Ukrainian Catholic rite

[EphelDuath]

I’m one-quarter Ukrainian, so I was considering attending a Divine Liturgy of the Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family because it’s right by where I work. I’ve never been to an Eastern Catholic or Orthodox service before, and I speak no Ukrainian. Is there any pertinent information I should know before just showing up at the Liturgy?

I’m also a quarter Lithuanian if anybody is aware of any Lithuanian Catholic churches in the D.C./central Maryland area…

Thanks, God bless.

 

[Tradycja]

This site of St. Elias Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church will tell you all you need to know:

saintelias.com/ca/etiquette/index.php

 

[Vico]

I’m one-quarter Ukrainian, so I was considering attending a Divine Liturgy of the Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family because it’s right by where I work. I’ve never been to an Eastern Catholic or Orthodox service before, and I speak no Ukrainian. Is there any pertinent information I should know before just showing up at the Liturgy?

I’m also a quarter Lithuanian if anybody is aware of any Lithuanian Catholic churches in the D.C./central Maryland area…

Thanks, God bless.

At the National Shrine, 9AM is English Liturgy.

You will need to use a book, I think which should be available, and be prepared for a lot of standing.Do not say anything at communion, but open the mouth (tilt head back) to receive communion, Body and Blood, from the spoon, which is dropped in. Bowing and crossing are frequent, so stand where you can see other to copy. No genuflecting. You will notice the sign of the cross is right to left.

There is someone that is from Lithuanian heritage at our Byzantine Catholic Church.

In Maryland are also Byzantine (Epiphany of Our Lord, Annandale), Melkite (Holy Transfiguration, Mc Lean), Kidane-Mehret Ethiopian (Ge’ez meets at St. Vincent De Paul in DC).

 

[KyivAndrew]

I’m one-quarter Ukrainian, so I was considering attending a Divine Liturgy of the Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family because it’s right by where I work. I’ve never been to an Eastern Catholic or Orthodox service before, and I speak no Ukrainian. Is there any pertinent information I should know before just showing up at the Liturgy?

I’m also a quarter Lithuanian if anybody is aware of any Lithuanian Catholic churches in the D.C./central Maryland area…

Thanks, God bless.

A bit of it might depend on whether you go to the English or Ukrainian language Divine Liturgy. Tradycja gave the informative link for St. Elias’ Ukranian Catholic Church in my eparchy, but I think Washington’s Church is probably more like the rest of the Ukrainian Catholic churches in my Eastern Canada eparchy in that I am sure there will be pews there (St. Elias is the exception). For Liturgy, I am sure each pew will have the standard Ukrainian Catholic Liturgy book with English on one side, Ukrainian on the other side of any page so one can follow along.

You do not have to go on bended knee before entering a pew in a Ukrainian Catholic Liturgy. Just make the sign of the cross and bow towards the altar when entering a pew or exiting at the end of Liturgy. We cross ourselves with three fingers (thumb to index and third - Trinity) right to left instead of the Roman Catholic way of left to right but do not worry about this as it may simply confuse, as it did me when I attended Roman Catholic Masses at college and kept on tripping up.

You may want to sit in the middle of the Church or near back so you can follow the parish on when to sit or stand during the Liturgy. If the priest turns towards the parish to give the sign of peace to all, the parish responds and crosses itself as well. Indeed, a lot of the time when the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) is mentioned or sung during Liturgy one will find many parishioners crossing themselves at the recital.

Other than that, I highly recommend you go and not to worry! It’s not that big of a jump. That’s what the Church is there for.

God Bless.

Andrew

and Vico has already mentioned how Communion is taken.

 

[Patchunky]

I’m also a quarter Lithuanian if anybody is aware of any Lithuanian Catholic churches in the D.C./central Maryland area…

Thanks, God bless.

Here’s a link for St. Alphonsus in Baltimore. They have Mass every Sunday in Lithuanian.

stalphonsusbalt.org/

 

[Domnall]

I’ve got a question if someone wouldn’t mind answering it.

If the service is in a language other than English, will the readings and homily be in English or Ukrainian?

 

[Patchunky]

At the National Shrine, 9AM is English Liturgy.

You will need to use a book, I think which should be available, and be prepared for a lot of standing.Do not say anything at communion, but open the mouth (tilt head back) to receive communion, Body and Blood, from the spoon, which is dropped in. Bowing and crossing are frequent, so stand where you can see other to copy. No genuflecting. You will notice the sign of the cross is right to left.

There is someone that is from Lithuanian heritage at our Byzantine Catholic Church.

In Maryland are also Byzantine (Epiphany of Our Lord, Annandale), Melkite (Holy Transfiguration, Mc Lean), Kidane-Mehret Ethiopian (Ge’ez meets at St. Vincent De Paul in DC).

Epiphany of Our Lord is in Annandale, VA and so is Holy Transfiguration.

There are a number of Ukrainian Catholic parishes both Old Calendar and New Calendar in the DC suburbs and Baltimore as well as 2 Byzantine Ruthenian parishes in Beltsville, MD and Arbutus, MD.

 

[KyivAndrew]

I’ve got a question if someone wouldn’t mind answering it.

If the service is in a language other than English, will the readings and homily be in English or Ukrainian?

That’s tough. It’s up to the individual priest. I have attended liturgies where the Gospel is read in Ukrainian and then English, with the homily then being half and half. Indeed, sometimes a bit of the liturgy would be in Ukrainian and other parts English. But usually, the church’s schedule might specify what language the Liturgy is in and it appears to me the priest sticks with the language scheduled.