Yes, absolutely. Western Rite parishes are fully Orthodox and fully part of our Archdiocese.
If you’re at St. Michael’s and you visit a Western Rite parish, you’re still attending an Antiochian Orthodox service. You can receive communion there. You can fulfill your Sunday obligation there. You’re worshiping with fellow Orthodox Christians under the same bishop, confessing the same faith, celebrating the same mysteries.
The Antiochian Western Rite Vicariate has been part of our Archdiocese since 1958, when Patriarch Alexander III of Antioch authorized it. These aren’t some experimental thing or a compromise with heterodoxy. They’re Orthodox parishes that use traditional Western liturgical forms instead of the Byzantine Divine Liturgy you’re used to at St. Michael’s. Think of it like this: we’re all Orthodox, but some of us pray in a different accent.
What You’ll Notice
Walk into a Western Rite parish and you’ll see some familiar things. Icons, probably. Incense, definitely. The same Orthodox theology and the same calendar of feasts. But the shape of the service will feel different if you’re used to Byzantine worship.
They typically use one of two liturgies. The Liturgy of St. Tikhon comes from Anglican sources, adapted and approved for Orthodox use. The Liturgy of St. Gregory draws from the traditional Latin Mass. Both have been carefully vetted to remove anything contrary to Orthodox faith. The filioque is out. The epiclesis is in. All the core Orthodox elements are there.
You might see pews instead of standing room. Altar rails. Vestments that look more Roman than Byzantine. Gregorian chant instead of Byzantine tones. It’s Western Christianity before the schism, or Western forms that can be reconciled with Orthodoxy.
The theology? Identical to what you hear at St. Michael’s. Same understanding of theosis. Same Real Presence in the Eucharist. Same veneration of the Theotokos and the saints. Same rejection of papal supremacy and purgatory and all the rest. The Western Rite isn’t “Orthodoxy lite” or some halfway house between Orthodoxy and something else.
Why It Exists
Most Western Rite parishes started as Episcopal or continuing Anglican congregations that converted to Orthodoxy. They came home to the ancient faith but brought their liturgical heritage with them. Metropolitan Philip promised in 1977 that converts wouldn’t be forced to adopt Byzantine worship, and the Archdiocese has kept that promise.
Some people find this confusing. How can you be Orthodox without the Byzantine liturgy? But remember that for the first thousand years, East and West were one Church with different liturgical families. The Western Rite is an attempt to recover that pre-schism Western Orthodoxy.
It’s not common. There are maybe twenty-some Western Rite parishes in the whole Archdiocese, compared to hundreds of Byzantine parishes. You won’t find one in Beaumont. The nearest might be in Houston or Dallas. But if you’re traveling and find yourself near one on Sunday, don’t hesitate. You’re welcome there, and it’s a legitimate way to experience Orthodox worship.
Some Orthodox Christians have strong opinions about the Western Rite, pro or con. That’s fine. But the Archdiocese has blessed it, the bishops oversee it, and it’s been part of our life for nearly seventy years. If you’re curious, visit one. If you prefer Byzantine worship, stick with that. We’re one Church with room for both.
