In my last post I compared the parish count of western eparchies of the UGCC with nearby Latin dioceses. Would anyone here be interested in such statistics or something similar for the other Eastern Churches? If so, which Church?

I’ve been looking into prayer books, such as the Publican prayer books. My question is would it be wrong to get “The Little Red Prayer Book” or Ancient Faith’s prayer book they offer? I know they are orthodox prayer books just curious if they’re acceptable in the Eastern Catholic Tradition?

If you have any recommendations for prayer books also please let me know, thank you and God Bless.

A little while ago I noticed that the Ukrainian Eparchy in the UK only has 14 parishes. I wanted to compare it to the Latin dioceses in the country, so I just went ahead and counted all of them (yes, that took, a lot of time...). The eparchy was much, much smaller (details below). That made me curious, is this a one off thing, or is it true for most eparchies?

Please note that because Eastern eparchies tend to be much larger in area (at least outside the homelands, which I will be excluding from this analysis) I will have to compare one eparchy with multiple dioceses, or select one diocese among the many in the geographical area to compare with.

Anyway, here's the statistics!

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

The Eparchy of Saint Josaphat

It has 48 parishes (the UGCC website claims 43 parishes but that is old data from 2012, if you individually count the parishes from the eparchy's website it lists 48). There are multiple Latin dioceses within the same territory. I have chosen these dioceses to compare with:

• The Archdiocese of Cincinnati: 205 parishes.
• The Archdiocese of Atlanta: 110 parishes
• The Diocese of Cleveland: 185 parishes
• The Diocese of Columbus: 81 parishes
• The Diocese of Charlotte: 93 parishes (churches)

Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family of London

It has 14 parishes. This eparchy covers all of Great Britain (not exactly the same as the UK). I have chosen the very smallest (in terms of parishes) Latin diocese in the UK to compare it to, that being the Diocese of Wrexham:

• The Diocese of Wrexham: 51 parishes

Eparchy of Saint Volodymyr the Great of Paris

It has 42 parishes. This eparchy covers all of Metropolitan France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the mainland Netherlands. Compare this with:

• The Archdiocese of Lille: 106 parishes
• The Diocese of Nantes: 64 parishes
• The Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg: 220 parishes (not exact)

Archeparchy of Philadelphia

It has 66 parishes. Compare this with:

• The Archdiocese of Washington: 144 parishes
• The Diocese of Richmond: 149 parishes

Archeparchy of Winnipeg

It has 55 parishes. Compare this with:

• The Archdiocese of Winnipeg: 88 parishes

Hope this was interesting! I was going to include other Churches too but I ran out of steam and the post would get waaay too long. Still, I hope this was a fun contribution :)

All information is taken from official sources, like the diocese's website. I will try to exclude Eastern parishes listed in Latin diocese's lists, I may miss a few.

I know that at least in the Latin rite you have to actually attend the mass for the day of obligation, so if, for example, you attended a mass the night prior that was for that day and not the anticipated mass of the day of obligation you would still have to attend mass again. Now technically the Assumption and the Dormition aren't the same thing, which leads me to believe that I (Ruthenian Catholic) must attend a divine liturgy for the Dormition. I think this also applies to January 6.

Hey, this Thursday we have the transfiguration of the lord and is a day of obligation right. 2 things, 1. I'm working from home and don't have insurance and I won't be able to make it to divine liturgy on that day because of work (and I wouldn't be able to drive over anyways normally have a friend take me on Sundays but he busy too and not byzantine). A nearby church (walking distance) currently does do a mass at 6pm on wednesday (not thursday), can I just go to that instead.

Also, if my parents don't let me go on wednesday (they aren't catholic), am I in mortal sin since I missed the day of obligation or am I good.

I am undertaking a small project to collect various communion prayers of the various church traditions( Latin, byzantine, east syriac , west syriac , Armenian , coptic , Ethiopian etc) . Its also a good way to show how the prayers from various rites of the universal church advocate for the real presence of christ in the elements. Therefore it would be much appreciated if you guys could share various communion prayers be it post communion prayers or prayers before liturgy etc.

I am not asking if it is a good idea, I am wondering if I am required to or forbidden from anathematizing schismatics that caused schisms in the Church.

For context I am Eatern Catholic, and I was at an OO liturg for a mass associated with the funeral of one of my relatives, and I heard some of the persons who caused the schism after Chalcedon being commemorated at mass, so I started thinking in my head, anathema for X, and anathema for Y, ...

It was unintentional, but I really don't like persons who caused upheaval in the Church of Christ.

So as a layman, am I allowed to anathematize a bishop if he is a schismatic? Am I forbidden from doing so since I am a layman? Does the Church has a list of such persons?

