3. Ukranian National Catholic Shrine of the Holy Family (4250 Harewood Rd NE)

The Ukranian Catholic Church is one of about twenty Catholic churches at are in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, and one of only two (that we have found to date) with a physical presence in the National Capital Area.  The concept of 'full communion' is a complex and changing one (perhaps we'll be visiting an Anglican church before we're done) and you can find information and resources here.  We're not going to get into the theology or history of it - suffice to say, we accept the Church's teaching on it and know with certainty that we can fulfil our Mass obligation - and receive the Eucharist - at the Ukranian Church.

We attended Divine Liturgy at 9am on Sunday, May 30th, 2010.  We knew almost nothing about the Byzantine liturgial tradition before going in.  We sat at the back, allowing us to follow the practices of the regular congregants.  We were able to read through some of the liturgical guide before the service started, and were able to see the gist of the service and some elements familiar to the Latin rite. 

The congregation was all white, save for one man.  We didn't expect to see much ethnic diversity in the Ukranian national church!  We wondered if regular congregants were of Ukranian descent (we don't know).  All told, there were about forty people there.

This particular Byzantine rite has the priest facing the Tabernacle with the congregation (somewhat similar to the Traditional Latin rite).  The priest was assisted by a deacon and three altar servers (for want of a better term - we don't know what they're called officially).  All were located in the altar area separated from the main part of the church by a three-doored wooden panel.  At various times the priest, deacon, and servers entered and exited through these doors. 

The liturgy centered on the priest and deacon chanting prayers and the choir (hidden above the main entrance) responding to them.  The deacon had a more prominent role than the priest, which surprized us.  The congregation didn't join in that much.  Unlike Roman Catholic congregations, however, this one made the Sign of the Cross after every mention of the Trinity.  There was one reading from the Bible and one specifically from the Gospel (though chanted, which made it difficult to follow).  There were two collections, conducted separately (not quite sure what the second one was for). 

The priest gave a short homily.  The priest was new and this was his first service.  Communion was by intinction - though this is an approved method in the Roman Catholic Church, we've never seen it used.  It is more common in the Byzantine churches.  It was a first for us then, as the priest used a small spoon to transmit the Eucharist from the Chalice to our mouths. 

The Liturgy ended after an hour and five minutes.  The priest remained in the church to greet his new parishoners.  Find out more about the Ukranian Catholic Church here.