So many to choose from, but here’s the most common things each Eastern Orthodox convert has, and their apt reactions. Enjoy:
When you attend your first Mass and everyone else is kneeling after receiving
Getting used to receiving Communion the Western way
Getting used to receiving the Host without the Wine
You, at you first guitar Mass
You, at your second guitar Mass
You, at your third guitar Mass
When you realize just how many religious orders and Rules there are, and how many communities each one has…
…and then you learn there is such a thing as Third Orders
Finding Byzantine icons of your favorite Western saints
The first time you pray a rosary
Getting used to a different liturgical calendar
When your patron saint isn’t on the Roman calendar
When your patron saint is on the Roman calendar, but on a different day
The first time you see your old Presbytera out in public after you convert
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The first time you see your old priest out in public after you convert
When someone tells you you don’t “have” to wear a veil anymore now that you’re “Westernized”
You, hearing Stabat Mater for the first time
When you find out there is daily Mass and you can receive Communion every day
Your first time at Adoration
The first time you recite the Act of Contrition from memory without using a book during Confession
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Whenever you think how awesome it will be when East and West finally reconcile
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As an eastern Catholic, I’m not sure how to take this. Some of it is funny and has happened to me when attending Mass, but why (and how) would an Orthodox faithful enter into communion through the Latin rite? They should join their counterpart church, not a completely different one. It bothers me when they are not encouraged to do so.
I was encouraged to join a Byzantine Rite congregation, and am considered a Byzantine Catholic by the clergy who facilitated my conversion. However, there are no Byzantine churches in our area, so my husband and I attend the Latin Rite for now, as I was told I was free to do when I entered the Church.
I was encouraged to join a Byzantine Rite congregation, and am considered a Byzantine Catholic by the clergy who facilitated my conversion. However, there are no Byzantine churches in our area, so my husband and I attend the Latin Rite for now, as I was told I was free to do when I entered the Church. I was also not raised Eastern Orthodox, so attending the Latin Rite isn’t as culturally or liturgically alien to me.
Okay. Your responses to mine and others have shed a bit of light on your experience, and I thank you for that. However, I would like mention that the title is very misleading. First, I would argue that “every” Orthodox who converts would not necessarily have this reaction. Second, the list seems to suggest that every Orthodox convert comes into the Church through the Latin rite (which we discussed in previous posts, and I don’t intend to rehash here). Third, (and I am not directing this only at you) there are Orthodox and Catholics who have never attended the Mass and may never in the future because it is exclusive to the western Church. It is this issue that gives me the most heartburn when Latins talk about the Catholic Church. The Catholic and Orthodox Church cannot be generalized in this way and both sides should avoid it especially when discussing ecumenism.
Phew! As I mentioned earlier, I appreciate some of the humor, but some of it just falls flat and could be seen as insensitive. Glory to Jesus Christ!
The author states she was Greek Orthodox. What is the counterpart Eastern Catholic Church in the U.S. to the Greek Orthodox Church? It doesn’t exist here, so she can’t do it. Catholic Ruthenians, Ukrainians, et cetera, are not churches that correspond to the Greek Orthodox Church. There are only a handful of churches that do that, and I would not be surprised if every single one of them is in Greece.
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Considering the seriousness of the discussion at hand, and the need to be both charitable and humble when receiving the Orthodox (who can certainly become Eastern Rite Catholics with out the need to say their prayers in Latin), I would think a more intelligent and perhaps a bit less infantile post would have been in order.
Many of these are my own experiences as an Orthodox convert attending the Latin Rite where no Byzantine Rite is available, experiences I think many converts share because there are plenty of people out there like me who live an hour or more away from any Byzantine or Eastern Rite congregation. There are plenty of serious articles, books, and encyclicals on the matter, and a lot of my academic work for my degree was focused on that, but I decided to focus here on the inevitable humor that happens when East meets West.
It was kind of you to reply. I would recommend, if you have not already done so, to seek out an Ancient Rite Mass in your area, if an Eastern Rite is not convenient. The Ancient Rite, with its sublime beauty and profoundly uplifting atmosphere (a Rite the Church foolishly abandoned in 1970 but is now making a much-needed comeback at last), and one which dates in all its essentials from the time of Christ, would I imagine be a better fit for someone used to the beautiful Eastern Rite.
Are you talking about the TLM? There aren’t any of those offered nearby either. I’m fine with the Novus Ordo for now. My husband is Roman Catholic, and that’s the liturgy he was raised with. We’re going to see if we can make it to the Byzantine church down the coast once a month. We make up for not attending the Byzantine Rite by having tons of icons at home and censing whenever we can. =p
I think my situation is unique in that, I wasn’t raised Orthodox. So while I do love the Eastern Rite, I’m equally at home in the Norvus Ordo. Which I tend to forget looks really weird to a lot of people who were either cradle Orthodox of Byzantine, or just prefer the Byzantine rite, so I apologize if it looks like I’m being insensitive to others’ traditions. I’m not for forced or coerced Latinization of Eastern rites at all.
