Most Roman Catholics generally assume that the way that Mass is celebrated in their churches is how it is celebrated everywhere. While this is generally the case, it wasn’t always. Leaving aside the Eastern Christian Liturgies, even within the Latin Church there once was a great amount of liturgical diversity in location, as well as particular religious orders.
Many different cities or regions in Europe, as well as different religious orders, all had unique orders of Mass and many different para-liturgical ceremonies and rites. They all have a similar origin, but over time, these rites became distinct signifying their historical liturgical expression
Just as the Roman Rite (what Catholics are most familiar with) was the rite that developed over time in the city of Rome, the same applies to the Ambrosian Rite (from Milan), the Lyonese Rite (from Lyon), the Rite of Braga (from Portugal), the Mozarabic/Visigothic Rite (from Spain), and the rites from Salisbury, York, and Durham making up the English collection of Rites. The following religious orders also have their own rites as well: the Benedictines, Carmelites, Carthusians, Cistercians, Dominicans, and Norbertines.
All of these Rites have many differences that most Catholics aren’t familiar with. They have their own ordinaries of Mass, they have their own vestments, their own separate rituals and rubrics, their own saints, and liturgical calendars. Better understanding these rites of the Western Church can lend to a fuller understanding of liturgical history and development, and will hopefully give Catholics a better awareness of their own traditions.
I have previously written an article on many of the differences between the Roman and Dominican Rites which one can still find on the Torch’s website. However, because of the immense differences, I will only discuss a few interesting liturgical notes here.
When it comes to the Order of Mass, all of the other Western Rites are almost entirely different. For example, in the Ambrosian Rite, the Gloria is said before the Kyrie Eleison. In the Mozarabic Rite, the first time the words Hosanna in Excelsis appear in the Sanctus prayer, they are changed to Hosanna Filio David. The Mozarabic Rite also has an intriguing addition where after each line of the Pater Noster said alone by the Celebrant, the congregation responds “Amen.”
All of these Western Rites also contain entirely different Offertory prayers and prayers said privately by the Priest. They also differ in having more proper antiphons and readings than the Roman Rite does.
Another interesting note is that the final blessing takes different forms. The most intriguing is the Ambrosian Rite’s, which is “Benedicat vos divina majestas, Pater, et Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus” or “May the Divine Majesty Bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.”
For vestments, there are many distinguishing features. Firstly, in the Ambrosian Rite, the Deacon at a Solemn Mass wears his Stole on the outside of his Dalmatic, almost similar to how a Byzantine Deacon would wear it. The Ambrosian Rite and Lyonese Rite also feature a collar fit to the color of the Mass worn around the neck of the Sacred Ministers. In the Lyonese Rite as well, oftentimes acolytes will be seen wearing orphrey around their shoulders as well as cuffs of the liturgical color over their white alb.
While Roman Catholics are likely familiar with the violet vestments worn throughout Lent, in the Ambrosian Rite this is not the case. On Sundays, the color of the Mass is usually closer to maroon or magenta, and the color for Lenten Ferias is black. What is even more unusual is that the Lyonese color for the ferias of Lent is gray. In the Ambrosian Rite, Advent starts two weeks earlier making the entire season six weeks instead of four, and in the Sarum Use the color for Advent is historically blue not violet.
In the Solemn Lyonese Mass, no Chalice veil is used; instead, an ornamental canopy is placed over the Chalice. Once the liturgy has begun, the corporal is stretched out and draped over the Chalice instead. In the Use of Sarum, the Chalice and Paten are moved throughout the Mass to and from different credence tables inside and outside of the Sanctuary before making it to the Altar.
One very unusual and interesting artifact of the Lyonese Rite is that when the Bishop of Lyon celebrates Mass from the throne, he is not assisted by one priest, deacon, and subdeacon, but with six other priests (also in Chasubles), seven deacons, seven subdeacons, and seven acolytes.
Looking past all of these differences, all of these rites have certain things in common. They all use the Roman Canon (what is now known as Eucharistic Prayer I), as coming from the same liturgical origin, the antiquity of the Canon is present through its continued use in all.
Dissimilar from the Roman Rite, almost all of the other rites (especially those of religious orders) do not use the biretta but instead have monastic hoods which they wear while not at the Altar. Finally, all of these other rites possess one very unfamiliar element from that of Rome: immediately following the consecration of the Chalice, the Priest extends his hands in a cruciform position, symbolizing Christ crucified, as he says the prayer “Unde et Memores.” (This can be seen in the photo accompanying this article.)
All of these differences bring me to my last point: these rites and uses are now quite rare. Most orders and cities opt simply to use the current Roman Missal. However, we should always remember that we don’t need to expect uniformity where the church allows diversity. These rites have nourished Christian Europe for centuries and their differences not only are interesting to learn about and experience, but they can help us to appreciate our customs by showing us that they aren’t just the way things are done, but rather stem from a tradition of their own.
Born and Raised to Jewish parents in New York City, Kai Breskin is a recent convert to the Catholic Faith. A member of the Boston College class of 2026, he is studying Political Science, Philosophy, and History. His intellectual passions include Christian theology, history, and liturgical study. His hobbies include sailing, playing the piano, and singing, with a specific focus in Gregorian Chant.
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