The Byzantine Rite of the Roman Catholic Church

Some years ago I was travelling.  This was before GPS.  It came to be a Sunday, and I was in Florida.  We found a listing of Catholic Churches in a phone book, and selected one easily found.  The route was long, but simple. 

There was a small, white building.  Outside the building was a sign identifying the church as a Byzantine Church, and on a subsequent line were the words in communion with Rome.  

Inside the building things took an unfamiliar turn.  The building was smaller than the older churches I was familiar with, but there were more art pieces than one could imagine being in such a small place.  In fact, there was a folding panel opened so even more art than could be placed on the walls could be displayed.

It did not have the size of older churches, but even so if all the statues and other art of a larger church were to be concentrated it seemed there was much more.

The scene was so unfamiliar I immediately searched for the sanctuary lamp.  Catholic Churches display a lit candle in a red container indicating the building is a place of sanctuary, a carryover from when even kings were not allowed to violate sanctuary in capturing a person.

The Catholic Church requires the three principal parts of the Mass be the same throughout the world, those being the Offertory, the Consecration, and the Communion.  But, there is latitude in the presentation.  Words can be said, or sung.  The Byzantine Rite opts for maximizing singing.

I recall when I was young counting candles at Mass.  If there were two lit candles the low Mass would be shortest, six meant high Mass with some singing, and twelve meant a solemn high Mass with even more singing.  The Byzantine Mass went well beyond the solemn high Mass.  At certain part of the Mass a man would announce “Be attentive.”   I remember he actually would sing the words.  Perhaps the Gospel and sermon were all that were not sung.

Both the décor and the manner of presentation were inspirational.  These went well beyond the experience of Mass in the Roman Rite.  I can just imagine how much more inspirational it would be to have had an older building with ceiling art and stained older glass windows.  Newer stained glass is often just for color, but older stained glass windows were of images from the Bible and used as teaching tools.

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