Visiting Orthodox churches

[Monica4316]

Hi,

I had a question… my SD advised me not to visit Protestant churches, because sometimes I get confused easily I guess. (I really have no desire to visit Protestant churches anymore though). Well - in a week, I’m going to another country for a bit, and there are really no Catholic churches there, only Orthodox. I’m going to speak to my priest about not being able to attend Mass, etc. (Do I need a dispensation?). But if someone in my family would want to attend an Orthodox church, is it okay if I go with them? I might not really have a choice. In addition, it would be good to be around the Real Presence even if I can’t receive the Sacraments there. Furthermore, when I told my SD that I had visited an Orthodox church in the past, he didn’t tell me not to attend, - but I think I did something wrong in the past because I had received an Orthodox sacramental (a special blessing) there (I told him about that too). Anyways… if I just go and observe, with my family, would that be wrong?

thank you!

 

[Contra_Mundum_1]

Anyways… if I just go and observe, with my family, would that be wrong?

thank you!

It wouldn’t be wrong.

Since you are going to a place without Catholic churches you are in no position to fulfill your sunday obligation. But checking with a priest is a good idea, to be on the safe side. Perhaps the place you are visiting will have an Eastern Catholic church. Can you find out?

 

[CB_Catholic]

Hi,

I had a question… my SD advised me not to visit Protestant churches, because sometimes I get confused easily I guess. (I really have no desire to visit Protestant churches anymore though). Well - in a week, I’m going to another country for a bit, and there are really no Catholic churches there, only Orthodox. I’m going to speak to my priest about not being able to attend Mass, etc. (Do I need a dispensation?). But if someone in my family would want to attend an Orthodox church, is it okay if I go with them? I might not really have a choice. In addition, it would be good to be around the Real Presence even if I can’t receive the Sacraments there. Furthermore, when I told my SD that I had visited an Orthodox church in the past, he didn’t tell me not to attend, - but I think I did something wrong in the past because I had received an Orthodox sacramental (a special blessing) there (I told him about that too). Anyways… if I just go and observe, with my family, would that be wrong?

thank you!

Perhaps, because you have put yourself under spiritual direction and your SD has advised you not to visit Protestant churches, you should ask your SD this question, rather than forum members who are not familiar with you. Just a suggestion.

 

[Monica4316]

Perhaps, because you have put yourself under spiritual direction and your SD has advised you not to visit Protestant churches, you should ask your SD this question, rather than forum members who are not familiar with you. Just a suggestion.

I am hoping to I’m just asking in case I won’t be able to. I’d need to phone him I guess cause I live in a different city.

 

[elizabeth_anne_1]

Does your spiritual director know about your previous issues with questioning intensely whether or not God wanted you to be Catholic or Orthodox? I remember this being an enormous source of anxiety for you. As I recall this anxiety went on for page after page in this forum. It might well be a near occasion of sin to put yourself in a position to stir up those doubts again.

Yeah, I think you should call your spiritual director directly. You may not receive good advice online, not to mention the fact that no one here really knows the way God is working with your soul the way that he does, with all of your gifts and challenges. Please take his advice over mine or anyone else’s.

 

[athenasius]

If you are going to a country with mostly Orthodox churches it is perfectly fine to attend mass and recieve the eucarist there as long as you are sure that there are no Roman catholic churches around. You do not even need a dispensation. have a good trip!

 

[Bluegoat]

If you are going to a country with mostly Orthodox churches it is perfectly fine to attend mass and recieve the eucarist there as long as you are sure that there are no Roman catholic churches around. You do not even need a dispensation. have a good trip!

It would be a bit rude for a Catholic to try to receive in an Orthodox Church I would think.

 

[thistle]

If you are going to a country with mostly Orthodox churches it is perfectly fine to attend mass and recieve the eucarist there as long as you are sure that there are no Roman catholic churches around. You do not even need a dispensation. have a good trip!

I think you are right.

CCC 838 “The Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honored by the name of Christian, but do not profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter.” Those “who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church.” With the Orthodox Churches, this communion is so profound “that it lacks little to attain the fullness that would permit a common celebration of the Lord’s Eucharist.”

 

[ConstantineTG]

Note that not all Orthodox parishes are friendly to Catholics (East or West) when it comes to receiving Communion. Its best to speak with the priest before Divine Liturgy and clarify this issue. The situation varies from priest to priest. But its best to respect the current situation about the Communion between our Churches and that we do not share Communion at this point. Trying to jump that line might irk someone and cause further division rather than unification.

