Sarah Mitchell
The Byzantine Rite is one of several Eastern rites recognized by and in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, also known as the Pope. It is the largest of the Eastern rites, with liturgies that are known for their profound reverence and extravagant solemnity. The Byzantine Rite originated in the Greek city of Antioch, now in southern Turkey, and was developed and perfected in Byzantium, or Constantinople (now Istanbul). It is distinct from other Eastern Catholic liturgies, which use the Aramaic-Syriac, Armenian, and Coptic liturgies of the Oriental Orthodox churches. The Byzantine Rite is used by several Eastern Catholic Churches, including the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, and is characterized by its retention of various practices of the Eastern Church, such as the use of Old Slavonic and the observance of the Julian calendar.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Origin | The Byzantine Rite originated in the Greek city of Antioch (now in southern Turkey) and was developed in Byzantium, or Constantinople (now Istanbul). |
| Language | The Byzantine Rite was originally Greek but has since been translated into Slavic, Romanian, Hungarian, Albanian, Arabic, and Georgian. |
| Calendar | Traditionally, the Byzantine Rite uses the Julian Calendar, but some churches have adopted the Revised Julian or Gregorian Calendars. |
| Liturgy | The Byzantine Rite has three main liturgies: the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, and the Liturgy of the Preconsecrated Offerings. A fourth liturgy, that of St. James the Apostle, is rarely used. |
| Communion | Communion is received under both kinds and administered by the priest from a spoon. The bread used is leavened. |
| Iconography | Byzantine Rite churches are adorned with icons, and the sanctuary is separated from the congregation by an iconostasis, or wall of icons. |
| Canon Law | The Byzantine Rite operates under a different code of canon law, the CCEO, which was codified in 1990. |
| Clergy | The Byzantine Rite permits the marriage of clergy. |
| Cross | The Eastern form of the cross with three crossbars is used. |
| Chanting | Liturgies are always chanted and include the use of incense and veneration of icons. |
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What You'll Learn
Byzantine Rite Catholics in the US
The Byzantine Rite Catholic Church is the result of 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 Rite Catholic Church retained various practices of the Eastern church while acknowledging the leadership of the Pope.
In the US, Byzantine Rite Catholics are a small minority 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. In 1986, it was estimated that 8,000 Ruthenians and 6,000 Ukrainians belonged to Greater Cleveland's Byzantine Rite Catholic churches.
The Byzantine Rite Catholic Church in the US has experienced some challenges due to differences in traditions and practices. For example, in the early 20th century, a decree was issued that only celibate priests could be admitted to America, which led to thousands of US Byzantine Rite Catholics defecting to the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Byzantine Rite Catholic Church in the US has two dioceses: the Diocese of the Ruthenian (Rusin) Byzantine Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Diocese of St. Josaphat. These dioceses reflect the historical divisions between Rusins and Ukrainians within the Byzantine Rite Catholic Church.
The Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Diocese has included several churches in the Greater Cleveland area, such as St. Mary's Byzantine Catholic Church and St. Joseph's, with most parishes composed of multiple nationalities by the 1980s. The Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Diocese includes a majority of Ukrainians, with some Lemkos, and their oldest church in Cleveland is St. John the Baptist Byzantine Rite Catholic Church.
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Byzantine Rite and the Julian Calendar
The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, is a liturgical rite observed by several Eastern Catholic Churches in its original Greek form or some other form (Slavic, Romanian, Hungarian, Albanian, Arabic, or Georgian). The Byzantine Rite is distinct from other Eastern Catholic liturgies, which use the Aramaic-Syriac, Armenian, and Coptic liturgies of the Oriental Orthodox churches.
The Byzantine Rite Catholic Church was established by the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th and 17th centuries to convert Eastern Orthodox Christians in the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Byzantine Rite Catholic Church retained various practices of the Eastern church while acknowledging the leadership of the pope. For instance, masses were performed in Old Slavonic rather than Latin, and the Julian calendar was observed instead of the Gregorian calendar.
The Julian calendar is a solar calendar with 365 days in a standard year and 366 days in a leap year, occurring every four years. It was proposed by Julius Caesar in 46 BC as a reform of the earlier Roman calendar, which was largely lunisolar. The Julian calendar was adopted in AD 988 by Vladimir I of Kiev, and it became the predominant calendar in the Roman Empire and most of the Western world for over 1,600 years.
Traditionally, the Julian Calendar has been used to calculate feast days in the Byzantine Rite. In 1924, several autocephalous churches adopted the Revised Julian Calendar for fixed dates, which aligns with the Gregorian calendar. However, the Paschal cycle continued to be calculated according to the Julian Calendar. Today, some churches continue to follow the Julian Calendar, while others have adopted the Revised Julian Calendar (Eastern Orthodox) or the Gregorian Calendar (usually the more Latinized Byzantine Catholic churches).
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Byzantine Rite and the Eastern Orthodox Church
The Byzantine Rite is a liturgical rite currently used by the Eastern Orthodox Church and some other churches. It is also referred to as the Rite of Constantinople or the Constantinopolitan Rite. It is the second most used rite in Christendom after the Roman Rite. The Byzantine Rite is distinct from other Eastern Catholic liturgies, which use the Aramaic-Syriac, Armenian, and Coptic liturgies of the Oriental Orthodox churches.
