Uploaded on: 06/24/2007
Non-Latin rites add to Catholic Church’s diversity
By Julie Carroll
The Catholic Spirit
The word “catholic” comes from a Greek word meaning “many in one.” As Catholics, we share common beliefs passed down to us from the Apostles. But how we express those beliefs can appear quite different, reflecting the rich cultural diversity of Catholics worldwide.
The Catholic Church is made up of two branches: the Eastern rite and the Latin rite. Both rites come under the authority of the pope and are in full communion with Rome, but their organization, traditions and liturgies are distinct. All are self-governing, and some even have their own Code of Canon Law.
The Eastern Catholic rite encompasses five main groups: Alexandrian, Antiochian, Armenian, Chaldean and Byzantine. Each of these groups is divided further into subgroups.
In all, the Catholic Church is comprised of 22 individual churches. Ancestry determines the rite to which a person belongs.
Pope John Paul II has said the church needs to “breathe with both lungs,” meaning the health of the Catholic Church depends upon both the Eastern-rite and Latin-rite churches working together — “many in one.”
While there are more Latin-rite Catholics in the United States, as more and more people from the East have migrated to the country, they have established churches in their own traditions. In the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, there are five Eastern-rite Catholic churches: the Byzantine Church of St. John in Minneapolis, St. Constantine Ukrainian Catholic Church in Minneapolis, St. Stephen Ukrainian Catholic Church in St. Paul, St. Maron Maronite Catholic Church in Minneapolis and Holy Family Maronite Catholic Church in St. Paul.
Other smaller groups of Eastern-rite Catholics in the archdiocese, such as the Syro-Malabar Catholics from India, do not yet have a church of their own, so they belong to Latin rite parishes, worshipping together periodically.
Eastern rite liturgies are always sung, frequently use incense and are typically longer than Latin-rite Masses, according to the Harper-Collins Encyclopedia of Catholicism. Certain parts of the liturgy are hidden from view behind a curtain or barrier, lending an aura of mystery to the Divine Liturgy.
“The sumptuousness of their symbolism, vestments, and ceremonial, the beauty of their chant, and the rich iconography of their churches combine to make an almost overwhelming sensible impact on the worshiper,” the encyclopedia states. “On a deeper, interior level, these rites are characterized by their transcendental, eschatological spirit and profound sense of mystery and awe; by the richly developed trinitarian, Christological, and Marian theology of their prayers and hymns; and by their strong monastic stamp.”
Catholics can receive the sacraments of reconciliation and Eucharist at either church; however, other sacraments should be celebrated in the church to which one belongs.