St. Anne's Byzantine Catholic Church
A Closer Look at the Liturgy and Customs of the Byzantine Rite.
As we have already mentioned, we celebrate the Divine Liturgy according to the Ruthenian
tradition of the Byzantine Rite. This Liturgy will have recognizable parts--Scripture readings,
Eucharistic Prayer, and Holy Communion--but the ceremonies surrounding them are different.
The following are some comments that may be helpful to you as you learn more about the Byzantine
Rite.
Icons:
Icons are religious paintings. In front of the Church you will see two icons flanking the alter. The
icon of Mary with the Child Jesus in her arms reminds us of the first coming of Jesus. The icon of Jesus by Himself represents His second coming at the end of time. The altar between beckons us to enter into God's presence in the Kingdom and put aside all earthly cares and distractions.
Incence:
We use incense as a sign of reverence for the sacred place and teh sacredness of people who are made in God's image and as a sign of preparing for something important about to happen. It is our prayer ascending like the smoke of incense before the throne of God.
Gospel Book:
A gold-covered Gospel Book is resting on the alter as a sign of God's special presence in His message through the teachings of His Son Jesus. This message is God's wisdom speaking to us. We need to be attentive.
Bows and Blessings:
We bow and make the sign of the cross many times during the Liturgy as a sign of our faith and the receiving and accepting of God's blessings. As a rule, we bow slightly and bless ourselves every time we mention the persons of the Trinity by name or the priest blesses the congregation. We also bow and sign ourselves whenever we enter or leave the church.
Singing:
Almost all of our Liturgy is sung as a sign of our joyfulness in God's presence.
Alter Bread:
Our altar bread is made with yeast and therefore has a thickness to it. At the beginning of the Liturgy, the priest will cut a loaf of specially baked alter bread and prepare cubed particles that will be used for the distribution of Holy Communion.
Holy Communion:
The consecrated particles are placed into the chalice just before Communion time. A small cubed particle is placed on a spoon and given to the communicant. Those wishing to receive Holy Communion come forward to the priest and quietly state their first name if the priest does not know them already. Then they open their mouth wide and tilt their haead back slightly without extending their tongue. They don't say "amen" (as is the custom of Roman Catholic Rite churches upon their reception of the Eurcharist). The priest brings the spoon to their mouth and gently places the Eucharist into it. After waiting for the priest to bring his hand away from their face, they close their mouth and return to their place.
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