I don’t see anything wrong with going to an Orthodox parish if you are asked not to go to a Protestant church. The Orthodox are not Protestant. There is nothing in their theology that is against Catholic teaching, and I doubt the priest will have a homily about the Papacy.

 

[thequeen]

It does depend on the situation and the Orthodox priest I was once in a situation many years ago when I first converted I was staying in an apartment near the hospital so I could receive chemotherapy and as a result did not have the energy to get to the nearest Catholic parish which was several miles away 4 or 5 I believe it was but I was able to walk the one block to the Greek Orthodox church that was near the apartment and The Orthodox priest knew my situation and allowed me to receive communion and My parish priest also knew the situation in fact he was the one suggested it He was really good friends with the Orthodox priest however I went back to my parish as soon as I could and I am proud to say that I am 17 year cancer survivor In fact the Orthodox priest would come and give me communion at the apartment that I was staying in going as far as to call the priest at my parish to tell him that if he needed to do something else not to worry that he had me taken care when it came to the sacraments I will always be greatful to that dear orthodox priest who was also a bishop and who is now in heaven…In fact I some times felt kind of bad because at the time he was nearly 90 years old and I was only 29 .

 

[ConstantineTG]

It does depend on the situation and the Orthodox priest I was once in a situation many years ago when I first converted I was staying in an apartment near the hospital so I could receive chemotherapy and as a result did not have the energy to get to the nearest Catholic parish which was several miles away 4 or 5 I believe it was but I was able to walk the one block to the Greek Orthodox church that was near the apartment and The Orthodox priest knew my situation and allowed me to receive communion and My parish priest also knew the situation in fact he was the one suggested it He was really good friends with the Orthodox priest however I went back to my parish as soon as I could and I am proud to say that I am 17 year cancer survivor In fact the Orthodox priest would come and give me communion at the apartment that I was staying in going as far as to call the priest at my parish to tell him that if he needed to do something else not to worry that he had me taken care when it came to the sacraments I will always be greatful to that dear orthodox priest who was also a bishop and who is now in heaven…In fact I some times felt kind of bad because at the time he was nearly 90 years old and I was only 29 .

Awesome story! Hopefully all Orthodox and Catholic bishops and priest can have that kind of relationship to foster unity in our Church. We are one and the same Body of Christ!

Truly you have been blessed! But the situation does vary from priest to priest, parish to parish. I’ve heard of Ukrainian Catholics who had their parish closed and they just moved to the Ukrainian Orthodox parish in town. The priest welcomed them all. But I’ve also heard of some Orthodox who are very protective that they were acting a bit cultish. But these were Orthodox converts in a place that is predominantly Catholic. So it really varies depending on the priest if he’s a bit defensive against Catholics, or even if the Bishop himself is a little bit hostile against Catholics and tells his priests not to give Communion to Catholics. The rule of thumb should always ask.

 

[Alexander_Roman]

It does depend on the situation and the Orthodox priest I was once in a situation many years ago when I first converted I was staying in an apartment near the hospital so I could receive chemotherapy and as a result did not have the energy to get to the nearest Catholic parish which was several miles away 4 or 5 I believe it was but I was able to walk the one block to the Greek Orthodox church that was near the apartment and The Orthodox priest knew my situation and allowed me to receive communion and My parish priest also knew the situation in fact he was the one suggested it He was really good friends with the Orthodox priest however I went back to my parish as soon as I could and I am proud to say that I am 17 year cancer survivor In fact the Orthodox priest would come and give me communion at the apartment that I was staying in going as far as to call the priest at my parish to tell him that if he needed to do something else not to worry that he had me taken care when it came to the sacraments I will always be greatful to that dear orthodox priest who was also a bishop and who is now in heaven…In fact I some times felt kind of bad because at the time he was nearly 90 years old and I was only 29 .

What a deeply moving and spiritually beautiful story!! Thank you for sharing! Alex

 

[Monica4316]

Does your spiritual director know about your previous issues with questioning intensely whether or not God wanted you to be Catholic or Orthodox?

yes, he does

I remember this being an enormous source of anxiety for you. As I recall this anxiety went on for page after page in this forum. It might well be a near occasion of sin to put yourself in a position to stir up those doubts again.

the issue is, I might not have a choice… if my family goes, I’d need to come with them, I’d have no where else to go especially in a different country

Yeah, I think you should call your spiritual director directly. You may not receive good advice online, not to mention the fact that no one here really knows the way God is working with your soul the way that he does, with all of your gifts and challenges. Please take his advice over mine or anyone else’s.

I will try contacting him

If you are going to a country with mostly Orthodox churches it is perfectly fine to attend mass and recieve the eucarist there as long as you are sure that there are no Roman catholic churches around. You do not even need a dispensation. have a good trip!

