Eastern Rites: From Rome and Back Again
FR. WILLIAM SAUNDERS As the Church hierarchy became more stable, the position of Patriarch was recognized. A patriarch had the highest ecclesiastical dignity after the Pope and possessed jurisdiction over a particular territory. The term “patriarch” comes from the Greek word for the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel. Strictly speaking, by the term […]
WHAT’S AN EASTERN RITE CATHOLIC?
Perhaps the easiest way to learn more about Eastern Rite Catholics is to attend a Divine Liturgy (which the Romans call ‘The Mass’) in one of their churches. Plan to attend an Eastern Rite liturgy some Sunday morning with someone who has already experienced one. You can readily learn from your CATHOLIC DIRECTORY or from […]
ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER LEO XIV TO PARTICIPANTS IN THE JUBILEE OF ORIENTAL CHURCHES
Audience HallWednesday, 14 May 2025 _________________________________ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you. Your Beatitudes, Your Eminence, Your Excellencies,Dear priests, consecrated men and women,Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is risen. He is truly risen! I greet you in these words that Eastern Christians in […]
Audience with Participants in the Jubilee of the Eastern Churches, May 14, 2025
This morning, in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the participants in the Jubilee of the Eastern Churches. The following is the address delivered by the Pope to the participants in the audience: Address of the Holy Father Your Beatitudes, Your Eminence, Your Excellencies, Dear priests, consecrated men and […]
Icons Show the Human Face of God
Pope John Paul II Dear Brothers and Sisters, 1. In recent months my Sunday reflections have frequently focused on our Christian brothers and sisters of the East. Wishing as it were to embrace their rich tradition of faith in a single glance, today I would like to refer once again to the sense of mystery […]
Eastern theology has enriched the whole Church
Pope John Paul II Dear Brothers and Sisters, 1. Continuing my reflection on Eastern Christianity, today I would like to focus attention on the development of Eastern theology, which, even in the centuries that followed the age of the Fathers and the sad division with the Apostolic See, led to profound and stimulating perspectives at […]
DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES
If you actually do attend a service at a Byzantine Rite Church (or any other unfamiliar rite of the Church), you’ll probably have dozens of questions whirling through your mind – among which will very probably be the wonderment as to whether the Church you’ve just visited is *really* Catholic. The Official Catholic Directory will […]
THE ORIGIN OF RITES
As churches were established in the fourth century, definite patterns of worship began to appear. The great centers of civilization and learning, places like Antioch, Constantinople, Rome, Jerusalem, Alexandria, and the like, began to develop their own distinctive practices, based largely on their local cultures. The characteristic number of hymns, the formats and timing of […]
HOW DID THE VARIOUS RITES ORIGINATE?
Try to imagine yourself in Jerusalem, shortly after the Ascension. Try. Christianity had just been born, though nobody yet thought of it in those terms. Christ has only just hours before commissioned certain men to “feed my flock.” Empowered by Him, these men are commanded now to teach men the truths about man and man’s […]
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE EASTERN RITES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
[The following file is actually a collection of messages by Father Hal Stockert, a Byzantine Catholic priest of the Eparchy of Passaic, New Jersey. He provides an excellent introduction to the various Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church.] “Ummmm….What’s a BYZANTINE CATHOLIC?” “I don’t want to seem ignorant, but what’s the difference between Byzantine Catholics […]