Byzantine Catholic Church in America
To determine if there is a church near you ...
Posted on 10/11/2005 12:47:26 PM PDT by NYer
PEORIA - About 1,100 Catholics at St. Mary's Cathedral on Sunday had to be given instruction in how to take Communion.
"Tilt your head back," said J. Michael Thompson, director of the choir which would sing at that morning's Byzantine liturgy. "Don't stick out your tongue. And don't try to say 'Amen' or you might choke."
The procedure for taking Communion is part of the Byzantine liturgy, foreign to most of the Roman Catholics of the Catholic Diocese of Peoria who were at the cathedral for one of the events being held on the final day of the diocese's "Solemn Closing of the Year of the Eucharist."
The weekend-long event, centering on a worldwide, yearlong focus on the Catholic sacrament of Communion, drew Catholics to the cathedral night and day, from Friday night through Sunday afternoon.
Diocesan spokeswoman Elizabeth Smarjesse said attendance was "fantastic."
An overflow crowd attended Mass Friday night and a steady stream of the faithful attended the 40 Hours of Eucharistic Devotion held around various events.
"I came at 5 a.m. Saturday and at least 15 people were here," Smarjesse said. "People were saying they couldn't think of a better place to be."
Sunday morning's ancient Byzantine liturgy, celebrated by the Rev. Thomas Loya of Annunciation Byzantine Catholic Church in Homer Glen, was one way for local Catholics who are used to a Western expression of Catholicism to experience an Eastern expression of the faith.
The liturgy, believed to have been written by St. John Chrysostom in what is now Turkey in early church history, appeals to various senses. Icon screens set up in front of the altar area featured images of Jesus and Mary as well as other saints. Chant - all of the liturgy was in English - was led by a choir from Chicago. Censers, or incense burners, were restoked throughout the Mass and frequently waved during processions throughout the cathedral. The priest and deacons were dressed in gold vestments. Bells attached to the censers rang frequently. Cloths were waved. Candles were lined up across the altar.
And there was a lot more standing to do during a longer Mass than Latin Rite Catholics are used to, with the Byzantine liturgy taking about 1 1/2 hours.
But those attending didn't seem to mind.
"What a climax," Maureen Alouan said in front of the cathedral after the Mass.
The Peorian said it was a good way to begin the final day of a weekend of focus on the Eucharist, believed by Catholics to be the body and blood of Christ.
"For me, it was very spiritual and uplifting. There's a great deal of reverence toward the sacrament. It just kind of put everything in its right proportion.
"We sometimes lose the respect we should have for the sacrament."
Bishop Robert Morlino of the Diocese of Madison (Wis.), the speaker for the evening prayers closing the weekend, said there is a "craving" for such reverence.
"When a priest celebrates the Mass with a great deal of outward reverence, people comment about that, they express their appreciation," Morlino said.
It is interesting to see something like this in a mainstream newspaper.
BTW, Peoria was the home diocese of Fulton J. Sheen.
The parish referred to in the article: Annunciation Byzantine Catholic Church in Homer Glen, Illinois does not appear in the directories you posted.
The parish is about 5 years old and is part of the Eparchy (Diocese) of Parma (OH) under Bishop John Kudrick.
I'm Orthodox, but I listen to "Relevant Radio" pretty often, and I sometimes catch the end of Fr. Loya's program on Sunday mornings. I'm familiar with some of the ethnic groups that represented among the Byzantine Catholics -- Ukrainians, some of the Carpatho-Russians, etc. There used to be a Carpatho-Russian Orthodox parish in East Chicago, IN and around the corner was a Carpatho-Russian Byrzantine Rite parish. I seem to be hearing a lot more about the Byzantine Catholics lately and, of course, they had a prominent role in Pope John Paul II's funeral (which confused some of our folks, who wondered why "Orthodox" were there and why they were singing "Christos anesti" when it wasn't Pascha yet!) My question is, is there a lot of growth among the Byzantine Catholics in this country, and do they tend to draw people from Latin Catholic parishes or mostly from among non-Catholics?
A_R
From my own experience with the Byzantine Catholic church here in Houston, I would say that the BCs tend to draw new members more from the Latin RC side than from non-Catholic groups. I do know of at least one Orthodox couple that has started going there, but on the other hand, I also know of some BCs who have started going to the local Serbian Orthodox Church.
I have not been to any other Byzantine Catholic churches around the country, but from my surfing their web sites and lurking on email lists (especially at www.byzcath.org), I gather that our local BC church is maybe a little bit more Latinized than some; e.g., here a group of parishioners pray the rosary (Roman style) before liturgy, instead of their having Orthros (matins) or (as I have seen on some web sites) Third Hour (or Third and Sixth Hours) before liturgy, which really is the more customary Eastern way of doing things--not to mention having vespers the night before, as well. Confession is in a separate room rather than in the church itself with the priest holding the stole over your head, etc. And of course there are pews...
Nevertheless, I detect a move on the part of the serious (probably younger) Byzantines across the country to demand a more full implementation of the Second Vatican Council's call for the Eastern Catholic churches to renew their Eastern practices, a matter greatly encouraged by Pope John Paul II. The Byzantine Catholic Church, as a sui juris (having its own law) church in communion with Rome, really does have a lot of potential, but as Bum Phillips used to say: "potential means you ain't done it yet."
The above is not to criticize (given the limited resources of our local BCs, etc.) but to see how it CAN be done, and in communion with Rome too, take a look at St Elias Ukrainian Catholic Church (outside of Ontario, Canada): at http://www.saintelias.com/.
Eastern Catholic prelates incense the coffin of JPII, while offering up their prayer service for the dead.
My question is, is there a lot of growth among the Byzantine Catholics in this country, and do they tend to draw people from Latin Catholic parishes or mostly from among non-Catholics?
An excellent question but not one that can't be answered with clear statistics. As you pointed out, Pope John Paul II's funeral drew attention to the Eastern Churches, albeit in a confusing manner, by the media who seemed just as confused as your folks. And it is good news! Nearly two years ago, I was drawn into the rich, reverance of the Maronite Divine Liturgy and was totally captivated. My Orthodox friends here in the forum often remind me that the Maronites are very 'latinized' and lack the 'phronema' of the other Eastern Churches. The Maronite liturgy, though, draws deeply from its Jewish heritage and is a veritable gem, despite its adaption to certain Latin practices. They are now in the process of trying to restore it, as best as possible.
As for the other Eastern Catholic Churches, slowly but surely, the Roman Catholics are discovering their beautiful liturgies. There are several currently in the forum who now attend the Byzantine Catholic Church, and a former freeper who is studying for the deaconate.
The following article, though poorly titled, may shed some light on the situation. Ultimately, it's a question of education. Most Roman Catholics are not aware that they can attend an Eastern Divine Liturgy and fulfill their Sunday Mass obligation. It's mostly word of mouth but the message is getting out there :-)
The Rite Switch: Why Roman Rite Catholics become Eastern Rite
Here is a link to their home page: Annunciation Parish .
I have also taken the liberty of emailing the webmaster for the Unofficial Site of Eastern Catholic Parishes, with links to the news article and the official web site. Hopefully, it will be updated soon, to reflect this relatively new parish.
I don't know numbers but just anecdotally: the first time I went to a Ukrainian Catholic Liturgy, I introduced myself as a Latin Rite Catholic to Father and was approached by a woman who was a 20 year member of his parish. She was originally Latin Rite too but fled the liturgical barbarism she was exposed to in her own rite.
I think this is somewhat common among folks who just get fed up liturgically, as NYer can tell you. :)
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