Catholicism and Orthodox

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Vilnius

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Is there a branch of faith that combines the two?
Is it ok for a Catholic to go to Orthodox masses once a month?
 
Some of our canon experts can confirm this, but no, you cannot substitute an Orthodox Mass for a Catholic Mass when one is available. You can attend an Orthodox Mass, but you’d still have to go to Catholic Mass to fulfill the Lord’s Sunday obligation. :o
 
That is what I thought, but don’t know if it is right because I don’t know what that is??

For the above thread-thanks for the clarification that it is necessary to attend a regular Catholic mass for it to count with an extra visit to an Orthodox church.

So, how could I combine both is my dilemma?
Any more insight?
 
Vilnius said:
That is what I thought, but don’t know if it is right because I don’t know what that is??

For the above thread-thanks for the clarification that it is necessary to attend a regular Catholic mass for it to count with an extra visit to an Orthodox church.

So, how could I combine both is my dilemma?
Any more insight?
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Eastern Rite Catholic Churches would be your safest bet. They have the Divine Liturgy (like the Orthodox) but are in communion with Rome.
 
Eastern Catholics worship in the same manner as the Orthodox but are in full communion with Rome. You can always satisfy your Sunday obligation at an Eastern Catholic divine liturgy. Go to the Eastern Catholicism board here at Catholic Answers for more info. Start a thread there if you like.
 
Vilnius said:
Is it ok for a Catholic to go to Orthodox masses once a month?
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You may go to an Orthodox Divine Liturgy as often as you like. Many non-Orthodox have done so for years and years.

However you will not ordinarily be allowed to commune in an Orthodox Divine Liturgy unless:
  • You have prayed and fasted
  • Had a recent confession
  • Believe what Holy Orthodoxy teaches, and nothing extra
  • Have been formally received into the church.
Interestingly, the Papacy has been encouraging intercommunion, so I don’t see why it would not count toward your Sunday obligation. I believe this is worth looking into a bit more deeply.

In any case, you could always take in the 7:30AM (or 8:00AM) low Mass and still have time to make the 9:30AM Divine Liturgy, with time to spare for breakfast in some cases. If that doesn’t work you can probably make the 12:00 Mass after Divine Liturgy. I used to do this quite often myself.
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Michael*
 
twf said:
Eastern Catholics worship in the same manner as the Orthodox but are in full communion with Rome. You can always satisfy your Sunday obligation at an Eastern Catholic divine liturgy. Go to the Eastern Catholicism board here at Catholic Answers for more info. Start a thread there if you like.
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I will not argue with your point here, but I will elaborate upon it.

Worshiping in the same manner as Orthodox is not important, it is really superficial. It is what one believes that is important. The worship, and the prayers, arise from the belief.

When we say that the Eastern Catholics are in full communion with the Pope, we are saying they believe everything Roman Catholics believe. Quite frankly, it is not Orthodox just because it resembles Orthodox.

It is not really “a branch of faith that combines the two” any more than Western Rite Orthodoxy is.

The externals (vestments, chants, etc.) are just not that important, and people who seek after these things may be missing an important point: what does the church teach?
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Michael*
 
Hi Vilnius,

As others have already said, there are Eastern Catholics – in full communion with Rome but using a liturgy that’s very similar to what most Orthodox use.

Similarly, there Western Rite Orthodox (WRO) – in full communion with Constantinople but using a liturgy that’s very similar to the ExtraOrdinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Unfortunately, it’s not possible (at this time) to be in full communion with both Rome and Constantinople. It is, however, possible to be in full communion with one of them, while at the same time trying to be extremely fair-minded and charitable toward the other.
 
Hesychios said:
Interestingly, the Papacy has been encouraging intercommunion,
Click to expand...
I think I would say “permitting”, rather than “encouraging”.
Hesychios said:
so I don’t see why it would not count toward your Sunday obligation. I believe this is worth looking into a bit more deeply.
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There was actually a policy, a few decades ago, that Catholics could fulfill their Sunday Obligation by attending an Orthodox liturgy (without receiving communion, of course). I’m not entirely sure why that policy was made, or why it was later changed.
 
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