I am a postulant with a religious order living in a priory. I have been looking more and more at Eastern Catholicism, particularly the Ukrainian Catholic, Ruthinian Catholic, and Melkite Catholic churches. I have been kind of disenfranchised because I do not see much solemnity in the masses I attend, except on special occassions. I plan to start attending at least one if not more of the above mentioned to see the difference in worship. If I do feel that I belong spiritually more to one of these eastern churches and apply to switch, what kind of repurcutions could I expect?
I am aware that the order I am discerning with, the Carmelites, does accept Eastern Catholics.
There may be a different theological expression, liturgical ritual, sacramental discipline and canon law for each of the 22 eastern Catholic churches. For the canons:
Canon 112 (NCCCL, Beal, Coriden, Green)"… because ascription to a ritual church is definitive, it belongs to the status of persons."
"In effect, the canon distinguishes membership from liturgical practice. This means that change of ritual church membership occurs in one of the three ways provided for in paragraph one."CICCan. 112 §1 After the reception of baptism, the following become members of another autonomous ritual Church:
1° those who have obtained permission from the Apostolic See;
2° a spouse who, on entering marriage or during its course, has declared that he or she is transferring to the autonomous ritual
Church of the other spouse; on the dissolution of the marriage, however, that person may freely return to the latin Church;
3° the children of those mentioned in nn. 1 and 2 who have not completed their fourteenth year, and likewise in a mixed marriage the children of a catholic party who has lawfully transferred to another ritual Church; on completion of their fourteenth year, however, they may return to the latin Church.
§2 The practice, however long standing, of receiving the sacraments according to the rite of an autonomous ritual Church, does not bring with it membership of that Church.
Transfer Of Ritual Church
Sufficient reasons:
- Unification of Church sui iuris in a family (mother, father).
- Return to the Church sui iuris of one’s ancestors.
- Spouse who wishes to transfer for peace and unity in the home.
- Physical or moral impossibility by permanent circumstances to use one’s own Church sui iuris.
- Domicile and or activity among those who are almost all of another Church sui iuris.
- Entry into religious life under different Church sui iuris.
- Incardination to serve different Church sui iuris.
Insufficient reasons:
- Education, attending school or church or sacraments, in another Church, or ignorance of own Church sui iuris with good knowledge of other Church sui iuris.
- Good for the soul (insufficient because all churches are good for the soul).
- Defects in a Church (insufficient because all churches are have defects).
- Peace of mind or conscience cannot be judged.
Follow own Church sui iuris rules concerning:
- Holy days and penitential seasons.
- Fasting and abstinance.
- Proscriptions for baptism, confirmation, first confession, first communion, marriage, holy orders, annointing.
- May receive Holy Confession and Holy Eucharist in any Church sui iuris.
- Contribute to the support of universal Church and Church sui iuris.
