Why is it SOOOOO hard to become Catholic. I found trying to become a Roman Catholic hard, but Become a Byzantine seems like an Elite statues only some times.

The RC RCIA teachers said i have to learn more about the faith. I could teach Them RCIA, half of them dont know what the eastern rites are. shhs.

Ive been waiting 3yrs to becoming catholic but it seems it keeps evading me for some reason.

From: Daniel Harrison
In The Theotokos

Right now im attending St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church. Im attending Adult Catechetical Classes. But the classes dont lead up to Chrisimation. Priest said take that 1st and keep coming to divine liturgy. How did you guys become
byzantine catholic if you were raise a Roman/Byzantine Catholic?

From: Daniel H.
In the Theotokos

I dunno why everything is so complicated now, that's nothing but burocracy.

In the RC in Mexico for example, it's the same, if people want to baptize their children the parents must go to "talks" and "classes" and thanks to this people wait months for their babies to get baptized, (the apostolic tradition about the urgence of the baptism, is a dead letter). If people want to get married it is the same: talks, talks and talks.

And the talks are given by "psichologists", "lay pastors", etc... and not priests! It is ridiculous.

In the Byzantine jurisdictions there, people from the latin rite can attend the Liturgy and receive communion without trouble, but they cannot baptize or confirm their children there.
I've seen people who after being in the Melkite Church, have to become Orthodox (because they are sent back to the RC).

In the Orthodox Church, it seems that chrismation has become the rule, no matter if people were previously chrismated in the Latin Rite, they are being re-chrismated. I am not sure if this represents another departure from the Apostolic Tradition in both Churches.

Daniel,

The standard practice for one to enter the Roman Catholic Church is during the Easter Vigil after months of weekly catechesis (RCIA). It's not that different to enter the Byzantine Catholic Churches, except that the Vigil of Theophany is also a time for reception into the Church for adults. Although there is no formal RCIA program, the pastor normally conducts the inquiry and catechetical classes for converts. If you have not been yet received Trinitarian baptism, then you would receive all three sacraments (Mysteries) of initiation. I imagine Fr Joe wants you to be sure that the Byzantine Catholic Church will be a spiritual home for you.

I formally became a member of the Ruthenian Catholic Church by way of the so-called "change of rite" after about three years of attending St Stephen's in Phoenix. I became member of the parish after attending about three months. I was a cradle Roman Catholic. There certainly is no need to rush, you have to be sure you can make this your spiritual home.

John

The catechesis is worthless in most parish RCIA classes. :p

True About RCIA! Odo.

I want to become a Byzantine Catholic Capuchin Franciscan thats why im getting impatient. ive been waiting 3yrs to become catholic and 2yrs to become a Byzantine Catholic! thats why im getting jumpy.

But i do understand john, thanks for the explination!

I think this is where the Catholic Church has a
severe problem with too much bureaucracy. Take the case of an Orthodox who wishes to become ROMAN Catholic. Why is a Papal indult needed? Why is Rite treated as something sacred that can only be changed once in a man's life? And I thought Vatican II was supposed to decentralize the Church.

I don't have my copy with me, but I have a real interesting book about the documents of V2, with commentary-the section on the Eastern Churches is very legalistic, with all sorts of footnotes about what is licit and what's not when Orthodox wish to become Roman, or when Catholic/Orthodox
intermarriages happen. Its all ridiclulous, and seems to neglect "where the bishop is there is the Catholic Church"-why these matters should be handled by Rome is a mystery to me.

From my experience, RCIA is mainly for people who know practically nothing about Catholicism, and is worthless for just about everyone else. I guess I should also give the usual caveat about over-zealous converts, (like what that OCA priest back east said in that infamous article in the New England diocesean newspaper) but as I said before, there is too much bureaucracy and micro-management.

