Author Topic: What should I look out for when visiting Eastern rite Catholic churches? (Read 4381 times)

MariaCatherine · « **on:** November 21, 2015, 01:05:16 PM »

I'm really ignorant on this subject.

When deciding whether I should receive Communion in a non-Latin rite church, I only know not to receive if there are female altar servers. What else should I watch for?

HiddenServant · « **Reply #1 on:** November 21, 2015, 03:31:52 PM »

The only ones in the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches
were priest or deacon giving out the Holy Communion.
It is given on a Golden Spoon both species.

Ladislaus · « **Reply #2 on:** November 21, 2015, 04:25:33 PM »

Most Byzantine Ruthenian Eastern Rite churches do not use female altar servers. You'll see them processing with candles outside the sanctuary but not within. Same holds true of Ukrainian Rite. I have seen one female altar server within the sanctuary only once. Maronites on the other hand have gone almost full-blown Novus Ordo in terms of liturgical practices; one might wish to avoid them altogether.

I'm not sure why you would not receive Communion due to the mere presence of a female altar server. If you consider this so grave as to not receive Communion, you shouldn't go there to begin with and attend the Liturgy at all. In other words, I'm not sure what distinction would allow you to assist at the Liturgy but then not receive Holy Communion. Way I see it is that it's on them if they use the female altar server and I won't deprive myself of the Sacraments for that reason alone.

HiddenServant · « **Reply #3 on:** November 21, 2015, 04:55:05 PM »

Ruthenian Rite is good for me where i live when i go.
Never saw a female altar server and our Priest did not
allow it either. You may need to look into the churches
near your area and find out. Usually Eastern Rite is good.
Maronite i never went to but heard of it. Do your best.

MariaCatherine · « **Reply #4 on:** November 21, 2015, 06:44:06 PM »

Quote from: Ladislaus

I'm not sure why you would not receive Communion due to the mere presence of a female altar server. If you consider this so grave as to not receive Communion, you shouldn't go there to begin with and attend the Liturgy at all. In other words, I'm not sure what distinction would allow you to assist at the Liturgy but then not receive Holy Communion. Way I see it is that it's on them if they use the female altar server and I won't deprive myself of the Sacraments for that reason alone.

Good point. I'm not consciously making a distinction. I've been going to the SSPX / Resistance since I've been a trad, and have also had a family crisis to deal with, so I haven't had the chance to investigate this before.

Since I don't know the Divine Liturgy I wouldn't know if it was being said properly, so I thought the one danger sign I could easily see would be the use of altar girls - which I thought was a liturgical abuse and therefore a sign that the sacrament might not be licit, even if it's still valid. I wouldn't call them in advance and ask if they use altar girls unless I knew what else might make the sacrament illicit, so I could ask about those things at the same time.

Please correct me where necessary!

Cantarella · « **Reply #5 on:** November 23, 2015, 12:32:15 PM »

Usually, the Ukrainian Rite is the most conservative form of the Eastern Catholic Rite. Often, they serve it in an English translation that is not like the Novus Ordo translations. (In other words, it's good.) Most Byzantine Eastern Rite parishes in the US are Ruthenian. How "conservative" they are would largely depend on the priest. In general, the Divine Liturgies of the Byzantine Eastern rites are quite lovely, and very Catholic. Often times, they can be an oasis for traditional Roman Catholics who are fed up with the controversies or liberal abuses surrounding the Novus Ordo Mass or the ones who have not access to the Tridentine Latin Mass.

This link may be of help to find Eastern Catholic parishes in the US:

http://byzcath.org/index.php/find-a-parish-mainmenu-111/find-a-parish-mainmenu-112

Peter15and1 · « **Reply #6 on:** November 23, 2015, 12:43:34 PM »

Something else you should be aware of: most Eastern Rites use leavened bread for the Eucharist, as contrasted with the Latin Rite that exclusively uses unleavened bread. This is not a modern innovation, but goes back centuries in the East, and is traditional and permitted by the Church. The only reason I mention it is the first time I went to an Eastern Divine Liturgy, I was very confused about the use of leavened bread, until I researched it further.

Ladislaus · « **Reply #7 on:** November 23, 2015, 01:05:38 PM »

Yes, and even in the U.S. now you'll occasionally find Ruthenian and Ukrainian Rite priests who are married. Don't be scandalized by that either. Outside the U.S. they have had married priests since anyone can remember.