Yes, I meant the TLM.
“…the Norvus Ordo. Which I tend to forget looks really weird to a lot of people…”
Myself included.
Hi. I am curious. Did you convert for your husband? I am a former Catholic Seminary that converted to Orthodoxy. Not sure if you converted for theology/Church History or for marriage..?
God Bless!
The most accuratet answer, is both. By no means was mine a “conversion of convenience.” There was little convenient about it. I had been very dissatisfied in the Orthodox Church for a variety of reasons I won’t get into here. But yes, I absolutely converted for my husband, and absolutely for theological reasons. Our marriage prep really made me sit down and confront my dissatisfactions, and the fact that God had been nudging me toward the Catholic Church for a long time, I just chose not to listen. At one point I was practically given the choice by the priest I asked to marry us: my fiance, or the EOC. It was clear to me that God wanted me to marry this man. It was also clear that wasn’t going to happen in the Orthodox Church.
I have nothing but respect for the EOC, still, but it was not ultimately where God wanted me to be.
The EOC Priest would not marry you? This is odd. Catholics are certainly permited to be married in the EO Church they just cannot receive the eucharist. Which should also be ok because Catholics do not partake in the blood anymore anyway. Which particular perish were you affiliated with? Also you mentioned theological conditions. Were you able to historically reconcile papism since it is clearly absent within the 1st 5 centuries of the church? Did the change of the filioque in our Holy Creed not bother you? I only ask because these are but a few of many issues that I could never wrap my head around as a Catholic seminary student.
You seem happy and blessed!
My heart is still with my Catholic friends and family. Please do not view this as a challenge or debate. I am conducting simple research on the few Orthodox to Catholic stories I encounter.
God be with you!
I find it odd you say that Catholics don’t participate in the Blood anymore. Most parishes I’ve been to offer both species. I think I’ve only been to one that doesn’t, and it was a particularly small parish. I also work in a religious supply shop and we ship huge quantities of communion wine to Catholic churches all over the southeast, so someone somewhere is still offering the Blood to parishioners.
None of these issues you mention particularly bother me; my theological concerns in general lie elsewhere. It wasn’t so much that we were outright told we could not be married, but I was constantly pressured by both clergy and laity in the EOC to have him convert, to reconsider, to not even have a Catholic clergyman present for him which is allowable in the EOC. We both began to feel like he was not being treated as an equal partner in marriage and that, after all, is a central feature of the sacrament of marriage. As I said before, this was the last straw for me. It became clear God was leading me elsewhere.
Thank you for your time Brooke. The info. really does help.
Catholics do not partake in the blood. Perhaps there are some schism churches like “sede vecante” or some traditionalists rogue branches bur certainly it is well known that Catholics no longer drink the blood of Christ. It is another Roman Catholic evolved change from Holy Tradition. RC Church explains now that the “wafer” holds both characteristics. The RC priest and the clergymen still partake in the “wine” but not the laity.
https://catholicism.about.com/b/2008/04/11/reader-question-why-do-catholics-receive-only-the-host.htm
Again, thank you and best wishes!
I really find that hard to believe, and I’m a little frustrated you won’t believe me that, as a practicing Catholic who goes to Mass every Sunday in parishes that I assure you are in full communion with Rome, Catholics do still very much receive both species of Communion. In some places, yes, only the Body is offered. But in the majority of churches I have attended, both species are offered, and that’s the experience of most Catholics I know. I think it’s up to the discretion of the priest/size of the parish. Smaller parishes, I’ve noticed, tend to only offer the Body because of the lack of EMHCs to administer it. I find it kind of disturbing that you insist it’s a “well-known” thing when there is a Catholic who is NOT a sedevacantist or Traditionalist right in front of you telling you the opposite from personal experience.
I was raised Catholic.
I went to a Catholic seminary.
Also please re-read my post. The partaking of the blood is not REQUIRED. The RC no longer demands of both for deification. This is a distinct change in Holy Tradition as layed out by 7 infallible ecumenical councils.
Pleas do not be disturbed. Not my intention.
I also posted reference links for you in the prior comment.
Peace.
I never saw that line of clarification in your original post. I believe Christ is present fully both species, anyway, though I do prefer to receive both species when I can for my own reasons This is another big reason why I converted: the things that seemed to bother the Orthodox so much in terms of liturgy and theology never really bothered me. -shrug-
So my (totally Novus Ordo, and I love it that way) parish doesn’t have enough EMHCs at my particular Mass to give out both the precious body and the precious blood. At the Mass a few hours later, however, there are enough EMHCs to do so, so that Mass does give out the wine. It’s more a matter of having enough people to actually help at the Mass, than a matter of disrespecting tradition or the Eucharist. Jesus is still fully present, body blood soul and divinity, in the consecrated bread at Mass. If he wasn’t, then all the Masses said in concentration camps by Orthodox and Catholic priests alike would be invalid, since they had no wine. I think God is powerful enough to only appear in one species, don’t you?
