What is the Byzantine Catholic Church?
The Catholic Church is actually a communion of 22 particular Churches, all in communion with the Bishop of Rome. Our particular Church entered into this communion in 1646 when a large number of Eastern Christians within the ancient diocese of Mukachevo (modern day southern Ukraine, Slovakia and Hungary) adopted what we call today the “Union of Uzhorod.” The reasons were partly religious and partly political. In the 19th century several hundred thousand of these “Ruthenian” Christians migrated to the United States and established themselves here. In the century since this large scale migration, our Church has put down deep roots into American culture, and now sees itself as a truly American Church. For several decades now we have used English as our primary liturgical language. Of course, in entering into communion with Rome our Church had to sever communion with our mother Church, the Great Church of Constantinople. Today the Orthodox and Catholic Churches are pursuing better, more pos
