Byzantine Catholic Church in Houston, TX? Visiting and Communion

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A friend wants us to visit a Byzantine Catholic Church in Houston, TX. Is there anyone from around here (or familiar) who can confirm for me that this is the right one?

stjohnchrysostom.com/

Also, is there anything I need to know about Eucharist, or anything I need to tell the Priest? My understanding is that they give First Communion to infants at Baptism, but I still have 2 children who have not made their First Holy Communion. Do they need to just remain seated?

I did email the Priest, but I never heard back from him (several weeks ago).
 
ahs said:
A friend wants us to visit a Byzantine Catholic Church in Houston, TX. Is there anyone from around here (or familiar) who can confirm for me that this is the right one?

stjohnchrysostom.com/

Also, is there anything I need to know about Eucharist, or anything I need to tell the Priest? My understanding is that they give First Communion to infants at Baptism, but I still have 2 children who have not made their First Holy Communion. Do they need to just remain seated?

I did email the Priest, but I never heard back from him (several weeks ago).
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If you’re a Roman Catholic in good standing you can receive communion there. Approach the Chalice with your arms folded across your chest (if possible, depending on if you’re carrying your kids or not) and open your mouth. Don’t stick out your tongue, the priest will drop the Eucharist in your mouth with a golden spoon. Usually there will be altar servers immediately to the side who will wipe your mouth with a cloth, you kiss the chalice and go back to your seat.

I believe the rule is that if your kids are Latin rite, they shouldn’t receive the Eucharist. They don’t necessarily have to stay behind, just don’t present them for communion.
 
ahs said:
A friend wants us to visit a Byzantine Catholic Church in Houston, TX. Is there anyone from around here (or familiar) who can confirm for me that this is the right one?

stjohnchrysostom.com/

Also, is there anything I need to know about Eucharist, or anything I need to tell the Priest? My understanding is that they give First Communion to infants at Baptism, but I still have 2 children who have not made their First Holy Communion. Do they need to just remain seated?

I did email the Priest, but I never heard back from him (several weeks ago).
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Just went to a Byzantine Divine Liturgy yesterday at the LA Religious Ed Congress. It was really nice. They explained a bit about it beforehand since most there were Latin rite.

The priest may ask your name, respond with your first name. As was mentioned have your arms crossed across your chest and they said open your mouth with your head back so you look like a baby bird and the priest will drop the host in your mouth with a small spoon. Don’t close your mouth around the spoon!

They use leaven bread in little cubes and its mixed with the wine.

I saw a man go up with a small child he was carrying, maybe 2 yrs old. The man started walking off after receiving and the priest called him back, placed the chalice on the child’s head and said a blessing for the child.

It was really a very beautiful liturgy. Hope you enjoy it.
 
I see the parish you are visiting has a Ruthenian Divine Liturgy at 10AM and a Melkite Divine Liturgy at 12PM. If you are going to the Ruthenian DL, they use a spoon for Holy Communion and follow what the other posters wrote. If you go to the Melkite DL, the priest does not use a spoon. He will dip the Sacred Host in the Precious Blood and will place the Host in your mouth with his hand. The Ruthenian DL will probably be all in English. The Melkite DL will probably be mostly in English with some Arabic and Greek.
 
I am a member of St. John Chrysostom, and have attended there for nine years.

Two communities worship there, Ruthenian, which worships at 10AM, entirely in English, and Melkite, which worships at 12 noon, mostly in Arabic and Greek, with very little English. Father Elias Rafaj is the Ruthenian pastor, and Father Fadi Al Mimass is the Melkite pastor. If your children have not yet been communed in the Latin Church, they should not receive, but they don’t have to remain in the pew. When you approach, just tell the priest or deacon that they are not receiving. It is not necessary for you to talk with the priest prior to Divine Liturgy in order to receive. If you have any more questions, PM me.
 
I am also a member of St. John Chrysostom. The only thing I can add is my recommendation to wear comfortable shoes as we stand a lot.
 