Ladislaus · « **Reply #8 on:** November 23, 2015, 01:08:18 PM »

I know a Traditional Latin Rite priest who thinks that the Eastern Rites are modernist because they don't kneel during the Divine Liturgy. Kneeling also isn't an Eastern custom, although in the U.S. you'll find places where they kneel during the consecration at least.

CathMomof7 · « **Reply #9 on:** November 28, 2015, 07:06:32 PM »

When we were transitioning from Novus Ordo, we went to our local Ukrainian Eastern Rite Church. While we found it beautiful and pleasing, it was quite unfamiliar to us. We were not familiar with the Divine Liturgy. There was only a small congregation of mostly old women and perhaps one or two families, with no young children. We did not receive Communion, as that too was unfamiliar to us.

Ultimately, after about a month or two, we decided not to return.

MariaCatherine · « **Reply #10 on:** November 30, 2015, 09:04:01 PM »

I find the Divine Liturgy to be full of childlike wonder.

"Let us be attentive!"

"The doors! The doors!"

I wonder how the Eastern Rites managed to escape the demolition of the liturgy.

Ladislaus · « **Reply #11 on:** December 02, 2015, 12:10:51 PM »

Quote from: CathMomof7

When we were transitioning from Novus Ordo, we went to our local Ukrainian Eastern Rite Church. While we found it beautiful and pleasing, it was quite unfamiliar to us. We were not familiar with the Divine Liturgy. There was only a small congregation of mostly old women and perhaps one or two families, with no young children. We did not receive Communion, as that too was unfamiliar to us.

Ultimately, after about a month or two, we decided not to return.

Yes, the mindset and the more "mystical" spirituality of the Divine Liturgy does strongly contrast with the sacrificial emphasis of the Latin Rite Mass. So it does take getting used to. Many years later, I love both these Masses almost equally. I love the transcendent mystical aspect of the Eastern Divine Liturgy and also the sacrificial nature of the Latin Mass. But, yes, coming from Roman Rite, it does take a little getting used to.

Ladislaus · « **Reply #12 on:** December 02, 2015, 12:13:18 PM »

Quote from: MariaCatherine

I wonder how the Eastern Rites managed to escape the demolition of the liturgy.

I just think that they never found any compelling reason to change substantially. And the destroyers didn't consider it a priority because most Catholics don't even know that these Eastern Rites exist.

JezusDeKoning · « **Reply #13 on:** December 02, 2015, 04:09:27 PM »

Quote from: Ladislaus

Most Byzantine Ruthenian Eastern Rite churches do not use female altar servers. You'll see them processing with candles outside the sanctuary but not within. Same holds true of Ukrainian Rite. I have seen one female altar server within the sanctuary only once. Maronites on the other hand have gone almost full-blown Novus Ordo in terms of liturgical practices; one might wish to avoid them altogether.

I'm not sure why you would not receive Communion due to the mere presence of a female altar server. If you consider this so grave as to not receive Communion, you shouldn't go there to begin with and attend the Liturgy at all. In other words, I'm not sure what distinction would allow you to assist at the Liturgy but then not receive Holy Communion. Way I see it is that it's on them if they use the female altar server and I won't deprive myself of the Sacraments for that reason alone.

Maronites, as has been said before, are the arm of the Church in the Levant along with the Chaldeans and someone else, IIRC. They have no Orthodox equivalent. The closest in Lebanon is the Greek Orthodox that are probably half of the Christians there.

This means that they do not have a Divine Liturgy of any saint derived from the Orthodox, just their version of the Roman Mass. Ergo, the changes apply to them. Rome wouldn't dare touch the Eastern DLs.

McCork · « **Reply #14 on:** December 02, 2015, 06:06:42 PM »

Quote from: Ladislaus

Quote from: CathMomof7
When we were transitioning from Novus Ordo, we went to our local Ukrainian Eastern Rite Church. While we found it beautiful and pleasing, it was quite unfamiliar to us. We were not familiar with the Divine Liturgy. There was only a small congregation of mostly old women and perhaps one or two families, with no young children. We did not receive Communion, as that too was unfamiliar to us.

Ultimately, after about a month or two, we decided not to return.

Yes, the mindset and the more "mystical" spirituality of the Divine Liturgy does strongly contrast with the sacrificial emphasis of the Latin Rite Mass. So it does take getting used to. Many years later, I love both these Masses almost equally. I love the transcendent mystical aspect of the Eastern Divine Liturgy and also the sacrificial nature of the Latin Mass. But, yes, coming from Roman Rite, it does take a little getting used to.

What do you mean by "mystical" in the Eastern rite that does not appear in the Western rite? Hard examples?