06 February 2021

Eastern Rite - Belarusian Greek Catholic Church

Today is the Apodosis of the Meeting of Our Lord, and the Feast of the Virgin-martyr Dorothea,[ and with her Martyrs Christina and Callista, sisters, and Theophilus, at Caesarea in Cappadocia.
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The Belarusian Greek Catholic Church (Belarusian: Беларуская грэка-каталіцкая царква, Bielaruskaja hreka-katalickaja carkva BHKC; Latin: Ecclesiae Graecae Catholico Belarusica), sometimes called, in reference to its Byzantine Rite, the Belarusian Byzantine Catholic Church, is the heir within Belarus of the Union of Brest and Ruthenian Uniate Church. It is listed in the Annuario Pontificio as a sui iuris church, an Eastern rite particular Church in full union with the Pope of Rome and the Catholic Church.

At the beginning of 2005, the Belarusian Greek Catholic Church had 20 parishes, of which 13 had obtained state recognition. As of 2003, there have been two Belarusian Greek Catholic parishes in each of the following cities - Minsk, Polatsk and Vitsebsk; and only one in Brest, Hrodna, Mahiliou, Maladziechna and Lida. The faithful permanently attached to these came to about 3,000, while some 4,000 others lived outside the pastoral range of the parishes. Today there are 16 priests, and 9 seminarians. There was a small Studite monastery at Polatsk. The parishes are organized into two deaneries, each headed by a protopresbyter or archpriest.

Two of the parishes had small churches. Some of the others had pastoral centres with an oratory.

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