Category Archives: Rites of the Church

Open Doors Podcast

Anxiety and Worry, Apologetics, Blessed Virgin Mary, Book Review, Books, Charity, Communication, Community, Conversion, Cross to Bear, Death and Dying, Demons, Discernment, Early Church Fathers, Easter, Ethics, Eucharist, Evangelism, Family, Fasting, Forgiveness, Healing, Heresy, Holiness, Holy Spirit, How to be Catholic, Incarnation, Jewish roots, Lent, Life in the Spirit, Liturgy, Marriage, Miracles, Morality, Mystics, Peace and Justice, Penance and Reconciliation, Pope Francis, Prayer, Preaching, Priesthood, Pro-Life, Purgatory, Relationships, Relics, Rites of the Church, Rosary, Sacraments, Scripture, Service, Social Media, Soldiers, Spirituality, Suffering, Teaching, Terrorism, Tradition, Trust, Vocation, Women,

The leaders of our local Patchogue Prayer Meeting produce a PODCAST each week. I would like to recommend it to you. They talk about real life issues of living out our Catholic faith by sharing stories and experiences as well as teaching moments. To me, the thing that makes them stand out is the range in ages from teenage to Grown Adults. I asked them to write a short description and to give links to their podcast. Please find that here:

The Open Doors Podcast is a local Long Island–based, Catholic faith-centered podcast rooted in Christian testimony, reflection, and honest conversation. Through real-life stories of trials and triumphs, the podcast creates space for listeners to encounter God’s presence in everyday moments—especially when faith feels messy, uncertain, or difficult to articulate. Its mission is to encourage deeper trust in Christ and remind listeners that they are not alone on their spiritual journey.

The podcast is hosted by four voices from different seasons of life: Marissa (36), Janine (49), her son James (15), and Ivette (25), from Spain. Together, they offer an intergenerational perspective on faith, family, doubt, perseverance, and grace. Their conversations are intentionally relatable and welcoming, with a special heart for those who may feel disconnected, overlooked, or unsure if they truly belong within the Church.

At its core, The Open Doors Podcast exists to support evangelization by welcoming all—especially those searching for meaning, healing, and belonging. Select episodes are also available in Spanish, helping to reach listeners who feel more comfortable engaging in their native language. Wherever someone finds themselves on their faith journey, the podcast seeks to remind them that God meets them exactly where they are—and that the door is always open.

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@theopendoors.podcast?si=oqPxmoYtER9wyoIT

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ry05GnYAhYbIJ9eweZ60D?si=_lDnii6KQ9KLXsZHoP5ffw

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-open-doors/id1777095076

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: Unity Within Diversity – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Apologetics, Church, Community, Family, Holy Orders, How to be Catholic, Liturgy, Prayer, Priesthood, Relationships, Rites of the Church, Sacraments, Scripture, Spirituality, Unity

One of the greatest things about the Catholic Church is its unity within a great deal of diversity. We can see this on a small scale by visiting different churches within our living areas and even by listening to different priests or deacons preach within our home parish. You can really see this when you understand that the Catholic Church consists of 24 different, or particular Churces using six different rites all under one Pope. All of these Catholic churches have the same core beliefs, they just express them in different ways. One of the churches is the Roman Catholic Church which follows the Latin rite, and is the church most readily recognized as Catholic. This is the largest of all 24. The other 23 churches follow the Eastern Rites and may look quite different in their appearances and liturgy, but follow the same core beliefs. ALL OF THESE CHURCHES ARE CATHOLIC and have the same head, the Pope.

Each church and rite developed within its own area and own history, but it is important to see that we are one. Someday we hope that the Orthodox churches and the Catholic churches will be again united after a 1,000 year separation. Many Popes and Patriarchs have worked on this, and I am hoping to see it happen within my lifetime. Nonetheless, we should celebrate the unity that we have within our Catholic diversity. One can even hope for the return of the Protestant churches. All of the Churches, and Rites (as listed below) are in full communion with each other and recognize the Pope as their head.

Jesus said in John 17: 21-23

May they all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I in you, may they also be one in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, so that they may be one as we are one. I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, and thus the world may know that you have sent me and that you have loved them even as you have loved me.

Latin Rite
Roman Catholic Church

Alexandrian Rite
Coptic Catholic Church
Eritrean Catholic Church
Ethiopian Catholic Church

West Syrian (or Antiochene) Rite
Maronite Catholic Church
Syriac Catholic Church
Syro-Malankara Catholic Church

Armenian Rite
Armenian Catholic Church

East Syrian (or Chaldean) Rite
Chaldean Catholic Church
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church

Constantinopolitan (or Byzantine) Rite
Albanian Catholic Church
Belarusian Catholic Church
Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church
Byzantine Church of Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro
Greek Byzantine Catholic Church
Hungarian Greek Catholic Church
Italo-Albanian Catholic Church
Macedonian Catholic Church
Melkite Greek Catholic Church
Romanian Catholic Church
Russian Catholic Church
Ruthenian Catholic Church (Byzantine Catholic Church in America)
Slovak Catholic Church
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church