Irish Melkite
Melkite Greek-Catholic
Let's try this again - Alexandrian, Antiochene, Armenian, Assyro-Chaldean, Byzantine (sometimes called Constantinoplian) are Rites, and, depending on whom one asks, Maronite may be as well (others might class it as being of the Antiochene Rite).
The listings under each of those headings up above are not Rites - they are Churches sui iuris.
Originally, there were three Rites - Latin, Alexandrean, and Antiochene; the Byzantine (or Constantinoplian) Rite was added thereafter. Rites arose from the customs and style of worship in what were then the four most important Christian centers, other than Jerusalem.
Differences among the Rites in liturgical language, rubrics, ritual, devotionals, prayers, liturgical and clerical vesture, etc., sprang initially from the fact that uniformity of praxis was impossible to maintain over time, as the number of clergy increased, local cultures and customs began to be woven into rituals, and both travel and communication were hampered by geography and the limited means available to make and maintain contact among churches and clerics.
Over time, those four Rites were modified or further developed as they were introduced into new regions. Some of these variations were so distinctive as to be deemed separate Rites - the Maronite and Armenian Rites, which each developed in relative isolation because of geography.
The result was that many authorities denoted the Maronite as a Rite unto itself; while others placed it within what was termed the West Syrian Tradition of the Antiochene Rite, from whence it had originated. As to the Armenian Rite, although acknowledged to have originated within the Byzantine Rite (not the Antiochene, as erroneously stated above), it has long since been acknowledged as distinct. The Melkites originally served according to the Antiochene Rite but, as a consequence of coming under the influence of Constantinople, later adopted use of the Byzantine Rite.
Of late, Chaldean or Assyro-Chaldean has been added to the list of Rites, being formally cited as such in the CCEO, although, historically, it had been classed in the East Syrian Tradition of the Antiochene Rite. (This goes along with a move away from the Antiochene Rite being subdivided into Western and Eastern Traditions. The styling Antiochene Rite now applies solely to what used to be called the West Syrian Tradition; the former East Syrian Tradition is now denominated as the Assyro-Chaldean Rite.)
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Canons 27 and 28 of the Eastern Code of Canon Law:
Canon 27
- A group of Christian faithful united by a hierarchy, according to the norm of law, which the supreme authority of the Church, expressly or tacitly, recognizes as sui iuris, is called in this Code a Church sui iuris.
Canon 28
- 1. A Rite is the liturgical, theological, spiritual, and disciplinary patrimony, culture, and circumstances of history of a distinct people, by which its own manner of living the faith is manifested in each Church sui iuris.
Beyond the codified definition of Rite, it should be further understood to be the collected liturgical patrimony or heritage by which a body of faithful conduct their religious life. It is more than just differences in language, culture, and vesture, although those are often among the most immediately obvious distinctions. It's often thought of as strictly applicable to liturgical worship service; it actually includes the totality of a people's religious expression, including their sacraments, sacramentals, devotionals, prayers, music, and even aspects of their religious artistic expression and ecclesial architecture.
Interestingly, in the West, persons belong to a Rite and Rites to a Church (which uses more than a single Rite). In the East, persons belong to a Church and the Church (in some instances, more than a single Church) to a Rite. (In the cases of the Armenian, and Maronite Rites, each Rite is used by only a single Church sui iuris and, in both of these instances, the Church's name and that of the Rite are identical.)
By way of example:
- most Western Catholics belong to the Latin Rite with smaller numbers adhering to the Ambrosian, Bragan, and Mozarabic Rites, all of which Rites belong to the Latin Church; while,
- some Eastern Catholics belong to the Melkite Church, which (with 13 other Churches) uses the Byzantine Rite.
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The Alexandrian Rite has 2 Traditions: Coptic and Ethiopian (Ge'ez)
The Coptic Tradition is served by the Coptic Catholic Church
The Ethiopian (Ge'ez) Tradition is further broken down into 2 Usages:
- Ethiopian (Amharic) Usage - served by the Ethiopian Catholic Church
- Eritrean (Tigrigna) Usage - served by the Ethiopian Catholic Church within its Eritraen jurisdictions and parishes
The Antiochene Rite has a single Tradition - West Syriac
That Tradition is further divided into 2 Rescensions:
- Syriac Rescension - served by the Syriac Catholic Church
- Malankara Rescension - served (primarily) by the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
- Malankara Usage - served by the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church except in 2 parishes
- Knanaite Usage - served by the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in
- A single parish of the Arch-Eparchy of Trivandrum of the Syro-Malankara, and
- A single parish of the Eparchy of Tiruvalla of the Syro-Malankara
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The Assyro-Chaldean or Chaldean Rite has a single Tradition - East Syriac
It has 2 Rescensions:
- Assyro Chaldean Rescension - served by the Chaldean Catholic Church
- Syro-Malabarese Rescension - served by the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
- Syriac Usage - Served in all canonical jurisdictions except 1
- Arabic Usage - Served only in the Eparchy of Alep of the Chaldeans
- Assyro-Chaldean Usage
- Malabarese Usage
- Mixed (Chaldean-Malabarese) Usage
- Knanaite Usage -
- served in all parishes of the Metropolitan Arch-Eparchy of Kottayam of the Knanaites except the 15 parishes of its Episcopal Vicariate for Malankara Knanaites and
- served in the 10 parishes of the Vicariate for the Knanaya Catholic Community in North America of the Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle in Chicago of the Syro-Malabarese
The Byzantine Rite has 2 Traditions:
- Byzantine-Greek Tradition
- Byzantine-Slav Tradition
- Greek Rescension
- Served by the Albanian Greek-Catholic Church
- Served by the Byzantine Greek Catholic Church
- Graeco-Arabic Rescension
- Served by the Melkite Greek-Catholic Church
- Graeco-Georgian Rescension
- Formerly served by the Georgian Greek-Catholic Church, of blessed memory
- Graeco-Italian Rescension
- Served by the Eparchy of Lungro degli Italo-Albanesi in Calabria and the Eparchy of Piana in Sicily degli Albenisi of the Italo-Graeco-Albanian Byzantine Catholic Church
- Served by the Exarchic Abbey & Territorial Monastery sui iuris of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata degli Italo-Graeco of the Italo-Greek Byzantine Catholic Church
- Served by Our Lady of Wisdom Parish of the Eparchy of the Protection of Mary of the Byzantine Ruthenian Metropolia of Pittsburgh
- Great Russian Rescension
- Romanian Rescension
- Little Russian or Ruthenian Rescension
- Nikonian Rescension is served by:
- The Belarusian Greek-Catholic Church
- The Byzantine Bulgarian Catholic Church
- The Russian Greek-Catholic Church
- Pre-Nikonian Rescension is served by:
- A single Old Ritualist Russian Greek-Catholic parish in Russia
The Little Russian Rescension is served by:
- The Croatian Greek-Catholic Church, including the Apostolic Exarchate for Byzantine Catholics in Montenegro & Serbia
- The Hungarian Greek-Catholic Church
- The Macedonian Greek-Catholic Church
- The Romanian Greek-Catholic Church's Eparchy of Maramures
- The Ruthenian Greek-Catholic Church, including the Apostolic Exarchate for Byzantine Catholics in the Czech Republic
- The Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic Church Metropolia of Pittsburgh, except for a single parish of its Eparchy of the Protection of Mary
- The Slovakian Greek-Catholic Church
- The Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church
As previously mentioned, the Armenian Rite and the Maronite Rite are each synonymous with their respective Churches and have no Traditions, Rescensions, or Usages within them.
Many years,
Neil
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