If you are ok with it friend than that is all that counts?
God created the Heavens and the Earth and saved the thief on the cross so we must be careful when rhetorically asking “is God powerful enough?” Also we must be careful in using extreme circumstances like the Holocaust to somehow justify a new age liturgy. God does not change. The Church does not change. The Truth of the Church holds it’s traditions as laid out by our early church fathers and infallible councils.
peace.
I agree, even having read the replies up to this point, which also shed some light for me. Although as a convert, I can relate to a lot of this, and there is some welcome humor, there does seem to be a somewhat blasphemous mood to some of it, in my opinion.
What part about it seemed blasphemous?
Thanks for your interest. The one about receiving the host without ‘the wine’. By calling it ‘the wine’ it seems to forget the True Presence. I’m sure this isn’t deliberate on your part, that’s why I only said it seems to have a blasphemous mood. And even if the words ‘the Blood’ had been used instead of ‘the wine’ it could have been much less graphic, and made the same point without any hint of offense.
Congratulations on your conversion!
In my experience it’s pretty common to use the terms “Blood” and “Wine” to refer to the Consecrated Gifts interchangeably? We receive the substance of Jesus’ Blood and Body under the accidents of wine and bread so it’s not that much of a stretch.
Are you objecting to my use of the gif? Because that’s pretty much what it’s like if you’re not used to it. The wafers are kinda dry. What I’m referring to in the gif is an accident of the wafer (i.e. dryness), not the divine substance of the Body of Christ.
I know this is not supposed to be theologically correct. But if it was, then I’d have to say that it’s dangerous to play with distinctions between substance and accident.
Yes, I object to the gif. It’s hideous. I know the consecrated host, with the accident of dryness, is a trial, but it’s nothing compared to … you know.
Hmm…Perhaps you should ask yourself why is you’re offended at all,Astrid; frankly,,you sound like one of our oh-so-easily-offended Muslim friend. I’m sure Brooke meant no offense at all,but it’s always been my experience that people usually find what they’re looking for.Maybe you were LOOKING for something to be offended by?
As I said, I’m also sure there was no offense intended. Thank you for your advice, which I applied.
I don’t understand the one about Third Orders. (Explaining jokes counts as a kind of charitable work of mercy, doesn’t it?)
She’s just saying she’s excited to learn that one can join a religious order as a lay member. Like the Dominicans, Carmelites, etc. Does that clear it up?
Somewhat, except for the gif. Unless it means the excitement is so intense that it might require police intervention. Is that the idea? Is the gif from something that would be recognized by the average person? Thanks for your help.
It’s from The Hunger Games movie, when Katniss Everdeen volunteers herself as Tribute.
Are you serious?
Just trying to understand the connection between the kind of excitement you describe, which I assume is what the lady in the gif is supposed to represent, and what looks to me like riot police. I guess my guess was wrong. I haven’t seen the movie it’s from, so I don’t have the same background you might. I do understand it’s exaggerated for the purpose of entertainment, and I do appreciate that.
Yeah what Shaun said. XD The longer explanation is that I got super excited because at the time my studies in college had been really heavy on Franciscan theology, taught by a former Franciscan priest from Rome, and I was like, dizzy with excitement that I could now feasibly become a Franciscan if I wanted to.
That’s beautiful. Thank you. I’m also a convert, and can relate to a lot of this.
Someone who was Orthodox really should be received into their corresponding Eastern Catholic church….
The reason being . . .why exactly?
Why? Isn’t that up to the person to decide?
I was. In my bio below the article I explain that I /choose/ to attend the Roman Rite.
The author states she was Greek Orthodox. What is the corresponding Eastern Catholic Church in the U.S. to the Greek Orthodox Church? It doesn’t exist here, so she can’t do it. Catholic Ruthenians, Ukrainians, et cetera, are not churches that correspond to the Greek Orthodox Church. There are only a handful of churches that do that, and I would not be surprised if every single one of them is in Greece.
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Here is how, as a convert to Eastern Orthodoxy by way of Roman Catholicism, I would re-caption the first five gifs:
1. “Hesitating about whether to cross self from right to left or left to right”
2. “Realizing that I don’t receive the Eucharist in my hands anymore.”
3. “Whenever I come across an article about how Matthew 16:18 proves Roman papal claims.”
4. “Whenever a catholic apologist explains why they didn’t convert to Eastern Orthodoxy.”
5. “Whenever someone says Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholics are basically the same.”
Hi my all friends!! Here in my site you can find some conversions from Roman Catholicism to Eastern Orthodox Church:
https://romancatholicsmetorthodoxy.wordpress.com
ROMAN CATHOLICS MET ORTHODOXY
When Roman Catholics met Orthodoxy Heaven flowered!
With love Abel Gkiouzelis