The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite, Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan

Rite, is the liturgical rite currently used by the Eastern Orthodox Church and Greek/Byzantine
Catholic Churches. It has also been employed, although less frequently, in the Anglican Communion
and Lutheran churches. (e.g., it is utilized by the Society of Eastern Rite Anglicanism,[1] and the
Ukrainian Lutheran Church).[2][note 1] Its development began during the fourth century
in Constantinople and it is now the second most-used rite in Christendom after the Roman Rite.
The rite consists of the divine liturgies, canonical hours, forms for the administration of sacred
mysteries (sacraments) and the numerous prayers, blessings and exorcisms developed by
the Church of Constantinople.
Also involved are the specifics of architecture, icons, liturgical music, vestments and traditions which
have evolved over the centuries in the Eastern Orthodox Church and which are associated with this
rite. Traditionally, the congregation stands throughout the whole service, and
an iconostasis separates the sanctuary from the nave of the church. The faithful are very active in
their worship, making frequent bows and prostrations, and feeling free to move about
the temple (church building) during the services. Also, traditionally, the major clergy and monks
neither shave nor cut their hair or beards.
Scripture plays a large role in Byzantine worship, with not only daily readings but also many quotes
from the Bible throughout the services. The entire psalter is read each week, and twice weekly
during Great Lent.
Fasting is stricter than in the Roman rite. On fast days, the faithful give up not only meat, but also
dairy products, and on many fast days they also give up fish, wine and the use of oil in cooking. The
rite observes four fasting seasons: Great Lent, Nativity Fast, Apostles' Fast and Dormition Fast. In
addition, most Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year are fast days and
many monasteries also observe Monday as a fast day.

Contents
[hide]

1History
o 1.1Divine liturgies
2Divine liturgy
3Daily office
o 3.1Aggregates
3.1.1Ordinary days
3.1.2Weekdays during lent
3.1.3When there is an all-night vigil
3.1.4When the royal hours are read
3.1.5On the eves of Christmas, Theophany, and Annunciation
4Sacraments and other services performed as needed
5Local variations
6Liturgical books
7Calendar
o 7.1Liturgical cycles
7.1.1Weekly cycle
7.1.2Fixed cycle
7.1.3Paschal cycle
7.1.3.18 Week cycle of the octoechos
7.1.3.211 Week cycle of the matins gospels
8List of Churches of Byzantine liturgical tradition
 o 8.1Eastern Orthodox Churches
o 8.2Greek-Catholic Churches
o 8.3Byzantine Rite Lutheranism
9Notes
10See also
11References
12Books
13External links

History[edit]
Further information: Typicon Historical development
There are two ancient liturgical traditions from which all of the Eastern Rites (plus the Gallican Rite in
the West) developed: the Alexandrian rite in Egypt and the Antiochene Rite in Syria. These two Rites
developed directly from practices of the Early Church. Of these two traditions, the Rite of
Constantinople developed from the Antiochene Rite. Prior to the see of Constantinople's elevation to
the dignity of patriarch by the Second Ecumenical Council in 381, the primary jurisdiction in Asia
Minor was the Patriarchate of Antioch. With the council's elevation of Constantinople to primacy in
the East, with the words "The Bishop of Constantinople ... shall have the prerogative of honour after
the Bishop of Rome; because Constantinople is New Rome",[3] the Constantinopolitan Rite gradually
came to be the standard usage in every place under its jurisdiction.
Because the Rite of Constantinople evolved as a synthesis of two distinct rites cathedral rite of
Constantinople called the "asmatiki akolouthia" ("sung services") and the monastic typicon of
the Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified near Jerusalem its offices are highly developed and
quite complex.
Further developments continued to occur, centered mostly around Constantinople and Mount Athos.
Monasticism played an important role in the development of the rituals. In Constantinople, the work
of the monastery of the Studion greatly enriched the liturgical traditions, especially with regard to
the Lenten observance. Iconography continued to develop and a canon of traditional patterns
evolved which still influences Eastern religious art to this day.
Historical events have also influenced the development of the liturgy. The
great Christological and Trinitarian controversies of Late Antiquity are reflected in the glorifications of
the Trinity heard in the numerous ekphonies encountered during the services. In response
to Nestorius' attack on giving the title of Theotokos to the Virgin Mary, the Byzantines increased the
use of the term in the liturgy, and now almost every string of hymns ends with one in her honour,
called a theotokion.
All liturgical rites change and develop over time. As new saints are canonized, new hymns are
composed; as new needs arise, new prayers are written. The rite also profits from the fact that the
Christian East is not so centralized in ecclesiastical polity as the West. This allows for greater
diversity, and as members of one church visit another, a natural cross-pollination occurs with
resultant enrichment on all sides. In spite of its great emphasis on tradition, the Byzantine Rite
comprises a constantly growing and expanding ritual, with room for local practice.

