, as have the Etna folks (Convent of St Elizabeth - your second link). The Etna one is Greek.

WRT the zazzle T-shirt thing, I think that's just a result of some sort of clever search engine and entrepeneurism. It looks like they just scan the internet for images, and offer T-Shirts, mugs, mousepads, what have you, with the picture on it, and it's a print-as-they're-ordered kind of thing. I don't think anyone planned to put the schema symbols on T-shirts.

You can search for all sorts of silly pictures, and find these kind of sites offering T-shirts with the picture in question on it.

That being said - I'm not so sure it's a bad thing. Sure, when the T-shirt wears out, (a pious Orthodox Christian at least) would have to burn it rather than use it as a cleaning rag or just throw it out. I mean, we monks wear the schema (well, I don't yet, I'm only a Rassophore-monk) as an article of clothing, so it's not automatically sacriligeous to do so.

That, and we certainly don't have a copyright on the image. Strictly speaking, what's on the T-shirt there, isn't the schema, it's only the image from the little-schema. The Paraman (aka little schema) is the whole article of clothing including the patch of cloth that has this image embroidered on it, along with cords and a wooden cross. The whole thing put together is the little schema. The image by itself is not forbidden to laity any more than one could say that laity aren't allowed to have a wooden cross around their neck. Laity shouldn't be running around wearing imitation paramans any more than they should be wearing imitation pectoral crosses or Panagias. But baptismal crosses and even medallions of icons of the Theotokos are far from prohibited - size and how they are worn (under the clothing rather than on top) come into play and make a lot of difference.

So, if that image is being worn in a fashion other than precisely how a monastic paraman is worn, it's fair game I say.

[Olga]

So, if that image is being worn in a fashion other than precisely how a monastic paraman is worn, it's fair game I say.

With great respect, Fr Cyprian, but I have to disagree. Putting holy imagery on coffee mugs, T-shirts and even teatowels (yes, I've come across them) is a profanation and irreverence. It reduces the imagery (be it the schema device, or an icon) into a mere "logo", a cool fashion accessory. It debases the image which is intended to be set apart for use in devotion and worship.