worship

Worship at Nativity Parish

"Incorporated into the Church by Baptism, the faithful have received the sacramental character that consecrates them for Christian religious worship. The baptismal seal enables and commits Christians to serve God by a vital participation in the holy liturgy of the Church and to exercise their baptismal priesthood by the witness of holy lives and practical charity."
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1273
Worship in the Eastern Catholic tradition is marked by theological richness, distinct cultural expression, and profound reverence. The Liturgies of the Eastern Catholic Church are almost entirely sung. At Nativity the majority of the Liturgical celebrations are in English, but there are also prayers and songs in Slavonic and Ukrainian.
At the heart of Eastern Catholic worship is the Divine Liturgy. While the Divine Liturgy is, in its essence, the same Eucharistic celebration as the Mass, its outward expression is a bit different from what most Catholics experience in the Western, or Roman, rite. There is also the use of icons and gestures and a different emphasis in the practice of spirituality.
The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is the most commonly celebrated Liturgy at Nativity parish. St. John Chrysostom (ca. 349-407) was the patriarch of Constantinople and a Father and Doctor of the Church.