Divine liturgies[edit]
Fresco of Basil the Great in the cathedral of Ohrid. The saint is shown consecrating the Gifts during the Divine
Liturgy which bears his name.

The tradition of the Church of Constantinople ascribes the oldest of its two main Divine Liturgies to
St. Basil the Great (d. 379), Metropolitan of Csarea in Cappadocia. This tradition is confirmed by
the witness of several ancient authors, some of whom were contemporaries.[4][5][6] It is certain that St.
Basil made a reformation of the Liturgy of his Church, and that the Byzantine service called after him
represents his reformed Liturgy in its chief parts, although it has undergone further modification
since his time.[7] St. Basil himself speaks on several occasions of the changes he made in the
services of Csarea.[8][9] and other contemporary witnesses attest his arrangement of the services.
Basil had as his goal the streamlining of the services to make them more cohesive and attractive to
the faithful. He also worked to reform the clergy and improve the moral life of Christians. He
shortened the services and wrote a number of new prayers. The most important work attributed to
him is the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil. He took as his basis the Liturgy of St. James as it was
celebrated at his time in the region of Cappadocia, as well as some liturgical elements recorded in
the Apostolic Constitutions.[7]
Over time, the Liturgy of Saint Basil gained wide usage in Asia Minor and Syria. Peter the
Deacon mentions that Basil's Liturgy was "used by nearly the whole East".[7] However, the
Alexandrian rite uses another Liturgy which is also attributed to Saint Basil,[10] so Peter the Deacon's
reference may not be to the Liturgy of St. Basil used in the Byzantine Rite.
Saint Basil's liturgical work was continued by John Chrysostom (died c. 407), Patriarch of
Constantinople. He wrote new (and shorter) prayers for the Divine Liturgy, as well as other prayers.
The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is the most common form of the liturgy used in the rite
today.

Divine liturgy[edit]
Main article: Divine Liturgy
This tradition has several forms of the Divine Liturgy (celebration of the Eucharist), three of which
are in use everywhere that the Byzantine Rite is used: the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, the Liturgy
of St. John Chrysostom, and the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.

The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is the one most commonly celebrated throughout the year.
 The Liturgy of St. Basil is celebrated ten times a year: on the five Sundays in Great Lent, with
Vespers on Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday, on the Eves with Vespers (or Feasts themselves,
at the normal time, depending on the day of the week) of Christmas and Theophany, and on
January 1, which is the feast day of St. Basil.
The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts (which has no Consecration of the Gifts but distributes the
Holy Mysteries from a Lamb sanctified in advance, always as a Vespers (Liturgies on fast days
always being served in conjunction with the office of vespers) is celebrated only on certain
weekdays of Great Lent: on Wednesdays, Fridays and any of the more important feast
days which may occur (however, if the Great Feast of the Annunciation occurs on a weekday of
Great Lent, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is celebrated). It is also served on the first
three days of Holy Week.
The divine liturgy is normally not celebrated daily except in cathedrals and larger monasteries.
However, most parishes and smaller monasteries serve the Liturgy on Saturdays, Sundays, and
major feast days throughout the year.
When a bishop officiates, the divine liturgy has an expanded form with particular solemnity; though
other services are also affected by being officiated by a bishop, none is more so than the liturgy.

Daily office[edit]
Main article: Canonical hours Eastern Orthodox usage

Monks and seminarians on cliros. Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, New York
Priest reciting the Prayer of Saint Ephrem in front of the royal doors of the iconostasis

The daily cycle begins with vespers[note 2] and proceeds throughout the night and day according to the
following table:

Name of Historical
Name of service
service in Time of Theme[note 3]
in Greek
English service

Esperinos Glorification of God, the Creator of the

Vespers At sunset
() world and its Providence

Apodipnon Sleep as the image of death, illumined by

Compline At bedtime
() Christs Harrowing of Hell after His death

Christs midnight prayer in Gethsemane; a

Mesonyktikon
Midnight Office At midnight reminder to be ready for the Bridegroom
()
coming at midnight and the Last Judgment

Morning
Matins or The Lord having given us not only daylight
Orthros () watches,
Orthros but spiritual light, Christ the Savior
ending at dawn
Proti Ora ( First
At 7 AM Christ's being brought before Pilate.
) Hour (Prime)

Pilate's judgement of Christ and the

Triti Ora ( Third
At 9 AM descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost,
) Hour (Terce)
which happened at this hour.

