In countries without a significant enough presence of a particular church, Eastern Catholics are often given over to the care of a Roman Catholic bishop (e.g. in Argentina before becoming Pope, Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio was that person).

In Germany the Ukrainians have enouh presence to have their own structure and bishop, but none of the other Eastern Catholic Churches seem to.

My particular question is about Ruthenians — to whose pastoral care are they entrusted in Germany?

I know Orthodox have some different teachings on for example original sin and immaculate conception. As I understand, eastern Catholic churches are eastern churches that remain in communion with the Pope, and in some cases went back to it, and I'm trying to understand if theological differences remain, and if so what makes eastern churches no longer schismatic.

My entire family is Catholic, and has been for many years. My family is also from Northern China, ethnically Manchurian. I currently live in the UK, but most of my family still live in Northern China. Christianity in China is growing faster than it ever has been, and more and more churches are being built. Because China borders Russia, many churches, even Catholic churches, take a more Russian Orthodox styled church design, despite being Catholic. And so, because of this, many aspects of my family's Catholic tradition are very Russian Orthodox. EG: In my household, all our religious art are all Byzantine Russian icons. But despite this, we still go to a Catholic church, and i still learn latin.

I started reading it since it's one of the recommended books on the sidebar and I have to say it's absolutely amazing. The amount of wisdom that's in there is mind boggling. I can't believe I've never heard of this. Coming from a protestant background nobody in my life has ever told me nor taught with such authority and wisdom as the Spirit filled, holy men of the desert fathers as in these conferences. I can't believe protestants still claim that the church Fathers don't know or use Scripture. Ludicrous!

For example, Abbot Isaac's distinction of 4 kinds of prayer from 1 Timothy 2:1 in conference 9. I've never heard of this in protestant circles and as I was reading it my mind was blown away. Thank the Lord He has kept their wisdom intact for us in the modern day to learn from. Definitely one of my favorite works so far.

Does a transfer of ascription require approval from the Nuncio as well as the two bishops? (Latin to Eastern)

I'd like to pass along some good news, as I've received the electronic certificate from my eparchy's curia confirming that I am now part of the UGCC.

Thank you to this community for being a solid source of knowledge and allowing me to grow in my faith!

Hi everyone, I just went to a Maronite liturgy last week and thought it was beautiful. The music seems to be a mixture of the older Arabic maqam system and the newer Western system. The older system has notes that aren't used in Western music (like quarter tones) as well as interesting traditional instruments like the qanun, oud, etc. The Western system doesn't have those things but does have polyphony. They used both styles in the service and sometimes fused the two.

From my research it seems that the shift to the Western style is relatively recent. My question is have all of the Eastern rite churches shifted to this style? Or is this something unique to the Maronites?

FYI here are some examples of the older style, where you can hear the older instruments and the quarter tones:

- Soeur Marie Keyrouz - Traditional Maronite Chants - أناشيد مارونية

- Ghada Shbeir - Ya Oummallah

- Maronite Mass Siriac

- Syriac christian maronite hymn (kanya makan)

And here is the newer Western style, which is sometimes still a fusion of the older style. Some of these are much more elaborate than what they did in the service I went to

- Shabah Lmoryo - شبح لموريو

- Traditional Maronite hymns - تراتيل مارونية تقليدية

- Lena Farah - Maronite Mass - Abou Dquouchto - Marana Saad

- Lil Maseehi Yasou' | لِلْمَسِيحِ يَسُوعَ | Praise and Blessings to Jesus Christ

- Salam Laki Ya Mariam - سلام لك مريم (Ave Maria - Maronite Recessional Hymn)

Like how the current Eastern Catholic churches change when the other churches come back into communion with Rome, like churches combining and stuff like that. And how the government structure of the church would change in your opinion. Please be as specific as possible.

Any examples since the union(s) with Rome, liturgically venerated or not.

Thanks for your time!

I mean, I know that's usually just people on internet, but always when I open video that is about Byzantine Catholicism and check the comments , comments are full of "Anathema" and "You are a heretic" stuff

Can anyone recommend any Eastern Catholic churches in or close to Pittsburgh with particularly beautiful singing/chanting and a strong young adult community?

Thanks in advance :)

To start off, I am an Orthodox Christian. I know the Nativity Fast is coming up soon, and that we have full fast for the entirety of the fast with dispensations made for fish on Saturdays and Sundays. I just wanted to know what the Nativity fasting rules were for my Eastern Catholic brothers and sisters, and see if they were the same as ours. Thanks!

