Kudos! Most Catholics (myself included) have never been introduced to the Eastern Catholic Churches and yet, they are older than the Latin Rite. St. Peter served as Bishop of Antioch before going to Rome. The Chaldeans, Maronites and Malabars all retain the Antiochean liturgy with Aramaic for the Consecration. The Maronites trace their history back to the Jews. Many Syriac and Maronite Churches were constructed on the foundations of Synagogues and to this day, retain certain design elements of the Jewish Synagogue - the 'bema' - where the Word was proclaimed.
In these images from the funeral of JPII, you will notice a group of Eastern prelates standing at the foot of oriental rug, while two others incense the coffin of JPII. These are ALL Catholic Patriarchs, Metropolitans and Bishops. After the Rite of Interment, nine official days of mourning began. The devotional called novemdiales features a Mass of Requiem on each of the nine days at St. Peter's Basilica. Several cardinals were chosen by Cardinal Ratzinger to have the honor of presiding over each Mass. His Beatitude Mar Nasrallah Peter Cardinal Sfeir, Patriarch for the Maronites was chosen to celebrate the Divine Liturgy for the Eastern Churches.
Should you need any additional information, do not hesitate to ask. If there are any Eastern Catholic parishes nearby, you may want to suggest the group plan on attending the Divine Liturgy. Enjoy the project and please let me know how it is received :-)