Catholic Rites

When the Apostles carried out Christ's Great Commandment, they spread the Word of God across the globe. St. Thomas went to India, St. Andrew went to Scythia, and St. Peter went to Rome, just to name a few. Each of the Churches that the Apostles set up was a legitimate follower of Christ's teachings, but each also incorporated the customs of the culture it served. Thus the many different Catholic rites were born. According to the Catechism, there are seven major Catholic rites: Latin, Byzantine, Alexandrian (or Coptic), Syriac, Armenian, Maronite, and Chaldean. Many people, even Catholics, assume that the Latin Church, or the Roman Catholic rite, is the only Catholic Church, and don't know about the other rites. I'm a member of  a Maronite church, and when I tell people, many of them just assume it's another Protestant or Orthodox denomination. However, the united Catholic Church recognizes the validity of Eastern rites as well as the Latin one. The Maronite Catholic liturgy incorporates all the features of the Latin rite, but some prayers and readings are read in Arabic and some are read in English. Even though the Roman Catholic Church may be the largest Catholic rite in terms of people, the Church recognizes the equal validity of all rites.