Here's an opportunity to combine the beauty and reverence of all those communities into one Church! Many people are not aware that the Catholic Church is both Western and Eastern. As most of us realize, the Church began in the East. Our Lord lived and died and resurrected in the Holy Land. The Church spread from Jerusalem throughout the known world. As the Church spread, it encountered different cultures and adapted, retaining from each culture what was consistent with the Gospel. In the city of Alexandria, the Church became very Egyptian; in Antioch it remained very Jewish; in Rome it took on an Italian appearance and in Constantinople it took on the trappings of the Roman imperial court. All the churches which developed this way were Eastern, except Rome. Most Catholics in the United States have their roots in Western Europe where the Roman rite predominated. It has been said that the Eastern Catholic Churches are "the best kept secret in the Catholic Church."
If you watched the funeral of Pope John Paul II, you may recall that immediately following the Mass, a group of Eastern prelates gathered to incense the coffin of the late pontiff while chanting prayers for the dead in Greek.
These were all Eastern Catholic bishops and cardinals.
Although there are 22 Churches, there are only eight "Rites" that are used among them. A Rite is a "liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary patrimony," (Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, canon 28). "Rite" best refers to the liturgical and disciplinary traditions used in celebrating the sacraments. Many Eastern Catholic Churches use the same Rite, although they are distinct autonomous Churches. For example, the Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Melkite Catholic Church are distinct Churches with their own hierarchies. Yet they both use the Byzantine Rite.
To learn more about the "two lungs" of the Catholic Church, visit this link:
The Vatican II Council declared that "all should realize it is of supreme importance to understand, venerate, preserve, and foster the exceedingly rich liturgical and spiritual heritage of the Eastern churches, in order faithfully to preserve the fullness of Christian tradition" (Unitatis Redintegrato, 15).
To locate an Eastern Catholic Church in your community, follow the following link:
Eastern Catholic Churches in the U.S.
And yes, Huber, there is a Byzantine Catholic Church in Peekskill. You can learn more about that Church here.
Catholic Ping - Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list
As an added bonus, you'll get the chance to hear the wonderful childrens choir (including my seven-year-old daughter) singing at the childrens Mass on Christmas Eve.
Mass on Christmas Eve is at 4, 6, 8 and 10 -- with Mass on Christmas Day at 9a and 11a (sorry, only two Mass times that day). We're conveniently located at US 281 (AKA San Pedro) and Thousand Oaks -- just minutes north of San Antonio International Airport (1602 Thousand Oaks Drive, San Antonio 78232).
http://www.stmarkevangelist.com