Is It Wrong For A Cathloic to go to an Episcopal Church?

[CMatt25]

As a Catholic, you really can’t remain Catholic and regularly go elsewhere for Mass.

Well technically they remain a Catholic by their Baptism though the Church in CCC 846 also says they could not be saved if they knew the Catholic Church was necessary and do not remain.

 

[Dave2300]

I think the OP’s main point was that her friends go to an Episcopal church so she would like to join them, and she “gets more out of it” there, and finds the Mass harder to understand, yet is still a Catholic.

This leads us into all kinds of interesting things.
Easier to go where friends go.
Easier to not try to understand the Mass more.
Easy to see it as what we can get out of it, as always, as opposed to worshiping God. It’s actually all about what He can get out of it, not what we get out of it.

It’s a shame that we’ve come to this in our history, where we think about what we want to do rather than what we should do, simply because it is easier to follow our own desires.

I think it’s time we returned to basics.

 

[Bluegoat]

Well technically they remain a Catholic by their Baptism though the Church in CCC 846 also says they could not be saved if they knew the Catholic Church was necessary and do not remain.

Yes, but if one doesn’t actually believe the CC is what it says, then that is kind of a moot point to that person.

And if its not actually true, then it is a moot point to everyone.

 

[Aidan12]

Hi, Jacqueline47,

You may want to be very cautious about attending an Episcopal church service. The Episcopal denomination in the USA has adopted an official line of not only tolerance, but acceptance, of certain types of immoral behavior. This is bound to affect the preaching you will hear in these churches. People who do not have a deep understanding of Catholic teaching can be easily persuaded to accept their false arguments advanced in favor of immorality and false belief.

Specifically, there are a variety of understandings of the nature of the Communion Service among Episcopalians. While much of the Episcopal liturgy can look very Catholic in structure, the nature of the Eucharist is interpreted very differently. Most Episcopalians are really Calvinists in their understanding of the Eucharist. They will not have anything worthwhile to tell you about the Mass. I would advise any young Catholic person to avoid attending an Episcopal Communion Service.

If you are really unhappy that your Catholic parish is not helping you to understand the Mass, you could try buying a good study guide. Catholic bookstores often have good guides this way. Another thing you could try is attending a Catholic Chaplaincy at a local college or university, if there is one in your area.

But also, don’t forget, the Mass is about the worship of God, not about getting an emotional high because you come out of church feeling it catered to what you think are your needs. God sees when you are restless and bored at Mass. Talk to Him about it in prayer. Ask Him to help you. Here is a big chance for you to build a grown-up relationship with Him.

But please, take it from someone who’s been there, stay out of the Episcopal scene. It will only end in tears. I wish you all the best.

God bless you.

 

[Matthew_P_Muehl]

For you to say this tells me you are probably weakly formed in your faith. As such, missing Mass and substituting the worship services of another denomination is very dangerous for your soul.

From your other response, I think you have the viewpoint of the Mass completely wrong. We are not there to be entertained. It is not for our amusement. We are there to give praise and worship to God, and focus on Him. And He gives the greatest gift of all, the opportunity to eat and drink His Body and Blood and become one with Him. You can’t get that anywhere but at Mass.

I don’t care how great the chorus or band is, or how wonderful the preacher is, or how great the fellowship is, or how awesome the experience is, it pales in comparison to the Body and Blood of Christ.

I agree, There is no substitute for The Body and Blood of Christ.
That which will always be missing in any protestant organisation.
The Mass revolves around The Last Supper/Holy Thursday.
How can any one have a more personal relationship with Christ?

Matthew

 

[CMatt25]

This leads us into all kinds of interesting things… Easy to see it as what we can get out of it, as always, as opposed to worshiping God.

Are you saying Episcopalians don’t worship God? You might believe they don’t but we have some here and I’m pretty sure they believe they do. So they might differ on what you believe about them.

 

[Jacqueline47]

I most definitely do not lack an understanding of Catholic values; after going to 11 years of Catholic school and simultaneous weekends in Catechism class, I’m pretty confident in saying that I know my way around the Catholic beliefs.

I look at mass in having the two different parts: The Liturgy of the Word, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Both of these are **equally** important in deepening Faith.

In the first part of mass, the Liturgy of the Word, we are read scripture from the Old and New Testament, usually the readings have a theme or lesson to them, which the preist explains to us via the Homily. This portion of the mass is important because it teaches us more about God’s love and forgiveness, about what is sin and how to over come it, and the life of Jesus.

In the latter part of the mass, the bread and wine is concecrated into the Body and Blood of Christ. It is in this part of mass that we remember Christ’s sacrifice to save us. I understand that this part of mass I cannot get from any Protestant service, but I think it’s wrong to believe that this is the ONLY part of mass. Without the Liturgy of the Word, there would be little to no understanding behind the Blessed Sacrament and possibly the Lord Himself.