I’ve been influenced to attend mass regularly and to adopt some western-rite practices, would this be bad? Would this be latinization?

I was confirmed earlier this year and have been attending my local parish regularly. However, I also go to Mass on weekdays and sometimes on Sundays for confession, since in the Roman Church near my home they have confessions during Mass. My questions are:
Is it okay for me to attend the Roman parish instead of the Ukrainian one simply because I need to confess?
As a member of the UGCC, can I obtain a plenary indulgence by following Roman tradition practices?
I must admit I’ve never looked deeply into the ways to seek a plenary indulgence through the Eastern Catholic tradition. What are the ways?

If you have any additional relevant information that you think I should know but might not be aware of, please feel free to share it.

Does UGCC priests allowed to wear "Russian type" Phelonion?

I've been curious for a while if there's any particular reason that the Ruthenian Eparchy of Phoenix hasn't been led by a bishop of its own for about 6 years now.

I've attended Melkite liturgies for a few years now and when they had their recent transition of bishop, Bishop Nicholas stayed on for 3 years after reaching 75 until the Melkite church had a new bishop-elect in then-Fr. Francois. Only after then-bishop-elect Francois was ordained and enthroned did Bishop Nicholas finally retire so there was no sede vacant period.

However, the Ruthenians under Phoenix seem to have had a very different experience, with the prior bishop not administering the eparchy and then having his resignation accepted before a bishop-elect was named. Is there any reason for such a delay in this? I know Parma also had no bishop for some of last year but it was much shorter than what Phoenix continues to experience

I'm not all too familiar with the Ruthenian church in general, having only attended services a few times (twice hierarchical with the two prior bishops of Phoenix), so I'm curious if there's a reason or if it's just a matter of waiting for there to be a bishop selection made

Do Eastern Catholics still fast tomorrow even though it is All Saint's day and a Holy Day of Obligation?

I'm training to be a cantor (taking voice classes) in the Ruthenian Catholic Church.

My favorite prayer is the Panachida and I like to sing it for practice. Of course when I do I add the names of my deceased relatives.

I know it's supposed to be performed by a priest or deacon but it got me thinking would it be licit for a person who doesn't have a priest or deacon present to sing it at home or at the graves of loved ones? I know it's not prohibited but does our church believe it would still count as a legitimate offering of prayer for the dead?

Obviously I could sing the liturgy myself but would not consecrate the bread and wine to the body and blood of God. Just wondering if there is a similar barrier with the Panachida? There are other prayers for the dead people can say without a priest or deacon so I'm thinking the Panachida could be lumped in with that but not sure!

Sorry if this question has already been asked here. I am a Catholic converted from Eastern Orthodoxy. Unfortunately, I was not brought up in the faith from childhood, and my conversion to Catholicism and Christianity in general was due to the beauty of the Roman Mass. I was catechised in a Latin parish, was joined there, and have only gone there ever since, because there are no Eastern Catholic parishes in my town (the nearest one is about 600-1000 km away).

At a certain point, some Eastern Catholic priests on the internet started convincing me that I am obliged to live by the Eastern code of canon law in terms of the strictness and dates of fasts, solemnities, etc. Being a very scrupulous person, I tried to do so, I started fasting on Wednesdays, etc. But this ambivalence disturbs and saddens me - I feel disconnected from the parish community that brought me up in the faith. A change of rite in my country is impossible due to the inaction of the Vatican (we have no Eastern Catholic bishops, and letters directly to the Holy See are always refused). All this gives me a feeling of despair and abandonment: no one in the Church seems to care about this problem.

Would it really be a grave sin for me to completely disregard Eastern law? Or, given the circumstances, could I switch completely to the Latin tradition, including the days and severity of fasts, etc. I really need an answer from those who are well versed in Church law.

God bless everyone who responds!

Always when I walk inside Byzantine Catholic Church(I mean all Byz. rite churches, maybe Melkites are not like that but still) And 99% percent of the time I can say is that an Orthodox or Byzantnine Catholic church, in our Churches iconostasis usually looks different than tradional ones, Less icons in the Churches, and usually even Latin icons, especially near Iconostasis on right-left side(last one is probably Ukraine only)

Edit: 1. By "Latin icons" I mean Sacred Heart, Divine Mercy etc. 2. Examples of iconostases in U.S https://www.reddit.com/r/EasternCatholic/comments/1ggd2dt/comment/lurxom7/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button, and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqVCQGoRQhw

I was wondering if All Saints Day is a day of obligation for any of the Eastern Catholic churches. I believe that in the Syro-Malabar Church (which I'm part of) it's not one.

