Hello everyone,

So, I went to the Easter service at my boyfriend's Byzantine church and was deeply moved. It was an experience I want to have again. I loved everything about it!

I was not raised in any religious tradition, though my family has an Eastern Catholic background, so I have no idea how one goes about joining a church and learning about the Byzantine way of worship.

Any advice?

Thank you!

Christ is Risen!!

First of all, welcome to the forum. Hope you find it profitable.

Go with your boyfriend to pay a visit to his priest and tell the man what you have written here.

Bob

Welcome to the forum! Bob has given excellent advice.

You say that you come from a family of Eastern Catholic heritage but were not raised in a religious environment. Did you receive the Mysteries of Initiation - Baptism, Chrismation, and Communion? If not, you're going to need to pursue some form of preparation and instruction from the priest to get to the point where you are ready for those crucial first steps in formally becoming a member of the Church.

If you did receive those Mysteries, but have never really been exposed to the life of worship and participation in the Church, the course of events is still going to be pretty much the same.

You're still going to need that preparation and instruction to fully understand how you, as an Eastern Catholic, can and should participate as a member of the church. The major difference being that, as an already baptized, chrismated, and communed member of the Church, you will not have to wait to complete the instructional period before being able to participate in the Mysteries of Penance and Communion.

In either case, there are myriad written materials avilable, and your priest will certainly suggest some of those. You'll also want to begin attending Divine Liturgy on a regular basis, both for the spiritual comfort that it will bring to you and to become more and more familiar and comfortable with it in all respects.

As well, we certainly welcome any particular questions that you have as you begin your journey. We're rarely short of folks who are willing and able to assist anyone new to the faith, whether it be Catholic or Orthodox, to learn about and understand our heitage, our traditions, our liturgical forms, our spirituality, virtually any aspect of Eastern Christianity.

Many years,

Neil

I was never baptised or any of that. It's all new to me!

Thank you for the advice. I'm reading several books at the moment about practice, and tomorrow I'm planning on going to DL at a church that I found close to me. My boyfriend's church is about a 30 minute drive from where I live, and I was thrilled to find that there are several churches much closer to me.

Thanks again :)

Beginner,

Living in Pittsburgh, you've got myriad parishes from which to choose. You say that you're from a family with an Eastern Catholic background, may I ask Ruthenian (Carpatho-Rusyn) or Ukrainian (or, perhaps, another - although those are the two most commonly found in the Steel City)?

Many years,

Neil

You can find links to our directory entries for most of the Pittsburgh parishes here (all the Ruthenian parishes in the city are listed; only one of the two Ukrainian parishes is listed as yet - I have to add the other, but am waiting for a software upgrade to be completed before I can do so). Its website, however, is here.

If you don't live in Pittsburgh proper, you can check other of the PA entries on the directory for parishes in Metro Pittsburgh.

Many years,

Neil

I'm pleased of your discovery of the Byzantine tradition within the Catholic Communion of Churches. We'll burn our lamp before the icon of the Mother of God today for your intentions. She always guides us to Jesus and it seems to me that's where you're headed.

I found a very nice parish about 5 minutes from where I live, another literally 1 block from where I work (might as well live there, too!), and my boyfriend's parish is also lovely.

My family is Lithuanian in heritage. Some of them are Latin, some are Eastern.

Thank you!

Thank you so much! This forum is filled with such nice people!



Indeed, it does. Coming into this as an adult with no formal religious background is strange. I attended the service at my boyfriend's church again today, and it was just lovely.