How does an Orthodox Christian become a Roman-Catholic?

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AndreiCordovan

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I was baptized as an Orthodox Christian and now I would like to join the Roman-Catholic Faith. Also my paternal family is Catholic.
Do I have to take RCIA classes and then get baptized in the Catholic church and be confirmed? Or do I just have to make a profession of faith and receive the Eucharist?
Thank you!
 
AndreiCordovan said:
I was baptized as an Orthodox Christian and now I would like to join the Roman-Catholic Faith. Also my paternal family is Catholic.
Do I have to take RCIA classes and then get baptized in the Catholic church and be confirmed? Or do I just have to make a profession of faith and receive the Eucharist?
Thank you!
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Assuming you have been baptized, chrismated, and communed in the Orthodox Church in which you were raised, you simply make a profession of faith.
 
Also, you would become a member of the Eastern Rite Catholic Church corresponding to the Orthodox Church from which you convert.

You can, of course, attend a Latin Rite Church.

For more details, talk to local Eastern Rite Catholic Priest.
 
1ke said:
Also, you would become a member of the Eastern Rite Catholic Church corresponding to the Orthodox Church from which you convert.

You can, of course, attend a Latin Rite Church.

For more details, talk to local Eastern Rite Catholic Priest.
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There are no Eastern Catholic churches in the area where I live. The closes one is 560 miles away. I live in North Carolina, US right in the middle of the evangelical “Bible belt”. There are only Roman-Catholic churches in my city. I have already emailed the priest of the nearest Catholic church. He said I should attend the RCIA classes and after that I need to make a profession of faith and receive the Eucharist. Just as I thought.
Thank you.
 
Luigi_Daniele said:
Welcome home, brother!
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Thank you very much! I have always loved the Catholic Church! My paternal grandmother is a Catholic and when I think of the Catholic Church, I always remember my grandmother and her love for the Church. She is still alive, but we live thousands of miles apart.
 
Welcome home! I was Antiochian Orthodox and was received into communion with Rome three years ago.

According to the Code of Canons of Oriental Churches: “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.” (canon 897)

In my case I made the profession of faith during Divine Liturgy at a Ukrainian Catholic parish. Technically, though, I belong to the Melkite Church since it is the corresponding sui juris Church in communion with Rome. I know of others who made the profession of faith at a Roman Rite parish, which is allowed, but out of respect for the Eastern parishes should be avoided.

If there is an Eastern Catholic parish nearby, get to know the priest and visit now and then to keep connected with your Eastern roots, even if you regularly attend a Latin Rite parish.

Regardless of what you do, you will need your baptismal records from the Orthodox Church.
 
AndreiCordovan said:
There are only Roman-Catholic churches in my city. I have already emailed the priest of the nearest Catholic church. He said I should attend the RCIA classes and after that I need to make a profession of faith and receive the Eucharist. Just as I thought.
Thank you.
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You can certainly attend a Latin Rite Church. The Latin Rite priest can receive your profession of faith.

Many Latin Rite priests are unfamiliar with Eastern Rite Churches and the Orthodox. That’s why he is suggesting RCIA. He doesn’t understand you are already fully initiated and need only the profession of faith. RCIA is not for you.

I suggest you hang out on the Eastern Catholicism forum and ask them for some assistance.

BTW, you can already receive the Eucharist, if you are in a state of grace.
 
MisterCorduroy said:
Welcome home! I was Antiochian Orthodox and was received into communion with Rome three years ago.

According to the Code of Canons of Oriental Churches: “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.” (canon 897)

In my case I made the profession of faith during Divine Liturgy at a Ukrainian Catholic parish. Technically, though, I belong to the Melkite Church since it is the corresponding sui juris Church in communion with Rome. I know of others who made the profession of faith at a Roman Rite parish, which is allowed, but out of respect for the Eastern parishes should be avoided.

If there is an Eastern Catholic parish nearby, get to know the priest and visit now and then to keep connected with your Eastern roots, even if you regularly attend a Latin Rite parish.

Regardless of what you do, you will need your baptismal records from the Orthodox Church.
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Thank you. Well there are not Eastern Catholic churches around me.
And I do not know what documents to show of my baptism. I was baptized in Romania and now I am living in the US. I don’t think my parents or my godparents were given some document when I was baptized. I think my baptism is recorded in the church’s records, but it’s only a guess.
 
AndreiCordovan said:
Thank you. Well there are not Eastern Catholic churches around me.
And I do not know what documents to show of my baptism. I was baptized in Romania and now I am living in the US. I don’t think my parents or my godparents were given some document when I was baptized. I think my baptism is recorded in the church’s records, but it’s only a guess.
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Generally the Church accepts baptismal record, or where no records are available they accept an affidavit of baptism. If your parents and/or godparents attest to your baptism, that is all that is needed.
 
