Below are some helpful podcast, website, and literary resources for parents, children, and parish volunteers seeking to deepen their education and understanding of the Byzantine tradition:
Byzantine Podcasts
- Becoming Byzantine (Podcast & YouTube)
- What God is Not (Podcast & YouTube)
- Searchers of the Lost (Podcast only)
- Light of the East (Podcast only)
- Byzantine Gospel Reflections (Podcast only)
- Bible in a Year (Podcast – Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Byzantine Websites
The Metropolitan Cantor Institute (MCI) is a great resources for Ruthenian (Byzantine) Catholic’s desiring to learn more about their faith. The MCI also has free and low cost courses in Liturgy and church singing for those that would like to begin helping the Cantors during liturgical services.
LINK: Metropolitan Cantor Institute
Created by Byzantine families that felt that the Eastern Churches in the English-speaking diaspora did not have readily accessible resources and traditional teachings needed to form the next generation, Byzi-Mom offers liturgical calendar activities for kids, Icon coloring pages, a subscription-based magazine with projects that fit the yearly cycle, and various family support resources.
LINK: Byzi-Mom & Byzi-Kids
The mission of God With Us is “to educate, equip, and inspire missionary disciples in the Eastern Catholic Churches.” They offer ongoing educational and catechetical programs online, a radio program, and a video series designed for Eastern Catholic formation.
LINK: https://godwithusonline.org
The Ss. Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Catholic Seminary offers a fully accredited and fully online Master of Arts in Theology for those interested in formally deepening their theological knowledge of the Eastern Catholic Church.
LINK: https://bcs.edu/school-of-theology
Book Club! (outreach leadership recommendations)
Starter Books
- The Byzantine Rite ~ Robert Taft
- 101 Questions & Answers on Eastern Catholic Churches ~ Edward Faulk
- Light for Life series ~ (Mystery Believed, Mystery Celebrated, & Mystery Lived)
- Time for the Lord to Act ~ Fr. David Petras
- Bible Basics for Catholics ~ Dr. John Bergsma
- Introduction to Christianity ~ Pope Benedict XVI
- Mere Christianity ~ C.S. Lewis
- The Religious Sense ~ Luigi Giussani
Scripture & Tradition
- Bibles:
- Old Testament Only:
- The Septuagint LXX ~ Lexham English Edition
- Old & New Testament:
- Ignatius Press Study Bibles (NRSVCE)
- Orthodox Study Bible (OSB)
- 1611 King James with “Apocrypha” (i.e.: Deuterocanonical Books)
- Old Testament Only:
- On Christian Doctrine ~ St. Augustine of Hippo
- The Eyes of the Gospel ~ Joseph Raya
Liturgy & Sacraments
- The Divine Liturgy: A Commentary in Light of the Fathers ~ Gregorios
- A Commentary on the Divine Liturgy ~ Nicholas Cabasilas
- The Eucharist ~ Fr. Alexander Schmemann
- Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist ~ Dr. Brant Pitre
- Remembering and Reclaiming Diakonia ~ Fr. Dcn. John Chryssavgis
- Married Priests in the Catholic Church ~ Adam DeVille
Byzantine Spirituality
- The Way of a Pilgrim ~ Anonymous
- On the Acquisition of the Holy Spirit ~ St. Seraphim of Sorov
- Spiritual Psalter ~ St. Ephraim the Syrian
- He Leadeth Me – Walter Ciszek
- The Face of God ~ Joseph Raya
- Sacred Reading: The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina ~ Michael Casey
- Ladder of Divine Ascent – St. John Climicus
History
- Looking to Tomorrow: The History and Mission of the Byzantine Catholic Church (Vol. 1 & 2)~ Fr. Christopher Lawrence Zugger
Theology & Dogmatics
- The Lord ~ Romano Guardini
- The Immaculate Conception ~ Fr. Christiaan Kappas
- The Russian Church and the Papacy ~ Vladimir Soloviev
- The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church ~ Vladimir Lossky
- Theology and Sanity ~ Frank Sheed
Morality & Ethics
- Love and Responsibility ~ Pope St. John Paul II
- First Comes Love ~ Dr. Scott Hahn
- Three to Get Married ~ Fulton Sheen