The Rite Stuff

With the talk about the upcoming Mel Gibson file on the passion
not being in the vernacular, in my own opinion this should make the film better.
A couple of years ago I attended a Mass with His Most Eminent Beatitude Cardinal
Mar Nasrallah Boutros Pierre Sfeir who is the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch.
The Mass was I believe in all or mostly in Aramaic. This was one of the most
beautiful Masses I have ever attended and not being able to understand the language
was not a distraction at all. There is an added quality about hearing the Mass
in one of the languages that Jesus spoke in. The Maronite Rite has always been
in union with Rome, which is why there are no Eastern Orthodox Maronite Rites.

• The Roman Tradition
  1. the Latin Rite (most Catholics belong to this rite)
  2. the Ambrosian Rite
  3. the Mozarabic Rite
  4. the Slavonic Rite
  5. the Gallican Rite
• The Antiochene Tradition
  1. The Maronite Rite
  2. The West Syrian Rite
  3. The Malankara Rite
• The Chaldean Tradition
  1. The Chaldean Rite
  2. The Malabar Rite
• The Armenian Tradition
  1. The Armenian Rite
• The Alexandrian Tradition
  1. The Coptic Rite
  2. The Ethiopic Rite
• The Byzantine Tradition
  1. The Melkite Rite
  2. The Ukrainian Rite
  3. The Russian Rite
  4. The Bulgarian Rite
  5. The Greek Rite
  6. The Georgian Rite
  7. The Italo-Albanian Rite
  8. The Romanian Rite
  9. The Serbian Rite

Here is a song parody/reflection on this subject based on the song "Let’s
Call the Whole Thing Off" by by Ira Gershwin

You say "Dormition" and I say "Assumption"
YouI say "Eiliton" and i say "Corporal"
"Dormition" "Assumption", "Eiliton" "Corporal"

Let’s call the whole thing Catholic
You say "Deep Bow," I say "Genuflect"
You say "Eparchy", I say "Diocese"
Oh, let’s call the whole thing Catholic
Oh, if we call the whole thing Catholic
Then we are part of a whole
The East and the West joined at the heart
So I say "Mass" you say "Divine Liturgy"
I’m not gonna stop praying Mass just cause you say Divine LIturgy
Oh, let’s call the whole thing Catholic
Oh, I say "Alb", you say "Sticharion"
Brother, what’s the problem?
Oh, for we know we need each other so
We’d better answer the calling of sanctity
So let’s call it Catholic, oh let’s call it Catholic
Oh, let’s call it Catholic, brother let’s call it Catholic