Hi,

I'm looking for a Byzantine Catholic parish within the borders of the Basilicata region. I only see parishes outside the religion in either Calabria or Sicily.

Can someone show me a parish within the borders of Basilicata? Thanks!

I am not in a position to be of much help, but did you mean Italo-Byzantine parishes or any Byzantine parishes? I'm sure at least the Ukrainians and Romanians have a presence, probably the Melkites as well.
Concerning the Italo-Byzantines, I would guess many Italians are unaware of their existence. I worked with a lady from near Rome and she had never heard of them. Of course, this was over 20 years ago. Our computers and smart phones since then have made the world a much smaller place.

I think it is safe to say there are no Byzantine parishes in the province. It’s not a region of settlement by Albanians. The Greek church died out there many centuries ago.

It’s the Albanian arrival as the boat people if their day fleeing the Turkish invasion of their homeland that stopped the Byzantine Church from dying out completely.

You are going to have to do some travelling outside the province to find a Byzantine Catholic Church.

Rickey,

To my knowledge there are only two active communities at the extreme southern tip: San Paolo Albanese and San Constantino Albanese, both part of the Eparchy of Lungro.

Previously, the community of Rionero in Vulture was an Arberesh (Italo-Albanian) city, however, the language and Greek Rite are no longer practiced there. If you go, I recommend Casa Brenna where we stayed in 2015. Many of the residents will admit to Arberesh ancestry, including the owner of this small B&B. If you want to hear the language spoken, nearby Barile, Maschito, and Ginestra have maintained it fairly well. We visited all three and spoke with the residents in Albanian. The language in Ripacandida also has significant Arberesh influence along with Greek. Brindisi di Montagna was another Arberesh settlement, near Potenza, which lost its language and Greek Rite services.

The Archbishop of Melfi is the one who ordered suppression of the Greek Rite in these towns and others under his jurisdiction in 1627. This well-known. For example, just across the regional border, in Taranto Province of the Region of Puglia, they've invited the clergy from the Eparchy of Lungro to celebrate the Greek Rite in their main church on their annual patronal feast day.

I lived over there for two years and worshipped and chanted in their churches. Would be happy to share more about the Greek Rite communities and their history in Italia. My paper is also posted on the Saint John Chrysostom Society's website hosted by byzcath.org