I don’t think I’d be able to receive Communion there even if I could… I don’t think the Orthodox are really supportive of that

thanks for all the replies! God bless

 

[mariafransisca3]

I would say, monica, don’t come to orthodox churches. The Fourth Lateran Council, said that there is no salvation outside of catholic church.

You can read it here
papalencyclicals.net/Councils/index.htm
papalencyclicals.net/Councils/ecum12-2.htm#Confession%20of%20Faith

Read it on the confession of faith, it pertains to catholic church, not others.

You should know that.

If your faith is weak (we are faithless sinners, by the way. So is mine. I am weak), visiting orthodox churches would only bring you confusion.

So my advice would be, be without a church for a week. That’s okay. Just pray without ceasing, while you are in another country.

The Desert Fathers, lived in the desert, without holy communion, or confession, or church, for the matter. And they became saints. They renounced all things for love of Jesus.

You can read lives of the Fathers of the Desert, vol 1 and 2, it’s free
archive.org/download/a586049002hahnuoft/a586049002hahnuoft.pdf
archive.org/download/a586049001hahnuoft/a586049001hahnuoft.pdf

Some of them are St. Anthony the Hermit, also St. Paul the hermit, St. Fabiola. They lived in the desert to escape the dangers of the world.

You should know that orthodox churches (despite the name orthodox), pertains to schism.
Schism offends God greatly, because they do not want to be obedient to the Pope, one holy apostolic, catholic church, and doesn’t want to be in unity and obedience to the church

Read this, and your confusion whether you should be orthodox or catholic will be cleared
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schism_%28religion%29

You shouldn’t be confused. It is a temptation. You should be catholic, outside of which there is no salvation. Orthodox churches isn’t pleasing in the eyes of God. It is schism. Separating themselves to build their own doctrines. I think even the sacraments there aren’t valid.

Have a nice trip.

 

[Te_Deum]

Kneel for the consecration and keep your rosary in view at all times .

 

[elizabeth_anne_1]

How long will you be away? You probably really do have “a choice” whether to go to the orthodox church or not- you could always just stay where you are staying if the others go and catch up with them afterwards. I would just hate for you to become confused again by going. I know how miserable that can be. This seems to be in line with what your spiritual director advised you about the protestant churches. He does not want you to put yourself in the pathway of confusion either. I think knowing your history of anxiety in the area is an important piece of information- I am glad that he knows. The whole situation might be different if you had never struggled with these doubts and temptations. Part of being a mature Christian is honestly knowing yourself and your weaknesses and limitations. God allows these so that we can grow in humility, trust and obedience. Please be obedient to your spiritual director in this matter, whatever he advises. Try to maintain a little personal time for your own private prayer while you are away too. God bless you and your family and your travels!

 

[thistle]

I would say, monica, don’t come to orthodox churches. The Fourth Lateran Council, said that there is no salvation outside of catholic church.

You can read it here
papalencyclicals.net/Councils/index.htm
papalencyclicals.net/Councils/ecum12-2.htm#Confession%20of%20Faith

Read it on the confession of faith, it pertains to catholic church, not others.

You should know that.

If your faith is weak (we are faithless sinners, by the way. So is mine. I am weak), visiting orthodox churches would only bring you confusion.

So my advice would be, be without a church for a week. That’s okay. Just pray without ceasing, while you are in another country.

The Desert Fathers, lived in the desert, without holy communion, or confession, or church, for the matter. And they became saints. They renounced all things for love of Jesus.

You can read lives of the Fathers of the Desert, vol 1 and 2, it’s free
archive.org/download/a586049002hahnuoft/a586049002hahnuoft.pdf
archive.org/download/a586049001hahnuoft/a586049001hahnuoft.pdf

Some of them are St. Anthony the Hermit, also St. Paul the hermit, St. Fabiola. They lived in the desert to escape the dangers of the world.

You should know that orthodox churches (despite the name orthodox), pertains to schism.
Schism offends God greatly, because they do not want to be obedient to the Pope, one holy apostolic, catholic church, and doesn’t want to be in unity and obedience to the church

Read this, and your confusion whether you should be orthodox or catholic will be cleared
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schism_%28religion%29

You shouldn’t be confused. It is a temptation. You should be catholic, outside of which there is no salvation. Orthodox churches isn’t pleasing in the eyes of God. It is schism. Separating themselves to build their own doctrines. I think even the sacraments there aren’t valid.

Have a nice trip.

