What ? The News Reports Leave Out On Paul M. Weyrich - He Was Ordained Catholic Clergy

Get Religion discusses the fact that in the article and obits on Conservative leader Paul Weyrich they either leave out he was ordained Catholic coverage. See Memory eternal: Deacon Paul Weyrich

Tip of the Hat to the Deacon's Bench where there is a also a interesting comment by another Greek Deacon . See Paul Weyrich: the deacon who launched a movement

That comments brings up other issues that are interesting including:
"The phrase "Eastern Rite" is a phrase that, like the phrase "uniate" are phrases that are incorrect, no longer used, and which most Eastern Catholics find a bit offensive since it derogates whole legitimte Catholic Churches to mere appendages of the Roman Church with "quaint" ritual differences."

I must say I never want to cause offense. As a Catholic I know that the use of the phrase uniate is offensive. Is Eastern rite offensive because we are lumping a ton of Churches under one term or for other reasons. This is a still a matter of confusion for me. Do I need to to mention each individual Church my name or is Eastern Churches a better term? For the record I never hear Catholics use the term Uniate and only here that from the Orthodox that know that term is offensive and drives eastern Catholics (and this Latin Rite Catholic) up the wall. By the way should I even be using term Latin rite to refer to myself or is that offensive? I am not trying to be glib here but really want to know.

The matter is even more confusing because it seems the Roman Catholic Curch uses the both term rites and Churches. See DECREE ON THE CATHOLIC CHURCHES OF THE EASTERN RITEORIENTALIUM ECCLESIARUM in the Vatican II documents. But see the main Vatican site and the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.

On a related Louisiana note for my local readers see the Louisiana Maronite Web Site

The comments on both sites also clarify that in the "Eastern Churches" there is no such thing as a permanent deacon which appears to be a imported Latin Term that is being used in the obits.

Questions are also raised that in the Latin Rite we should perhaps jettison that term also. For instance as is pointed out we don't use the term "permanent priest."

Something I did not know is that Eastern Catholics (and Orthodox as well) call their deacons Father Deacon [name] or even simply Father [name].

The Reasons why this very very very important part of his life are not mentioned could be many depending on the news service or point of view you are reading

No doubt some do not want to point out that fact because it complicates the simplistic version of the man they want to portray

Others despite the revival of Deacons in the Latin Rite they might be confused of the matter and see it more akin to a Deacon at a more evangelical Church or as someone that is a elder or on the Vestry.