By Christopher Valley

Twenty years ago, as a child attending parochial school, I was deeply impressed upon hearing that no matter where one would travel, the Mass was being offered with the same prayers in the same language, Latin. This uniformity symbolized the unity and universality of the Catholic Church.

At age sixteen, it was a surprise to attend a Mass in Lafayette, LA, in which not one word of Latin was uttered. The Mass was offered in the Roman Catholic cathedral, so it had to be one of "ours." Afterward, I found out that the priest who said the Mass was from the Maronite rite, and that there was a large community of Maronite Catholics in Lafayette.

Since then, I've learned that there are many rites within the Church. For centuries the Eastern rites have stood side by side with the Western (Latin) rite in praising God and enriching the unity of Faith.

FOUR RITES

Though Catholics are only a small percentage of the population of North Georgia, four distinct rites are present among Catholics in the Atlanta area: the Latin Rite, to which most Atlanta area Catholics belong; the Maronite rite; the Melkite rite; and the Byzantine Ruthenian rite, also known as the Carpathian rite. Collectively, non-Latin rites are called Eastern rites," and they are a rich part of the heritage of the Church.

The term "rite" has three different meanings. A rite is a particular way of celebrating the liturgy. It is a particular group of people who use that liturgy. Also, it is the rues and customs which are a part of the particular rite.

The Second Vatican Council reaffirmed the unique value of the various Eastern rites: "The Catholic Church holds in high esteem the institutions of the Eastern churches, their liturgical rites, ecclesiastical traditions, and Christian way of life. For, distinguished as they are by their venerable antiquity, they are bright with that tradition which was handed down from the apostles through the Fathers, and which forms part of the divinely revealed and undivided heritage of the universal Church." (Decree on Eastern Catholic Churches, 1)

ST. JOSEPH MARONITE

The oldest continuous congregation of an Eastern rite in the Atlanta area is St. Joseph's Maronite Church on Seminole Avenue in Little Five Points. Lebanese immigrants formed this parish over 70 years ago. The parish is part of the Diocese of St. Maron USA which has its chancery in Brooklyn, NY.

Father Joseph Bistany has been the pastor since 1965. He received his seminary education in Lebanon and served as a priest in Lebanon before coming to Atlanta.

The Maronites count over 350,000 faithful in the United States in 40 parishes under the Diocese of St. Maron. This rite has never had a period of separation from Rome.

The name "Maronite" literally means "a follower of St. Maron." He was a monk who lived in the fourth and fifth centuries in Syria. St. Maron had the gift of miracles, healing both body and spirit. Several hundred disciples attached themselves to him. His spiritual gift and his conversion of many to Christianity aroused the wrath of heretical elements in the Church. A great slaughter of Maronites occurred, but the rite was preserved in the Church under the leadership of St. John Maron, the first Maronite patriarch.

Maronites in the United Sates celebrate most of the Mass in English, with some parts in the Syriac or Aramaic languages. Worldwide, they are governed by the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch.

"For 15 centuries the popes have praised the Maronites for fidelity to the Faith," notes Father Bistany. "From Pope St. Hormisdas in 518 A.D. to the present, the Church has valued the contribution of the Maronite rite. The Church has never required uniformity in rite or language. It is union in Faith that matters."

ST. JOHN MELKITE

Another example of this rich unity is the Melkite rite. In tradition and liturgy, the Melkite rite is close to the Orthodox (non-Catholic) churches of the East. But in faith and in authority, the Melkites are one with Rome.

Melkites take their name from the Roman Emperor Marcion who called the Council of Chalcedon in the fifth century. Originally, the name "Melkite" was a term of derision. The Council of Chalcedon affirmed that Jesus Christ has two complete natures: divine and human. Those who followed the teaching of this Council were labeled "Melkites" by heretics who said Jesus had only one nature. At one time all Catholics were called "Melkites" because they followed the teaching of Chalcedon. Later the term Melkite was reserved for those who worshiped in this rite.

Melkites endured many persecutions over 12 centuries, but in 1724 A.D., unity with Rome was openly proclaimed.

The first Melkite congregation in Atlanta worshiped at Immaculate Conception Church. Melkite laity formed a Men's Club and a Ladies' Altar Society, and hoped to have a priest on a full-time basis.

