Eastern Liturgy in Latin Rite Church

[apostolicfaith]

I have a couple questions:
-Can the Divine Liturgy take place at a Latin Rite Church? If it is possible, what all would be needed.
-Since there are so many variations of the Eastern Rites, can one group go to anothers Liturgy, if they are still ERC. Or would it be to abnormal.
-Would it be to abnormal for an Eastern Catholic to go, participate and receive Him at the Latin Rite extraordinary or ordinary form?

Thank you and I apologize for the unusual questions.

 

[bpbasilphx]

Yes to all of your questions.

As a matter of fact, a large Latin parish in my city has seen the consecration of two Byzantine Catholic bishops–which is two more consecrations than the Latin cathedral has seen.

 

[Linuse]

I don’t know what the protocol is between the different Eastern rites celebrating in each others churches. I have on different occasions invited and had an Eastern rite mass in a Latin Rite Church. Usually this invitation is done as a means of educating a parish or area in some of the differences between the rites. In one case, it turned out that the local Latin rite parish was actually 10% Ukranian rite. And it was an Ukranian rite priest who came and let us in the Liturgy. This one also entailed the most work, as we had to train our local choir to sing the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.
Each time I have done this, the priest who was invited would bring along the necessary items for Mass; eg. chalice and special cover, semi-leavened bread, portable iconoclasis, etc.
If you do this for your parish, check out the priest who comes. I had one bad experience with a priest that was bi-ritual. He did not take the time to help the congregation understand what he was doing. He came with a cantor, said Mass, and disappeared. So we did experience an Eastern Rite, but felt very much left out. The educational opportunity flopped.
All the other times, the priest took time before and after the Mass to educate the people. One used some of his homily time to explain some of the meaning behind the sacred actions.

 

[Diak]

I have a couple questions:
-Can the Divine Liturgy take place at a Latin Rite Church? If it is possible, what all would be needed.
-Since there are so many variations of the Eastern Rites, can one group go to anothers Liturgy, if they are still ERC. Or would it be to abnormal.
-Would it be to abnormal for an Eastern Catholic to go, participate and receive Him at the Latin Rite extraordinary or ordinary form?

Thank you and I apologize for the unusual questions.

Not unusual questions at all, especially considering the fact that us Eastern Catholics are a small minority compared to our Latin brethren. To answer #1, all that is canonically needed is (1) the permission of the Latin bishop (which can be delegated to the pastor or administrator of the Latin parish by the bishop); this is done more to screen the celebrating priest and assure he has valid faculties as much as anything else; and (2) a priest with valid faculties to celebrate that particular Eastern Liturgy.

As far as practicalities, at least for the Constantinopolitan (“Byzantine”) particular tradition to which I belong (Ukrainian Greek Catholic), an antimension and leavened bread is also needed along with appropriate wine and the accutrements (diskos, star, veils, etc.) used for our rite. While it is not required, a cantor, choir and deacon are all very helpful and beautiful additions to the Liturgy. Icons on either a portable iconostasis or on easels also help since the rubrics call for specific incensations and processions around an iconostasis in our tradition.

As far as #2, any Catholic can receive the Eucharist in any Catholic church, whether Eastern or Western (assuming they are in the proper disposition to receive the Holy Mysteries).

Regarding #3, sure, any Eastern Catholic can attend the Latin Rite, whether OF or EF. Before I was ordained to minor orders I used to ocasionally sing in the schola at the local FSSP Latin Mass after cantoring at my regular Ukrainian Greek Catholic parish.

 

[Aramis]

Any Catholic liturgy can be celebrated on any Catholic altar… so long as that liturgy is otherwise licit.

The Mozarabic, Ambrosian, Bragan, and Dalmatian missals are still restricted to use in Rome and in their home provinces.

The primary restriction is that the celebrant must have been granted permission, called a faculty, for that particular liturgical celebration’s use. So a roman priest may not say the DL of St. John as primary celebrant, unless he’s been granted permission to do so. That faculty usually has, as a prerequisite, some familiarity with, and experience in saying, the alternate form of liturgy, as well as some benefit for the faithful for that priest being granted the faculty.

So-called “biritual” priests, in reality, like all other Catholics, belong to only one rite and to one particular church sui iuris… their faculties, however, have been expanded to include the liturgies of two or more churches sui iuris. In some places, like Ethiopia, it’s even routine!