Ekti Ora ( Sixth Christ's crucifixion, which happened at this

At noon
) Hour (Sext) hour

Ennati Ora ( Ninth Christ's death which happened at this

At 3 PM
) Hour (None) hour.

Typica
follows sixth or
() or Pro- Typica .
ninth hour
Liturgy[note 4]

The typica is used whenever the divine liturgy is not celebrated at its usual time, i.e., when there is a
vesperal liturgy or no liturgy at all. On days when the liturgy may be celebrated at its usual hour, the
typica follows the sixth hour (or matins, where the custom is to serve the Liturgy then) and the
Epistle and Gospel readings for the day are read therein;[note 5] otherwise, on aliturgical days or when
the Liturgy is served at vespers, the Typica has a much shorter form and is served between the ninth
hour and vespers.[note 6]
Also, there are Inter-Hours for the First, Third, Sixth and Ninth Hours. These are services of a similar
structure to, but briefer than, the hours. their usage varies with local custom, but generally they are
used only during the Nativity Fast, Apostles Fast, and Dormition Fast on days when the lenten
alleluia replaces "God is the Lord" at matins, which may be done at the discretion of
the ecclesiarch when the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated.
In addition to these public prayers, there are also private prayers prescribed for both monastics and
laypersons; in some monasteries, however, these are read in church. These include Morning and
Evening Prayers and prayers (and, in Russia, canons) to be prayed in preparation for receiving
the Eucharist.
The full cycle of services are usually served only in monasteries, cathedrals, and
other Katholika (sobors). In monasteries and parishes of the Russian tradition, the Third and Sixth
Hours are read during the Prothesis ( Liturgy of Preparation); otherwise, the Prothesis is served
during matins, the final portion of which is omitted, the Liturgy of the Catechumens commencing
straightway after the troparion following the Great Doxology.
The Midnight Office is seldom served in parishes churches except at the Paschal Vigil as the
essential office wherein the burial shroud is removed from the tomb and carried to the altar.

Aggregates[edit]
The sundry Canonical Hours are, in practice, grouped together into aggregates[note 7] so that there are
three major times of prayer a day: Evening, Morning and Midday.[note 8]The most common groupings
are as follows:
Ordinary days[edit]

Evening Ninth Hour, Vespers, Compline[note 9]

Morning Watches Midnight Office,[note 10] Matins, First Hour
Morning Third Hour, Sixth Hour, and the Divine Liturgy or Typica[note 11]
Weekdays during lent[edit]

Evening Great Compline

Morning Watches Midnight Office, Matins, First Hour
Morning Third Hour, Sixth Hour, Ninth Hour, Typica, Vespers (sometimes with the Liturgy of
the Presanctified Gifts or, on the Annunciation, the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom)
When there is an all-night vigil[edit]
On the eves before Great Feasts and, in some traditions, on all Sundays, this grouping is used.
However, the All-night vigil is usually abridged so as to not last literally "all-night" and may be as
short as two hours; on the other hand, on Athos and in the very traditional monastic institutions, that
service followed by the hours and Liturgy may last as long as 18 hours.

Afternoon Ninth Hour, Little Vespers,[note 12] Compline (where it is not read at the
commencement of the Vigil)
Early night Compline (where it is not the custom for it to follow small vespers), Great
Vespers,[note 13] a reading, Matins, First Hour
When the royal hours are read[edit]

Evening Ninth Hour, Vespers, Compline

Morning Watches Midnight Office, Matins
Morning First, Third, Sixth, and Ninth Hours and the Typica
On the eves of Christmas, Theophany, and Annunciation[edit]
When the feast is a weekday (or, in the Russian tradition, on any day for Christmas, Theophany),
Vespers (with the Liturgy in most instances) is served earlier in the day and so Great Compline
functions much as Great vespers does on the vigils of other feast days.