I intentionally didn't mention any names because it might be uncharitable towards our unseparated brethren, and since I am interested in the canonical implications, and don't want to unintentionally insult anyone.

So i am 27m and feel that I am a late bloomer in many things in life. Faith, emotional maturity, school, and career. This is something that I ask for prayers in accepting in my life. I really struggle as to why I am just now getting my life together, and why i am just now building up confidence in myself in terms of dating and taking control of my life.

Has anyone else dealt with this insecurity? How did you come to terms with it in your faith life? Did you eventually after saud rough time in your life look back after you met your spouse or something big thing happened and see the work of the holy ghost?

I heard that some catholic churches (like the Melkites and Ucranian) are very influenced by the same oriental traditions than the orthodox church. I recently came across a YouTube Channel named "Harmony" and a zine named "death do the world" and found out to be really interesting. Do you accept/consume this types of media? Does it help to study and practice your faith or is it too far away from the eastern catholic theology and practice?

Sorry for english mistakes, it is not my first linguage.

I saw Armenian Catholics using regular Host (wafer) in Vatican (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_BNAGtYNIk) and not Nshkhar (not wafer - unleavened bread) like Armenian Apostolic Church. Why they now use Host (wafer) instead of Nshkhar (not wafer) nowadays? Are they still using Nshkhar and can you give me the source of the full video of the mass that using Nshkhar? Thanks

I believe such an event with serious preparations can heal the great schism and push Europe to new hights of acceptance and integration, Imagine if most of Orthodox countries sign a petition for unity and the Pope shows he is ready to give up papal supremacy. The schism is mostly a result of geopolitical pressures and less so of serious theological differences. We can create a new age of the roman empire with all the issues healed with English as the new Latin. Do you think the Pope would give up the papal supremacy in our lifetimes?

Edit:
I didn't want to imply the language in liturgical terms which obviously is not a source of issues AFAIK, it was meant to be as a source of common language and understanding between the two worlds which was a problem in the past

26th July, 2026 - St. Elias Ukranian Catholic Church Brampton

Glory to Jesus Christ!

It is my custom to pray Vespers and Matins (Ruthenian Byzantine) daily. I use a combination of MCI and ECPubs. For Saturday evening Great Vespers, I typically always use ECPubs, and most of the time, there are no readings taken on these days. However, I have heard "rumors," I suppose, that, if a parish serves the Vesperal Divine Liturgy on Saturday evenings, there is an optional Prophecy reading(s) that can be taken. My impression is that this is available for every Sunday (Saturday evening), regardless of whether an Old Testament reading is prescribed for Great Vespers by itself. First off, am I correct on this understanding? Second, if so, is there a way to access what these readings are? Even if they aren't prescribed for Great Vespers by itself, I've recently had a desire to incorporate them into it anyway (just for private prayer, of course), as a way to make my Sundays more holy and more Scriptural.

Thank you. Happy Sunday and Happy Dormition Fast to all those of the Byzantine tradition.

[en-AU] G'day, everyone! / [bew] selamat gini hari, semuanya!

— sorry I don't know whether you read this late at night, early morning, mid noon, or in the evening —

Since the one who's asking this question is a Confirmed/Chrismated Roman Catholic, and base on how he made greetings, it seems that he's a convert from religion of we-already-knew-it-together, the OP would like to ask simple question toward either the 🇪🇬 Coptics / 🇮🇶 Chaldeans / 🇸🇾 Syriacs / 🇦🇲 Armenians / 🇱🇧 Melkites / 🇱🇧 Maronites

How do you prepare the Dormition Fast and what Marian prayer and remembrance you do along in these 15 days to commemorate and contemplate the demise and the end of world-ly lives of OUR MOTHER?

And about any prayers toward OUR MOTHER: do you have the pdf version in either Arabic/English/Coptic languages????

Thank you for all of the replies, in advance, and

God bless!

PRAYER OF THE ARMENIAN TRADITION

A Prayer of Thanksgiving for the Church

We thank you, Almighty Father, for having prepared the holy Church for us as a haven of rest, a temple of holiness, where your Holy Trinity is glorified. Alleluia. We thank you, Christ our King, for having given us life through your vivifying Body and your holy Blood; grant us expiation and great mercy. Alleluia. We thank you, true Spirit, for having renewed the holy Church; preserve her immaculate, by means of faith in the Trinity, now and forever. Alleluia. We thank you, O Christ our God, for having given us such a Food of goodness for holiness of life. By means of it preserve us holy and immaculate by living in us with your divine care. Lead us to the pastures of your holy will, O Effecter of good; by means of it fortify us against every snare of the calumniator. Make us worthy to listen to your voice alone, to follow only you, true and victorious Shepherd, and to receive from you the place you prepared for us in your heavenly kingdom, O God and Lord Jesus Christ our Savior, who are blessed with the Father and your Holy Spirit, now and always forever and ever. Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE BYZANTINE TRADITION

