Question regarding Rites

[andrewdodd]

Is it possible to change Rites? From the impression I have gotten, you are permanently the rite you are baptised/confirmed into, and can attend other rites but will be “officially” the rite of your origin. Is this true, or am I just confused? Thanks.

 

[thistle]

Is it possible to change Rites? From the impression I have gotten, you are permanently the rite you are baptised/confirmed into, and can attend other rites but will be “officially” the rite of your origin. Is this true, or am I just confused? Thanks.

Why would anyone want to change Rites? The different Rites are all Catholic.

 

[andrewdodd]

But if a person preferred one rite’s liturgy to another, that would be a reason to switch rites, and they would still be Catholic.

 

[fermat]

As I understand it, you can petition the Ordinary of the diocese to switch rites, one time. The idea is that they don’t want people switching rites frequently or on a whim. If you are really sure you want to do this, contact the Bishops office and ask about the process.

 

[andrewdodd]

I am not currently thinking about it. I’m wanting to join the Catholic Church and I was just wondering if the rite I join during RCIA (or RCIC, because I’m 15) would be the permanent one.

 

[ConstantineTG]

andrewdodd

If you have not been received into the Church yet, you can appraoch your Eastern Catholic priest and tell him your desire to join their Church. You are canonically not a member of any sui juris Church until you have received your baptism and confirmation.

Also, know that being a member of any other sui juris Church doesn’t prevent you from becoming a regular parishioner of any other sui juris Church. You can be canonically Latin and yet exclusively go to an Eastern Church of the Byzantine Rite. Although I imagine when it comes to marriage and Sacraments of Initiation, you may be asked to go to your Church of Patrimony (I hope I got the term right). You may apply for a Canonical transfer and I believe its easier for a Latin Catholic to become an Eastern Catholic than for an Eastern Catholic to become a Latin Catholic. I forgot which Pope, but a Pope forbade missionaries and anyone from converting Eastern Catholics into Latin Catholics. Since they are small in number by comparisson, the Church wants to do her best to preserve the people who preserve the traditions of the East.

 

[ConstantineTG]

I am not currently thinking about it. I’m wanting to join the Catholic Church and I was just wondering if the rite I join during RCIA (or RCIC, because I’m 15) would be the permanent one.

I highly encourage you to attend a Byzantine Divine Liturgy. Even if you do not plan to join the sui juris Church, but its a wonderful experience. And Pope John Paul II through his apostolic letter Orientale Lumen has asked all Latin Catholics to learn the traditions of the East. I think this would be great for your formation into the faith.