St. Ephrem Syriac Catholic Church, c/o Diocese of St. Augustine

I have been attending the Eastern Catholic Church in America for several years now, and it has been an incredibly enriching and rewarding experience. The liturgy and traditions of the Eastern Church are deeply rooted in history and tradition, and I have found them to be incredibly meaningful and inspiring. One of the things I appreciate most about the Eastern Catholic Church is its emphasis on contemplative prayer and spiritual growth. Through the use of icons, incense, and other rituals, I am able to connect with my faith on a deeper level and feel a sense of peace and calm that I have not found in other forms of worship. In addition to the spiritual benefits, I have also found a strong sense of community within the Eastern Catholic Church. The people are warm, welcoming, and supportive, and I feel a deep sense of belonging when I attend mass. Overall, I would highly recommend the Eastern Catholic Church in America to anyone looking for a rich, meaningful spiritual experience. It has been a true blessing in my life and has helped me to grow and flourish in countless ways.

Nice place for kids to come and trunk a treat!

Okay so there's a reason I gave it three stars. Honestly, it's because I think it's incredibly latinized. I'm not talking about the way the church looks, there's some cross culture there with a lot of Eastern Christians, so that doesn't bother me that much. But the Mass was celebrated pro populum instead of ad orientum, which is the norm, well, actually in every apostolic Church. I understand using unleavened bread for Holy communion, I would actually argue that the leavened bread is the innovation, but I don't think that invalidates it. That being said, since I know the Syriac rite uses intinction, and when it doesn't, you receive both species one from the hands of the priest one from the hands of a deacon. I don't like receiving in the hand in an Eastern church. I think that that kind of makes it too Latin. But I'm not going to be negative, the music was very good, the book was about useless to follow along with like it is in the Byzantine liturgy, but it was a good thing to help us. And, everyone there was as nice as can be that spoke to us. The priest even told us to come back, I believe he was a priest but I think he was acting as a deacon during the liturgy, you can do that sometimes. Other than a few gripes about latinization, I actually did enjoy it, and was glad I came. And I would be remiss if I did not point out that Syriac Catholics have suffered great persecution in the last few years, so pray for them.