Just to clarify something

[Vico]

thanks for the reply… my sui iuris church doesn’t have a bishop, - we’re under the local Latin bishop.

Then he is your proper ordinary and you can contact him.

 

[Monica4316]

No problemo!!

Good for you!

Then he is your proper ordinary and you can contact him.

sorry if this is a silly question, but - how?

 

[runningdude]

okay, thank you

what is meant by ‘sui iuris’ here? is the Latin church a sui iuris church also? or is it saying that it should be an Eastern church? Sorry I get kind of lost with all these terms lol. Still learning

Sorry to add yet another voice to the mix, lol, but the Latin Church is indeed a sui iuris church!

Based on the research I’ve done on this topic (on CAF and elsewhere), if you don’t have access to an Eastern Catholic parish of your own rite, then the local Latin rite parish would be your local parish. So your actions are perfectly acceptable

 

[lauraabarlow]

Hey Monica-from my understanding, you are fulfilling your Sunday obligation going to any catholic mass-whether latin or eastern. As for switching rites, why not stay eastern but attend faithfully your local parish (latin rite) since I also heard that it is harder to switch from east to west and you also need to get Rome’s permission to do so (correct me if I am wrong). I don’t want to come across as telling you what to do but for me, if I was in your position, I would stay eastern and just attend latin rite, and if possible, try to go on eastern catholic websites to help you grow in faith-I’ve been to the melkite greek catholic liturgy and found it quite different than my latin rite counter-part yet left me feeling in awe-had no idea the beauty of the music sung there and the icons-wow! I am latin rite and thought about switching once but right now, until I am a 100 percent sure, I’ll stay put. But to answer your question, no-you are not sinning going to the local latin rite mass being that you are still fulfilling your sunday obligation-I hope that helps out some :hug1:

 

[Monica4316]

Sorry to add yet another voice to the mix, lol, but the Latin Church is indeed a sui iuris church!

Based on the research I’ve done on this topic (on CAF and elsewhere), if you don’t have access to an Eastern Catholic parish of your own rite, then the local Latin rite parish would be your local parish. So your actions are perfectly acceptable

okay, thank you

I was told that if I don’t have access to my sui iuris church, I should go to another Eastern church… but I don’t know…

 

[Monica4316]

Hey Monica-from my understanding, you are fulfilling your Sunday obligation going to any catholic mass-whether latin or eastern. As for switching rites, why not stay eastern but attend faithfully your local parish (latin rite) since I also heard that it is harder to switch from east to west and you also need to get Rome’s permission to do so (correct me if I am wrong). I don’t want to come across as telling you what to do but for me, if I was in your position, I would stay eastern and just attend latin rite, and if possible, try to go on eastern catholic websites to help you grow in faith-I’ve been to the melkite greek catholic liturgy and found it quite different than my latin rite counter-part yet left me feeling in awe-had no idea the beauty of the music sung there and the icons-wow! I am latin rite and thought about switching once but right now, until I am a 100 percent sure, I’ll stay put. But to answer your question, no-you are not sinning going to the local latin rite mass being that you are still fulfilling your sunday obligation-I hope that helps out some :hug1:

thanks for the reply I also heard that it’s difficult for an Eastern Catholic person to switch to the Latin rite, unless they are marrying a Latin rite Catholic, or perhaps joining a Latin religious order (not sure about this though). I would be alright simply being Eastern Catholic for now and going to a Latin church on Sundays, - but it keeps on bothering me because I was told that I should attend an Eastern parish, and I have one in my town, though it’s not my sui iuris church… (but similar). I’m not totally sure if I should go there, or to the Latin church. Maybe I’m just worrying too much and being scrupulous. I have the type of mind where I need everything to be organized and for things to make sense, and this is complicated. oh well.

 

[ConstantineTG]

okay, thank you

what is meant by ‘sui iuris’ here? is the Latin church a sui iuris church also? or is it saying that it should be an Eastern church? Sorry I get kind of lost with all these terms lol. Still learning

sui juris is every self governing Church. Yes, the Roman Catholic Church is a sui juris, separate from other sui juris such as Ukrainian, Ruthenian, Russian, Chaldean, Coptic, Maronite, Melkite, etc.

 

[malphono]

sorry if this is a silly question, but - how?

You could go directly to the Chancery, but given the normal bureaucratic nonsense that goes on in any office these days, (e.g. it’s almost impossible to speak with the right person even at the phone company), it would probably be easier to start the process by speaking with the local pastor. He’ll be able to contact the Chancery and should be able to guide you through the steps. Less painful that way and better chances of success on top of it.

