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Hi everyone,

I'm new here...I hope I'm doing this right.

I'm currently in RCIA at a Roman rite parish, but I visited a Byzantine Catholic parish for the first time last Sunday. I really loved it. Now I'm confused--I want to go back to the Byzantine parish and I'm not sure if I should go ahead with RCIA at the Roman rite parish.

Any advice?

God Bless,
Jenny

Hmmmmmm this is not an easy one.

I have been Roman since my birth, and have only recently changed rites to the Byzantine rite. I would make the folowing suggestion to you. Complete the RICA, you will have to do it anyway, and then start attending the Byzantine church. Stay with it awhile, and see if you like it, and then change rites.

The other option would be to speak with the priest in the Byzantine parish and see what e thinks. And remember, PRAY ALWAYS!!!!!

Br. Peter

Slava Isusu Christu!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with you attending the Byzantine Catholic Church. One complication that might happen is if you have already been received as a catechumen in the Latin Church and you want to join the Byzantine parish. Make sure that you communicate with your priest at the Latin Church about your feelings. You can join any Rite in the Catholic Church, but if you have been received as a Catechumen in the Roman Rite and want to join the Eastern Rite it is imperative that you talk to your priest.

Now if you have not been received as a Catechumen in the Roman Rite you may freely just stop going to RCIA and attend the Eastern parish with the intention of recieving the sacramental Mysteries there. The only canonical issue that we have to be weary about is that of sheep stealing. Some priests get really ticked off when their Catechumens stop attending their parish for one of another Rite without communicating. I was in the RCIA of St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Palmer, Alaska when I discovered the Byzantine Catholic Church; I had already had the rite of reception and just stopped attending RCIA and was Baptized and Chrismated into the Ruthenian Rite; when Father Dave at St. Mike's found out I had become Byzantine he flipped out and was very pissed to say the least. He wanted me to be a diocesan priest. But I had to follow my heart. And God lead me where I needed to be.

So don't do what I did; always communicate with your priest about your decisions in this regard.

Sincerely,


Robert, Chief Sinner

[ 11-25-2001: Message edited by: Robert Horwath ]

I agree with Robert here in that if you are not formally in the Roman Church as a catechumen you are a "free agent' and can stop or start instruction at any Catholic Church you want. It seems if you have been received formally as a catechumen your option would be to finish, be received Roman and then look into changing Churches, but that, I think, might cause more hurt feelings than changing early on in the process.

If the Roman priest is (to euphemize a bit what Robert described ) upset about your changing, then, to put it bluntly, that's his problem. Nobody solicited you and it's not like you've decided to abandon Catholicism.

Keep going to the Byzantine church and tell the local Roman priest who's been instructing you what you are thinking of doing. Whether he gets angry or hurt, or not, your conscience will be clean. Pray. Discern. Then, if/when you are ready to commit, start taking instructions from the Byzantine priest. God bless you on your journey.

Please visit my site:
http://oldworldrus.com

Attendance at one Byzantine liturgy does not a (theological) lifestyle make.

Keep going with your RCIA education; you'll learn a lot. And read what you can to support yourself spiritually.

As far as talking with the Roman Catholic priest, I'd keep quiet on the whole topic. No sense opening a can of worms when you're not really sure about where the Lord will lead you. First, come into the Church. Once you are part of the community and comfortable, then do some exploring if it seems spiritually beneficial.

My prayers are with you!!

Blessings!

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughtful replies and prayers. I will think more about what each of you said, pray, and then decide where to go from there. I really appreciate everyone's input!

God Bless!

Jenny

Slava Isusu Christu!

May you have the Lord's blessing on your journey!

In the Mother of God,


Robert Horwath

>>>First, come into the Church. Once you are part of the community and comfortable, then do some exploring if it seems spiritually beneficial.

As someone who actually converted from another church, I totally disagree with the above. One should explore his options first and then make the decision because if for instance you end up feeling a part of the Byzantine community, it would be better to be brought in to that community instead of forming a bond with one community and then switching.

In Christ,

anastasios

Dear Jennie,

First of all I wish to welcome you to the forum and encourage you in your journey of faith.

One point I would like to bring up, as a former convert myself, is that you should think very serious as to which particular Church ('rite) of the Catholic Church, you want to be received in!
It is not that easy to make an official change after your reception.

Talk to the Byzantine priest and see what he advises.

Peace and Blessings.

Fr. Stephanos
Unworthy Monk and Archsinner

Hi again everyone,

Thank you, Fr. Stephanos, for your kind welcome.

I did speak with the priest at the Byzantine parish. He recommended that I continue going to RCIA at the Roman rite parish. He said that there are quite a few Roman Catholics at his parish who have never officially changed rites, but come there every week because they've found a spiritual home there. Since I have already started RCIA, I'm going to continue. However, I plan on going to the Byzantine parish on Sundays. The priest made clear to me that I am very welcome there. He said that if I decided later on that I felt called to officially change rites, I could do that (although he said it is quite a complicated and cumbersome process).

Thanks again, everyone, for all your imput. I really appreciate it.

God Bless!

Jenny

I converted from being a United Methodist minister for 27 years to being Chrismated in the Byzantine Catholic Church. There was a little paper work but no big problem.

Follow your priest, but I'm surprised that he said that it would be difficult to convert directly.

Dan Lauffer

Hi Dan,

The priest didn't say it was a problem to convert from being Presbyterian directly to the Byzantine rite, he said it is a bit cumbersome to switch from the Roman rite to the Byzantine rite.

BTW, can I ask you (or anyone here) what "Slava Isusu Christu" means???

God Bless!

Jenny

It means "Glory to Jesus Christ" in old Slavonic.

Jenny,

You're missing the point. If you are going to go every Sunday to a Byzantine parish, you should drop the RCIA. You are joinging a particular community. If you are taking lessons with Latins but worshiping with Byzantines, then you are cutting belief from practice. I'm not saying we believe differently; but we Byzantines and Latins share our faith differently and that is shown in our liturgies. It will be spiritually confusing for you, as you begin to develope, because you will be receiving information from one point of view, but worshiping in another community. RCIA was restored in the Latin church to reemphasize the community aspect of joining the church. If you then go and join another community, or try to do both at once, that could cause confusion.

anastasios

Jenny,

I agree with anastasios.

I did just what you are doing.

My story is a bit different. I was baptized as an infant in the Latin Church, only because there was no Byzantine Church in the area.

I was raised with no faith.

So when the time came, as an adult, when I wanted to enter the Catholic Church, my baptismal certificate said I was baptized in the Latin Church, I spoke with some people at the local parish, they told me that I was Latin because that is where I was baptized.

I attended RCIA while still trying to learn about the Byzantine Church.

I would advise you to talk to the priest at the parish where you attend the Divine Liturgy, what does he say you should be doing?

Your brother in Christ,
David