You are wrong. A Catholic travelling to a country where there is no Catholic Church may attend Mass and receive Communion in an Orthodox Church as the Orthodox Church has valid orders.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Kneel for the consecration and keep your rosary in view at all times .

And don’t forget to stick your tongue out when receiving

 

[SouthpawLink]

You are wrong. A Catholic travelling to a country where there is no Catholic Church may attend Mass and receive Communion in an Orthodox Church as the Orthodox Church has valid orders.

But they do not profess the true faith nor are they in communion with the Holy See. The Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office once said that worship with heretics (e.g., receiving Holy Communion at an Eastern Orthodox church) was opposed to divine and natural law, from which no one can dispense.

I’m sure there are some sedevacantist priests who have valid orders. Does that then mean we can receive Holy Communion from them as well? If not, then why is it okay to receive it from schismatics?

 

[Monica4316]

I would say, monica, don’t come to orthodox churches. The Fourth Lateran Council, said that there is no salvation outside of catholic church.

You can read it here
papalencyclicals.net/Councils/index.htm
papalencyclicals.net/Councils/ecum12-2.htm#Confession%20of%20Faith

Read it on the confession of faith, it pertains to catholic church, not others.

You should know that.

If your faith is weak (we are faithless sinners, by the way. So is mine. I am weak), visiting orthodox churches would only bring you confusion.

So my advice would be, be without a church for a week. That’s okay. Just pray without ceasing, while you are in another country.

The Desert Fathers, lived in the desert, without holy communion, or confession, or church, for the matter. And they became saints. They renounced all things for love of Jesus.

You can read lives of the Fathers of the Desert, vol 1 and 2, it’s free
archive.org/download/a586049002hahnuoft/a586049002hahnuoft.pdf
archive.org/download/a586049001hahnuoft/a586049001hahnuoft.pdf

Some of them are St. Anthony the Hermit, also St. Paul the hermit, St. Fabiola. They lived in the desert to escape the dangers of the world.

You should know that orthodox churches (despite the name orthodox), pertains to schism.
Schism offends God greatly, because they do not want to be obedient to the Pope, one holy apostolic, catholic church, and doesn’t want to be in unity and obedience to the church

Read this, and your confusion whether you should be orthodox or catholic will be cleared
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schism_%28religion%29

You shouldn’t be confused. It is a temptation. You should be catholic, outside of which there is no salvation. Orthodox churches isn’t pleasing in the eyes of God. It is schism. Separating themselves to build their own doctrines. I think even the sacraments there aren’t valid.

Have a nice trip.

I would not receive Communion there or become Orthodox… I’m not planning to go there out of a curiosity, I hope. I just think I might not have a choice whether to go or not. Another dilemma is that I wanted to encourage my (Orthodox) family to attend church more…

Kneel for the consecration and keep your rosary in view at all times .

lol

How long will you be away?

around 2 weeks

You probably really do have “a choice” whether to go to the orthodox church or not- you could always just stay where you are staying if the others go and catch up with them afterwards.

I don’t think that would really work in this particular situation… we’ll be staying at my grandmothers, but I think we’ll be walking around a lot, so we’ll probably visit a church when we’re walking around in the middle of the city. My family wouldn’t allow me to just wait outside it would also make them upset I think I would only not go if it’s not allowed or if my SD says I really shouldn’t… I’m planning on contacting him today I don’t want to get confused either… I don’t know, last time I went to an Orthodox church, I felt I should be Catholic. lol. Maybe it would even help I’ll ask my SD and pray… maybe I could pray the Rosary while I’m there haha.

I would just hate for you to become confused again by going. I know how miserable that can be. This seems to be in line with what your spiritual director advised you about the protestant churches. He does not want you to put yourself in the pathway of confusion either. I think knowing your history of anxiety in the area is an important piece of information- I am glad that he knows. The whole situation might be different if you had never struggled with these doubts and temptations. Part of being a mature Christian is honestly knowing yourself and your weaknesses and limitations. God allows these so that we can grow in humility, trust and obedience. Please be obedient to your spiritual director in this matter, whatever he advises. Try to maintain a little personal time for your own private prayer while you are away too. God bless you and your family and your travels!

thank you, I will definitely ask him

But they do not profess the true faith nor are they in communion with the Holy See. The Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office once said that worship with heretics (e.g., receiving Holy Communion at an Eastern Orthodox church) was opposed to divine and natural law, from which no one can dispense.

I’m sure there are some sedevacantist priests who have valid orders. Does that then mean we can receive Holy Communion from them as well? If not, then why is it okay to receive it from schismatics?

I wouldn’t receive Communion… if I go, I’d just observe