Dear 7 Sorrows,
Greek Orthodox not in communion with Rome.
First–I am not Orthodox, so I’m probably not the best person to answer your question! But I love going to our local Greek Orthodox Church for their Spring Festival and while there I’ve talked some with the priest.
It is definitely on my to-do list–the Orthodox churches are just gorgeous, and I love the icons. (The priest guessed from my questions that I was Catholic, lol.)
Got it.
You are welcome to visit. Many people don’t arrive until the beginning of Divine Liturgy but you will have a much better experience if you are there for Matins which precedes the Divine Liturgy. Even better if you can attend Vespers the evening before (not all churches have Vespers though
)Before the concept of unity is attempted we must understand each other. There have been many screaming matches and tossing of arguments. You have to think like an Orthodox and they have to come to think like a Catholic. Catholics always shove the Code of Canon law on the table, the Orthodox speak of the Church Fathers and the Deposit of Faith as handed down by the Apostles and our shared saints and martyrs. We ignore each other. By the good grace of God I have attended Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgies. The priests there did much to remind me of my Catholic faith. Something I had sought to learn at Catholic parishes but is not taught there anymore. So I exist in between the two, somehow, in an Eastern Catholic church
There is more to it than just claiming the pope was first among equals. That aside, that very title can mean more that one thing and I’ll gladly reject it if anyone claims the pope was only first in honor.
Thanks to all of you for your helpful replies.You are welcome to visit. Many people don’t arrive until the beginning of Divine Liturgy but you will have a much better experience if you are there for Matins which precedes the Divine Liturgy. Even better if you can attend Vespers the evening before (not all churches have Vespers though
Dress modestly. You don’t need to wear a head scarf. If you went to a Russian church you would fit in better with a head scarf.
You cannot receive Holy Communion.Don’t even try.
You can receive blessed bread at the end of the liturgy. It is called “Antidoron” which means “instead of the gift”.
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First Visit to an Orthodox Church
You’re not required to wear a headcovering…the Russian Orthodox church tends to be more conservative there but both the OCA and the Antiochian churches I’ve attended had very few women with scarves on.
From a Catholic perspective, Catholics may only receive the Eucharist from an Orthodox priest in rare, life-threatening situations.
The circumstances in which canon law permits Catholics to receive communion from an Orthodox priest are limited, but I would not characterize those circumstances as being limited to “rare, life-threatening situations.” The relevant canon actually states:
Orthodox priests don’t admit non-Orthodox to communion.
Generally, that is the case. However, it’s not a universally true statement. Depending on the particular Church, the locale, and even the individual priest, there are instances in which Catholics are permitted by Orthodox priests to receive Communion.
You would need grave circumstances like perhaps a ship sinking or something.
That is not necessarily correct.
No you don’t. That has already been addressed. And the Orthodox are permitted to receive at a Catholic Church. The only hitch for a Catholic really is receiving permission from the Orthodox priest.
Reception of the Communion is a visible sign of unity with the Christian community where you receive. We are not in full communion and therefore should not act with indifference. There remains some hope that one day full union will occur.