RITES

The Catholic Church is the same all over the world in faith and morals. All Catholics believe the same truths of faith, receive the same Sacraments and observe the same moral law. Some Catholics, however, celebrate the Mass and administer the Sacraments with different rites. Rites are different ceremonies used to enhance the beauty of the celebration of the Mass and administration of the Sacraments.

How did these different Rites come about?

After the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles went to different lands to preach the truth and administer the Seven Sacraments which were instituted by Christ. In the Mass there was: (1) The Offertory, (2) Consecration, and (3) Reception of Holy Communion. However, the ways they conducted the ceremonies were different in different places. The language used was the language of the people in the area. The Apostles consecrated bishops to take their place, and these bishops conducted the religious ceremonies as they saw fit. Great freedom was allowed in this area. Each bishop surrounded the Mass and the administration of the Sacraments with prayers and ceremonies to impress upon the people the importance of what was happening. That is how the different rites began.

Early in the history of the Church several different sees (bishops' residential cities) became more important than others. These cities were Antioch in Syria, Alexandria in Egypt, and Rome. These were great places of learning, trade and commerce. Priests went out from these cities, and they celebrated the rites as they were taught in these cities. Thus, the different rites spread.

At a very early stage the Bishops of Rome, Alexandria and Antioch were called "Patriarchs." These Patriarchs had great honor and power. The Bishop of Jerusalem, since he was Bishop of the area where Christ founded His Church, wanted to be named Patriarch also. The other bishops agreed. When the Emperor, Constantine, moved the capital of the Empire from Rome to Byzantium or Constantinople (now Istanbul in Turkey), the bishops there decided that they should be called Patriarchs too. However, all acknowledged the Pope as the Supreme authority in the Church.

In 1054 The Patriarch of Constantinople decided to be independent of the Pope. In this schism, Greece, Russia, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and some Syrians and Egyptians were eventually cut off from the Catholic Church. This schism took large sections of the East away from the truth, just as Protestantism took large portions away from the truth in the West. In the course of time some bishops, priests and lay people from all of the ancient Eastern rites recognized the error of their position, and, in spite of persecution, returned to the Catholic Church and accepted the Pope as Supreme Pastor. The dates of their reunion with Rome are on the figure, The 21 Eastern Catholic Churches and Their Rites . They are one with the members of the Roman or Latin Rite in faith and morals, and they keep their own ancient ceremonies and customs.

Nineteen of the 21 Eastern Catholic Rites still have a corresponding body of non-Catholics following the same liturgy. Usually the non-Catholics call themselves "Orthodox."

In the Western Church, the Roman or Latin Rite is dominant. It came from Roman practices and the use of Latin from the 200's onward.