www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology How to become a Byzantine priest

Let's not make this young man feel as though there is no hope at all, now.

It is perfectly possible for one to become fully rooted in an eastern Church, just as it is possible for eastern Catholics and Orthodox to become fully up-rooted given the time and the inclination.

Uprootings aside, the beginnings of any rooting must go back years in one's spiritual attractions and become overtly manifest over a long period of time.

The more one can immerse one's self in the life of a particular ecclisia, then the faster one might progress if one is open willing AND if God wills it in the first place. This latter is key. One must seek internally with the aid of the Indwelling Trinity, yet one must not hide one's light, if you see what I mean. It is good to contemplate these things in prayer filled silence, and then from time to time, as you are doing now, begin to ask questions and express yourself.

To say that to have a foot in both east and west is a bad thing has its merits as a cautionary but it certainly is not axiomatic.

That kind of rigidity negates the experiences of some absolutely astonishing saints and disciples who did manage to live and breath the fullness of the Church.

Cautions are necessary for us all as we move from here to there in this life.

I think the best advice you've gotten here is to find yourself an eastern Catholic parish and begin there, whatever it takes. That seems, for you, to be the first test.

Go with God.

Eli

Hi,

It doesn't look too bad. The requirements are roughly the same than what you'd find in a Latin Diaconate Formation Program.

The curriculum seems a little "light", as I understand it. If it is two "academics" weeks each year, plus Saturday workshops.

In the Latin Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the program includes "academics" every other Saturday, plus a major pastoral project every year, plus a couple of weekend- or week-long retreats every year.

Also, in addition to the 4 years of proper candidate formation, there is a mandatory 1 year aspirancy prior to the candidacy.


I would not advice anyone to do anything to circumvent your Sui Iuris Church's discipline for admittance to Holy Orders, and that includes switching from one Sui Iuris Church to another you perceive as more "accomodating".

Why do I say this? Well, because Holy Orders is a sacrament of service, to God first and foremost, but to God through the Church. How can the Church expect to have a "faithful servant" if the person is already bending the rules just to get in?

I know the rules sound too strict, but our faith tells us these rules are part of God's plan for His Church and therefore, if He wants you to be a priest, He will find a way to make it work.

In other words, it is His problem, you just need to follow His lead.

Meanwhile, you already belong to a priestly people, so lift up your prayers; offer your spiritual sacrifices; through teaching, prayer and example, sanctify the world, first and foremost those closer to you; forgive others, especially when you are at the business end of their sinfulness (which is no greater than yours); care for the sick, the poor, the rejected, the defenseless, the innocent, the hopeless.

You can do all these things without any bishop laying hands on you.

So, as John Paul the Great used to say: Arise and go forth!

Shalom,
Memo

Dear Everyman,

You are not trying to run away from something are you? It seems to me that you are have been feeling a call to ministry for a long time.

It seems to me that a call to minister and a call to holy order might be something quite different, and then again it might be a genuine call that had to first see you respond to the call by entering communion with the Catholic Church. We can see that you have already responded to that call.

So you will spend a little more time and try to find a way to see if your call involves a change in your rite. That is certainly possible if you are fully open to the circumstances that will make immersion in an eastern parish possible.

It may mean moving your family, moving your work, letting the dead bury the dead and the like.

Till then I am sure you'll find something of the good to be and do. If you have not already, I would surely cultivate a daily liturgical prayer discipline, in the holy hours, and that you can do in the eastern tradition.

Eli

Dear Father Deacon Edward,

Actually, it is all right to be biritual!

What I meant was the whole idea of having one foot in the Catholic Church and another in the Orthodox Church - THAT cannot be spiritually healthy, unless, of course, one is on the move from one to the other.

I like the Ethiopian and Old Rite traditions myself . . .

Bless you, sir!

p.s. your quip reminded me of the T-shirt that say: "DAM - Mothers Against Dyslexia."

Alex

Oh it certainly can be quite healthy as long as it is not entirely self-directed. As long as it is an organic outgrowth of a guided spiritual path and is then monitored by those well practiced in the spiritual life, such as monastic priests and bishops and with an interaction between parish priests who are there to serve the individual in question. It can be exceptionally healthy for all concerned.

