Dear Cynthia:

I am sorry to hear that you are homebound. I am semi-homebound myself. I have a variety of medical conditions and handicaps that has not "yet" made me completely homebound, but they are sufficient enough to keep me home most of the time. So I do have some understanding of this. I will certainly pray for you on this score.

The Byzantine Liturgy is wonderfully beautiful. Your description of "sublime spirituality" of the Eastern Rites is very true and very attractive.

As I often do on these forums I will answer your question with more information than you asked for :)

Ya, Ya, I am just a chatty Kathy, I know :)

First, I will answer your question directly. Second, I will propose some reasons why the Catholic Church has multiple Rites and how that makes us "Catholic". And third, I will mention some of the problems Byzantine Catholics have had with Latin Catholics. On this last one I am not suggesting in any way that you, Cynthia, would be a problem in the Eastern Rites. I understand where you are coming from. Rather, I am just reporting some things that have happened with Latin Rite Catholics going to the Byzantine Church.

First to answer your question...

You may certainly "visit" a Byzantine Catholic Church and receive communion there, but you cannot actually transfer your membership to a Eastern Rite Church except by one of three ways according to Canon Law 112.1:

1) secure permission of the Holy See and the consent of both Latin and Eastern Bishops;

2) marry an Eastern Rite Catholic; or

3) a child born into a mixed Rite family may, by the the time he is 14 years old, choose which Rite he wishes to remain.

Canon Law 112.2 states that even if a Latin Rite person attends an Eastern Rite Church on a long term basis, they remain a Latin Rite Catholic.

A Latin Rite Catholic attending a Eastern Rite Church may receive most of the Sacraments (numbers refer to canon law): Baptism (cc. 861.2), Confirmation (cc. 882, 887), Eucharist (cc. 923, 1248.1), Reconciliation (c. 991), and Anointing (cc. 1003.2, 1004.1).

Thus the bottomline: The Church encourages us to attend the Rite to which we are enrolled. We may visit another Catholic Rite Church (even on a long term basis), but we remain Latin Rite Catholics unless formally transferred according to Canon 112.1

Now to my second point. The Catholic Church is truly catholic (that is universal) because our Church does not impose Western Culture on non-Western culture peoples. Rather we allow for differences within the broader context of the one universal Church under the Pope.

This is not true of any other Christian group. When a Baptist fellowship is founded in the East it is still Baptist with the same form of worship essentially as that found in the United States. Same goes with all other Protestant groups and the Anglicans. Only the Catholic Church allows for different Rites in accord with the local cultures and yet still be Catholic.

This is why the Catholic Church is called the Catholic Church. It is the only church on the planet that is truly universal ("catholic" means universal).

Although the Eastern Orthodox Churches are legitimate Churches with valid apostolic succession and Sacraments, they are not universal. Orthodox Churches, like the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches, are regional, national, or ethnic Churches. By definition they cannot be universal.

Only the Catholic Church is truly universal, defined not only by global membership, but defined by liturgical and culture acceptance and incorporation of various peoples who may maintain their cultural traditions, yet be within the self-same Church under the Pope.

On the third point, unfortunately some Latin Rite Catholics who visit with the Byzantine or other Eastern Rite Churches, or who actually formally transfer, sometimes become a problem. Since the Eastern Rite Churches are ethnic Churches, Latin Rite Catholics, who do not come from that culture, sometimes have a hard time adapting. To attend a Eastern Rite Church is to attend a Church of a different culture than from that which we were raised in the Latin Rite.

Sometimes these Latin Rite visitors insist upon changes in the Eastern Rite liturgy. These types tend to be the Ultra-traditionalists who have a "tradition" of arrogance. They want the liturgy to be THEIR WAY. They take that arrogant attitude over with them when they go to the Eastern Rite Churches. Eastern Rite Catholics at best just shake their head and marvel at their immaturity and at worse wish they would go away.

Afterall, if Latin Rite Catholics visit Eastern Rite Churches we are a guest in their house. We ought to behave ourselves and respect the customs of their house as a good guest should do.

If a Latin Rite Catholic formally transfers to a Eastern Rite Church then he should be incorporating within himself the customs of his adopted "country" as-it-were. If he cannot do that, then he ought to stay home.

On the other hand, the Ultra-Traditionalist are a pain in the neck to the Latin Rite Catholics. Maybe it is a good thing for them to go bother someone else for a change :) just kidding!

Anyway, back to your particular question. You may certainly visit a Byzantine Church and receive the Sacraments. To actually transfer requires paperwork and permissions.

God Bless you,
Bro. Ignatius Mary