B
Bezant
Guest
After deliberating and studying a few years I am strongly considering changing to the Eastern Rite, within the next year. Has anyone done this? What are the steps involved? Advice if any?
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M
malphono
Guest
One must, of course, in the first place spend a few years attending and learning about a Church in order to discern if transferring to that Church is in order. When that has been accomplished, and if one feels a clear call to transfer, probably the easiest way to “get the ball rolling” is to speak with the local pastor of the Church you intend to enter. He will be able to guide the applicant through the various steps.
5
5Loaves
Guest
Your EC priest will know what to do.
The bishop of your Latin Church and the bishop of your Eastern Church will both need to approve the change. A letter from your EC priest will almost certainly be required. If your EC priest has no problems with your request then there shouldn’t be problems. However, at least one person here, or on another forum, ran into problems, I believe with the bishop, so one never knows. Your EC priest should know you well and he will have a good idea of what you personally can expect.
J
JW55
Guest
I am sure you are already aware of this but, unless you feel a strong need to make the actual change of rites, there is no reason why you can’t just continue to attend the EC church. You should be able to fully participate in the Divine Liturgy and receive communion and confession to from an EC priest. Not acquiring an official change of rites would not prohibit you from being fully a part of your chosen parish and its activities.
T
thequeen
Guest
I hope you will find what you need in the Eastern catholic Church and yes you will need permission from the latin heirarchy to convert.
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5Loaves
Guest
There is no Eastern Catholic Church. There is no conversion involved. This is a change in enrollment from the Latin Church to one of the other Catholic Churches *sui iuris *
A
ac_claire
Guest
I’m a bit confused about the needing permission thing. In Austin I used to attend the Maronite church on occasion and was able to receive communion, go to Confession, etc. with no problem. The people there were very friendly and almost all of them came to the Maronite church from the Latin rite. I was trying to discern if I was being called to do the same, and several of them told me they just talked to Father and simply started coming regularly to the church. No paperwork. Did they (and the pastor there) all skip a step?
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Vico
Guest
First you must know if the Church that you want to transfer to has jurisdiction where you live. If not you must appeal to the Holy See. If they do have a jurisdiction where you live you can write a letter with your reasons, to the eparch or exarch of the church you want to be transferred to, if approved they will send it for approval to your current bishop. In the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic requires:
a letter stating your request
2 year participation in a parish of the church you want to transfer to
a letter of recommendation from the eastern pastor
sacramental records
patience since it may take a year for approval
C
ConstantineTG
Guest
Have you been attending an Eastern parish for some time? Its best to live the life of an Eastern Catholic first before deciding its what you really want to do. When I first thought of this I was excited I wanted to write the Bishop there and then. But even just only after a few months of being a regular parishioners, I encountered the challenges. It hasn’t deterred me but suddenly its not as rosy looking as before.
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5Loaves
Guest
JW55 addressed this in his/her post. There is no need to formally make the change. The people you are talking about are Latin Catholics who practice in the Maronite Church. They are still members canonically of the Church into which they were baptized, or for Christians who came into the Church they are members of the Church into which they were received by Chrismation/Confirmation, which you say is the Latin Church. Issues only come up when you get to sacraments of baptism (their children), marriage, and holy orders. Catholics of any Church are free to worship in any Catholic Church. Baptism and marriage of Latin Catholics in an EC Church don’t require a change of Church, but do required appropriate documentation.
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ConstantineTG
Guest
You do not need to change Rites unless you are seeking ordination. Even Baptism of your kids, Confirmation/Chrismation, First Communion, Matrimony/Crowning and even the Funeral Rites can be done in the Eastern Rite if you have been practicing there for some time. You just need to coordinate this with the priest who would coordinate it with the RC diocese.
As for regular Communion and Confession, Canon Law permits all Catholics to receive and have their confessions heard from any Catholic Rite, from any priest of any Catholic Rite.
But if you want to live the Eastern Spirituality, then just start doing it. No need to officially switch Rites. Some do so just as a formality.
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Montalo
Guest
i thought the sui iuris church was automatically in the fathers church, no matter where they were baptized
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ConstantineTG
Guest
I mean if you want to be baptized in another Rite, then you would need permission. Usually its just the priest notifying the other parish they will baptize someone who’s a child of one who’s a canonical member of their parish but is not a regular parishioner and practicing their tradition. You’re right, that won’t make the child of a different Rite than any of the parents.
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Little_Boy_Lost
Guest
What benefit do I get from Changing rites? I worship wholly at a byzantine church right now. It just seems like bureaucratic paperwork.
T
theistgal
Guest
If you marry a member of the Church you want to join, you can usually switch rites much more quickly. Start looking around. 
V
Vico
Guest
The priests and bishops are to ensure that the faithful receive the sacraments according to their ascribed Church. The faithful may participate in another ritual Church, but not to the extent that they ignore their duty to their own ascribed church, for example, their holy days and penitential seasons (fast and abstinance), the reception of the sacraments according to the prescriptions of their ascribed church, growth in knowledge of their ascribed ritual Church, support of their ascribed ritual Church (be it with donations, charitible support, or prayers).
CCEO 35
Baptized non-Catholics coming into full communion with the Catholic Church should retain and practice their own rite everywhere in the world and should observe it as much as humanly possible. Thus, they are to be enrolled in the Church sui iuris of the same rite with due regard for the right of approaching the Apostolic See in special cases of persons, communities or regions.
CCEO 40.3
Other Christian faithful are also to foster an understanding and appreciation of their own rite, and are held to observe it everywhere unless something is excused by the law.
CCEO 193.1. The eparchial bishop to whom the care of Christian faithful of another Church sui iuris are committed is bound by the serious obligation of providing all the things in order that these Christian faithful retain the rite of their own Church, cultivate and observe it as much as they can; he should foster relations with the higher authority of that Church.
CCEO 713.2. Concerning the preparation for participation in the Divine Eucharist through fast, prayers and other works, the Christian faithful are to observe faithfully the norms of the Church sui iuris in which they are enrolled, not only within the territorial boundaries of the same Church, but, inasmuch as it is possible, everywhere.
CCEO 882
On the days of penance the Christian faithful are obliged to observe fast or abstinence in the manner established by the particular law of their Church sui iuris.
CCEO 883
- The Christian faithful who are outside the territorial boundaries of their own Church sui iuris can adopt fully for themselves the feast days and days of penance which are in force where they are staying. 2. In families in which the parents are enrolled in different Churches sui iuris, it is permitted to observe the norms of one or the other Church, in regard to feast days and days of penance.
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