Ethan Walker
Byzantine Catholics are followers of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, who recognise the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) as the head of the Catholic Church. They are not Roman Catholics, but Eastern Catholics, with a unique spiritual heritage that traces its roots to the Great Church of Constantinople, also known as Hagia Sophia, or the Church of Holy Wisdom. The Byzantine Rite Catholic Church is believed to have originated in the ancient city of Byzantium (modern-day Istanbul), which was renamed Constantinople by Emperor Constantine in AD 330. While there is no precise data on the number of Byzantine Catholics, the total membership of all Eastern Catholic Churches is estimated to be at least 18,047,000 people, with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church being one of the largest.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Total membership of all Eastern Catholic Churches | 18,047,000 people |
| Byzantine Rite Catholic Church's origin | The Byzantine Rite Catholic Church was formed in the 16th and 17th centuries by the Roman Catholic Church to convert Eastern Orthodox Christians in the old Austro-Hungarian Empire |
| Byzantine Rite Catholic Church's jurisdiction in the US | In 1916, the Vatican established 2 separate ecclesiastical administrations for Byzantine Rite Catholics in the US |
| Byzantine Catholic high school in Cleveland | Enrollment peaked at 600 in the late 1960s, but the school closed in 1975 |
| Holy Ghost Byzantine Catholic Church | Approximately 3,000 members |
| Byzantine Rite Catholic churches in Greater Cleveland | St. Helena's Romanian Catholic Church, Most Holy Trinity Romanian Catholic Church, St. Nicholas (Croatian Byzantine Catholic parish), St. John's Hungarian Byzantine Catholic Church |
| Byzantine Rite Catholic churches in Philadelphia | Six Byzantine Ruthenian churches, 12 Byzantine Ukrainian churches |
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What You'll Learn
There are at least 18 million Eastern Catholics
Eastern Catholics, including Byzantine Catholics, are in full communion with the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) and members of the worldwide Catholic Church. However, they are not members of the Latin Church, which uses the Latin liturgical rites. Instead, they are autonomous churches that maintain full and equal, mutual sacramental exchange with members of the Latin Church. The Eastern Catholic Churches are groups that, at different points in history, used to belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox churches, or the Church of the East. These churches underwent various schisms through history.
The Byzantine Rite Catholic Church is a branch of the Catholic Church that resulted from efforts by the Roman Catholic Church to convert Eastern Orthodox Christians in the old Austro-Hungarian Empire during the 16th and 17th centuries. Initially, the name “Uniate” designated the union of the two faiths, but later, the term “Greek Catholic” or “Byzantine Rite Catholic” was preferred. The Byzantine Rite Catholic Church retained various practices of the Eastern church while acknowledging the supreme leadership of the Pope. For example, masses were performed in Old Slavonic rather than Latin, the Julian calendar was observed, the Eastern form of the cross was retained, and the marriage of clergy was permitted.
The Byzantine Catholic Church traces its foundation to the 12 Apostles of Christ and is a spiritual descendant of Christians in Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The Byzantine Rite is one of several Eastern rites recognized by and in full communion with the Bishop of Rome. Its origin can be traced to the ancient city of Byzantium (modern-day Istanbul), renamed Constantinople when the emperor Constantine relocated his capital city there from Rome in AD 330.
The total membership for all Eastern Catholic churches is at least 18,047,000 people. The six largest churches based on membership are the Syro-Malabar Church (East Syriac Rite), the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (Byzantine Rite), the Maronite Church (West Syriac Rite), the Melkite Greek Catholic Church (Byzantine Rite), the Chaldean Catholic Church (East Syriac Rite), and the Armenian Catholic Church (Armenian Rite). These six churches account for about 85% of the membership of the Eastern Catholic Churches.
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Byzantine Catholics are not Roman Catholics
The Byzantine Catholic Church is a distinct particular church sui iuris (autonomous) that maintains a full and equal mutual sacramental exchange with members of the Latin Church. Byzantine Catholics are in communion with the Pope of Rome, whom they recognize as the visible Head of the Catholic Church. However, they are not members of the Latin Church, which uses the Latin liturgical rites, with the Roman Rite being the most widespread.
