What is “Eastern Catholicism”?

Eastern Catholics are fully Catholic Christians who worship and live the faith according to the ancient traditions of the Christian East. We belong to the Catholic Church and share the same beliefs, sacraments, and unity with Rome as any other Catholic parish—you can receive Communion here just as you would anywhere else. The difference isn’t what we believe, but how we express it.

Our parish uses the Byzantine rite, one of the historic forms of Catholic worship that grew out of the early Christian world. In the Byzantine way of prayer, services are sung, churches are filled with icons, and our spirituality emphasizes the mystery and beauty of encountering God. These traditions reach back to the earliest centuries of Christianity and remain alive today as a reminder that the Church has always been diverse in culture and expression while united in faith in Jesus Christ.

Many people are surprised to learn that many Eastern Catholic Churches share deep historical roots with the Eastern Orthodox Church, including the same style of liturgy and spirituality. Over time, our Churches entered or restored full communion with Rome while keeping these authentic traditions intact.

As our Patriarch puts it, "We are an Orthodox Church, with Orthodox theology, liturgy, spirituality and canonical tradition that chooses to manifest this Orthodoxy in the spirit of the first Christian millennium, in communion with Rome”

In short: we are fully Catholic, joyfully living the faith through the rich heritage of the Byzantine East.