Bishop Hyland, the first Bishop of the Latin Rite Diocese of Atlanta, invited Father William F. Haddad to start a parish for Melkites in the area. "We had only a few families, and no money to build," remembers Monsignor Haddad, "and we made a novena to the Blessed Virgin Mary. At the end of the novena, a parishioner called to alert me to the availability of the Candler home on Ponce de Leon Avenue for $63,000. God was with us." Thus was St. John Chrysostom Melkite Catholic Church born.

Although the Melkite parish started under the Diocese of Atlanta, since 1976 it has been governed by the Apostolic Eparchy of Newton, Massachusetts. The Apostolic Eparchy is a formal diocese in the Melkite rite. There are over 400,000 Catholics in the United States who belong to this diocese.

Monsignor Haddad is from southern Lebanon. When he came to the United States, he knew only a few words of English. He studied for the priesthood at St. Basil's Seminary in Methuen, Massachusetts.

The Mass is sung in English, Greek and Arabic. Though originally a church for Melkites from Lebanon who wanted a priest to pray with them in their own traditions, St. John's has many non-Lebanese members.

"Through great persecutions, Lebanese people have kept faith in God, their traditions, and their devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the East, faith is interwoven with daily life -- it is very strong," says Monsignor Haddad. We have a strong devotion to Our Lady. Though we do not have the Rosary we have incensing of icons to honor Our Lady.”

EPIPHANY BYZANTINE CHURCH

The newest congregation of an Eastern rite in this area is Epiphany Byzantine Church. Established in 1977, the liturgy was first offered at Holy Cross Church in Tucker. Later, the congregation moved their place of worship to the chapel at Marist High School. A church is now under construction on Old Alabama Road off Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell. Epiphany is the only Byzantine Ruthenian or Carpathian rite church in the South.

At the time of the Great Schism in 1054, the Carpathian rite became a part of the Orthodox family of churches. It remained so until 1646 when it reunited with the Holy See. Originally, the faithful were people from Czechoslovakia, southwestern Russia, the Ukraine, and northern Hungary.

In this country, membership in the rite is a cross section of the American population. Epiphany parish itself mirrors this cross section. Ad added dimension at Epiphany is that members of the parish actually represent six different rites within the Church.

This diversity within the Epiphany congregation is partly the result of the location of the church in extreme northern Fulton County, where no other Catholic Eastern rite church is located. Another reason is the difference in theological systems between the Church in the East and the Church in the West.

MYSTICAL CHRISTIANITY

"Eastern churches have a greater emphasis on the mystical appreciation of Christianity rather than on the intellectual," comments Epiphany pastor Father Philip Scott. "In the East, the theology says that faith is not a proposition to be explained but a mystery to be lived." This difference is best seen by comparing the theological approach of Aquinas in the West with that of the Patriarchs in the East.

At Epiphany, three forms of liturgy are most often used. The liturgy of St. Gregory is primarily a vesper service with communion. On most Sundays, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is used. During Lent, the congregation celebrates with the liturgy of St. Basil.

The parish is under the authority of the bishop of Passaic, New Jersey. The Primate for the Carpathian rite in the United States resides in Pittsburgh. The other American dioceses of the rite are in Parma, Ohio, and Van Nuys, California.

Father Philip Scott received his theological education at the rite's seminary in Pittsburgh. Since August of 1980, he has been pastor of Epiphany.

The new buildings for the parish were designated to follow traditional Carpathian architectural styles. Local architects designed the church using pictures of European Carpathian churches. Ryan Homes built the priest's residence, modifying the exterior to complement that of the church.

"We are an integral part of the Catholic church," Father Scott stresses. "We are one in faith. This is the basis of Catholicism. Real unity lies in faith, not in custom, language, or theological systems."

EAST AND WEST CONTRASTS

Mary Ellen Hughes, a Melkite Catholic who heads the Atlanta Archdiocesan Natural Family Planning Office, agrees with Father Scott. She sees the contrasts between East and West as a demonstration of the wholeness of Catholic thought. The Latin and Eastern theologies complement one another. She feels that an understanding of both theological perspectives enriches the life of individual Catholics.

"Whereas Latin theology emphasizes the priest as called by God to represent Jesus to His people, Eastern theology emphasizes the priest as a mediator whom the Church community has asked God to consecrate. This is just one example of difference in approach," comments Ms. Hughes.

"In Eastern churches, 'relationship' is the key to theological understanding. There is no distinction between religious and secular life. They are intimately united."

While language, custom, theology, and governance of the local church may vary among rites, the Catholic Church is enriched by their very presence. In the words of Pope Pius XII, "Whatever the difference of rite, the flame of faith is one."