RyanBlack said:
I am a member of St. John Chrysostom, and have attended there for nine years.

Two communities worship there, Ruthenian, which worships at 10AM, entirely in English, and Melkite, which worships at 12 noon, mostly in Arabic and Greek, with very little English. Father Elias Rafaj is the Ruthenian pastor, and Father Fadi Al Mimass is the Melkite pastor. If your children have not yet been communed in the Latin Church, they should not receive, but they don’t have to remain in the pew. When you approach, just tell the priest or deacon that they are not receiving. It is not necessary for you to talk with the priest prior to Divine Liturgy in order to receive. If you have any more questions, PM me.
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iepuras said:
I am also a member of St. John Chrysostom. The only thing I can add is my recommendation to wear comfortable shoes as we stand a lot.
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Thanks so much! I’m glad to hear it from folks who really attend this particular parish! 🙂 We are planning to be there Palm Sunday with our friends. We’ll be the confused looking couple with the kids who can’t stand still. :o
 
Hi. I see your questions have been answered, but I’ll add this thought: if the priest really wanted to stand on principle, technicalities, or whatever (not that he would, just saying) he could say that the reason for your kids not to receive is because they have not yet been confirmed. 🙂
 
Jon_S said:
Just went to a Byzantine Divine Liturgy yesterday at the LA Religious Ed Congress. It was really nice. They explained a bit about it beforehand since most there were Latin rite.

The priest may ask your name, respond with your first name. As was mentioned have your arms crossed across your chest and they said open your mouth with your head back so you look like a baby bird and the priest will drop the host in your mouth with a small spoon. **Don’t close your mouth around the spoon! **

They use leaven bread in little cubes and its mixed with the wine.

I saw a man go up with a small child he was carrying, maybe 2 yrs old. The man started walking off after receiving and the priest called him back, placed the chalice on the child’s head and said a blessing for the child.

It was really a very beautiful liturgy. Hope you enjoy it.
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This is interesting, when we receive Holy Communion in my parish (Serbian Orthodox), we don’t care if we close our mouth around the spoon. We believe there can be no harm (bacteria, virus) in the Eucharist. And truly so, no one ever got sick, even if sometimes hundreds and even thousands receive communion from only one spoon.
 
Proton said:
This is interesting, when we receive Holy Communion in my parish (Serbian Orthodox), we don’t care if we close our mouth around the spoon. We believe there can be no harm (bacteria, virus) in the Eucharist. And truly so, no one ever got sick, even if sometimes hundreds and even thousands receive communion from only one spoon.
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He made a point of saying not to, but I saw quite a few close their mouth on it anyway. The priest was like flinging it into some people’s mouths almost. 🙂

i wonder if anyone has tested the virus theory by swabbing the spoon afterwards?

Perhaps the concern lies more on the spoon holding virus rather than the Eucharist?

In the Latin rite we wipe the edge of the cup after each person drinks.
 
I remember i saw once, on a video, where priest literally shoots Eucharist from a spoon in to the mouth. That seems so wrong.
 
I hope to go back to the local Byzantine Catholic church near me soon. The previous time the church was having their annual fall harvest dinner so they knew there would be visitors so at certain points in the Divine Liturgy (mainly before), the priest let us know what to do especially at Communion time knowing they will have Roman Catholic visitors periodically. I sat near the back so I could just follow others in standing, sitting, and crossing myself. Next time, I won’t use the missal as much and observe/take in more.
 
ahs said:
Thanks so much! I’m glad to hear it from folks who really attend this particular parish! 🙂 We are planning to be there Palm Sunday with our friends. We’ll be the confused looking couple with the kids who can’t stand still. :o
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Don’t worry about that! We are relatively new parishioners and I am still trying to figure things out. This Palm Sunday will be my first.