Eli

Dear Everyman,

The desire to minister is NOT necessarily a call to the Eastern Catholic Churches because we have a married priesthood.

Not all EC Churches allow that (the Syriac Catholics don't and the Ruthenian Bishops aren't exactly smiling on the prospect) - and, truth be told, in the UGCC there are Bishops who simply will not accept married clergy and that is that.

So, I would say that joining an EC parish is NOT the best first step to go about this.

The EC Churches are "Churches" rather than "Catholic rites."

To be a fully integral member of one, if one is coming to it from the outside, is VERY much like joining another denomination.

The incense, icons etc. are great, but there is the theology and canons that underline it all too.

And theologically, the EC and Eastern Orthodox Churches are different from the RC and Protestants in EVERY respect - I kid you not!

Have a look at how the EC Churches understand Christ's Atoning Sacrifice and Theosis. See how it contrasts with your own faith as a former Protestant and now a Latin Catholic.

There are Latin Catholics who join the Eastern Churches who, when they learn about these things, think we are HERETICS!

Some traditional Latins who attend our parishes even undertake a personal mission to "convert" us from our heretical obstinacy with respect to kneeling, certain words in the Liturgy they find offensive from a theological point of view. And don't get them started on the Filioque!

We are truly distinct Catholic cultures - taste some of the food before you put on the shirt! In many EC Churches, language and culture can mean the difference between whether you are a full member or a marginalized one. Something to consider also.

I've worked with too many who became disillusioned when they jumped in with both feet without trying the water.

And to those who think they can be BOTH Roman Catholic and Orthodox at once, I would like to say - you are on your way to one or the other and the longer you stay on the fence due to indecision, the more painful the final move will be. And it WILL be painful.

What about being a minister as a Deacon? Or ministering in the various roles that the RC Church now has for laity?

Do you need to be a priest, in absolute terms, in order to be of great use to God and His Church?

There is a debate within Latin Catholicism about whether a vocation to the priesthood and a vocation to celibacy go hand in hand. In the East, the answer is a resounding, "no."

But moving around churches and jurisdictions etc. - that is also not a good thing.

Why? Simply because there is no such ecclesial home where things are always perfect or as we would like them to be.

It is better for us to stay in the Catholic or Orthodox Church where we are and to work for God's glory from there. The suffering we undergo with the situation that we confront there is also part of God's Will for us - of this we can be sure.

We are not to run from battle, but face it and work with it.

It's like the monastics who couldn't stand some of the monks they had to live with. Yet, their elders cautioned them to endure the shortcomings of others and work with them as part of the plan for their salvation and sanctification.

So stay where you are and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into a myrid of ministries that will employ your gifts to reach out and touch people in their hearts and souls and who would otherwise not be helped without your efforts.

Remember, your gifts are from the Holy Spirit.

There are various gifts that can and must be applied to the Body of Christ that is the Church.

You have the vocation, now you need to find the right channel for your energies.

See your bishop/priest about it!

Don't run away from your Church.

And, in the Eastern Church, remember that priests aren't "above all" as they are in the West. Laity are very much empowered in the Orthodox Church especially.

Our Administrator here is worth at least ten priests that I know (if I may say so!).

Cheers,

Alex

Dear Everyman,

This is more than an exaggeration of the particulars. It is simply a false assertion. Write to me privately and I will direct you to Orthodox sources for teachings on the atonement and purification after death that will sound very much like what you will learn from the Latin rite sources, if they are teaching properly. You will at least find them similar to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

What you are seeing here is but one perspective.

Eli

Dear Everyman,

Rather than getting into a long involved discussion, and since you are not afraid to put time and effort in on study, I'll offer a short list of books that will help you as you begin your journey deeper into discernment. Just author and title and you can go from there. They are all in print. The last two are part of an emerging series of this priest's works in translation so keep an eye out for the next ones if your interest remains high.

Father Thomas Dubay: Faith and Certitude

Hackett Publishing: Augustine: On Free Choice of the Will

Father Alexander Schmemann: For Life of the World

Father Dimitru Staniloae: Orthodox Spirituality

St. Theresa of Avila: Way of Perfection

Father Dimitru Staniloae: The Experience of God, vol.1

Father Dimitru Staniloae: The Experience of God, vol.2: The World. Creation and Deification.

All best, prayers and good will,

Eli

Dear Eli,

When you accused me of a "false assertion," I'm sure you meant it in a very good way!

See ya!

Alex

I am not about to name names, but I am only too conscious of the results of hasty moves. What it boils down to, perhaps, is this:

Is a man genuinely drawn, for positive reasons, to our Church (or any other Church, for that matter) or - is he running away from something, or seeking a pou sto from which he cann attack his previous Church? The latter sort is not likely to himself or us any particular good.

Fr Serge

Years ago when I first began to become aware of the fact that I was drawing ever closer to the eastern traditions in my spiritual and liturgical life, I was so blessed to find that there were strong hands reaching out to guide me to a place filled with the sense of being at home.

It was not until later that I learned how unusual my journey really was.

Eli

Well, I must say, there are many folks here concerned I might be running from something or jumping in too soon. Not to worry, I'm merely speculating about the Byzantine priesthood and couldn't even attend such a parish if I wanted to. The Latin Church will have to deal with me for a while, I suppose.

That being said, it has been recommended that I attend my local Orthodox church to get a taste of Eastern spirituality. It's even been suggested that I perhaps try to drive once a month or so to the closest Eastern Catholic church. I've wanted for some time now to visit the Orthodox church, but driving three hours to the closest EC church isn't something I'll be able to do any time soon.

Eli,

FYI, your note to me about my "false assertion" is more than offensive.

No one denies you your right to be syncretistic with respect to Catholicism and Orthodoxy.

But neither Church would approve of it and neither would pretend their real differences are just that. And Eastern Catholic spirituality reflects similar particularities.

I don't stay where an offensive spirit is in the air and I'll be back on the forum when and if you apologise.

With regrets,

Alex

Dear Friends,

Can we all stay on topic, PLEASE.

Many threads have recently become fertile ground for offenses between posters and in doing so the topic at hand becomes hijacked.

Again: some of us need to be more sensitive to others when we post and others need to be less sensitive to those who may not have it in them to be more sensitive!!

(...and by the way, whoever can do both definitely has the makings of a priest!)

Sincerely,
Alice, Moderator

Personally, I don't think that is a bad door for discernment at all. It sounds quite natural, given your background. God reaches out to us where we are, in order to lead us more to His will.

So, it sounds like you have two distinct issues to discern:

1) Are you being called to the ordained ministry ?

2) Are you being called to Eastern Christianity ?

* * *

I can't offer any advice about the first issue except, ultimately, you have to go where you are called.

About the second issue, I can make some remarks.

Eastern Christianity is like the third branch of Christianity (the other two being the two Western branches: Protestantism and Roman Catholicism). Most of Eastern Christianity (in terms of population) is in the Orthodox Church. However, there are also the Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Eastern Catholics. My advice to you is to learn about Orthodoxy as the bench-mark for Eastern Christianity and to proceed from there.

To learn about Orthodoxy, I would suggest that you read some of the standard works in English (if you haven't already): "The Orthodox Church" and "The Orthodox Way" by Bishop Timothy / Kallistos Ware, plus some other works. I would also advise you to visit your local Orthodox church for Divine Liturgy, fellowship and immersion in the culture and the mindset. I would also suggest including some Eastern Christian prayers into your prayers, especially the Jesus Prayer (which the book "The Way of the Pilgrim" does a good job illustrating).

Only in that way --study, experience, prayer-- will you get a fair idea of just what Eastern Christianity really is. It does allow a married presbyterate, but it is much more than that.

And, although I'm sure you know this, a word to the wise is sufficient: give yourself time to get used to Eastern Christianity. In other words, give yourself time to get over being amazed by the exotic in order to appreciate Eastern Christianity (good and bad) as a way of life. Then, after taking the time to gain intellectual and experiential knowledge, you will be in a better position to discern if Jesus is calling you to Eastern Christianity.

Just my two cents� worth; your mileage may vary.

Be well and God bless.

-- John