Church Transfer

[Augustine]

Has anyone here transferred from one Catholic Church to another sui juris Catholic Church? What has it entailed? How was your discernment? How long did it take?

Thank you.

Pax Christi

 

[7_Sorrows]

Has anyone here transferred from one Catholic Church to another sui juris Catholic Church? What has it entailed? How was your discernment? How long did it take?

Thank you.

Pax Christi

I did shortly after I was received into the church. I moved about 2 1/2 hours away to a town with only one parish. I submited to them a certificate I received after being received into the church so they knew I was Catholic and I believe I submitted my baptismal record from my episcopal church in 1954.

 

[Vico]

Has anyone here transferred from one Catholic Church to another sui juris Catholic Church? What has it entailed? How was your discernment? How long did it take?

Thank you.

Pax Christi

Yes, and I know several others that were allowed to transfer also, one by request and others by marriage or the children in that marriage under age 14. The process varies by the situation.1. Catholics that transfer at marriage are transferred to the church sui iuris of the Catholic spouse.
2. Non-Catholics are received into the Catholic church sui iuris in the same tradition as that of baptism. *
3. Catholics that request to transfer fall into two categories:
a) those that live where there is both jurisdictions of current and desired church sui iuris, and
b) those that do not.
Where there are both jurisdictions overlapping the two bishops can approve the transfer, else the request must go to Rome to the Congregation for Eastern Churches. *

• There is no right to transfer, but yet it may be granted.

So, take case 3a. Typically the request is made by to the receiving bishop who then requests approval from the originating bishop. The request is in writing, and also may need a letter of recommendation from the parish priest of the church sui juris that the transfer is to. In the Byzantine Catholic Church there is a requirement to be an active participant for two years before the request is considered.

Canon 112 (NCCCL, Beal, Coriden, Green)
“… because ascription to a ritual church is definitive, it belongs to the status of persons.”
“In effect, the canon distinguishes membership from liturgical practice. This means that change of ritual church membership occurs in one of the three ways provided for in paragraph one.”

Transfer Ritual Church

Sufficient reasons:

• Unification of Church sui iuris in a family (mother, father).
• Return to the Church sui iuris of one’s ancestors.
• Spouse who wishes to transfer for peace and unity in the home.
• Physical or moral impossibility by permanent circumstances to use one’s own Church sui iuris.
• Domicile and or activity among those who are almost all of another Church sui iuris.
• Entry into religious life under different Church sui iuris.
• Incardination to serve different Church sui iuris.

Insufficient reasons:

• Education, attending school or church or sacraments, in another Church, or ignorance of own Church sui iuris with good knowledge of other Church sui iuris.
• Good for the soul (because all churches are good for the soul).
• Defects in a Church (because all churches are have defects).
• Peace of mind or conscience cannot be judged.

Follow own Church sui iuris rules concerning:

• Holy days and penitential seasons.
• Fasting and abstinance.
• Proscriptions for baptism, confirmation, first confession, first communion, marriage, holy orders, annointing.
• May receive Holy Confession and Holy Eucharist in any Church sui iuris.
• Contribute to the support of universal Church and Church sui iuris.

 

[5Loaves]

Sufficient reasons:

• Unification of Church sui iuris in a family (mother, father).
• Return to the Church sui iuris of one’s ancestors.
• Spouse who wishes to transfer for peace and unity in the home.
• Physical or moral impossibility by permanent circumstances to use one’s own Church sui iuris.
• Domicile and or activity among those who are almost all of another Church sui iuris.
• Entry into religious life under different Church sui iuris.
• Incardination to serve different Church sui iuris.

During my years in my EC parish we’ve had three transfers. None was for the above reasons. All had been full time parishioners in our parish for at least two years. The EC parish priest needs to provide a letter of support of transfer to the EC bishop, and it seems standard the parish priests want those requesting the change of church to have lived the full liturgical year in the ECC for at least a couple of years. The transfer from an ECC to the Latin Church is unlikely to be approved, other than in the #1 you mention, for reason of marriage, I’ve never heard of anyone going through that process- ECC to Latin- except by marriage.

 

[5Loaves]

Has anyone here transferred from one Catholic Church to another sui juris Catholic Church? What has it entailed? How was your discernment? How long did it take?

Thank you.

Pax Christi

In the case of those in my parish once the discernment had happened and the EC parish priest was supporting the change of Church it took very little time to go through. A letter is written to the EC bishop by the Latin Catholic wishing the change. The EC parish priest should be able to guide the parishoner in terms of the content of the letter. Being unhappy with the Latin Church would not be an appropriate reason to seek the change of ascription. The desire to be able to be a married priest is another inappropriate reason for the request.

 

[Vico]

During my years in my EC parish we’ve had three transfers. None was for the above reasons. All had been full time parishioners in our parish for at least two years. The EC parish priest needs to provide a letter of support of transfer to the EC bishop, and it seems standard the parish priests want those requesting the change of church to have lived the full liturgical year in the ECC for at least a couple of years. The transfer from an ECC to the Latin Church is unlikely to be approved, other than in the #1 you mention, for reason of marriage, I’ve never heard of anyone going through that process- ECC to Latin- except by marriage.