My boys certainly are not very good at keeping still or quiet. I have found Divine Liturgy to be extraordinarily forgiving of little ones and their wiggles and noise. The congregation chants much of the time so standard noise from children is drowned out. Plus, there is plenty of activity going on behind the iconostasis and it should keep the kids interested. At least until they are used to it!
 
ahs said:
A friend wants us to visit a Byzantine Catholic Church in Houston, TX. Is there anyone from around here (or familiar) who can confirm for me that this is the right one?

stjohnchrysostom.com/

Also, is there anything I need to know about Eucharist, or anything I need to tell the Priest? My understanding is that they give First Communion to infants at Baptism, but I still have 2 children who have not made their First Holy Communion. Do they need to just remain seated?

I did email the Priest, but I never heard back from him (several weeks ago).
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If you aren’t a member of the parish, I would not take the children up for communion unless you make prior arrangements with the priest. I always meet the priest before the Divine Liturgy because he says your name when he gives you communion. Communion is given from a little spoon with the Eucharist and the Precious Blood. You open your mouth, and dip down so the priest can pour it into your mouth without touching your mouth.
 
ahs said:
A friend wants us to visit a Byzantine Catholic Church in Houston, TX. Is there anyone from around here (or familiar) who can confirm for me that this is the right one?

stjohnchrysostom.com/

Also, is there anything I need to know about Eucharist, or anything I need to tell the Priest? My understanding is that they give First Communion to infants at Baptism, but I still have 2 children who have not made their First Holy Communion. Do they need to just remain seated?

I did email the Priest, but I never heard back from him (several weeks ago).
Click to expand...
The greater Houston area is blessed with so many Eastern Catholic Churches. I have lived in this area for a about ten years now. Sadly I have never got the oppurtunity to visit the Byzantine Church here. I hope you and your family have a wonderful experience and if you would like to venture further into an Eastern Catholic experience there are many Indian Churches here as well. St. Josephs Syro Malabar, St. Marys Knanaya, and St. Peters Syro Malankara Catholic Churches are all in the vicinity. I would also very much recommend the Latin Catholic Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart located downtown, the cathedral has a very divine traditonal Holy Mass.
 
Peter_J said:
Hi. I see your questions have been answered, but I’ll add this thought: if the priest really wanted to stand on principle, technicalities, or whatever (not that he would, just saying) he could say that the reason for your kids not to receive is because they have not yet been confirmed. 🙂
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The eastern Catholic priests use their own rite to administer the Holy Mysteries but use the sacramental discipline of the recipients Church sui iuris, so an eastern Catholic priest licitly administers the Divine Eucharist to the Latin Catholic faithful that have already received their First Communion, without regard to their Confirmation. The restored order in incomplete in the Latin Catholic jurisdictions and so the USCCB norms state that “the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Latin Rite shall be conferred between the age of discretion and about sixteen years of age, within the limits determined by the diocesan bishop and with regard for the legitimate exceptions given in canon 891.”
 
Vico said:
The eastern Catholic priests use their own rite to administer the Holy Mysteries but use the sacramental discipline of the recipient’s Church sui iuris,
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Just so. (Some RRC priests do likewise, but many do not.)
 
Vico said:
The eastern Catholic priests use their own rite to administer the Holy Mysteries but use the sacramental discipline of the recipients Church sui iuris, so an eastern Catholic priest licitly administers the Divine Eucharist to the Latin Catholic faithful that have already received their First Communion, without regard to their Confirmation. The restored order in incomplete in the Latin Catholic jurisdictions and so the USCCB norms state that “the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Latin Rite shall be conferred between the age of discretion and about sixteen years of age, within the limits determined by the diocesan bishop and with regard for the legitimate exceptions given in canon 891.”
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When I went to the Byzantine Catholic church in a nearby town, the priest let people know that those present that were Roman Catholics about Communion requirements - he never said we had to be confirmed but just properly disposed (no mortal sin, fasted an hour before, having received our 1st Communion, etc) plus how to receive Communion.
 
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