The Byzantine Rite originated in the Greek city of Antioch, which is now in southern Turkey. It was one of the earliest and most celebrated centres of Christianity. However, it was developed and perfected in Byzantium, or Constantinople (now Istanbul). The rite was associated primarily with the Great Church of Constantinople and used the Greek language. As Constantinople's influence grew, the rite was translated into the vernacular of the diverse peoples who adopted it, losing its exclusive Greek character.
The Byzantine Rite consists of divine liturgies, canonical hours, forms for the administration of sacred mysteries (sacraments), and numerous prayers, blessings, and exorcisms developed by the Church of Constantinople. It also includes specifics of architecture, icons, liturgical music, vestments, and traditions that have evolved over the centuries. During services, the congregation traditionally stands throughout, and an iconostasis separates the sanctuary from the nave of the church. The faithful are very active in their worship, making frequent bows and prostrations and feeling free to move about the temple.
Of the three liturgies in use by Byzantine Rite churches, the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is the most frequently celebrated and is the normal church service. The Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is longer and is used on ten special occasions each year. The Liturgy of the Preconsecrated Offerings, also known as the Liturgy of the Presanctified or the Liturgy of St. Gregory the Great, is celebrated on Wednesdays and Fridays during Lent and from Monday to Wednesday of Holy Week. A fourth liturgy, that of St. James the Apostle, is very rarely used. The liturgical language varies from country to country, but Byzantine Rite churches in the United States have generally continued using the language of the parent church.
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The Melkite Greek Catholic Church
The Melkite Church shares its Byzantine liturgical, theological, and spiritual heritage with the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and other Eastern Orthodox churches. The church's chief hierarch is Patriarch Youssef Absi, who resides at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Dormition in Damascus, Syria. The church has approximately 1.6 million members worldwide.
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The Byzantine Rite in Cleveland
The Byzantine Rite Catholic Church is the result of 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 Rite Catholic Church retains various practices of the Eastern church while acknowledging the supreme leadership of the pope. For instance, masses are performed in Old Slavonic rather than Latin, and the Julian calendar is observed instead of the Gregorian calendar.
In the U.S., Byzantine Rite Catholics have generally been a small minority 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. In 1986, it was estimated that 8,000 Ruthenians and 6,000 Ukrainians belonged to Greater Cleveland's Byzantine Rite Catholic churches.
Cleveland has two dioceses: the Diocese of the Ruthenian (Rusin) Byzantine Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Diocese of St. Josaphat. The oldest Rusin church in Cleveland is St. John the Baptist Byzantine Rite Catholic Church, whose parish was established in 1898. A triple-domed church building was erected in 1913 but was razed in 1961 to make way for the INNERBELT FREEWAY. A new church, part of a planned Byzantine Catholic Center, was begun in 1959 and dedicated in 1960. In 1969, St. John's became a cathedral and the seat of the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Diocese of Parma.
St. Josaphat's, completed in 1959, included a convent for the Sisters of St. Basil the Great, the St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Elementary School, and the Astrodome (a Ukrainian cultural center). In 1984, a church surmounted by five golden-crossed domes was constructed by St. Josaphat's parish, becoming a cathedral for the new Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Diocese of St. Josaphat.
In addition to Ruthenian and Ukrainian Byzantine Rite Catholic churches, there are also Byzantine Rite Catholic churches in Greater Cleveland that identify with Romanians, Croatians, and Hungarians. Two of the city's churches under the jurisdiction of the Romanian Byzantine Catholic Exarchate of Canton, OH, are St. Helena's Romanian Catholic Church (founded in 1905) and Most Holy Trinity Romanian Catholic Church (dedicated in 1916 and relocated to Mayfield Road in 1985). St. John Byzantine Catholic Church, founded in 1892, is considered the first Hungarian Byzantine Catholic Church established in the U.S.
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Frequently asked questions
The Byzantine Rite is one of several Eastern rites recognized by and in full communion with the Bishop of Rome. It originated in the Greek city of Antioch (now in southern Turkey), one of the earliest and most celebrated centers of Christianity, but it was developed and perfected in Byzantium, or Constantinople (now Istanbul).
The Byzantine Rite is known for its profound reverence and the extravagant solemnity of its ceremony, as well as its rich symbolism and use of iconography. It is rooted in the liturgical traditions of Constantinople and of the monasteries of the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire. Liturgies of the Byzantine rite tend to be longer than their typical Latin equivalents, with a slower pace and prayers that are more rhetorical, repetitious, and wordy.
The Byzantine Rite uses the Aramaic-Syriac, Armenian, and Coptic liturgies of the Oriental Orthodox churches that separated from both Greek and Latin worlds before the Great Schism. It also retains various practices of the Eastern church while acknowledging the supreme leadership of the pope.
The Byzantine Rite is practiced in several Eastern Catholic Churches, including the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, and the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church. In the U.S., Byzantine Rite Catholics are a small minority compared to Latin Rite Catholics, but there are still Byzantine Rite Catholic churches and elementary schools in cities like Cleveland.
