ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

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The Ukrainian Catholic Church is in full communion with the Universal Catholic Church of Rome yet has its own rite, that is, distinctive liturgies, services, hymns, and prayers. Our Liturgy follows the time-honored, deeply spiritual and symbolic Orthodox Christian traditions of the Eastern or Byzantine Rite (as opposed to the more readily recognized Latin or Roman Rite) of the Catholic Church and remains essentially unchanged since the early centuries of the Christian Faith. There is a heavy emphasis on choral and congregations singing; often our entire Liturgy is sung.

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We worship God in the Holy Trinity; we glorify the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit equally. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He is one in being with the Father. We also believe that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of a Virgin. He was crucified for the sins of the whole world and rose from the grave to grant eternal life. The Universal Church affirms that all Catholics meet all their obligations in the Eastern Church and are welcome to participate in Communion.

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Icons are integral part of our faith. They serve as an existential link between the worshiper and God and have been called “Windows into Heaven”. They are not worshiped, but represent prayers, hymns, and sermons in form and color. The iconostasis (or altar screen) is the most distinguishing feature of Eastern Catholic Church. It has three openings: the royal doors in the center and two smaller doors called deacon doors. The royal doors are bordered by the icons of Christ (on the right) and the Mother of God (with Christ) on the viewer’s left.