The Western Rite and Byzantine Rite are both fully Orthodox. They share identical theology, identical sacraments, identical faith. What’s different is how they worship.
Most Orthodox parishes in America use the Byzantine Rite. That’s what you’ll find at St. Michael’s. We celebrate the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, we chant in a particular way, we use iconography and vestments from the Eastern Christian tradition. When people picture Orthodox worship, they’re usually picturing Byzantine Rite.
But the Antiochian Archdiocese also has Western Rite parishes. These use liturgies that come from the ancient Western Church, before the Great Schism of 1054. They’re celebrating Orthodox Christianity in a form that would feel more familiar to someone who grew up Anglican or Episcopalian or even Catholic. Think of it as Orthodoxy in a Western accent.
What Western Rite Looks Like
Western Rite parishes in our Archdiocese typically use one of two liturgies. The Liturgy of St. Gregory is based on the old Roman Mass. The Liturgy of St. Tikhon comes from Anglican tradition, approved back in 1977. Both have been carefully corrected to make sure they’re theologically Orthodox. That means the filioque is gone from the Creed. The epiclesis is there, calling down the Holy Spirit to transform the gifts. Everything that contradicts Orthodox teaching has been removed.
The services are usually shorter than Byzantine Liturgy. They feel less repetitive to Western ears. The music sounds different too. You won’t hear Byzantine chant. Instead you might hear Western plainchant or Anglican hymnody. The vestments look more like what a Catholic priest would wear. The whole aesthetic is Western.
But they’re doing the same thing we’re doing. They use leavened bread, just like Byzantine parishes. They commune from a spoon. They baptize by triple immersion. They venerate icons. They’re Orthodox Christians worshiping in an Orthodox way, just using a different liturgical tradition.
Why Western Rite Exists
Metropolitan Antony Bashir established the Western Rite Vicariate in 1958. The idea was missionary. Some Western Christians were drawn to Orthodox theology but found Byzantine worship too foreign. They couldn’t get past the unfamiliar music, the different ceremonial, the Eastern feel of everything. Western Rite gave them a way into the Church that didn’t require adopting a whole new culture along with the faith.
This wasn’t innovation. It was restoration. These liturgies come from the undivided Church, from before East and West split. They’re part of our shared inheritance as Orthodox Christians.
The Archdiocese takes Western Rite seriously. There’s a whole vicariate structure to oversee these parishes. Clergy get specific training. Everything has to meet Orthodox standards. It’s not a compromise or a watered-down version of Orthodoxy. It’s just Orthodoxy expressed through Western forms.
How the Two Rites Relate
If you’re Orthodox in a Western Rite parish, you’re Orthodox everywhere. You can receive communion at St. Michael’s or any other Byzantine parish. Western Rite clergy can concelebrate with Byzantine clergy when the bishop permits it. We’re one Church.
Most people in Southeast Texas have never heard of Western Rite Orthodoxy. That’s fine. It’s a smaller part of American Orthodoxy. But it matters because it shows something important about the Church. Orthodoxy isn’t tied to one culture or one liturgical expression. The faith is unchanging, but it can be celebrated in different ways.
You won’t find a Western Rite parish in Beaumont. If you’re exploring Orthodoxy here, you’re going to encounter the Byzantine tradition. That’s what we have, and it’s beautiful. But knowing about Western Rite helps you understand that when you become Orthodox, you’re not becoming Eastern. You’re becoming part of the Church that Christ founded, the Church that includes both East and West in its fullness.