The fact of the matter is, at my current church, it’s difficult for me to get anything out of the Liturgy of the Word when all the sermons are written for parishiners forty years old than my own age. My point being that yes, it would be wrong of me to replace Mass with a Portestant service, but I see no problem in trying to seek a church, whether it be another Catholic church or a church of a different Christian denomonation, that can help me deepen my understanding of what God wants for us told during the scripture readings.

 

[Seatuck]

I most definitely do not lack an understanding of Catholic values; after going to 11 years of Catholic school and simultaneous weekends in Catechism class, I’m pretty confident in saying that I know my way around the Catholic beliefs.

I look at mass in having the two different parts: The Liturgy of the Word, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Both of these are **equally** important in deepening Faith.

In the first part of mass, the Liturgy of the Word, we are read scripture from the Old and New Testament, usually the readings have a theme or lesson to them, which the preist explains to us via the Homily. This portion of the mass is important because it teaches us more about God’s love and forgiveness, about what is sin and how to over come it, and the life of Jesus.

In the latter part of the mass, the bread and wine is concecrated into the Body and Blood of Christ. It is in this part of mass that we remember Christ’s sacrifice to save us. I understand that this part of mass I cannot get from any Protestant service, but I think it’s wrong to believe that this is the ONLY part of mass. Without the Liturgy of the Word, there would be little to no understanding behind the Blessed Sacrament and possibly the Lord Himself.

The fact of the matter is, at my current church, it’s difficult for me to get anything out of the Liturgy of the Word when all the sermons are written for parishiners forty years old than my own age. My point being that yes, it would be wrong of me to replace Mass with a Portestant service, but I see no problem in trying to seek a church, whether it be another Catholic church or a church of a different Christian denomonation, that can help me deepen my understanding of what God wants for us told during the scripture readings.

Except that they do not have the apostolic authority to confect the Eucharist at the Episcopalian Liturgy. They do not have the Body and Blood of Christ.

 

[Jacqueline47]

Except that they do not have the apostolic authority to confect the Eucharist at the Episcopalian Liturgy. They do not have the Body and Blood of Christ.

I know.

 

[thequeen]

We are obligated to go to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days at a Catholic Church we cannot replace it with another form of worship because that is a grave sin.

 

[Hesychios]

Roman Cathloics arent that much diffent from episcopals as far as beliefs right?

No, not right.

… so it cant be wrong for me to start going to the less-uptight episcopal church in my town…right?

No, not right.

I still firmly believe everything i did before.

Worship with those who share your beliefs.

 

[valentino]

I am Cathloic, i forgot to mention that. I understand that as a Cathloic I still need to value Cathloic beliefs, which i intend on doing. I just wanted to go to the episopal church some of my friends go to because they say its a lot easier to understand than my Parish, which has mostly elderly Parishiners. So it’s not that i wanted to totally disregaurd everything i believe in, i just think i could get more out of a service thats supposedly directed for people my age group.

In that case IMO(not positive)you can go to Epis.services.Im assuming that you find the fellowship better at the Epis.Church.I understand that because the Mass is a more personal experience than a social gathering although personally I view it as both.When im at Mass i feel like Im there also with a community of believers and we’re worshipping God as a family.I feel that the person beside is my own brother or sister.I feel very close to everyone there.Do you ever attend the various church functions?Like the meetings which are held sometimes after Mass or during the week?During Lent we had a meeting every Wds.after 6o’clock where we all had a supper with a speaker afterwards.There were many people who attended and oldsters like myself.

 

[LOCO]

It’s wrong, mostly.

The sacraments are invalid: the eucharist isn’t the eucharist, the priests have no authority, the penance is not efficacious, mainly because the orders are invalid (and the sect is schismatic and heretic) and thus the priests are not actually priests. The Episcopal sect (it’s not a church: only RCs and EOs have that respect) is what I believe I know as Anglicanism, and it’s been oft-discussed how wrong the Anglicanism is in many things.

However, to merely sit in the church-building during a service is not a sin, I don’t believe, as long as you do not believe it to be valid, do not hold it in the same regard as a real Mass or Divine Liturgy, and do not go to the Episcopalian service in detriment to your attendance at a proper Roman Catholic Church: however, to go to the Episcopalian service when a Roman Catholic Church is available on a Sunday I would believe is a sin, as it is obligatory on all Catholics to go to Mass on Sunday.

It seems that just sitting through the service, on a day other than Sunday, or after you’ve already gone to Mass, is no more of a sin than listening to a Methodist minister preach, or reading a defense of Calvinism (I’m not sure if more conservative position would hold this to be a sin, as the books would never be granted nihil obstat and imprimatur, as for obvious reasons, read without discretion, they can lead one astray and cause grave damage to the faculty of sacred reason and the faculty of conscience or morality): if you know they are incorrect, yet have interest for educational or research purposes, they can have some value (with the aforementioned caveat).