Evening Great Compline (in some traditions) and, if there be an All-Night Vigil, the reading,
matins, first hour.
Morning Watches (unless there be an all-night vigil) midnight office, matins, first hour.

Sacraments and other services performed as needed[edit]

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help by adding to it. (April 2012)

Local variations[edit]
Two main strata exist in the rite, those places that have inherited the traditions of the Russian
Church which had been given only the monastic Sabbaite typicon which she uses to this day[note 14] in
parishes and cathedrals as well as in monasteries, and everywhere else where some remnant of the
cathedral rite remained in use; therefore, the rite as practiced in monasteries everywhere resembles
the Russian recension, while non-Russian non-monastic customs differs significantly. For example,
in the Russian tradition, the "all-night vigil" is served in every church on Saturday nights and the eves
of feast days (all though it may be abridged to be as short as two hours) while elsewhere, it is usual
to have matins on the morning of the feast; however, in the latter instance, vespers and matins are
rather less abridged but the Divine Liturgy commences at the end of matins and the hours are not
read, as was the case in the extinct cathedral rite of Constantinople.
Also, as the rite evolved in sundry places, different customs arose; an essay on some of these has
been written by Archbishop Basil Krivoshein and is posted on the web.[11]

Liturgical books[edit]
Horologion (; Church Slavonic: Chasoslov, oco), or Book of Hours, provides
the fixed portions of the Daily Cycle of services (Greek: akolouthies, ) as used by
the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches.
Into this fixed framework, numerous moveable parts of the service are inserted. These are taken
from a variety of liturgical books:

