Orthodox are received via simple profession of faith. You will be canonically ascribed into the corresponding Eastern Catholic Church even if you will be worshipping and registered at a Latin Parish.
Thank you very much, Denho! That was short, sweet and to the point. So, you’re saying I don’t have to go through RCIA?
RCIA is not intended for Orthodox who are being received into the Catholic Church. As an Orthodox Christian, you have been fully initiated into the Body of Christ, having received baptism, chrismation, and Holy Communion. So, as the previous poster noted, you are to be received by profession of faith. The amount of instruction in the Catholic faith you are to receive prior to your reception into full communion is the discretion of the pastor of the parish in which you are received. When I was received into the Catholic Church (I was raised Protestant, but had been chrismated in the Orthodox Church, the pastor of my parish just announced one Sunday following Divine Liturg after I had been attending there a few months that I was a member of the parish.
Thanks so much, Jeffgo!
God bless you!!Wow. I was all ready for a year or 3year long ordeal with books and classes and people who scare me (I am terrified of groups). Wow.
I would not have a problem with that, only I do have a problem with others’ reactions. I’ve had Latin Rite folk have entire snits based upon the idea that there should be NO other rite but theirs. It therefore frightens me a little, but I’d do it. Teachable moments happen!
Yes, unfortunately, many Latin Rite Catholics are completely unaware that there are Eastern Churches in full communion with Rome. They assume that Eastern Catholics are the same as Eastern Orthodox (ie: not in communion). Or, even if they know about Eastern Catholicism, they assume that Roman Rite practices are somehow “better” and “more Catholic” than what’s done in the Eastern Catholic Churches (which is ironic, since the way things are done in the Eastern Churches developed centuries before the schism, and in many cases are far older than the equivalent Roman Rite practices). Again, MANY Catholics are very poorly catechized.
The Melkites have RCIA?! I thought that was a Roman Catholic practice
When an Orthodox Christian was received into my (Latin) Parish, he was simply greeted at the door immediately prior to Mass on Holy Thurday.
I am disabled so I generally go to a Latin parish (close to my home) and was received in a Latin parish. My Melkite parish is about 40 minutes away.The Melkites have RCIA?! I thought that was a Roman Catholic practice
I was thinking that too. Well, not that exactly of course, but I was thinking that the Catholic Church permits Orthodox to “intercommune” in the Catholic Church, providing they request it spontaneously.
I think you should also get in touch with the EC priest (even if you aren’t going to be going to that parish regularly) or someone else from the eparchy that you will belong to.
I am a Latin rite Catholic and I think what you said is the actual truth. Many of us in this part of the world are virtually unaware of our Eastern catholic brethren, we only know faintly of the Orthodox church which isn’t in communion with Rome. From my “spontaneous research” I came to understand the existence of the Eastern churches in union with Rome and equally found that many of them are actually deeper in catechism than their Latin counterpart…All the same, we are all the same body of Christ’s church----Catholic and Apostolic! ! ! !