However, I am not certain about the above, but I am certain that no services are an adequate replacement or proxy for the Mass or Divine Liturgy: there can be no other. To try to defend that all Christian services are the same - or that any service is as valid as any other service - is slipping in to latitudinarian indifferentism.

 

[LOCO]

No, not right.
No, not right.
Worship with those who share your beliefs.

 

[pismopal]

It is not enough to teach what we Catholics believe…we must teach the difference in beliefs and why we cling to our belief. There is a HUGE difference and to minimize the difference is a travesty. Sorry…I don’t know how to mince words:shrug:

 

[Khalid]

…the opportunity to eat and drink His Body and Blood and become one with Him. You can’t get that anywhere but at Mass.

Devil’s advocate: I might come under fire for this, but in the spirit of ecumenism, and according to my understanding of consecration and the validity of orders, I think you can get it at an Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy too.

However, the Anglican/Episcopal “eucharist”, even if the specific congregation teaches the proper doctrine of the Real Presence, doesn’t contain it, as the consecration of the bread and wine are invalid, performed by “priests” (and priestesses, and active sodomite “priests”!) with invalid orders - it’s just bread and wine in any church other than an Roman Catholic or an Eastern Orthodox.

The Episcopals ordain priestesses and non-celibate homosexuals to their “priesthood”, and approve or tolerate all sorts of other immoralities - I think that should be enough evidence not only to call in to question the validity of their orders (since it could be argued that they may have apostolic succession due to the historical nature of the founding of Anglicanism), but to destroy the notion completely. Via media my eye!

There’s part of the reason why there’s been and is being a mass exodus of Anglican/Episcopalians to the Roman Catholic Church.

 

[GKC]

Devil’s advocate: I might come under fire for this, but in the spirit of ecumenism, and according to my understanding of consecration and the validity of orders, I think you can get it at an Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy too.

However, the Anglican/Episcopal “eucharist”, even if the specific congregation teaches the proper doctrine of the Real Presence, doesn’t contain it, as the consecration of the bread and wine are invalid, performed by “priests” (and priestesses, and active sodomite “priests”!) with invalid orders - it’s just bread and wine in any church other than an Roman Catholic or an Eastern Orthodox.

The Episcopals ordain priestesses and non-celibate homosexuals to their “priesthood”, and approve or tolerate all sorts of other immoralities - I think that should be enough evidence not only to call in to question the validity of their orders (since it could be argued that they may have apostolic succession due to the historical nature of the founding of Anglicanism), but to destroy the notion completely. Via media my eye!

There’s part of the reason why there’s been and is being a mass exodus of Anglican/Episcopalians to the Roman Catholic Church.

Two points:

There are Anglicans. And then there are Anglicans. Not all fit the mold you suggest here. Though far too many do.

The question of the validity of Anglican orders, generally, (that is, the logic behind Apostolicae Curae) is a complicated subject. All RCs should certainly affirm it, as at least sententiae ad fidem pertinens. Anglicans have a different view of the matter (so to speak).

I always recommend Clark’s ANGLICAN ORDERS AND DEFECT OF INTENTION, for the best exposition of the RC view, and Hughes’ ABSOLUTELY NULL AND UTTERLY VOID and STEWARDS OF THE LORD, for a presentation (by a RC priest, first such, former Anglican priest, to be ordained sub conditione)) of an exposition of another take on that long, complex, and sad story.

OTOH, with respect to the OP, I wouldn’t suggest attending an Episcopal service, if one were RC.

GKC

 

[ANNE_2]

Yes, because all non-catholics are also anti-catholics.
I would recommend you do whatever is best for your relationship with God. Don’t be bought over by superficial matters, but think, pray, research and do whatever will bring you closer to Him. Of course Roman Catholics will tell you it is a Mortal Sin to skip Roman Catholic mass and nothing could bring you closer than Catholic mass (you can’t come to a Catholic forum and expect any different answer), but it is ultimately between you and God, not you and Roman Catholics.

You are not completely correct.

MATTHEW 16:18-19
" And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you lose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. " - * Jesus *to Simon BarJona.
(Saint Peter first Pope - 32 to 67 AD, with 265 Successors)

For additional information read the “Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition” and “Catholicism for Dummies”.

 

[Bran_Stark]

Many of the beliefs of the Episcopal Church are not the same as the Catholic Church. This is why many Episcopalians and Anglicans are converting to Catholicism.

On the contrary, such people are converting to the Catholic Church precisely because traditional Anglicans often have the very same beliefs which Catholics do.

 

[CMatt25]

On the contrary, such people are converting to the Catholic Church precisely because traditional Anglicans often have the very same beliefs which Catholics do.

Which is also precisely why so many are remaining in the Episcopal Church. Because they don’t share the same beliefs. A local Episcopal priest told me in her diocese there has been very little dissention and absolutely no exodus of churches at all.