When someone says they are Catholic, most people automatically assume they mean Roman Catholic. But did you know that there are other rites and churches within the Catholic Church? The Archdiocese of Anchorage has put together a helpful list of all of the Catholic Churches & Rites. All of these are in communion with the Pope. Bet you can’t name all 22 Churches and 8 Rites!
In addition to the Roman rite which we commonly know as Roman Catholic, the other rites are: Armenian, Byzantine, Coptic, Maronite, East Syrian, West Syrian, and Ethiopian.
Within the Roman rite there is one church — the Latin Church. The rite with the most churches is the Byzantine Rite which has 13 churches including the Ukrainian Church and the Melkite Church.
If you have the opportunity to participate in a Mass in one of these other churches, you will be amazed at both the similarities and the differences. For example, in many of the Eastern Churches, God as mystery is emphasized. This becomes apparent with the use of screens and icons.
Getting to know Catholics of other rites helps us to understand how we truly are one, universal, Catholic Church, while still honoring and respecting the many differences in our cultures and liturgical traditions.
Posted by APWeb 