 

[5Loaves]

I am being guided by my priest to overcome scrupulosity

The most helpful thing for your soul and for your mental health is to continue seeking spiritual direction from this priest who is endeavoring to help you.

No of course it’s not a sin to switch rites, but I’m supposed to practice my faith according to my rite, and I’m not sure how strict this guideline is.

We’ve reviewed this in the past when you have raised these concerns in similar threads here. Be sure this priest knows exactly what you continue to focus on so that he can give you correct direction to assist you in overcoming this difficulty you have with scrupulosity. If after a number of months working with him you continue to suffer from this he can refer you to someone who can evaluate your situation.

…
If I had the opportunity to attend an Eastern parish but still chose Roman Catholic, on a given Sunday, - *is that ***a sin?

Your priest needs to know that this is a question you have.

If I remember correctly you’re a young person. Have you got a copy of the brand new YouCat, Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church, written by and for young people? This might be easier for you to work with than the CCC for getting a better grasp on basic teachings of the Church. When it comes to a question like the one you ask here regarding sin there is no difference East and West.

My prayers are with you that you will be able to be freed of this thinking and the other ways in which scrupulosity has ensnared you, that you will find comfort in the home you have in your Latin parish. especially that you can enjoy friendship with your peers who love their faith.

 

[lauraabarlow]

Take heart and be at peace-God knows your heart-and many folks brought up some wonderful suggestions for you. If it was me, I would go to the priest myself, and ask for spiritual advice to hopefully address your concerns and to help you work through it to find a solution to put your troubles to rest. God isn’t going to ask you to do the impossible-if you are more comfortable going to a latin rite mass instead of ukraninian, than do so-at least you are fulfilling your sunday day of obligation. I think you will do just fine-please go your priest or another priest you feel comfortable with-make an appt and really lay it all out-he will guide you and hopefully, you will be at peace afterwards-don’t let your heart be troubled, God is with you :hug3::grouphug:

 

[angelic06]

May I add another spin to this?

I’m not going to speak on the canonics of transfer of rites because that has already been covered, but may I suggest that having a true, bona fide Eastern Catholic in a Latin parish might be a really good thing, since they can serve as an additional resource for Catholics of the Latin (Roman) Church when they have questions about Eastern spirituality, etc.? At the very least, it reminds Latins that ours is not the only Catholic (in union with the Holy Father of Rome) Church in the world.

Think of it this way: out of all the churches with follow some kind of apostolic succession, the Latin (Roman) Church is the largest, then, if (and only if) they have any of awareness of the Eastern churches at all, it would be the Orthodox churches, then after that, if they are even aware of the last, there might----not necessarily will----but might have some crude form of knowledge of the Eastern/Oriental Catholic churches (those Eastern/Oriental churches in communion with the Holy Father of Rome). Many of my fellow Catholics, even my family, are not fully aware that the last exist. When I told my mother back in 2006 that I started attending our local Maronite church (which does not even have an Orthodox equivalent), she thought that they were not Catholic and told me to wait until I could find the church for me before returning to Mass. She apparently told my brother, who, when I spoke to him on the phone, said something to the effect of, “So, I hear you started attending an Orthodox Church?”

So, while it is technically possible for an Eastern Catholic to transfer to a Latin Church, may I respectfully suggest that it might not be advisable? If the Eastern Catholics grow smaller, who is going to tell the Latins about their own Churches? Or on a more practical scale and more bluntly: who is going to advise them on their options for divine worship when they visit the East?

You must do what you must do. But since you did ask about it, I thought I might chime in, from a Latin point of view, strongly inviting you to stay in your own Catholic church, while attending the Latin church if your heart moves you. In the future, my fellow Latins will thank you for it.

 

[Hesychios]

the problem is, I became Catholic with the intention of being Roman Catholic. i thought I was Roman Catholic for the first year and a half or so. I don’t have an Eastern parish, and my way of thinking is also very ‘Latin’. It’s really complicated for me trying to be Eastern Catholic in these circumstances…

Your problem is … you know too much!

If you were like most other people you would be content.

 

[Alexius]

You must also go where you are spiritually nurtured and can grow. To officially switch rites would be extremely difficult (and not recommended) since you would be moving from the more densely populated eastern churches to the much larger western church. To attend as you currently are is much easier.

Some important questions though:

Do you feel guilty for not attending an Eastern church? Do you feel you can grow in this Eastern church (when you attended; besides the language issue)? Is the language issue something that is beyond grasp/understanding? It seems that the distance thing is another barrier, but is it the barrier that is stopping you? Is there really an identity crisis here? I think these are things that you should pray about because it can definitely stunt your spiritual growth.

I don’t mean to get too personal with these, I just think that you are in need of some prayer and some additional discussion time with the relevant priests.

