Saint Philip the Apostle Catholic Church welcomes you!
We are the Light of the East in Sacramento for the Eparchy of Van Nuys.
Please accept this invitation to worship with us!
Your Sunday obligation is fulfilled by attending the Holy and Divine Liturgy ("Mass") in any Catholic Church of any tradition. Catholics should experience as many of the Eastern "Rites" as they can. "Catholic" means "universal," and it is through the variety of "rites" that the Church reveals its universality. Please feel "at home" praying with us, and please come visit us often and bring or tell a friend!
Saint Philip the Apostle is an Eastern Church,
a Church descended from the traditions and customs of Greece rather than Rome.
The word "Byzantine" comes from the city of Byzantium, the old name for the city of Istanbul (Constantinople), which applies to us the same way the world "Roman" does when it describes Catholics of the Western (Rite) Church.
100% Catholic
We believe as Catholics do, and bishops appointed for us by His Holiness, Pope Benedict
XVI, govern us. However, because missionaries from Greece, Saints Cyril and Methodius,
converted our ancestors, we learned to think of God and to worship Him in the Eastern
"style." Our Sui Juris Autocephalous Church (the Byzantine Carpatho-
Here, at St. Philip the Apostle, our services are in English, with some parts in Old Church Slavonic (our original ancient liturgical language; an early form of what later became Russian, Ukrainian, Slovak, etc.).
Upon entering or leaving the church building, Byzantine Catholics make a bow and
a sign of the Cross, instead of genuflecting.Byzantine Catholics, make the sign of
the Cross from the right to the left, the opposite of what Western Catholics do.
The East stresses the Divinity of Christ -
A Capella -
Because the early Church Fathers wanted to be sure that the people would learn and participate in the services, they forbade musical instruments in the church. We take great pride in the fact that our people can participate fully without the assistance of any instruments. All of our divine Services are sung. The parishioners know the music and take an active part in all services. Do not feel out of place if you do no know the music. Look, listen, smell, and first of all: pray.
Icons Instead of Statues
As a rule, statuary is not found in Eastern churches. Instead icons, depicting Christ, Mary, or Saints are prominently displayed and often carried in procession. Most are painted on wood, although they are also crafted in other media. Appearances vary from highly stylized to what might look to be 'folk art', reflecting the cultures from which they originate, but all are objects of veneration. Eastern Christians do not worship icons but believe that reverence afforded to an icon is likewise accorded to the one depicted in it. So many icons tell a 'story' of the Faith that they are often described as 'theology in color'.
Receiving Holy Communion
During the Holy and Divine Liturgy (our name for what the Latins call "Mass"), when
the time comes for the distribution of the Most Holy Body and the Most Precious Blood
of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ (called "Holy Communion" by the Latins),
do not be afraid to receive if you are Catholic or Orthodox and in the state of Grace.
"Holy Communion" is given under both forms, bread and wine, using a golden spoon.
The spoon simplifies things for us, since we use leavened bread, (baked with a special
recipe and marked with special markings -
What is a Rite?
A "rite" is a complete tradition -
How Many Rites are there in the Catholic Church?
Generally speaking, there are six main Rites of the Catholic Church: Alexandrian, Antiochean, Armenian, Byzantine, Chaldean, and Roman. However, language and national customs have made subdivision of each of them so that we can now say there are over 20 different "Rites."
Would it not be better to have one Rite for everyone?
No. The many "Rites" are the most powerful witness the Catholic Church has to show
the universality of the Church. In the essentials of our Faith -
In the early Church, what were the major centers from which the Rites Developed?
Christianity spread from the city of Jerusalem -
How did the Rites begin?
The Apostles received the commission to "Go, teach all nations..." from Our Lord, Jesus Christ. As the Apostles went forth to preach the "Good News of Salvation" through Jesus Christ, they found themselves in many different lands and among many different peoples. To all of these people they preached morals and the truths of the Faith, as they had heard them from the lips of Our Lord. They administered all of the seven Sacraments instituted by Christ. Naturally, the ceremonies were performed differently, according to the customs of the people. The music used varied with the different nations, as did the language. While all Catholics (Byzantine, Laotians, etc.) profess an identical faith, their method of expressing and living that faith differs accordingly as their mentality and cultural backgrounds differ. Thus, in the very early Church many diverse "ways" arose.
Why is so little known about the Eastern Churches?
For centuries there was little contact between East and West. As the result of this, there has been much misunderstanding, prejudice and rejection. It is a known fact that many Latin bishops, priests and religious have neglected to learn and teach their people about the different "Rites" of the Catholic Church, some of them openly persecuted our people. The most infamous was Archbishop John Ireland of Saint Paul, Minnesota, sometimes called the "founder of the Orthodox Church in America" since he pushed hundreds of thousands of our people into the Orthodox Church. Sadly, most history and catechism books of the Latin Church do not even mention the various "Rites."
What does the Latin Pope of Rome say about the Eastern Churches?
"All members of the Eastern Rites should know and be convinced that they can and
should always preserve their legitimate Liturgical Rite and their established way
of life..." -
Were there any Popes from among the Eastern Church?
Yes, there were about 20 Popes of Eastern origin, mostly Greeks. For the first few centuries in Rome, the Holy and Divine Liturgy was always celebrated in the Greek language.
Are all Eastern Christians Catholic?
No, In fact, a greater percentage of Eastern Christians are Orthodox.
Who are the Orthodox?
The Orthodox are Eastern Christians who are not in communion with the Roman Pontiff.
Are Orthodox Sacraments valid?
Yes they are, since the Orthodox Church is of Apostolic origin. In fact, in case of an emergency, any Catholic (Byzantine, Latin, etc.) may request the Sacraments from an Orthodox Priest.
