[lainde]

Thank you for the valuable links...The past 24 hours has been a wonderful education. I know zip about the Eastern Catholic churches and was always curious. There was no exposure to their services when I grew up in the midwest. Their presence today was breathtaking!

[NYer]

Thank you for the valuable links...The past 24 hours has been a wonderful education. I know zip about the Eastern Catholic churches and was always curious. There was no exposure to their services when I grew up in the midwest. Their presence today was breathtaking!

You're most welcome!

I also knew zip about the Eastern Catholic Churches until I arrived at FreeRepublic. Thanks to that knowledge, when the abuses in my diocese pushed me to the edge, I found two Eastern Catholic Churches in the nearby community. Each day I thank our Lord for guiding me to the Maronite Church.

The Eastern Catholics hold strong to their traditions, which are reflected in the reverence of the liturgies celebrated in their churches. In the following picture, the 2nd person from the left is, as Siobhan pointed out, from the Syro-Malakarese Rite. This the liturgy brought by St. Thomas to India, where he was martyred for the faith.

The Eastern Churches are the jewels in the crown of the Catholic Church." ... Pope John XXIII