www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall I know you are but what am I?

hello everyone, its been a good while...

just wanted to share something...last week i came back from the first communion of a cousin of mine upstate, and her communion was in a Ukranian Catholic Church. It struck me as a bit strange because they are on my fathers side of the family, all of whom are spanish. And now i've been informed that my father's father must have been ukranian and my father would have "inherited" being ukranian catholic, even though he was raised as a roman. (as have i)

i must admit, the mass was wonderful, no english whatsoever, almost all chanting, incense aplenty, and the priest facing the altar, which is encircled and not seen by the people. All of this was so different and wonderful to this little roman, but am i roman? am i supposed to be ukranian? ooh the confusion!

it would be so much easier if there were one universal religion, but how idealistic is that

Kim

Welcome back, Kim,

There is one universal religion , and you just found it! The Ukrainian Catholic Church However, there are ALL KINDS of non-believers, those who just won't agree with me!!! :p

Seriously, by Canon Law, I think you should be a Ukrainian Catholic. My mother was Polish and due to her influence I attended RC churches most of my life, but I was baptized in the Ukrainian Church because of my father, and attended liturgy and classes there.

WELCOME HOME!!!!!!


Have a Blessed Day

John
Pilgrim and Odd Duck

Dear MsGuided:

The Catholic Church (i.e., East and West, or Eastern Catholic or Roman [Latin} Catholic)is the closest you can get to a "universal religion."

We are more than a BILLION strong and growing and we are present and evagelizing in all the continents of the world!

Unless you do not care about "numbers"?

AmdG, A Roman Catholic

Dear Sister "MsGuided": Hey!!!

I guess according to the canons, you'd be considered Ukrainian (Byzantine) Christian. (Christians, unlike the Jews, consider the father's side more important.)

So, I think that's your canonical status. BUT, and it's a biggie, from the Eastern Church viewpoint, you belong where you are most likely to grow in the faith and your spiritual life. Although you have grown in the Western/Roman community, perhaps you are most comfortable there. BUT, and it's a big but, if you are now discovering your eastern heritage, then you should be free to investigate it and make a decision based upon the best value of your spiritual life.

Find a good priest with whom you can talk freely. Pray to the best of your ability, and then do what the Holy Spirit indicates. (I saw a bumper sticker today that says: "Relax! God is in charge!!" The same should be true of your journey.

Blessings!!! (and be assured of my and others' prayers.)

"Relax! God is in charge!!"

AMEN

thank you all, and Dr John, i believe you're right, i have grown used to the roman ways, but even still, i know just about as much about the roman church as i do about the ukranian church, language aside.
Amado, i did not mean to say anything about the catholic church not being present. I know we are growing strong and am very proud and happy of that fact. There are just so many cultures and traditions that are slightly different and languages that i dont understand, it makes my head spin.

im just a kid, in my little kid's head i get this whimsical picture of everyone being able to understand eachother and the whole world just believing the same thing, but i think i skimmed in revelations that that means the end of the world.

i'm just here to keep a wide open mind and learn
thanks again, all of you

Dear MsGuided,

Sorry I'm responding here so late . . .

From the standpoint of the interesting issue of "universal" religion that you raise, I think Pilgrim John's point is quite close to the truth.

The Ukrainian Catholic Church, although Byzantine, has many Latinisms.

Half of us are fighting them, the other half are enjoying them .

As a member of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, you can have the best of both worlds, is what I'm suggesting!

And I think you should lasso our mutual friend into joining you there as well (once in a while won't kill him ).

And do you know what the difference between a Ukrainian Catholic and a Ukrainian Orthodox is?

A Ukrainian Catholic starts to use the Rosary and says, "How grateful I am to my Latin brothers for sharing this devotion with our Church!"

A Ukrainian Orthodox starts to use the Rosary and says, "The Mother of God revealed this to the East about 400 years before the Catholic West took it from us!"



Alex

thanks for clearing up that fog, Alex

so from what I gather, "the Orthodox are right!"
you're right, I know less than nothing about the two of them, even about the Roman church!
I will see what I can learn from you Ukranians, perhaps find an ENGLISH mass!
(glad to see you're back, Alex)
Pray for me, as I pray for you all

Kim

Dear MsGuided,

What is your own take on this in terms of your own feelings toward the Church of your ancestors?

Do you feel that you are Ukrainian Catholic?

Do you want to be Ukrainian Catholics?

Or is it an interesting footnote in your personal history that would really have no further impact on your spiritual life?

How is Mor Ephrem?

Alex

Well Alex,

I can honestly say that I'm a confused one. Our friend Mor Ephrem can attest to that. I can't say that I "feel" Ukranian, because in that church, I was an outsider, especially because not a word that was spoken I understood, except for "Christos Vokrese"

I have been baptised and confirmed and brought up by my godparents as a Roman Catholic. The traditions, the culture, Our Lady of Mount Carmel churches packed with Italians, it's all that I know.

I must admit that this "other side" of me is interesting and I wouldnt mind visiting a Ukranian church again. I don't know hoever if I can fully fall into it. I can't say much now, though, theres still so much to learn about both sides, I'm actually looking forward to it

About our good friend Phil, he's doing quite well, if I am at any liberty to pass on news, his younger brother just graduated high school the other day, and I hope we can all pray that his future beyond high school goes well.