Wanted to share this documentary of our father among the saints Blessed Hieromartyr Theodore Romzha, who we commemorate on October 31st. He was assassinated by the atheist soviet regime after refusing to convert to the (infiltrated, and controlled) Russian Orthodox Church. May he pray for us that we may too hold fast to the Eastern faith that was handed down to us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKFn6WAZ0RQ

I was an atheist all my life, but after I believed in Christ again and started going to church again (UGCC) I got very deep into studying church history, theology, etc. From the moment I learned about Orthodoxy I started to be drawn to it, I heard enough arguments from both sides of the conflict (Catholics-Orthodox), and it simply destroys my moral health. I have not had spiritual peace for almost 2 years and I am simply exhausted from this "spiritual war" within me. Please pray for me...

What do the terms Malabar and Malankara mean? in regard to the Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara Catholic Churches?

I saw someone ask this question a while back here. And I thought I would give an answer here. So, this subreddit can have a clear and concise answer regarding this.

Technically, the older term out of the two is really Malankara. and the phrase Malankara Church really means the "Indian Church".

Now the Syro-Malabars are of the East Syriac rite tradition, meaning they were in communion with the Church of the East, prior to coming into full communion with Rome. And the Syro-Malabars have been in Catholic communion ever since the 1500s, when they came into contact with the Portuguese. So back during this time, even they themselves referred to themselves as the Malankara Church as well. Infact they used to be called the "Malankara Chaldean Syriac Church" - Chaldean here emphasized the East Syriac rite.

Now by the 1650s, the Carmelites (OCD) were sent by the pope to set up a jurisdiction in this south-western part of India primarily for the spiritual needs of these Syriac (Malabar) Catholics. And this jurisdiction was called the Roman Catholic Vicariate of Malabar. Malabar was another term of the southwestern side of India (basically modern Kerala). Pretty much the Syro-Malabars were under this Roman jurisdiction from the 1650s until 1887. They had no major bishops. They were purely under the European Latin rite bishops.

Now 1887 comes, and it's really due to the efforts of Pope Leo XIII that the Syro-Malabars were "reborn" again. He separated them from the Malabar Vicariate which is a Latin rite diocese- and he creates Syro-Malabar jurisdictions and his efforts led to the consecration of Syro-Malabar bishops. So what Leo XIII did here is what led to the existence of the modern Syro-Malabar Church. So the phrase "Syro-Malabar" simply means that these are the East Syriac rite Catholics of the Malabar Vicariate. That's how the modern phrase "Syro-Malabar" came into existence. In a sense it was a term given to them by the Holy See/Vatican.

Now with the Coonan Cross Oath incident of the 1650s, about half of the St Thomas Christians of India joined in with the Oriental Orthodox communion (Syriac Orthodox) and they become Orthodox. This faction officially took on the phrase "Malankara" to refer to themselves. They are of the West Syriac liturgical tradition. And when an Indian (Malankara) Orthodox bishop (Mor Ivanios) came into communion with Rome in 1930, that's how the "Malankara Catholic" Church emerged. And pretty much how they inherited the "Malankara" term.

So TL:DR: Malankara is the older term meaning the Indian Church. And was used by both factions. But as the Indian Church became divided into the East Syriac and West Syriac liturgical traditions, and because they operated separately, with one faction becoming Catholic back in the 1500s and the other becoming Catholic by 1930- both the Churches inherited different terms (meaning the same thing really) eventually due to the historical circumstances. The East Syriac Catholic faction became the Syro-Malabars and the West Syriac Catholic faction became Malankara Catholic.

• The Syro-Malabars are the larger Church with some 4-5 million members worldwide and they are similar to the Chaldean Catholics as they both are from the same liturgical family. The anaphora of Sts. Addai and Mari is the primary anaphora employed in the Divine Liturgy.
• The Malankara Catholics are smaller with some 300K to 400K people. They are similar to the Syriac Catholic Church based in Lebanon and somewhat similar to the Maronite Catholics too as they are all in the West Syriac rite family. Since the Malankara Catholics entered Catholic communion in 1930, they are more "traditional" liturgically.

I wanted to ask your opinion, what we still need to change in our Churches, and what we can to do that they cahnges can be made? For example what we can do about the problem of Matins and Vespers not being celebrated in the parish, or priests not trying to be eastern and using Filioque in the creed, wearing Latin type cassock(idk how to name it) etc.

Do Ethiopian Catholics venerate the Archangel Uriel like their Tewahedo counterparts and do they have the same Bible canon as them ?