I read on this forum, of one person that would like to become Latin but is eastern (and it would not be by marriage).

The people, that I can think of at our parish break down to:

1. Return to the Church sui iuris of one’s ancestors.
2. Affinity for and to help preserve the eastern traditions.
3. Transfer to church of wife.
4. Transfer with parent (under age 14).
5. Unknown (but one intends to become a priest.)

 

[Augustine]

I love the Church and its varied expressions of the faith. Ever since I attended an Eastern liturgy for the first time decades ago, I was awed by its beauty. For a couple of years, I was a member of a Melkite parish abroad. However, as much as I am touched by all Catholic celebrations of the Eucharist, the Liturgy of St. James touches my heart as others, whether Western or Eastern, do not as deeply.

I’ve been attending weekday mass for over a decade. A few years ago, delighted at finding out that there was a Maronite parish in town, I started attending weekday mass once or twice a week at this parish. Due to events in my personal life, I discerned to transfer to this parish a few months ago, with the blessing of my previous pastor at a Latin parish.

As I usually do, when joining a parish, I quickly started serving in ministries and taking part in formation activities. In just a little time I got to know other parishioners who I had never met at the weekday liturgies. Having experienced a few liturgical years as a non-member, only now am I experiencing the liturgical cycle in its fulness on Sundays.

I also got to know the pastor more closely and he, me. In one of our private talks, he recently suggested me to discern transferring to the Maronite Church. This is why I asked about the personal experience of transferring to another Church, curious about pitfalls to avoid and attitudes to cultivate. To which I humbly add a request for your gracious prayers for my discernment.

Pax Christi

 

[Casilda]

Didn’t want to rehash the long story, but technically my husband converted to Eastern Catholicism and I was transferred in when our marriage was blessed. Time it took, less than a month.

 

[5Loaves]

…A few years ago, delighted at finding out that there was a Maronite parish in town, I started attending weekday mass once or twice a week at this parish. Due to events in my personal life, I discerned to transfer to this parish a few months ago, with the blessing of my previous pastor at a Latin parish.

…I also got to know the pastor more closely and he, me. In one of our private talks, he recently suggested me to discern transferring to the Maronite Church. This is why I asked about the personal experience of transferring to another Church, curious about pitfalls to avoid and attitudes to cultivate. To which I humbly add a request for your gracious prayers for my discernment.

Pax Christi

It’s really only possible to make the canonical change of Church once (transferring to the Church of the spouse during the marriage being an exception) so it is important to know this is the “one”. A Catholic of any Church can receive confession and Eucharist in any Catholic Church of course regardless of where one is ascribed. The majority by far of those in my parish are Latin Church Catholic, not canonically Eastern Catholic.

You mention daily Liturgy in the Maronite Church. I’m not familiar with their practice but in Orthodox and I thought most Eastern Catholic Churches, mine for sure, one needs to Fast before receiving Eucharist and that includes fasting from marital relations, so that means abstaining on Wednesdays and Fridays (Fast days each week) and on the eves of Feasts and Sundays. That’s one reason why daily Liturgy is only normally celebrated in monasteries or in cathedrals with celibate clergy. Like us the clergy must abstain from marital relations before Of course nothing requires us to receive Communion when we go to Liturgy, though the celebrating clergy must. I seldom am able to receive Eucharist when I go to a 5pm Mass in a Latin Church since that necessitates fasting from eating and drinking basically all day. Perhaps you aren’t married so for now this is unimportant.

 

[malphono]

Starting with the latinizations of the 16th Century, the Maronites have adopted the Eucharistic fast regulations of the latins. Prior to the “3 hour rule” (when the Latins maintained a fast from midnight) the differences from traditional (i.e, pre-latinization) practice weren’t particularly noticeable.

 

[Angel_Gabriel]

Has anyone here transferred from one Catholic Church to another sui juris Catholic Church? What has it entailed? How was your discernment? How long did it take?

Thank you.

Pax Christi

It took us about 2 months total from the time I wrote the Latin bishop and the Ukrainian bishop. Prior to that we had been involved with our Mission Parish for at least 3 years although we had just started having regular weekly or biweekly liturgy at the point of our transfer (May 2014).

It wasn’t difficult…I wrote the Latin bishop first and told him of my family’s (my husband and 4 kids under the age of 14) desire to transfer formally b/c we grew to love the East and found ourselves spiritually growing there. He wrote back nearly immediately giving his permission once he had records of our baptisms etc. So I wrote him back again telling him at which parishes all our records were (we are all still in the same diocese of our baptisms etc). He then gave his permission (with the caveat that the Ukrainian bishop approved and if so then we were to give him a copy of the letter stating so) and wished us God’s blessings on our continued spiritual journey in the East. So then I wrote to the Ukrainian bishop telling him the story and he wrote back a few weeks later taking us under his omophorion. He said he would like a copy of the letter from the Latin bishop stating his permission to let us leave. And that was that…some paperwork but all in all it was a quick process once we got past the discernment period of a few years…And yes that last year we followed the fasting rules etc for the UGCC.

As mentioned all our kids are under the age of 14 so they all have the option of switch back to the Latin church at that time without impediment to any future transfers.