what is the byzantine catholic rite church?

Question

I am a roman catholic. I walked in to a byzantine catholic church by mistake and thought it was a catholic one because of its similariity from the outside, and the chants. Everything was going ok, except that the priest was on his back, but i thought what the hell? they did this a long time ago anyways... and then At the time of communion, the priest got a spoon and fed everyone a spoonfull of something that tasted like fruit-pie and wine.. what was that? I couldnt get out of the line so i had to take te spoonfull.. lol what was it? what are the differences between roman catholics and byzantine catholics? why does the priest give mass on his back? please help me understand where i went and what i tasted ! thanks

Answer 1

You were most likely attending a Catholic Mass, in an Eastern Rite Byzantine Catholic Church, which is probably fully in union with the Holy See at the Vatican, but using a different liturgy than western (Roman) Catholics are used to. You should have just stayed around after Mass and asked these questions to the priest. You likely received both the body and the blood of Christ at the same time, rather than separately. There are many more details to share. For more, post your questions at www.askmeaboutgod.org and receive a free, private, complete, personalized answer via email in about one day. Doug

Answer 2

I suggest that you visit http://www.melkite.org They have a ton of information on the Byzantine Rite. Here is an image on how everything breaks down. http://www.scborromeo.org/images/fig6.gif

Here is some answers to your basic questions. (warning, to your EC and Orthodox, I am going to latinize some terms so it makes sense to the asker)

Byzantine is the Rite promulgated by the Greeks. They use the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom for the Mass which is from the 4th century.

The consecration is supposed to be done with the priests back to the people in the Byzantine Rite. This is still allowed in the Latin Rite though few priests do it. 1962 is not a long time ago and watch out, that posture might be coming back for the Latin Rite (B16 is expected to modify a bit of the Liturgy to bring it more into line with what Vatican II suggested).

The Eastern Church uses leavened bread for the consecration. The reception of communion is not done one species at a time but rather through immersion or placing the consecrated host on a spoon and dipping it in the consecrated wine.

And just so you know...the pieces of bread handed out after mass is NOT the Eucharist. It is blessed bread that is cut away from the center of the loaf which becomes the unconsecrated hosts.

Answer 3

Whoa Seek, TMI. Just tell him its an orthodox group. SSDC - Same $hit different church.

A Byzantine Catholic should be able to answer your questions but I don't think there are too many around. Maybe you should go back to that church and ask them, if it interests you.

Answer 4

BYZANTINE
The Church of Constantinople became the political and religious center of the eastern Roman Empire after the Emperor Constantine built a new capital there (324-330) on the site of the ancient town of Byzantium. Constantinople developed its own liturgical rite from the Liturgy of St. James, in one form as modified by St. Basil, and in a more commonly used form, as modified by St. John Chrysostom. After 1054, except for brief periods of reunion, most Byzantine Christians have not been in communion with Rome. They make up the Orthodox Churches of the East, whose titular head is the Patriarch of Constantinople. The Orthodox Churches are mostly auto-cephalous, meaning self-headed, united to each other by communion with Constantinople, which exercises no real authority over them. They are typically divided into Churches along nation lines. Those that have returned to communion with the Holy See are represented among the Eastern Churches and Rites of the Catholic Church.

1. ARMENIAN
Considered either its own Rite or an older version of the Byzantine. Its exact form is not used by any other Byzantine Rite. It is composed of Catholics from the first people to convert as a nation, the Armenians (N.E. of Turkey), and who returned to Rome at the time of the Crusades. Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians. The liturgical language is classical Armenian. It's 350,000 Armenian Catholics are found in Armenia, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Ukraine, France, Romania, United States and Argentina. Most Armenians are Orthodox, not in union with Rome.

2. BYZANTINE
• Albanian - Albanian Christians, numbering only 1400 today, who resumed communion with Rome in 1628. Liturgical language is Albanian. Most Albanian Christians are Albanian Orthodox.
• Belarussian/Byelorussian - Unknown number of Belarussians who returned to Rome in the 17th century. The liturgical language is Old Slavonic. The faithful can be found in Belarus, as well as Europe, the Americas and Australia.
• Bulgarian - Bulgarians who returned to Rome in 1861. Liturgical language is Old Slavonic. The 20,000 faithful can be found in Bulgaria. Most Bulgarian Christians are Bulgarian Orthodox.
• Czech - Czech Catholics of Byzantine Rite organized into a jurisdiction in 1996.
• Krizevci - Croatian Catholics of Byzantine Rite who resumed communion with Rome in 1611. The liturgical language is Old Slavonic. The 50,000 faithful can be found in Croatia and the Americas. Most Croatians are Roman (Rite) Catholics.
• Greek - Greek Christians who returned to Rome in 1829. The liturgical language is Greek. Only 2500 faithful in Greece, Asia Minor (Turkey) and Europe. Greek Christians are almost all Orthodox. Their Patriarch is the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople.
• Hungarian - Descendants of Ruthenians who returned to Rome in 1646. The liturgical languages are Greek, Hungarian and English. The 300,000 faithful are found in Hungary, Europe and the Americas.
• Italo-Albanian - Never separated from Rome, these 60,000 Byzantine Rite Catholics are found in Italy, Sicily and the Americas. The liturgical languages are Greek and Italo-Albanian.
• Melkite - Catholics from among those separated from Rome in Syria and Egypt who resumed Communion with Rome at the time of the Crusades. However, definitive union only came in the 18th century. Melkite Greek Patriarch of Damascus. Liturgical languages are Greek, Arabic, English, Portuguese and Spanish. The over 1 million Melkite Catholics can be found in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Canada, US, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela and Australia.
• Romanian - Romanians who returned to Rome in 1697. The liturgical language is Romanian. There are over 1 million Romanian Catholics in Romania, Europe and the Americas. Most Romanian Christians are Romanian Orthodox.
• Russian - Russians who returned to communion with Rome in 1905. The liturgical language is Old Slavonic. An unknown number of the faithful in Russia, China, the Americas and Australia. Most Russian Christians are Russian Orthodox. Their Patriarch is the Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow.
• Ruthenian - Catholics from among those separated from Rome in Russia, Hungary and Croatia who reunited with Rome in 1596 (Brest-Litovsk) and 1646 (Uzhorod).
• Slovak - Byzantine Rite Catholics of Slovakian origin numbering 225,000 and found in Slovakia and Canada.
• Ukrainian - Catholics from among those separated from Rome by the Greek Schism and reunited about 1595. Patriarch of Lvov. Liturgical languages are Old Slavonic and Ukrainian. The 5.5 million Ukrainian Catholics can be found in Ukraine, Poland, England, Germany, France, Canada, US, Brazil, Argentina and Australia. During the Soviet era Ukrainian Catholics were violently forced to join the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Their hierarchy, which continued to exist outside the homeland, has since be re-established in the Ukraine.