 

[malphono]

The Mozarabic, Ambrosian, Bragan, and Dalmatian missals are still restricted to use in Rome and in their home provinces.

Yes, but there is one thing missing: a priest of the geographic province who is entitled (i.e. has faculties) to use the Missal, may use it outside the boundaries of the territory. E.G., the Ambrosian Missal (I mean the real one, not the watered-down post-conciliar adaptation) is licitly used on occasion in Venice by a Canon of Milan. Similarly, the Bragan Missal is licitly used on occasion in Rhode Island by a priest on loan from Braga.

 

[bpbasilphx]

I don’t know what the protocol is between the different Eastern rites celebrating in each others churches.

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**Here in my city are at least a half-dozen Eastern Catholic parishes of at least 4 different sui juris churches and 3 liturgical families.

While all the celebrations I’ve seen have been in the Byzantine rite, all the clergy dressed in their appropriate vestments.

And the local Melkite Priest apparently has bi-ritual faculties to celebrate for the Chaldean parish in English, which he does weekly.

**

 

[Diak]

Any Catholic liturgy can be celebrated on any Catholic altar… so long as that liturgy is otherwise licit.

At least in the UGCC the general understanding is that no priest may offer the Divine Liturgy without an antimension, regardless of the place of celebration. The antimension is itself a sign of communion with the hierarch for the priest with valid faculties as it carries the signature of the hierarch who blessed it. The rubrics in our *Ordo *direct certain actions to be done with the antimension or illiton during the Liturgy.

For Ascension I assisted at the Divine Liturgy offered by one of our biritual priests at his Latin parish. Even though he offers daily Mass on the altar of his parish, for our celebration he used his antimension given by the Bishop when his UGCC faculties were granted and an illiton.

In many of our parishes (and in some Ukrainian Orthodox parishes) the Antimension is left open underneath the uppermost altar cloth and an illiton (a red embroidered cloth) is used on the surface of the altar (this is also the Old Believer practice).

 

[bpbasilphx]

In many of our parishes (and in some Ukrainian Orthodox parishes) the Antimension is left open underneath the uppermost altar cloth and an illiton (a red embroidered cloth) is used on the surface of the altar (this is also the Old Believer practice).

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**So many of the customs of the Ukrainians and Carpatho-Russians (Orthodox and Catholic) that Muscovite purists look down their nose at, saying “Latinism!” are actually pre-Nikonian.

Among them are the shorter mandyas for bishops and monks and the kolpat.**

 

[Diak]

And wearing the omphorion directly over the phelon (sans sakkos).
FDRLB

 

[malphono]

At least in the UGCC the general understanding is that no priest may offer the Divine Liturgy without an antimension, regardless of the place of celebration. The antimension is itself a sign of communion with the hierarch for the priest with valid faculties as it carries the signature of the hierarch who blessed it. The rubrics in our *Ordo *direct certain actions to be done with the antimension or illiton during the Liturgy.

In pre-conciliar times, a similar principle applied among the Maronites as well. Admittedly, most altars in Maronite churches had an “altar stone” (clearly a latinization) but at the same time the custom of the tablitho (consecrated “altar board” made of solid wood, still in use by the Syriac OC (and, I believe, by the Copts)) was alive and well. Now, in the post-conciliar world, the Latin Church has abandoned the requirement of a consecrated altar (or the use of an antimension for traveling priests), and in tandem, the Maronite custom of the tablitho has faded away. Yet another example of my pet peeve: Novus Ordo-inspired neo-latinization. That said, though, there is a handful of “liturgical purists” who still insist on it. Maybe there’s hope.

 

[SyroMalankara]

The norm is that we still use the Tablitho, if one is not available, in an emergency, the Gospel can be used in its place.

In an extraordinary circumstance: If another consecrated Catholic altar is being used for celebration, this requirement isn’t strictly followed, as all Catholic altars are equally valid and consecrated.

 

[bpbasilphx]

And wearing the omphorion directly over the phelon (sans sakkos).
FDRLB

I’ve seen Archbishop Dmitri (Royster) of Dallas himself do that on occasion. And I can assure you, he’s a great liturgical purist.

Actually, it’s the omophorion that properly means “bishop.”