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In all there are about 18 Eastern Catholic Churches. The Eastern Rite Catholics or Uniat Catholics as they are often called number about 9 million. However, though small in number, they are a very important part of Catholicism. All of them, except the Maronite Catholics, returned to union with Catholicism from Orthodox Christian Churches. These reunions have been going on from about the 12th century till the present.
As the Orthodox Churches all have valid priests, Christ really present in Holy Communion and a deep devotion to the Virgin Mary, these reunions have not been difficult from a Catholic point of view. However, when the Eastern Churches separated from the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches began it was a very difficult time - especially for those of Eastern Christianity.
Sadly there was a lot of politics and power playing with the western part of the church imposing on the eastern part of the church. This was doubly sad because when the Arian heresy (the denial that Christ was God) split the church it was the east which had stood firm while the west had been very wobbly. The dispute which caused the final split concerned the Trinity (not that the Orthodox deny the Trinity) and the authority of the pope.
When a large number of Orthodox express a wish to reunite with the Catholic Church they are permitted to keep their own customs, rules, form of Mass and administration of the sacraments as well as the use of their own language. The Catholic Church does not want to demand that we all be the same in our prayers and traditions - nor repeat the mistakes made when the Orthodox and Catholics split.
As a result of this, their Masses are longer than ours and much more varied. They chant much of the Mass and use incense in copious quantities. They have Baptism by immersion, the bread they use for Holy Communion is a scone-like bread. They mostly have Communion under both kinds and have married clergy (who often live in small villages on their farms). They are confirmed by the priest when they are baptised (not by the Bishop as occurs in the Latin Church). They accept the authority of the pope. Of course we may receive Communion in their church and they may receive Communion in ours.
They show the world, if it wants to see, that the Catholic Church has a great variety in it. They show the church can and will adapt for different peoples and cultures. For this reason the church discourages Catholics from leaving Eastern Rite Catholicism to join the Latin Rite. It is the Latin Rite that most of us belong to in Australia.
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Maronite Catholics, though regarded as Eastern Catholics, were never in Orthodoxy. They have Baptism simply by pouring water, they have Holy Communion with bread similar to the Latin Rite bread and their Mass is very similar in form to the Latin Mass - although it has always been prayed in Arabic. They too receive Confirmation from their priests at Baptism and have some married priests.----- information provided by Fr Frank Bendeich, Parishwide (St Joseph Parish, Rockdale) Volume 220
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A It is obligatory for the priest to offer an individual Mass for each intention. In cases where this cannot be accommodated he forwards the offering to other priests, often in mission lands. By way of acknowledgement the names are sometimes printed in parish bulletins but this does not mean that the priest in that parish necessarily says the Mass himself.
The practice of Mass offerings is treated in detail in The Code of Canon Law. There is a specific reference (Canon 948) to the need to ensure that separate Masses are applied for the intentions of each for whom an offering has been made and accepted.
The origin of Mass offerings derived from the custom of the faithful of bringing to the altar the bread and wine as well as other gifts for the support of priests and the benefit of the poor. The expression 'Mass offering' or 'Mass stipend' is unfortunate and can give the connotation that the payment is for a service or 'in return for' the Mass. At its worst the understanding can be that one pays for a Mass. It has been known that people have asked a priest 'what does it cost to buy a Mass'. Every Mass is offered for all mankind but it is acceptable that there be a specific intention that might be given priority.
With more modern means of providing for the support of the clergy, the custom of tendering an offering on the occasion of a request that Mass be offered for a particular intention has become less common. However, it is part of the tradition of many cultures and groups and any such request ought to be honoured. What matters is that the offering is understood to be a means whereby the faithful meet their obligation to support the clergy and the charitable works of the Church. ----- answer provided by Fr Brian Lucas, The Catholic Weekly, 12 August 2001
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