This chart shows the various Catholic liturgical families (rites) and their
ancestry. Jerusalem, the place of the founding of the Catholic Church,
came first in time. Then three major branches eventually formed within
the Church: Roman, Antiochian and Alexandrian. The Ukrainian Catholic
Church is part of the Antiochian branch, specifically coming under the
Byzantine rite. The
Catechism, quoting from
Sacrosanctum Concilium,
the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on Divine Liturgy, states:
"The liturgical traditions or rites presently in use in the Church are the
Latin . . . and the Byzantine, Alexandrian or Coptic, Syriac, Armenian,
Maronite and Chaldean rites. In 'faithful obedience to tradition, the
sacred Council declares that Holy Mother Church holds all lawfully recognized
rites to be of equal right and dignity, and that she wishes to preserve
them in the future and to foster them in every way.'"