As all probably already know, our Church is truly a part of Eastern Christianity. Although we are within the Catholic Communion of Churches, we are also basically Eastern Christians.

Yes there is only one Faith. But what is little realized is that the roots of this one Faith lead us back to Middle Eastern and Semitic ways of thinking. The Early Church was an Eastern Church. By “the East” then, we are not referring to Indonesia or China but to the East with which those in the Scriptures were familiar: the Middle East, Greece and Asia Minor. It is there that Christianity began. This is obvious to anyone who takes the time to briefly trace Christianity’s birth and formation.

• Jesus and His disciples were “Middle Eastern” by birth, culture and, of course, language;
• The Bible is an Eastern book: its languages (Hebrew and Greek), its authors, the people it primarily             addresses, the philosophy it espouses (Semitic), and its cultural context are all Middle Eastern;
• The “headquarters” of the Christian faith is the Middle East. It was from there that the apostles were sent out with the Gospel. At least forty-four of the forty-six Local Churches which were founded by Christ’s apostles were in the East;
• For more than 1,000 years, with the exception of Rome, all the major centers of Christian belief were found in the East, in Jerusalem, Alexandria, Antioch and Constantinople;
• The fundamental dogmas regarding the faith were formulated and defended in the East (e.g., that Christ is “of the same essence” with the Father, that He is fully God and fully man, that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, and the nature of the Trinity);
• The very first schools of Biblical interpretation were in the East, that is Antioch and Alexandria. Their           perspectives on interpretation still influence much of our understanding of the Scriptures; and
• The foundational Church Councils (e.g., the first seven, from 325-787) were all held in the East. The         overwhelming majority of the bishops in attendance were from the East.

Denying our Eastern roots is like denying our parents. To live the Christian life in such cultural and historical ignorance is to lose a great part of our identity. The journey back to Christianity’s beginning not only leads us to a place foreign to us today but also to a culture and way of thinking about life which is very much different from our Western, American way.

We’re looking at the roots of our Church.

Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Philadelphia, PA

I began sharing the thoughts of our Metropolitan about our Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in the United States. He went on to state that in order for us to truly become a real Church here in this country, we must strive to develop Church decision-making structures which provide for greater   involvement of laity. Our Church must be less hierarchical and involve the faithful. On the other hand, the faithful must learn to accept decisions made for the larger common good and not look to a hierarchical decision to suit specific desires.

We must, our Metropolitan wrote, radically reorient ourselves within our parishes and communities to give greater attention to the needs of our children and youth. Religious education programs must be offered not just for the understanding of the reception of the mysteries of Holy Communion and Reconciliation. Religious education must be provided at all levels, including Adult Discussion Groups, so that all members have a firm understanding of our faith and worship.

Our Metropolitan further states, our sense of community, of family, needs to be fostered by welcoming committees in every parish. We must be prepared to welcome strangers and assist them in becoming engaged in our worship.

I would add that our worship can be challenging for those exposed to it for the first time. People feel welcome if they don’t feel lost in following the Liturgy, especially if they have never attended one before. In particular, it is probably helpful to speak to them about the difference in our Communion and advise them how to receive.

While our Metropolitan shared many other ideas, I believe these are some of the main points. I would like to share some further ideas about our Church.

One of the principal differences between the Roman Catholic Church and our Church is our relationship to the local people. The Roman Church in its structural organization and in its liturgical aspect is basically a universal, supranational entity. Our Church, on the other hand, is closer to local cultural tradition. Therefore it is tightly united with the destiny of a local nation. Thus, our Church cannot be easily separated from its people and traditions.

Although we are Greek-Catholic and our services and many of our traditions were influenced by the Byzantine experience of Christianity, we have developed a host of customs and traditions which are unique to Our Church. Like all customs, they are quite universal in thought and, if properly presented, can be embraced by all.