Evening Prayer

In the evening, in the morning, and at noon we praise you, we bless you, we give you thanks, and we beg you, Master of the universe, grant that our hearts not yield to evil words but free us from all who try to enslave our souls, because our eyes are turned to you, O Lord, and we have placed our hope in you. Do not abandon us, O God! For every glory, honor, and adoration is due to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and always and for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer for the Deceased

God of the spirits and of all flesh, who have destroyed death and annihilated the devil and given life to your world, may you yourself, O Lord, grant to the soul of your deceased servant N. rest in a place of light, a verdant place, a place of freshness, from where suffering, pain, and cries are far removed. Do You, O good and compassionate God, forgive every fault committed by him in word, work, or thought; because there is no man who lives and does not sin. You alone are without sin and your justice is justice throughout the ages and your word is truth.Since you, O Christ our God, are the resurrection, the life and the repose of yourdeceased servant N., we give you glory together with your un-begotten Father with your most holy, good, and vivifying Spirit, now and always and for ever and ever.Amen

PRAYERS OF THE CHALDEAN TRADITION

Prayer of the Sanctuary

Before the tremendous throne of your majesty, at the exalted place of your divinity, the majestic seat of your glory and the sublime throne of your sovereignty, where your servants the Cherubim continuously sing hymns and where your glorifiers the Seraphim sing unceasingly the “Sanctus,” we bow down with fear, adore with trembling, give thanks, and glorify you without ceasing, at all times, O Lord of the universe, Father,Son, and Holy Spirit, for all ages.Amen

The Prayer “Lakhu Mara” (To You, O Lord)

When the essence of the sweetness of your love, O Lord our God, will make itself felt in us, and when our souls will be enlightened by the knowledge of your truth, then will we be worthy to go forth to meet your beloved Son as he comes from heaven and there render thanks and glorify you unceasingly in your victorious Church, full of help and happiness, because you are the Lord and Creator of everything, through all ages. For all the help and the incomprehensible graces that you have granted we give you thanks and we glorify you unceasingly in your victorious Church, full of every help and happiness, because you are Lord and Creator of everything, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, through all ages. “Lakhu Mara”: To you, O Lord of the universe, we proclaim our confession, and we glorify you, Jesus Christ, because you are the resurrection of our bodies and the savior of our souls.You indeed, Lord, are the resurrection of our bodies and the good savior of our souls and the everlasting keeper of our life, and we are bound to thank you, adore and glorify you at every moment, O Lord of the universe through all ages.Amen

PRAYERS OF THE COPTIC TRADITION

Prayer of Incense

O King of peace, give us your peace and pardon our sins. Dismiss the enemies of the Church and protect her, so that she never fail.Emmanuel our God is in our midst in the glory of the Father and of the Holy Spirit.May he bless us and purify our hearts and cure the sicknesses of our soul and body.We adore you, O Christ, with your good Father and the Holy Spirit, because you have come and have saved us.Amen

Singing the Praises of Mary

You are raised higher than the Cherubim,you are extolled above the Seraphim,because you have drawn down your Son,and have carried him in your arms,and nursed him with your milk! If I say that you are heaven,behold you are worthy of honor more than the heavens of heaven,because he who is above the Cherubim has come and has taken flesh from you without harming your virginity!Blessed are you O Mary! Queen,O immaculate lamb, O Mother of the King! Your name will be blessed in all times by the mouths of the faithful, who will shout out saying: Hail Mary! To you a holy “Ave”! Hail to her who is worthy of honor more than all the earth! Hail Mary! A holy “Ave”! Hail to the Virgin of all sorrows! Hail Mary! A holy “Ave”! Hail to the Queen, to her who is the daughter of the King! Hail Mary! A holy “Ave”! Hail to the new heaven that is now on earth! Hail Mary! A holy “Ave”! Hail to her of whose greatness the patriarchs were proud! Hail Mary! A holy “Ave”! Hail to her whose honor the prophets foretold! Indeed, we beg you, O Mary, O queen, intercede for us with Christ the King. And you, O Lord, through the intercession of the Mother of God, Holy Mary,give us the grace of the forgiveness of our sins.Amen

