Eastern Rite.

     One of the great experts on the Eastern Churches was the eminent Redemptorist priest, Fr. Clement Englert (d. 1987).  Besides his scholarly work, he did much to bring the general public to a knowledge of the Eastern Churches.  He spoke in parishes and schools, and authored numerous articles, booklets and pamphlets.  I remember one from back in the '60's that was entitled "Which Rite is Right?"  Nowadays it sounds kind of corny - but it was a good introduction for Western Catholics to the concept of "Rite."      When Eastern Catholics began emigrating to the West (e.g., The USA) from Eastern Europe, Italy and the Middle East they created quite a sensation -mostly in chancery offices!- inasmuch as virtually no one had ever heard of them.  Catholics in the U.S. had suffered much discrimination already, and had gained some measure of acceptance.  Being Catholic in America meant one thing: Roman.
     The Easterners were Catholic in that their hierarchy had entered into communion with Rome.  But their identity was anything but Roman.  So the concept of "Rite" developed.  A "rite" is a whole system that governs how the Eucharist, the other sacraments, the Divine Office, etc., are performed.  Whether sons and daughters of Erin, or the descendants of French colonists, old immigrant stock from German lands, or more recent newcomers from Poland, Italy and Hungary, the American Catholic was steeped in the Roman Rite - a rite which had spread throughout Europe and the rest of the world.  One could attend Mass in Liverpool, Prague, or Manila and experience the same ritual, and a sense of common identity that surpassed ethnicity or political allegiance.  The priest was celibate, the words were in Latin, the bread was unleavened, the Baptism was by pouring, the Confirmation only by a Bishop, and so on.
     The bearded Eastern priest, with a wife and children, celebrating the Liturgy in Greek or Slavonic or Arabic, behind an icon screen, the faithful partaking of the Precious Blood, the host being of leavened bread, no genuflection, making the sign of the cross differently... .  Well, it might be very intriguing, but it certainly was not Catholic. 
     So good scholars like Father Clement took pains to introduce the Eastern Catholics to their fellow-Catholics with the general notion that we are all the same [Catholic] but belong to different "Rites."  The pamphlet entitled "Which Rite is Right?" further developed the important notion that none of the Rites was superior to the other.  Whether one was a Catholic of the Byzantine Rite or a Catholic of the Roman Rite was "no big thing."  Any differences were superficial.
     Eastern Rite Catholics began to minimize anything in their Eastern identity that stood out as "different" or "other."  Icon screens were removed or reduced to invisibility.  Lenten services were replaced with Stations of the Cross.  The priest had long ago shaved off his beard and, thanks to legislation from Rome, could no longer be married.  Children were sent to (Roman) Catholic schools for religious education since - after all - we're all the same.  Stressing the sameness had the predictable result of minimizing any difference which, of course, meant removing any reason for Eastern Catholics even to exist, except for preservation of a colorful old world custom.
     However, a Rite is much more than a "ceremonial."  Any ceremony is an outward manifestation of a deeper reality.  What was called a "Rite" is a patrimony that includes feasts and seasons, theological expression, unique spirituality, practices of fast and abstinence, saints and events that derive from the "Mother Church."  For instance both the Roman Rite and the Byzantine Rite calendars include commemorations on the anniversary of the dedication of churches in Rome and Constantinople respectively.
     One does not "belong" to a Rite.  One belongs to a Church.  In a sense every diocese is truly a Church.  To paraphrase St. Ignatius of Antioch "Where the bishop is, there is the Church."  In the early part of the first millenium there were five Churches of special significance: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem.  Most local Churches had a filial connection to one of these Churches.
     As a parish of the Melkite-Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton, our community is Eastern - Byzantine specifically.  Our "rite" is identical with that of other Byzantine Catholic Churches (e.g. Romanian, Ukrainian, Ruthenian) and Eastern Orthodox Churches.  Our bishop is a member of the Synod of the Melkite-Greek Catholc Patriarchate of Antioch.  Thus we are united with other Melkite-Greek Catholic Churches throughout the world - whether in Syria or Brazil, Lebanon or Australia.  Our hierarchy is in full communion with Rome, and therefore, part of the world-wide Catholic Church.  We do not have Ash Wednesday, adoration of the exposed Blessed Sacrament, or an Advent wreath.
     In the United States there are almost 180 Roman Catholic dioceses compared with 18 Eastern Catholic dioceses.  Thus, we are a very small minority: 30,000 U.S. Melkites among 2.5 million American Eastern Catholics compared to over 77 million Roman Catholic fellow-citizens.  All of our Eastern Catholic bishops are members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and, thanks to the passage of time, most of our Eastern Catholic faithful are fully American.  We are no longer seen as a foreign entity or a relic from the "old world," nor simply Catholics with a peculiar ceremonial.
     In these ways we have come of age.  We do not need to sublimate our differences.  Nor do we need to accentuate them.  We can become comfortable in our own tradition, and share it as part of the common heritage and tradition of all Catholics.  If we are true and faithful, we can serve as a sign of unity:  Churches of many different traditions experiencing the unity for which Our Savior prayed at  His Mystical Supper.