The Byzantine Catholic Church traces its foundation to the 12 Apostles of Christ and the religious culture of the ancient city of Byzantium (modern-day Istanbul). It is the spiritual descendant of Christians in Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East, who trace their spiritual heritage to the Great Church of Constantinople, known as Hagia Sophia (The Church of Holy Wisdom). The Byzantine Rite Catholic Church was formed through efforts by the Roman Catholic Church to convert Eastern Orthodox Christians in the old Austro-Hungarian Empire during the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Byzantine Catholic Church has several distinctive features. Its liturgies are almost entirely chanted and differ from the Roman Mass. Communion is distributed with a spoon, with both the Body and Blood of Christ being given to the person. Byzantine churches are elaborately adorned with artwork, particularly figures of the saints, and the sanctuary is separated from the congregation by an "iconostasis", a wall or screen covered with icons. Byzantine liturgies tend to be more musical than Roman ones and involve a continual dialogue in song between the priest and congregation.
Another key difference is that Byzantine Rite Catholic Churches allow the ordination of married men to the priesthood, whereas the Latin Church maintains stricter clerical celibacy. This distinction caused an uproar among Latin Catholics in the U.S. around the turn of the century, as Byzantine Catholic immigrants brought their married clergy with them. A decree in 1907 prohibited married priests from entering the country, leading thousands of U.S. Byzantine Rite Catholics to defect to the Russian Orthodox Church. While the celibacy decree was later modified, married men still cannot be ordained as Byzantine Rite clergy in America, although clerical marriage is permitted in Europe.
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Byzantine Rite Catholics in Greater Cleveland
Byzantine Rite Catholics have generally been a small minority in the United States compared to Latin Rite Catholics. However, Cleveland has retained a large enough Byzantine Catholic population to support Byzantine Rite Catholic churches and elementary schools separate from Latin Rite Catholic institutions.
Cleveland's Byzantine Rite Catholic community traces its roots to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A significant Carpatho-Russian Orthodox population migrated to Cleveland in 1898, concentrating on the eastern fringes of the city. The allowance of married clergy caused a stir with Roman Catholics, and a decree in 1907 permitted only celibate priests to be admitted to the United States. This led to thousands of Byzantine Rite Catholics defecting to the Russian Orthodox Church, and most of Cleveland's Russian Orthodox churches were constructed by these former Byzantine Rite Catholics.
The parish of St. John the Baptist Byzantine Rite Cathedral was established in 1898 and is considered the mother church of the Ruthenian Byzantine Rite Catholic Church in Ohio. St. John's earliest services were held at St. Joseph's Chapel, and the first pastor was Rev. Ivan Matyaczko. A rented hall was used from about 1899 until a church building was purchased in 1901. At this time, the parish was known as St. John's United Greek Church. A triple-domed church was built on the site of the old church in 1913 under the leadership of Rev. Stefan Makar.
In 1916, the Vatican established two separate ecclesiastical administrations for Byzantine Rite Catholics in the United States, reflecting the historical divisions in European homelands. Cleveland has two dioceses: the Diocese of the Ruthenian (Rusin) Byzantine Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Diocese of St. Josaphat. In 1986, it was estimated that 8,000 Ruthenians and 6,000 Ukrainians belonged to Greater Cleveland's Byzantine Rite Catholic churches.
In Greater Cleveland, there are Byzantine Rite Catholic churches identified with Romanians, Croatians, and Hungarians. Two of the city's churches under the jurisdiction of the Romanian Byzantine Catholic Exarchate of Canton, Ohio, are St. Helena's Romanian Catholic Church (founded in 1905) and Most Holy Trinity Romanian Catholic Church (dedicated in 1916 and later relocated to Chesterland). The Croatian Byzantine Catholic parish of St. Nicholas, organized in 1901, was the first Croatian Catholic Church of Byzantine Rite in America. It was still at its original site in 1995. The congregation of St. John's Hungarian Byzantine Catholic Church organized in the 1890s and built a church at Buckeye Road and Ambler Avenue in 1910. A new church was constructed on the site in 1954, and the first Hungarian Byzantine Catholic elementary school in the U.S. was established there.
