Does Divine Liturgy fulfill obligation?

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Our daughter is Byzantine Catholic and often invites us (we are Roman Catholic) to attend Divine Liturgy with her on Sundays. Every once in a while we do attend with her rather than attending Mass at our parish. I was just wondering if this fulfills our obligation to attend Mass on Sunday. I suspect it would (we are all Catholic after all), but I am just trying to confirm for sure. Thanks.

Peace,
Dave
 
DKO said:
Our daughter is Byzantine Catholic and often invites us (we are Roman Catholic) to attend Divine Liturgy with her on Sundays. Every once in a while we do attend with her rather than attending Mass at our parish. I was just wondering if this fulfills our obligation to attend Mass on Sunday. I suspect it would (we are all Catholic after all), but I am just trying to confirm for sure. Thanks.

Peace,
Dave
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Yes.
 
Indeed it does, as we are all “in communion” with each other, that is, all of the churches comprising the Universal Catholic Church.

I’ll try to post the relevant sections of the Canon Law for your reference at a later time. However, I’d note that we enjoy the leadership of a well educated priest, who was raised Roman Catholic, and I’ve heard many times his welcoming words before distribution of the Eucharist, when it is clear we have a number of guests in church, so I’m quite certain on multiple counts.
 
Thank you so much for the replies. I honestly didn’t know much about the Eastern Rite Churches until my daughter started attending Divine Liturgy. The liturgy is quite beautiful, and it is the best way for my daughter to worship. I wish I had learned more about the different ways to worship when I was younger.
 
Is the same true for Holy Days of Obligation? On December 8th I went to a Byzantine Catholic DL, but the feast was called the Maternity of St Anna I believe and not Immaculate Conception.
 
AnthonyJ said:
Is the same true for Holy Days of Obligation? On December 8th I went to a Byzantine Catholic DL, but the feast was called the Maternity of St Anna I believe and not Immaculate Conception.
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That’s what Eastern Christians (both Catholic and Orthodox) call that feast day.

Eastern Catholics accept the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, but they continue to call the feast day the Maternity of St. Anna. But it’s a celebration of exactly the same event: the conception of the Blessed Virgin.

So yes indeed, it does fulfill your obligation - and more! 👍
 
AnthonyJ said:
Is the same true for Holy Days of Obligation? On December 8th I went to a Byzantine Catholic DL, but the feast was called the Maternity of St Anna I believe and not Immaculate Conception.
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Holy days of obligation can be fulfilled on the day or the evening before, and it does not matter if the sermon or readings or antiphons are specifically for the obligatory feast or not.
 
Source: Vatican website - Code of Canon Law (English translation)
vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P4N.HTM

Can. 1248 §1. A person who assists at a Mass celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the feast day itself or in the evening of the preceding day satisfies the obligation of participating in the Mass.
 
AnthonyJ said:
Is the same true for Holy Days of Obligation? On December 8th I went to a Byzantine Catholic DL, but the feast was called the Maternity of St Anna I believe and not Immaculate Conception.
Click to expand...
The obligation is to attend a divine worship service on the day or on the evening prior to the day.

It doesn’t matter what the feast is that’s celebrated.

The DL is the Byzantine Divine Worship Service. The Mass is the Roman Divine Worship Service.
 
The obligation is to attend Liturgy in any Catholic Rite, not a specific celebration or specific set of readings. For example, January 1 in the Roman Rite is a Feast of the Virgin Mary, and is a day of obligation in many RC diocese. In the Byzantine Rite its the Feast Day of St. Basil the Great. You can still fulfill your obligation as an RC if you go to a Byzantine Rite Divine Liturgy. But the reading and the feast celebrated is not the same, but it has no bearing on the obligation anyway.
 
For ConstantineTG example:

Jan 1, 2012 (Sunday)
  • Latin (Nativity Octave, Solemnity of Mary)
    Reading 1, Num 6:22-27
    Gospel, Lk 2:16-21
    Reading 2, Gal 4:4-7
  • Byzantine (Before Theophany, Circumcision, Basil)
    Epistle, 2 Tim 4:5-8, Col 2:8-12
    Gospel, Mk 1:1-8, Lk 2:20-21, 40-52
 
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