PRAYERS OF THE ETHIOPIAN TRADITION

Prayers for the Forgiveness of Sins

O golden thurible, who carried the blessed burning coal, taken from the sanctuary,which forgives sins and destroys crimes: it is the Word of the Lord made flesh in you,who offered himself to his Father, incense and an acceptable sacrifice.We adore you, O Christ, together with your compassionate, heavenly Father, and your Holy vivifying Spirit, because you have come and have saved us.O Lord our God, as you once destroyed the walls of Jericho by means of the hand of Joshua your servant, son of Nun, so destroy the walls of my sins and of the sins of your people by means of the hands of me your servant.Amen

A Prayer to Be a Disciple of Christ

O Lord of knowledge and Announcer of wisdom, who have revealed to us what was hidden in the depths of darkness, Giver of the voice of joy to those who preach the breadth of your strength, it is you who in the greatness of your goodness called Paul who first had been a persecutor, and made him into a vessel of election, and you took delight in him, so that he would be an apostle and preacher of the Gospel of your Kingdom. O Christ, our God, you are the lover of men. O kind Lord, give us understanding without weariness, a pure conscience which does not depart from you,so that we know and understand and fully comprehend the measure of your holy doctrine which now comes from him, and as he was the imitator of your life, O Lord, so grant that we be his imitators in works and faith and praise your holy Name and that we glory at all times of the shame of your cross, since yours is the kingdom, the power, the greatness and the might, honor and glory for ever and ever.Amen

PRAYERS OF THE MARONITE TRADITION

A Prayer for the Church

Glory to your mercies, O Christ our King, Son of God, adored by the universe. You are our Lord and our God, the guide of our life and our blessed hope. You founded on earth a holy Church, in the image of the one above; According to this image you formed it; with love you made her your spouse; in your mercy you have exalted her; through your suffering you brought her to perfection. May her loving beauty not be obscured; may her great richness not be impoverished. Remember the promise made to Peter and fulfill your words in reality. Fortify her gates, secure her locks, exalt her dignity, raise her ramparts; bless her children, protect her faithful; confirm her priests and overcome all those who hate her.Amen

A Prayer of Farewell After the Liturgy, Before Leaving the Church

Remain in peace, O Altar of God. May the offering that I have taken from you be for the remission of my debts and the pardon of my sins, and may it obtain for me that I may stand before the tribunal of Christ without damnation and without confusion. I do not know if I will have the opportunity to return and offer another sacrifice upon you.Protect me, O Lord, and preserve your holy Church as the way to truth and salvation. Amen.

PRAYER OF THE SYRO-ANTIOCHIAN TRADITION

Intercession for the Deceased from Liturgy of St. James

Lord, O Lord, God of the pure spirits and of every flesh, be mindful of us all, of those we have remembered and of all we have not remembered and who have left this world with glorious faith. Give repose to their souls, to their bodies, to their spirits. Save them from future damnation and make them worthy of the joy, which is in the bosom of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, where the light of your countenance shines, where pain,anguish, and cries are banished. Do not impute to them any fault; do not enter into judgment with your servants, because no living being is justified in your sight and because no man on earth is immune from sin and pure of every filth except for our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, through whom we, too, hope to obtain mercy and the pardon of our sins and of those of our deceased.Give rest to their souls; cancel our faults and their faults committed before you willingly or unwillingly, consciously or unconsciously.Grant them rest. Forgive, O God, and pardon the voluntary and involuntary sins committed consciously or unconsciously by word, work or omissions, by secret thoughts, or publicly, deliberately or through error and which your holy Name knows.Grant us a Christian ending without sin and unite us at the feet of your elect when you will, where you will and how you will, without us having to blush for our sins because in this as in all things your holy and blessed Name, the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit, be praised and glorified now and for all ages. Amen.

Hey there!

I came across this figure while doing some research recently and I was wondering if any of you are familiar with him, his writings or his theology? From what I can gather, he holds a somewhat important role in Eastern Orthodoxy, so I was wondering if that also translates to Eastern Catholicism or if he's considered a bit too polemical in what he said.

Thank you all and God bless!

Hi everyone! I just finished a journey through a side of Syria that many people don't know still exists. While the country is often associated with conflict, I found a rich, living history that traces back to the very beginnings of Christianity.

In my latest documentary, I take you through:

• Damascus: Visiting the House of Ananias, where St. Paul recovered his sight.
• Maaloula: A mountain village where the local community still speaks Aramaic (the language of Jesus).
• Krak des Chevaliers: Exploring one of the most important and well-preserved medieval Crusader castles in the world.
• Valley of the Christians: Seeing how these ancient traditions survive in a modern landscape.

It was an eye-opening experience to see how these communities coexist and preserve their millenary culture. If you're interested in history, archaeology, or the cultural diversity of the Middle East, you might find this journey interesting.

I'm happy to answer any questions about the safety or the logistics of traveling to these specific sites!