That was a wonderful article by Father John Garvey of the OCA Albanian Diocese called "A Typology of Converts: Beware of Those who are Running Away"

http://www.oca.org/pages/ocaadmin/dioceses/NY/Jacobs-Well/Articles/1996-FALL-Garvey.html

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Some would say that your troubles in joining the Catholic Church is God's way of telling you that He wants you to be Orthodox. But I'm not going to say that. No Siree! God Bless!

Daniel,

Maybe you need to meet with your pastor and ask him for the specific requirements for your education and profession before he can receive you into the Byzantine Catholic Church?

I know that most pastors would want to give you time to discern God's call and would want to make sure you are properly prepared. This is doubly important since you are saying that you wish to be a Byzantine Catholic and then become a Capuchin Franciscan, which is a Roman Catholic order. Your pastor might be confused at your plan since, as a Capuchin, you will be living the Roman Catholic and not Byzantine Catholic monastic life. Three years of study is a long time and certainly much longer than normal. You should ask for an explanation and direction.

I outright reject Nik's suggestion that your challenges are God's way of telling you to become Orthodox. I understand that he is currently on his own spiritual journey and wish him well and offer him my prayers. In the past weeks or months he has gone from being the webmaster of a fine, staunchly Catholic website that was "magisterium loyal" to rejecting Catholicism and the Byzantine-Ukrainian Catholic Church in favor of Russian Orthodoxy (the religious affiliation he now lists in his profile on this website).

Again, Daniel, I highly recommend that you meet with your pastor so that you can fully understand what he is expecting of you. If you do not have a spiritual father, please ask him to help you find one.

Admin

Yes, I agree that being a member of a Roman Catholic order and being Byzantine Catholic can be confusing. We have an Augustinian who helps out at our parish. He was ordained in the Byzantine Rite. I don't know how he does it.

By the way, there is a Capuchin from the Polish Provence who helps out at the Ukranian Catholic Cathedral in Philadelphia. So I guess its not that strange.

NIK!, Nice TRY! Brian there is made many attempts
of Converting me to Orthodoxy but to no avail, haha brian. even though i thought about it, i couldnt imagine leaving the Papacy, im to dedicated to the Holy Father of Rome. Sorry.

Thanks Admin. About the Byzantine Catholic/Capuchin Franciscan thing.
My Byzantine Vocations director said it is possiable and also did my RC Capuchin Vocations
Director. the O.F.M. Cap, Vocations director has told me he has 5-6 Melkite Priest/Brothers, in the
RC Capcuhins. My Capuchin Vocations director said that you would be ordained as a Byzantine Catholic Priest and celebrate the Divine Liturgy every sunday, but he also said in order to be a Byzantine Catholic Priest, in the Roman Catholic Capuchins, the order would make you become Bi-Ritual in both the Byzantine/Roman Liturgies.

Currently im going through a Catechism class, about the History/Theology of the Byzantine Catholic Churchs. Were using the book "To the Ends of the Earth: Aspects of the Eastern Catholic Churchs" I talked to my Pastor he said Keep Coming to Divine Liturgy and attend this class every sunday, and he and I will talk about my Conversion to the Byzantine Church.

From: Daniel H.
In The Holy + Theotokos

Yeah Right! I NEVER did that, only trying to save you from the Roman heresy! )

Good to see you on this forum, my friend!


Hey, I hope to be received as a catechumen in the OCA sooner then I thought, please pray for me!


Brian in Sacramento

Well if he has prayed and thought over this decision as i am sure he has, Good luck to him and God bless him! Maybe OUr Lord is drawing him to the Orthodox Faith?

Brian,

My point was that I think it highly irresponsible for someone in the middle of his own journey to encourage someone that he doesn't really know to join him.

One of the questions one must consider is whether one is seeking or fleeing. Those who seek usually find. Those who flee seldom find. This is why it is of great importance for someone on the journey to have a good spiritual father. Only a fool makes such a journey without help from an elder member of the community. I have seen an Orthodox priest send someone back home to the Roman Catholic Church in order to study for the priesthood because that is where he felt the Lord was calling this person.

--

Daniel,

Please keep us updated and know that you will be in our prayers.

Admin