Psalter (Greek: (), Psalter(ion); Slavonic: or , Psaltyr' ) A book

containing the 150 Psalms[note 15] divided into 20 sections called Kathismata together with the 9
Biblical canticles which are chanted at Matins; although these canticles had been chanted in
their entirety, having over time come to be supplemented by interspersed hymns (analogously
to stichera) to form the Canon, the canticles themselves are now only regularly used in a few
large monasteries[note 16] The Psalter also contains the various "selected psalms", each composed
of verses from a variety of psalms, sung at matins on feast days, as well as tables for
determining which Kathismata are to be read at each service; in addition to the Psalms read at
the daily offices, all the Psalms are read each week and, during Great Lent, twice a week.
Octoechos (Greek: ; Slavonic: , Oktoikh or ,
Osmoglasnik)Literally, the Book of the "Eight Tones" or modes. This book contains a cycle of
eight weeks, one for each of the eight echoi (church modes of the Byzantine musical system of
eight modes), providing texts for each day of the week for Vespers, Matins, Compline, and (on
Sundays) the Midnight Office. The origins of this book go back to compositions by St. John
Damascene. The (Great) Octoechos is also called "Parakletike". Octoechoi containing only
Marianic hymns are called "Theotokarion". Since the 17th century different collections of the
Octoechos had been separated as own books about certain Hesperinos psalms like
the Anoixantarion an octoechos collection for the psalm 103, the Kekragarion for psalm 140, and
the Pasapnoarion for the psalm verse 150:6 and also the Doxastarion.[12]
Menaion (Greek: ; Slavonic: , Mineya)A twelve-volume set which provides
liturgical texts for each day of the calendar year,[note 17] printed as 12 volumes, one for each
months of the year.[note 18] Another volume, the General Menaion contains propers for each class
of saints for use when the propers for a particular saint are not available. Additionally, locally
venerated saints may have services in supplemental volumes, pamphlets, or manuscripts.
Menologion A collection of the lives of the saints and commentaries on the meaning of feasts
for each day of the calendar year, also printed as 12 volumes,[note 18] appointed to be read at the
meal in monasteries and, when there is an all-night vigil for a feast day, between vespers and
matins.
Triodion (Greek: , Triodion; Slavonic: , Postnaya Triod' ;
Romanian: Triodul), also called the Lenten Triodion. The Lenten Triodion contains propers for:
 the Pre-Lenten Season
the Forty Days of Great Lent itself
Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday
Holy Week
Pentecostarion (Greek: , Pentekostarion; Slavonic: ,
Tsvetnaya Triod' , literally "Flowery Triodon"; Romanian: Penticostar) This volume contains the
propers for the period from Pascha to the Sunday of All Saints. This period can be broken down
into the following periods:
Bright Week (Easter Week) Commencing with matins on Pascha (Easter Sunday) through
the following Saturday
Paschal SeasonThe period from Thomas Sunday until Ascension
Ascension and its Afterfeast
Pentecost and its Afterfeast
All Saints Sunday (the Sunday after Pentecost)
Synaxarion (Greek: ; Romanian: Sinaxar)The Synaxarion contains for each day of
the year brief lives of the saints and meanings of celebrated feasts, appointed to be read after
the Kontakion and Oikos at Matins.
Irmologion (Greek: ; Slavonic: , Irmologii)Contains the Irmoi chanted
at the Canon of Matins and other services. The hymns of the books heirmologion and octoechos
had been collected earlier in a book called "Troparologion" or "Tropologion".
Priest's Service Book (Greek: , Ieratikon; Slavonic: , Sluzhebnik) It
contains the portions of the services which are said by the priest and deacon and is given to a
deacon and to a priest with his vestments at ordination.[note 19] The Mega Euchologion contains
the portions of the services for the whole year which are said by the priest (Hieratikon), the
bishop (Archiieratikon) or the deacon (Hierodiakonikon). The two largest parts are
the Litourgikon with the liturgies for the whole year and the Hagiasmatarion with the blessings.
Bishop's Service Book (Greek: Archieratikon, Slavonic: , Chinovnik)
the portions of the services which are said by the Bishop; for the Canonical Hours, this differs
little from what is in the Priest's Service Book.
Prophetologion (Greek: ) It contains the Old Testament Lectionary readings
appointed at Vespers and at other services during the Church year.
Gospel Book (Greek: , Evangelion or , Evangelistarion) Book
containing the 4 Gospels laid out as read at the divine services.[note 20]
Apostle Book (Greek: or , Apostolos or Praxapostolos;
Slavonic: , Apostol) Contains the readings for the Divine Liturgy from the Acts of the
Apostles and the Epistles together with the Prokeimenon and Alleluia verses that are chanted
with the readings.[note 20]
Patristic writings Many writings from the Church fathers are prescribed to be read at matins
and, during great lent, at the hours; in practice, this is only done in some monasteries and
frequently therein the abbot prescribes readings other than those in the written rubrics.
Therefore, it is not customary to enumerate all the volumes required for this.
Collections (Greek: , Anthologion; Slavonic: , Sbornik) There are
numerous smaller anthologies available[note 21] which were quite common before the invention of
printing but still are in common use both because of the enormous volume of a full set of
liturgical texts and because the full texts have not yet been translated into several languages
currently in use. Some of the anthologies are called Hymnologion.
Typicon (Greek: , Typikon; Slavonic: , Typikon or , ustav) Contains all
of the rules for the performance of the Divine Services, giving directions for every possible
combination of the materials from the books mentioned above into the Daily Cycle of Services.
Anastasimatarion (Greek: ) is a service book that contains the Anastasima
(Resurrectional) hymns of vespers, Sunday matins and other hymns.
 Sticherarion (Greek: ) it contains the stichera for the morning and evening services
throughout the year. Chant compositions in the sticheraric melos can also be found in other
liturgical books like the Octoechos or the Anastasimatarion.
Hebdomadarion (Greek: ) is a liturgical book which contains the Paracletical
canons of the week.
Homilies (Greek: O) some homilies of the Church Fathers are recited regularly or on
special occasions, such as the Paschal Homily of St. John Chrysostom.
Also some books for special occasions, such as the book for the great week- He Megale Ebdomas,
the Dekapentaugoustarion for the 15. August, or the Eklogadion including certain excerpts. The
Apostolike Diakonia of the Church of Greece and some Greek-orthodox bishops have also published
certain old liturgies. Such as the Liturgy of St. James and other.

Calendar[edit]
Main article: Eastern Orthodox Church liturgical calendar
The fixed portion of the liturgical year begins on September 1. There is also a moveable Paschal
cycle which is fixed according to the date of Pascha (Easter), by far the most important day of the
entire year. The interplay of these two cycles, plus other lesser cycles influences the manner in
which the services are celebrated on a day to day level throughout the entire year.
Traditionally, the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches used the Julian Calendar to
calculate their feast days. Beginning in 1924 the Patriarchate of Constantinople made an adjustment
to their liturgical year to bring the fixed cycle in conformity to the modern Gregorian Calendar. The
Paschal cycle, however, continued to be calculated according to the Julian Calendar. This composite
calendar is known as the Revised Julian Calendar. Constantinople's example was followed by
the Church of Greece as well as a number of other autocephalous churches. Today, some churches
continue to follow the Julian Calendar while others follow the Revised Julian Calendar. Only
the Orthodox Church of Finland has adopted the Western calculation of the date of Pascha
(see computus); all other Orthodox Churches, and a number of Eastern Catholic Churches,
celebrate Pascha at the same time, according to the ancient rules.

