As you travel, you may come across a Catholic Church that is a different Rite. Should you attend Mass there? Is it a valid Catholic Mass? How can you be sure? It can be a bit confusing, so we hope this page will help.
Essentially, a rite is a tradition of how the sacraments are celebrated and how the Church lives out its faith in a specific cultural and historical context. The various rites within the Catholic Church represent distinct liturgical and cultural traditions, all of which share the same core beliefs and sacramental practices. The Catholic Church recognizes 24 Rites or autonomous churches.
These include the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches and the Latin Church, which uses the Roman Rite. All of these rites are in full communion with each other and with the Roman Catholic Church.
Note: You may sometimes hear the term Anglican Rite used, but this is not correct. The Anglican Use is not a separate rite in the Catholic Church, it is a liturgical practice that incorporates elements of Anglican tradition into the Roman Rite, particularly in the personal ordinariates, which were established to welcome Anglicans into the Catholic Church.
Eastern Rite Catholic Churches:
There many Eastern rite churches, and you may choose to attend Mass at one of them during your travels. While all Eastern rites share the core structure of the Mass, they may differ in the order of readings, prayers, chants, and even the language used. Rites may have slightly different practices in administering sacraments like Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders. Each rite has its own language for liturgical celebrations.
Some rites may observe feast days and seasons differently, or have unique liturgical traditions. Simply put, it is just a specific way to worship.
Different rites may have unique devotional practices, such as specific prayers, hymns, or spiritual exercises.
Rites may have unique artistic expressions in music, architecture, and other forms of art and may often incorporate local customs and traditions into their celebrations.
Although most of us in the English-speaking world are used to the Latin Rite, there are quite a few other rites in the Eastern churches that are in communion with Rome.
Note: Eastern Orthodox churches such as the Greek Orthodox and Russian Orthodox, are not in communion with the Roman Catholic Church.
Eastern Catholic Rites in the Catholic Church:
There are 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, each with its own unique liturgical traditions, such as the Byzantine Rite, Alexandrian Rite, and Armenian Rite. Despite their differences, all Catholic rites are united in their faith in the one true God and in their obedience to the Pope as the head of the Church.
The Syro-Malabar Church (East Syriac Rite) is the largest Eastern Rite within the Catholic Church, based on membership.
The other large Eastern Catholic churches, in order of membership, include the Byzantine Rite (The Melkite Greek Catholic Church follows the traditions and customs of Byzantine Christianity), churches of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) and Melkite Greek Catholic Church, the Maronite Church (West Syriac Rite), and the Chaldean Catholic Church (East Syriac Rite).