www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall New Catholic to the Forum

I am new to this forum. Could you help me? I am in need of prayer. Since the late 1990s, I have promoted the Latin Mass. I love the traditional Western liturgy but through conversations with my father, who died an Eastern Orthodox, and my reading of Russian Orthodox authors like Dostoevsky and St. Seraphim of Sarov, my love for the Eastern Church has dramatically increased. As I have grown in this love for the East, I have discovered that certain liturgical practices, like administering Holy Communion to infants and administering Holy Communion under both kinds, WERE in fact originally practiced in the West.

This growing awareness of the Eastern Church has increased my desire to attend Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic liturgies. Here is my dilemma. I was a founding member of a local Latin Mass community. Because of this, I feel guilty attending elsewhere during the summer months when low Masses are the norm. Is alternating between the Latin Mass and the Byzantine liturgy schizophrenic or even wrong?

I would like to participate in Byzantine liturgies and am thinking about attending some Ukrainian Catholic parishes this summer. Any prayers and/or advice that anybody could offer would be appreciated.

In Christ,
Erick

P.S. I have listened to the following recording over and over again! Gorgeous!

Hi Erick,
Welcome to the Forum. This is a place for Orienta-phile's whether Latin Catholic, Eastern Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Assyrian, Oriental Orthodox, Oriental Catholic, or protestant.

To your question - there is nothing wrong with attending Eastern liturgies ever, whether you may receive the Sacraments (Mysteries, in Eastern lingo) depends. If you attend any Catholic Church, you are free to receive, if you are in good standing with your Church. If you are attending an Eastern Orthodox Church, generally, you should not receive - you may come early to speak to the priest if you wish, but more than likely, you will not be allowed to receive. If you are attending an Oriental Orthodox Church, it varies. It is best to come early, or even call to meet with the priest before the Liturgy and learn about the discipline of that particular Church. If you are attending an Assyrian Church of the East, it is generally allowed if you are baptized in the Trinitarian manner.

As to the schizophrenic or wrong - well, it's quite the opposite. Popes have actually encouraged Latin Catholics to attend Eastern Churches and learn more about their communal brothers and sisters of a different Patristic Tradition.

Thank you, Michael! Do you know anything about St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church in Baltimore, Maryland? I could not locate any information about confessions. Thanks again!
Erick
http://www.baltoukrainiancathparishes.org/index1_Events.html
http://stmichaelukrainiancatholicbaltimore.weebly.com/

You're welcome. I'm Malankara Syriac Catholic - except for occasional attendance at Ukrainian, Ruthenian, Melkite, Chaldean, Syriac, Maronite and Latin Churches in my local area or travels - I'm not as familiar on the specifics of Byzantine-Ukrainian Tradition. I've never been to that particular parish, however, I know there are some very good Eastern Churches in that DC/Baltimore/Arlington area - you are blessed with amazing opportunities to participate.

For that particular parish's Confession schedule, it'd probably be best to call the priest and ask. It may vary.

Michael,
Thank you for the information. Forgive me but I was ignorant of your church so I googled it. How interesting that the Malankara Syriac Church traces its origins to St. Thomas the Apostle!
Erick

Schizophrenia can be a good thing. I am Byzantine, yet attend several Latin Rite masses every Sunday as organist and music director for the parish. Nothing at all wrong with having a foot in both worlds.