Liturgical cycles[edit]
Various cycles of the liturgical year influence the manner in which the materials from the liturgical
books (above) are inserted into the daily services:
Weekly cycle[edit]
Each day of the week has its own commemoration:

SundayResurrection of Christ
MondayThe Holy Angels
TuesdaySt. John the Forerunner
WednesdayThe Cross and the Theotokos
ThursdayThe Holy Apostles and St. Nicholas
FridayThe Cross
SaturdayAll Saints[note 22] and the departed
Most of the texts come from the Octoechos, which has a large collections of hymns for each
weekday for each of the eight tones; during great lent and, to a lesser degree, the pre-lenten
season, the Lenten Triodion supplements this with hymns for each day of the week for each week of
that season, as does the Pentecostarion during the pascal season. Also, there are fixed texts for
each day of the week are in the Horologion and Priest's Service Book (e.g., dismissals) and
the Kathismata (selections from the Psalter) are governed by the weekly cycle in conjunction with
the season.
Fixed cycle[edit]
Commemorations on the Fixed Cycle depend upon the day of the calendar year, and also,
occasionally, specific days of the week that fall near specific calendar dates, e.g., the Sunday before
the Exaltation of the Cross. The texts for this cycle are found in the Menaion.
Paschal cycle[edit]
The commemorations on the Paschal Cycle (Moveable Cycle) depend upon the date
of Pascha (Easter). The texts for this cycle are found in the Lenten Triodion, the Pentecostarion,
the Octoechos and also, because the daily Epistle and Gospel readings are determined by this
cycle, the Gospel Book and Apostle Book. The cycle of the Octoechos continues through the
following great lent, so the variable parts of the lenten services are determined by both the preceding
year's and the current year's dates of Easter.
8 Week cycle of the octoechos[edit]
The cycle of the eight Tones is found in the Octoechos and is dependent on the date of Easter and
commences with the Sunday after (eighth day of) Easter, that week using the first tone, the next
week using the second tone, and so, repeating through the week preceding the subsequent Palm
Sunday.[note 23]
11 Week cycle of the matins gospels[edit]
The portions of each of the Gospels from the narration of the Resurrection through the end are
divided into eleven readings which are read on successive Sundays at matins; there are hymns sung
at Matins that correspond with that day's Matins Gospel.

List of Churches of Byzantine liturgical tradition[edit]

Eastern Orthodox Churches[edit]

Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Chicago.

 Only autocephalous (self-governed) churches are listed; autonomous churches are
considered under their mother churches. Those churches which follow the Julian Calendar
exclusively are marked with *, while those that partially use the Julian calendar are marked
with (*).

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople(*)

Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria
Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem*
Russian Orthodox Church*
Serbian Orthodox Church*
Romanian Orthodox Church
Bulgarian Orthodox Church
Georgian Orthodox Church*
Cypriot Orthodox Church
Church of Greece
Albanian Orthodox Church
Polish Orthodox Church*
Czech and Slovak Orthodox Church
Orthodox Church in America(*)
Greek-Catholic Churches[edit]

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These Particular Churches are considered sui iuris churches (autonomous) in full
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 Belarusian Greek Catholic Church
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Byzantine Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia
Greek Byzantine Catholic Church*
Melkite Greek Catholic Church
Hungarian Greek Catholic Church
Italo-Albanian Catholic Church
Macedonian Greek Catholic Church
Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic
Russian Catholic Church*
Ruthenian Catholic Church
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Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church(*)
Note: Georgian Byzantine-Rite Catholics are not recognized as a particular
Church (cf. canon 27 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches).

Byzantine Rite Lutheranism[edit]

Ukrainian Lutheran Church[13] (which uses liturgical formulae from the Byzantine Rite to
form the base text for the Order of Service in the Ukrainian Evangelical Service Book.[14])
As mentioned above, several other Lutheran communities also use this modified version
of the Divine Liturgy.