Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to be a Byzantine Catholic to worship with you?
No, we accept all the faithful to celebrate the Divine Liturgy (mass) with us. All Catholics in the Roman rite or one of the sui iuris churches may receive communion with us if properly disposed.
Has the Byzantine Ruthenian Church always been in communion with Rome?
The Byzantine rite did get drawn into the Great Schism of Constantinople and Rome in 1054 and were for a while part of the Orthodox church. However, the ecclesia sui iuris (self-governing church) of Mukachevo-Uzhorod in time sought reunion with the Church of Rome, re-establishing its Catholic faith while maintaining the spirituality, ceremonies, and discipline of the Eastern Church. On April 24, 1646, in Saint George Castle Garden in Uzhorod, a number of priests and faithful proclaimed vocally their reunion with the Catholic Church, re-establishing the unity that Christ so ardently prayed for.
Why are there three bars on your cross?
The short top bar of the cross is where the Romans inscribed, “King of the Jews." The diagonal lower bar is the foot bar to which Christ’s feet were nailed. It points upward in the direction of the repentant thief — on Christ’s right at His crucifixion, the one who accepted Him as Savior.
Why do Byzantine Catholics use leavened bread for the Eucharist?
The Early Church used leavened bread in both West and East churches. The Eastern churches today continue to use leavened bread to symbolize the Resurrection of our Lord. Our tradition focuses on Jesus as the living bread, so it makes sense to use leavened bread in this fashion.
What is the Divine Liturgy? How it is different than a Roman Catholic mass?
Our Divine Liturgy most often celebrated is that of The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. While St. John Chrysostom did not compose the whole liturgy, he is attributed to reforming and revising it in the 4th century in Constantinople. While there are many differences between the Divine Liturgy and a Roman rite mass, possibly the largest difference is that the majority of the liturgy is sung by both the priest and the congregation.
Why do Byzantine Catholics give Communion to infants?
Infant Communion was the custom in the universal Church – both East and West – from the time of the Apostles. The foundation for this custom can be found in Scripture, especially in John 6:52 (“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”) and Matthew 19:14 (“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.’”). The Church Fathers were universally supportive of this custom. Saint Augustine taught: “They are infants, but they receive His sacraments. They are infants, but they share in His table, in order to have life in themselves.” (Works, V5, S 174.7).
The Western Church (Roman rite) also kept this custom until the beginning of the 13th century.
After the various Byzantine Catholics (Greek Catholics) re-established communion with Rome in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries the practice of communing infants was mostly dropped and replaced with the western custom of delaying first Communion until the “age of reason.” But at Vatican II the teaching given in “Orientalium Ecclesiarum” urged Eastern Catholic towards a general return to their more ancient disciplines, of which Infant Communion was one. Today, almost all Eastern Catholic Churches have restored Infant Communion.