T
TheMikado
Guest
I am a “new” Roman Catholic; “new” in the sense that I have not yet completed RCIA, been confirmed, or made first confession. I am coming from the Anglican Catholic Church. I have been attending daily mass, have had several conversations/meetings with the parish priests, and have attended bible study at my parish for the past 18 months. I only made the decision to convert to the Roman church about 2 months ago.
Everyone in the parish has made me feel very welcome.
I was, until recently, participating in the Eucharist; the Anglican Catholic Church has been in communion with the Roman church for several years and I had received permission from both my (now) former ACC Archbishop and my parish priest.
Then, my wife and I went on a cruise. Things should be great, right?
On about our third day at sea, my wife and I met a couple seated near us in the buffet who SOC’d themselves before eating. I asked them if they were Catholic and they said “Yes”. I mentioned that it was a shame there were no services on board and they said ”There are. There’s a Catholic priest on board doing daily mass at 9 o’clock in the chapel.”
Long story short, I took communion the next day at mass and was accosted, and not in a particularly nice way, by the wife of the couple who was appalled that I would take communion without having been confirmed and gone to first confession. I told her that, to my knowledge, confession in the ACC is not the same as it is in the Roman church. While I’m sure an ACC priest would hear a personal confession, the ACC churches do not have Roman Catholic confessionals and the rite is not offered in any ACC church bulletin. Since the ACC and the Roman church are in communion and I had received permission from all the involved parties/organizations, I presumed I was good to go. Not so, according to this woman.
I talked to the priest on the ship and asked him what I should do. He said that, while she was technically correct, the fact that the two churches are in communion should prevail and I could either take the Eucharist or take the blessing. I chose the blessing for the rest of the cruise because I did not want to scandalize this woman.
I talked to my parish priest and he is somewhat ambivalent about the whole thing. He is more concerned with getting me through the annulment of my first two marriages so that I can officially join the church.
Anyway, I have chosen to forgo the Eucharist and only take the blessing until I am a full member and I’ve been to my first confession. My issue is that I feel very lost by only taking the blessing and not the body and blood of Christ.
I’m not actually sure what I am asking here but I could use some advice.
Thank you in advance to all to answer me.
Everyone in the parish has made me feel very welcome.
I was, until recently, participating in the Eucharist; the Anglican Catholic Church has been in communion with the Roman church for several years and I had received permission from both my (now) former ACC Archbishop and my parish priest.
Then, my wife and I went on a cruise. Things should be great, right?
On about our third day at sea, my wife and I met a couple seated near us in the buffet who SOC’d themselves before eating. I asked them if they were Catholic and they said “Yes”. I mentioned that it was a shame there were no services on board and they said ”There are. There’s a Catholic priest on board doing daily mass at 9 o’clock in the chapel.”
Long story short, I took communion the next day at mass and was accosted, and not in a particularly nice way, by the wife of the couple who was appalled that I would take communion without having been confirmed and gone to first confession. I told her that, to my knowledge, confession in the ACC is not the same as it is in the Roman church. While I’m sure an ACC priest would hear a personal confession, the ACC churches do not have Roman Catholic confessionals and the rite is not offered in any ACC church bulletin. Since the ACC and the Roman church are in communion and I had received permission from all the involved parties/organizations, I presumed I was good to go. Not so, according to this woman.
I talked to the priest on the ship and asked him what I should do. He said that, while she was technically correct, the fact that the two churches are in communion should prevail and I could either take the Eucharist or take the blessing. I chose the blessing for the rest of the cruise because I did not want to scandalize this woman.
I talked to my parish priest and he is somewhat ambivalent about the whole thing. He is more concerned with getting me through the annulment of my first two marriages so that I can officially join the church.
Anyway, I have chosen to forgo the Eucharist and only take the blessing until I am a full member and I’ve been to my first confession. My issue is that I feel very lost by only taking the blessing and not the body and blood of Christ.
I’m not actually sure what I am asking here but I could use some advice.
Thank you in advance to all to answer me.
Last edited:
