Byzantine Rite
After many months of having little to no access to the sacraments, entering a period where we have regular access to the mass has been a real joy and very much lifted my spirits. So, waking up on Sunday and looking at my schedule, realising that I would be attending not one but three different types of mass this week was something I really relished. After attending the Latin mass on Sunday and Dominican Rite on Monday, I had the opportunity to attend the Byzantine Rite held at the Ukrainian Greek Cathedral of the Holy Family in Mayfair. It wasn’t a full sung Mass as can be expected on a week-day, it was a Low Mass with a few Covid 19 adaptations, however, I very much enjoyed the style of the Liturgy. Even though I do not speak any Ukrainian I
very much understood the rhythm of the Mass. Having met a handful of Byzantine Catholics I did not expect anything else from their Liturgy as they have always struck me as very orthodox in their faith.
The Rite itself has a very reverent manner to it, for one the priest Ad orientem throughout the Mass, with the exception of turning to the congregation for some of the responses. The congregation themselves respond with a great deal of deference throughout the Liturgy, there is a great deal of crossing of oneself, something which I am told the Latin Mass used to contain a lot more of, rather than distracting from payer I find the bowing and crossing of oneself added to the rhythm of the Mass putting one in a very reverent state and I imagine once you mastered the basic responses and order of the Mass it would become second nature. I really found the reverence with which the priest went about the consecration to be exceptional. The communion at the end featured the Eastern Rite of communion in the silver spoon which I understand is commonplace in the East.
Overall, I enjoyed the Mass and look forward to attending a full sung Mass on a Sunday once normalcy has returned. I would say even though the Liturgies of the Latin Mass and the Byzantine Rite are quite different they share a sense of reverence, a sense of the holiness and the real sense of the sacrifice that is taking place and while they are very different I can very much see why Byzantine and Latin Mass Catholics seem to be a home for orthodoxy and orthodox Catholics within the church. I think very much that there should be more outreach between the Latin Mass congregations and our brothers and sisters in the Eastern Rites, because we share so much in common.
Please visit our pilgrimage page to see the Cathedral of the Holy Family.
AC