How can Orthodox join the Catholic Church?

[ericbl]

My wife is Catholic (Latin Rite). We are raising our two children as Catholic. We even send them to Catholic school.

I am Greek Orthodox.

Lately I’ve been thinking that it’s not ideal for our children to see that I’m not fully participating in the Church, including taking communion.

What do I need to do to be in communion with the Catholic Church?

 

[twf]

Under Catholic canon law, a Greek Orthodox Christian may receive communion in the Catholic Church assuming that a) you are properly disposed (have confessed any serious sins etc) and b) your own priest/hierarch are OK with it (the latter is a big if).

That said, if you are serious about being received into full communion, I recommend you meet with a local Eastern Catholic priest. Once received, even if received by your wife’s Latin priest, you will automatically be a Greek Catholic. You would be free to worship with the Latins, but would be bound by the obligations and norms of the Greek Church. To become a Latin Catholic you would need special permission.

 

[ericbl]

Thanks, but I don’t have a Priest. I haven’t gone to an Orthodox Church in a long time. I’ve been attending my wife’s / kids church, but haven’t taken communion.

 

[Fuerza]

Speak to the priest at your wife’s parish. He will guide you through the process, or at least put you in touch with the person who will. As mentioned above, since you are Greek Orthodox, you would ordinarily automatically be enrolled in the corresponding Eastern Catholic Church (in your case the Byzantine Catholic Church of Greece), even if received by a Latin priest. There are ways to be received as a Latin if you wish, especially since you’re married to one and there are no Greek Byzantine parishes in the US.

The general conversion process should be relatively straightforward for you. Most dioceses do not require Orthodox Christians to go through RCIA, but your local priest will guide you.

 

[ericbl]

Thank you. I will talk to him.

 

[1ke]

Most dioceses do not require Orthodox Christians to go through RCIA, but your local priest will guide you.

If they try to, the OP should absolutely object and ask to speak to someone at the diocese who knows what they are doing. The Orthodox are fully initiated. They have all three sacraments of initiation and need only make a profession of faith to be received into full communion. It is not even possible for an Orthodox to go through the rites in RCIA.

 

[Margaret_Ann]

A Byzantine Catholic priest I once knew was originally raised Orthodox. He and his wife were received into the Church by Cardinal Krol in the late 60s. I haven’t seen him in 20+ years so I don’t know if he’s still living.

Full disclosure: I’m Ukrainian Greek Catholic.

P.S. What is your first name so I can pray for you?

 

[Mary888]

go through the rites in RCIA

After reading your comment I thought that I know nothing about RCIA since I thought it to be a school for catechizing the adults so I looked it up on the internet. Yes, I knew nothing about it.
Maybe the OP hasn’t practiced his faith and this is why he feels like needs some sort of school about it too. Are there courses for adults about the practices of Catholicism?

 

[1ke]

I thought it to be a school for catechizing the adults

Unfortunately, that’s the impression a lot of people have because catechesis also happens for the uninitiated. But catechesis is not RCIA.

Maybe the OP hasn’t practiced his faith and this is why he feels like needs some sort of school about it too.

He didn’t say that he needed school. He said he wanted to be in communion with the Catholic Church.

Are there courses for adults about the practices of Catholicism?

Many parishes do offer adult education courses or lectures and bible study. That would be a local ministry within the parish.

If a particular parish doesn’t offer adult education, then they might offer an online alternative such as a subscription to FORMED. And there are online continuing education courses through universities like University of Dayton and through many diocesan programs.

 

[adamhovey1988]

I think, generally speaking, for someone who is Greek Orthodox to become Catholic, they need to go to confession and make a profession of faith , that’s what the Melkite handbook says at least. Keep in mind, that even if you attend a Latin Catholic church, because of your Greek Orthodox background you would be canonically whatever the Catholic equivalent is of your Greek Orthodox Church. Say, you were Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, well then you would be canonically Melkite Greek Catholic. Now of course, you could change that if you wanted to and certain protocols were in place, but this is in general. I have to put the caveat that I am not a Canon lawyer, but this is stuff that I have learned.

 

[His_helpmeet]

I checked the policy for our archdiocese. It says that all that’s required is for a person belonging to an Eastern Orthodox Church to make a profession of faith after receiving appropriate catechesis. It doesn’t specify what the requirement for catechesis is, though. It does also state that such a person is to be referred to the appropriate eastern Catholic rite, though, if it is at all possible, because, as PPs have pointed out, the person would become a member of the eastern Catholic rite that is analogous to the Orthodox rite.

 

[1ke]

I checked the policy for our archdiocese.

It’s not simply a policy of the archdiocese, which technically wouldn’t have jurisdiction anyway since the equivalent eastern rite church would have jurisdiction. But, the reception of Orthodox into communion is governed by the eastern code of canon law:

Canon 897: A member of the Christian faithful of an Eastern non-Catholic Church is to be received into the Catholic Church with only the profession of the Catholic faith, after doctrinal and spiritual preparation according to each one’s condition.

It doesn’t specify what the requirement for catechesis is, though.

Because it is to be individual to the person in so far as it may be needed.

 

[ziapueblo]

Out of curiosity, were are you located?

ZP