1ke said:
Generally the Church accepts baptismal record, or where no records are available they accept an affidavit of baptism. If your parents and/or godparents attest to your baptism, that is all that is needed.
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And what if I don’t show them proof of my baptism? Would I have to get baptized again?
And also if I attend a local Romanian Orthodox Church, would the Catholic church accept if the Orthodox priest will prove that I am a member of the Orthodox Church?
 
I’m not sure you’d “have to” take RCIA, but I can’t imagine a better way to approach the faith during the conversion that you are already feeling. At least in my parish, RCIA is more a process than set of classes to check off. It’s a gift of the Church. But, the first step will be to speak to the priest at the parish you plan to attend. The priiest will listen to your discernment story, and recommend the best steps for your own entry into the fullness of the Catholic faith. He may recommend some time in RCIA, and if he does, try not to let it put you off. Go ahead and go. You may be surprised at how beautiful the experience of RCIA can be. I stuck around for 3 years AFTER my confirmation to help out and am getting ready to return as a sponsor now. This is the ordinary process for conversion. In our parish, the person requesting confirmation is interviewed every few weeks to discuss where they are in their journey.

Anyway, I’d let Jesus guide you to him in the Church through his priest, and then follow in eager obedience into the journey at the place where Christ leads you.

May God bless and guide you at each turn,

I will pray for you. Please pray for my ongoing conversion,

Steven
 
You are isolated from Eastern Catholics in NC. There are Byzantine and Ukrainian Catholic parishes in Raleigh but that’s about it. I have friends who started a Ukrainian Catholic mission in Knoxville, TN on the other side of the mountains from you. hrbcc.org/

RCIA isn’t really a requirement, but since you plan on attending a Roman parish then it might help you understand the West better. Be patient–some RCIA classes can be pretty basic and poorly taught. No offence to all the great catechists out there.
 
AndreiCordovan said:
And what if I don’t show them proof of my baptism? Would I have to get baptized again?
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The Church would then do what is called a conditional baptism.
AndreiCordovan said:
And also if I attend a local Romanian Orthodox Church, would the Catholic church accept if the Orthodox priest will prove that I am a member of the Orthodox Church?
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That would be something to discuss with the local priest. He may want to work with the diocese on this one.
 
StevenFrancis said:
I’m not sure you’d “have to” take RCIA, but I can’t imagine a better way to approach the faith during the conversion that you are already feeling. At least in my parish, RCIA is more a process than set of classes to check off. It’s a gift of the Church. But, the first step will be to speak to the priest at the parish you plan to attend. The priiest will listen to your discernment story, and recommend the best steps for your own entry into the fullness of the Catholic faith. He may recommend some time in RCIA, and if he does, try not to let it put you off. Go ahead and go. You may be surprised at how beautiful the experience of RCIA can be. I stuck around for 3 years AFTER my confirmation to help out and am getting ready to return as a sponsor now. This is the ordinary process for conversion. In our parish, the person requesting confirmation is interviewed every few weeks to discuss where they are in their journey.

Anyway, I’d let Jesus guide you to him in the Church through his priest, and then follow in eager obedience into the journey at the place where Christ leads you.

May God bless and guide you at each turn,

I will pray for you. Please pray for my ongoing conversion,

Steven
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I will see if I want to attend the RCIA classes or not. They start on January 6th , 2012. And I will be starting to attend the Mass, just to get used to the differences in the Western Liturgy from the Eastern Liturgy.
 
AndreiCordovan said:
There are no Eastern Catholic churches in the area where I live. The closes one is 560 miles away. I live in North Carolina, US right in the middle of the evangelical “Bible belt”. There are only Roman-Catholic churches in my city. I have already emailed the priest of the nearest Catholic church. He said I should attend the RCIA classes and after that I need to make a profession of faith and receive the Eucharist. Just as I thought.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
He is incorrect. The only requirement for you to be received into the Catholic Church is a profession of faith. BTW, I doubt you would want to travel to Cary to worship, there is a Ruthenian parish there (saintscyrilandmethodius.org/).
 
1ke said:
The Church would then do what is called a conditional baptism.
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I have never heard of it. Can you explain it to me, what does it mean a “conditional baptism” and how is it done?
 
RyanBlack said:
He is incorrect. The only requirement for you to be received into the Catholic Church is a profession of faith. BTW, I doubt you would want to travel to Cary to worship, there is a Ruthenian parish there (saintscyrilandmethodius.org/).
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Cary is pretty far from me. Also I don’t have a car right now. I rely on buses and on friends.
But the Roman-Catholic parish I would like to attend is 7 minutes walking distance from where I live.
 
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