Odd Conversion Situation

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kamalayka
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Kamalayka

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Here is my story:

I want to become Catholic. In my town, there are two Catholic churches, one Russian Orthodox, and about fifteen Protestant.

I went to the two Catholic churches and found out that they were closed down and vacant.

I live in a relatively isolated town, and I don’t have a car. I can’t afford to take a taxi or ride the bus to a neighboring town with a Catholic church.

Should I just go to the Orthodox church for now, or would it still be considered heresy?
 
Definitely not Protestant, anyway. Fifteen churches, potentially fifteen different interpretations of the Bible and all of them incomplete or wrong or both. Head for the Orthodox until your situation changes.
 
Hey, I came back to Catholicism partly via books I read about Orthodoxy (the monks on Mount Athos). Figured I already belonged to a religion that had holy men in it, was already confirmed in it and a deal’s a deal, so …
 
To Kamalayka:

Get baptised by a Catholic priest, if you can. Explain your situation to him. Then go to the Orthodox priest and ask him for permission to receive Communion there.

If you can’t make contact with a Catholic priest at all, then head for the Orthodox.

Tricky question. Maybe someone more authoritative could answer it?
 
Layman said:
To Kamalayka:

Get baptised by a Catholic priest, if you can. Explain your situation to him. Then go to the Orthodox priest and ask him for permission to receive Communion there.

If you can’t make contact with a Catholic priest at all, then head for the Orthodox.

Tricky question. Maybe someone more authoritative could answer it?
Click to expand...
As a general rule, Orthodox do not give communion to Roman Catholics.
 
You are in a difficult situation. Your profile doesn’t say where you live, however, you do have access to a computer. It may be that a Catholic parish in your state or country has a website and you could contact a Catholic priest that way. Perhaps he could instruct you in the faith (you probably already know quite a bit) and could advise you better about what to do. Perhaps he knows someone who could help you with transportation. Maybe a catechist could sometimes visit you and sometimes bring you communion after you are baptized.

You can go to the EWTN website and unite yourself to the mass (Latin rite) which they broadcast live or listen to it on short wave radio if you have one.

Above all, pray that God will make a way for you to follow his leading into the church.

Although the Orthodox differ from us in some doctrine and aren’t in union with the pope, they do have apostolic succession and true sacraments. Probably, if you wish to attend Divine Liturgy there, you should speak to the priest ahead of time to be sure it would be alright with him for you to worship there. (No, it wouldn’t be heresy to do so. Heresy is accepting false doctrines.) Be honest with him that you feel Jesus is calling you into the Catholic church, not Orthodox. And do NOT receive communion there. You are not totally in union with them and, as Cluny said, the Orthodox usually don’t admit Catholics (or would-be Catholics) to communion.

May God bless you.
 
Could you try to find and contact other Catholics in town and find out what they are doing? Maybe you could get a ride with someone to a nearby town. It’s surprising a town with a large enough population to support 15 Protestant churches doesn’t have some kind Catholic Mass available.
 
You don’t necessarily need to receive the sacraments regularly to be a good Catholic, if they’re just not available. You are kind of in a mission situation; if they ain’t there, they ain’t there. So there’s no fault, on your part, in that. Just do your best in the circumstances. That’s all anyone can do.
 
go to google and type in your town and state name plus the words Catholic Diocese.

This will give you the website of the Diocese. Call them and ask where your nearest Parish is, explain that you wish to enter into communion. They will assist you from there.
 
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