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Theopan...
do tell us how you've been? Getting involved and talking to the priest is the way to go.. like a post said, you can read all the books... but eventually you have to just go and do it.

Dear friends,

Thanks for your followup inquiries. Since I last posted, I have been going to the local Ukrainian Catholic church. It's a little closer than the Byzantine church, for one, and I thought I'd see how it worked out.

I also recently had the opportunity to visit Eastern Europe, where I spent some time connecting with both my Roman Cathlolic roots as well as my newly-found Eastern Catholic interests. That trip was, in many ways, a spiritual awakening.

So far, I've enjoyed the Divine Liturgy a great deal. Maybe it's age or experience speaking, but I seem to connect to the Divine Liturgy much better than I did the Novos Ordo Roman Rite Mass of my childhood. I have particularly enjoyed being able to sing all of my responses during the Liturgy. My favorite part of Mass as a child was the hymns, so it's nice to be able to make the entire service a hymn instead of just a couple of songs. At my first service, I kept thinking - this is how I always wanted church to be when I was a kid.

What I continue to struggle with is sin. Although I have worked mightily to purge myself of the sin which clouded me in my years away from the church, I continually slip and backslide. I have prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to the patron saints of my particular failings for their intercession. To some extent I have succeeded, but I continue to have problems. I am hopeful that with time and prayer, I will prevail.

Pray for me, a sinner before the eyes of God.

Congratulations and Welcome! I am also an RC who loves the Byzantine Rite. I plan to change rites as soon as they will let me. I would echo that you should speak with the priest. I wouldn't worry about sitting/standing very much. Just follow the crowd. At our church, everyone sits at the same time, but people vary about whether they kneel or stand. I couldn't figure it out and so now I do what the "hardcore" Ruthenians do: I stand. I don't kneel at all. It seems right for me.

One other suggestion: The Byzantine Seminary Press has a book called "The Byzantine Book of Prayer". It is a small missal that contains the Liturgies of St John Chrysostum and Saint Basil as well as a number of other Byzantine prayers. I'd highly recommend it. It is available at:
http://www.byzantines.net/byzantinepress/books.htm
May God bless you.
Many Years!
Richard

I've found that half the congregation follows what's in the Divine Liturgy book and the other half just stands. My personal taste is to stand - and not have pews, like the Orthodox. While I can't control the pews, I can control standing.