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Byzantine Catholic immigrants in the US
The Byzantine Rite Catholic Church was formed in the 16th and 17th centuries when the Roman Catholic Church attempted to convert Eastern Orthodox Christians in the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Byzantine Rite Catholic Church is based on the religious culture of the Christian Eastern Roman (or "Byzantine") Empire, centred on Constantinople, and its adherents can be found among the spiritual descendants of Christians in Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
In the United States, Byzantine Rite Catholics are largely represented by the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church, which is also known as the Byzantine Catholic Church. This church has its largest jurisdiction in Europe, but it is also present in North America, where it is in full communion with the Holy See. The Byzantine Catholic Church is the only self-governing Eastern Catholic metropolitan church in the United States. It was established in 1969, and its metropolitan see is in Pittsburgh.
The Byzantine Rite Catholics in the United States also include Ukrainian immigrants, who initially joined the St. John the Baptist Byzantine Rite Catholic Parish. However, nationality differences led them to establish their own parish, the SS. Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church, in 1909. This church was located near Ukrainian immigrant settlements and played an active role in community life, including sponsoring drama productions and concerts, conducting Ukrainian language classes, and organizing adult literacy drives.
The Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Diocese of St. Josaphat is one of the two dioceses in Cleveland, the other being the Diocese of the Ruthenian (Rusin) Byzantine Catholic Church. The Ukrainian diocese was established in 1984 and includes a majority of Ukrainians, with some Lemkos. The Ruthenian diocese, established in 1969, includes Rusins, Hungarians, Slovaks, and Croatians.
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Byzantine Catholic churches in Philadelphia
Byzantine-rite Catholics are followers of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, who became a man to save humanity from sin. The Byzantine Catholic Church traces its foundation to the 12 Apostles of Christ, who were Jesus's companions over 2000 years ago. The Byzantine Rite Catholic Church emerged from the Roman Catholic Church's efforts to convert Eastern Orthodox Christians in the old Austro-Hungarian Empire during the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Byzantine Catholic Church shares in the inheritance of the first Greek-speaking Christian communities of the Eastern Mediterranean world, founded by the Apostles of Jesus Christ. Byzantine Catholics in America are the spiritual descendants of Christians in Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East, tracing their spiritual heritage to the Great Church of Constantinople, known as Hagia Sophia or the Church of Holy Wisdom.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is home to several Byzantine Catholic churches, including:
Holy Ghost Byzantine Catholic Church
Located at 2310 South 24th Street in Philadelphia, the Holy Ghost Byzantine Catholic Church dates back to 1909. The church was built by parishioners from St. John's, who constructed it in the Byzantine style with three "onion" domes. The church was served by Rev. Joseph P. Hanulya from 1918 to 1962, during which he founded the Rusin Elite Society, wrote the first English history of Rusin literature, and established the Rusin Cultural Garden.
Holy Trinity Byzantine Catholic Church
Holy Trinity Parish, founded in 1922, is located on 10th and Oak in Philadelphia. It was established by members of existing Byzantine parishes who had settled in the greater Philadelphia area. Holy Trinity, known for its monthly coffee socials, is partnered with the sister parish of OLPH in Levittown, Pennsylvania, to bring the traditions and faith of the Byzantine Catholic Church to the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
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Frequently asked questions
The Byzantine Catholic Church is one of 23 Eastern Catholic churches worldwide, and it is difficult to pinpoint the exact number of followers. However, it is estimated that there were around 8,000 believers in Georgia in the 1930s.
It is hard to say, but Byzantine Catholics in America are the spiritual descendants of Christians from Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Cleveland has two dioceses, the Diocese of the Ruthenian (Rusin) Byzantine Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Diocese of St. Josaphat. In the 1950s, the Holy Ghost Byzantine Catholic Church had approximately 3,000 members, making it the largest Rusin parish at the time.
Philadelphia has 12 Byzantine Ukrainian churches and 6 Byzantine Ruthenian churches.
In the 1930s, there were around 8,000 Byzantine Catholics in Georgia, served by a bishop and four priests.
