ThanksGreat personal story, thanks for sharing. I am always interested in the things which resonate with people in terms of spirituality. We had a lady in our RCIA team who was raised Byzantine but did a canonical switch to the Roman Rite. According to her, she was largely drawn in through devotions to western Saints and their association spirituality. Its one of the many wonderful things about the Church, there is an approach out there that will speak to everyone and you can still stay within the Church.
I was curious about Eastern Rites. I came for a visit and decided to stay. The people in the parish were warm and welcoming.Hey Catholics,
Just curious as to what made you switch rites or what peaked your interest to even consider. Also I wanted to know if Eastern Catholics were welcoming or not of these new Roman wanderers?
Phillip:
Hello Mick(321)
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Iâm in Southern California. There are many EC options for those interested. The Melkite parish I mentioned seems to be composed primarily of cradle Melkites, and a fewer number of converts from local RC and Protestant communities. The whole Mid Eastern food festival thing occurs every Sunday after liturgy and lasts into the afternoon. Due to my interest in the liturgy, much of my interaction has been with the priests, deacons and cantors who do chant the orthros office. Overall a very welcoming community and one that I recommend other local RCâs visit for a feel of EC. They have a nice bookstore too. I picked up the Melkite Horologion and Publicans Prayer Book [both Sophia Press titles].Hello Mick(321)
Melkite parishes often do have a bit of an ethnic feel, primarily because those who founded the parishes are/were immigrants from the Middle East, or descendants of such immigrants. The Melkite/Antiochian Church originated in the Middle East, after all, much like the Latin Church originating in Rome. If you have found a parish that offers Liturgy primarily in English, but âsupplementedâ with Arabic, then youâve found a treasure. Occasionally youâll run into a parish that will do the entire Liturgy in Arabic (or Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, whatever ethnicity). Our current Bishop (Samra) has bemoaned this fact and stated explicitly that our parishes are not meant to be constructed as a ghetto for preserving our Arab heritage. Rather, he says, our parishes ought to be concerned primarily with evangelizing the world and culture in which we find ourselves.
Iâm very blessed that while there is certainly an Arab majority in my parish, there are also a large number of non-Arabs, including our pastor (who is Italian). The majority of our deacons are also non-Arabs, and both of our ordained cantors are non-Arab. However, we do make strides to preserve our Arab identity, including hosting an Arab food festival annually. We non-Arabs have embraced the Arab culture in our parish as weâve encountered it. We love it, and encourage it to the best of our ability, keeping in mind those who have founded our parish and âgone before us marked with the sign of faith.â I think you will find that the Arab Melkites are generally very welcoming to non-Arabs. Basically, the more you show up at the parish and let yourself be seen, the more people will make the effort to make you feel welcome.
You wouldnât happen to live in the Washington D.C. area, would you?
Itâs actually more than that. The Antiochians and Melkites split several centuries over the issue of communion with Rome. One side wanted to reestablish communion with Rome, the other side didnât. Those who remained in the Eastern Orthodox communion are the modern Antiochian Greek Orthodox Church, while those who joined with Rome are the modern Melkite Greek Catholic Church. The Melkites are rather fascinating as an Eastern Catholic Church, as they seem to have quite an independent spirit (look at the Melkites at Vatican I or Vatican II for example, and also the Zoghby initiative).
As Cavaradossi pointed out weâre actually very close. Rather than say âsimilarâ Iâd say we have an identical cultural and liturgical heritage. The only issue that split the Antiochian and Melkite Churches is the role of the Papacy, and the Antiochian Church prior to the Melkite/Antiochian Divide was always warmer to Rome than the other Eastern Orthodox Churches. We have a unique heritage as a Catholic Church because our Church was not created by a âsplinter groupâ of bishops, priests, and laity, but was created by a decision of the Patriarch and most of his Synod recognizing Rome. This has helped our Church maintain a more independent, though not schismatic, mindset as Cavaradossi mentioned. Itâs hard for the Melkites to view themselves as âsubservientâ when our existence within the Catholic Communion really owes nothing to Rome.
Lol, that reminds me of something my dadâs priest (who is an Antiochian from Lebanon says) sometimes says. âMelkite? Yes, we are Melkties, along with five or six other churches in the Middle East.âAs Cavaradossi pointed out weâre actually very close. Rather than say âsimilarâ Iâd say we have an identical cultural and liturgical heritage. The only issue that split the Antiochian and Melkite Churches is the role of the Papacy, and the Antiochian Church prior to the Melkite/Antiochian Divide was always warmer to Rome than the other Eastern Orthodox Churches. We have a unique heritage as a Catholic Church because our Church was not created by a âsplinter groupâ of bishops, priests, and laity, but was created by a decision of the Patriarch and most of his Synod recognizing Rome. This has helped our Church maintain a more independent, though not schismatic, mindset as Cavaradossi mentioned. Itâs hard for the Melkites to view themselves as âsubservientâ when our existence within the Catholic Communion really owes nothing to Rome.
Also worth noting is that calling the Catholic group Melkite and the Orthodox group Antiochian is really just a sloppy way to make the distinction clear, as both groups have claim to both names. In the âold countryâ they would be called Roum Orthodox and Roum Catholic, with Roum meaning Roman (as in the Eastern Roman Empire). We canât use Roman Catholic and Roman Orthodox in the U.S. because of the confusion it would cause, so Melkite and Antiochian are used despite implying a division of heritage that doesnât reflect reality.
The Melkites and Antiochians also share very close bonds, and there is frequently overlap in attendence and religious practice between the two groups, much to the chagrin of our fellow Catholics and Orthodox.
Peace and God bless!
I have my own position on this, too, but will keep it to myself in perpetuity (unless, perhaps â and depending on my mood at the time â someone else brings it up in the forum).Just a note on Ghostyâs post. While the Melkites and the Antiochians certainly share very close relations in the Middle East, that doesnât seem to be quite the case in the U.S. One can only speculate as to why this is. I have my own theories, but will put off sharing them until they are more extensively confirmed.
Iâd be willing to bet that the same is probably true of the Syriacs and their relationship with the Antiochians and Melkites. Their relationships here in America will obviously differ from their relationships back in the Middle East, where many will have family who are in a different church, and intermarriages are not uncommon.Just a note on Ghostyâs post. While the Melkites and the Antiochians certainly share very close relations in the Middle East, that doesnât seem to be quite the case in the U.S. One can only speculate as to why this is. I have my own theories, but will put off sharing them until they are more extensively confirmed.