Byzantine Rite Community Experiences Growth in Middle Tennessee

Father Calin Tamiian, director for spiritual care and clinical pastoral education at Ascension Saint Thomas, is leading the newly established Blessed Martyr Bishops Byzantine Catholic Church in Nashville. The church, part of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church, aims to celebrate the Byzantine rite while fostering unity among Eastern and Western Catholics.

The Byzantine rite, with roots dating back to 330 A.D., is recognized by and in full communion with the pope and the Holy See. The new mission is hosted by the Catholic Church of the Korean Martyrs and supported by Deacon Justin Oelgoetz of the St. Nicholas Ukrainian Greek Catholic Mission.

Father Tamiian emphasized the goal of raising awareness about the richness of the Catholic faith. “There is diversity and a unity of faith,” he said, “and in that, we hope to allow people to experience what it means to be so different and still be exactly the same Church.”

The growth of the Byzantine community in Middle Tennessee has coincided with the region’s population increase, particularly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many newcomers have found a home in the Byzantine tradition, some having encountered it through education or cultural exposure. Attendees come from as far north as Bowling Green, Kentucky, and as far south as Thompson’s Station, with weekly attendance averaging about 30 people.

Prior to the establishment of the Blessed Martyr Bishops Byzantine Catholic Church, several attempts to create a long-term Byzantine presence in Nashville by Melkite Greek Catholics and Ruthenian Byzantine Catholics had failed. Father Tamiian remains optimistic about the community’s potential but acknowledges the early stage of development.

“We’re still in the phase of being able to meet people and seeing what the support is,” he said. He also invited Latin rite Catholics to experience the Divine Liturgy, which shares similarities with the Eastern Orthodox liturgical rite, to better understand the faith’s development within various cultures.

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