Prayers and petitions,
Alexius

 

[ConstantineTG]

May I add another spin to this?

I’m not going to speak on the canonics of transfer of rites because that has already been covered, but may I suggest that having a true, bona fide Eastern Catholic in a Latin parish might be a really good thing, since they can serve as an additional resource for Catholics of the Latin (Roman) Church when they have questions about Eastern spirituality, etc.? At the very least, it reminds Latins that ours is not the only Catholic (in union with the Holy Father of Rome) Church in the world.

Think of it this way: out of all the churches with follow some kind of apostolic succession, the Latin (Roman) Church is the largest, then, if (and only if) they have any of awareness of the Eastern churches at all, it would be the Orthodox churches, then after that, if they are even aware of the last, there might----not necessarily will----but might have some crude form of knowledge of the Eastern/Oriental Catholic churches (those Eastern/Oriental churches in communion with the Holy Father of Rome). Many of my fellow Catholics, even my family, are not fully aware that the last exist. When I told my mother back in 2006 that I started attending our local Maronite church (which does not even have an Orthodox equivalent), she thought that they were not Catholic and told me to wait until I could find the church for me before returning to Mass. She apparently told my brother, who, when I spoke to him on the phone, said something to the effect of, “So, I hear you started attending an Orthodox Church?”

So, while it is technically possible for an Eastern Catholic to transfer to a Latin Church, may I respectfully suggest that it might not be advisable? If the Eastern Catholics grow smaller, who is going to tell the Latins about their own Churches? Or on a more practical scale and more bluntly: who is going to advise them on their options for divine worship when they visit the East?

You must do what you must do. But since you did ask about it, I thought I might chime in, from a Latin point of view, strongly inviting you to stay in your own Catholic church, while attending the Latin church if your heart moves you. In the future, my fellow Latins will thank you for it.

From my own experience trying to spread the word about the Eastern faith, Roman Catholics are generally not interested in the Eastern faith.

 

[Aramis]

thanks for the reply… I understand with the fasts, and I do try to follow them. But what is meant by following the calendar?

Well, for example, not all the obligatory feasts are the same. Jan 6 vs Jan 1, for example. Romans have one, Byzantines the other. There are a couple others. Likewise, it’s much rarer to transfer feasts to sunday in the Byzantine tradition. If you’re canonically Russian, you’ve got it easy, as your bishop IS the Roman one, so the feasts are transferred if the Romans do.

 

[Monica4316]

Well, for example, not all the obligatory feasts are the same. Jan 6 vs Jan 1, for example. Romans have one, Byzantines the other. There are a couple others. Likewise, it’s much rarer to transfer feasts to sunday in the Byzantine tradition. If you’re canonically Russian, you’ve got it easy, as your bishop IS the Roman one, so the feasts are transferred if the Romans do.

oh do you mean they are transferred to the nearest Sunday, or are they the same as the Roman ones? didn’t know this…

 

[ciero]

Well, for example, not all the obligatory feasts are the same. Jan 6 vs Jan 1, for example. Romans have one, Byzantines the other. There are a couple others. Likewise, it’s much rarer to transfer feasts to sunday in the Byzantine tradition. If you’re canonically Russian, you’ve got it easy, as your bishop IS the Roman one, so the feasts are transferred if the Romans do.

None of the Russians in the US transfer feast like the Romans do.

 

[ciero]

From my own experience trying to spread the word about the Eastern faith, Roman Catholics are generally not interested in the Eastern faith.

Boy…my experience is just the opposite…tell Roman Catholics about Eastern Catholicism (something most don’t even know exists) and they are VERY interested. I can show you about 200 “converts” that I know personally just in So Cal. The Eastern Catholics are the best kept secret in the Catholic Communion.

 

[Hesychios]

From my own experience trying to spread the word about the Eastern faith, Roman Catholics are generally not interested in the Eastern faith.

In person to person discussions with people I have known, I usually got a range of responses that included mild curiosity and overt suspicion. I even was warned about it, as if I was putting myself in possible danger, but most people were too polite.

Hardly anyone I knew was motivated to join me on a Sunday. The radio show helped, it drew a lot of curious individuals but sometimes (not usually) these people came in a bit judgmental, like new owners taking inventory.

 

[Aramis]

ciero:
None of the Russians in the US transfer feast like the Romans do.

But Russians in a diocese withut a Russian parish are able to be on the Roman Calendar if the Bishop permits. And most do. (The rest usually ask them to follow the closest Byzantine parish’s calendar.)

And the Ruthenians generally don’t transfer an obligation, either.

A Russian Catholic’s proper bishop when residing or quasiresiding in the US is the local Roman bishop.