Q. We have a candidate who received all of her sacraments in the Eastern Orthodox Church and wants to become Roman Catholic. She has been attending our sessions so that she understands the nuances and differences. When is it best to have her do the Profession of Faith? (We celebrate reception and sacraments for our baptized candidates at some time during the Easter season, but not at the Easter Vigil.) Does she need to do it at the Mass we have scheduled for all of the other baptized candidates? Is there a specific rubric for this?

A. Take a look at RCIA 474. For Eastern Christians, “no liturgical rite is required, but simply a profession of Catholic faith….” This seems like a straightforward statement, until we go deeper.

Since no liturgical rite is required, your Eastern Rite person would not go through the Rite of Reception that is found in the RCIA. There is no specific liturgical ritual she would need to go through to be received…other than making a profession of Catholic faith.

Really? No liturgical rite?

The wording in the RCIA is perplexing here. How do you follow the directive “no liturgical rite is required” while having the person make a profession of faith, which sounds like a liturgical ritual? We asked Fr. Paul Turner this question. You can see his response here: https://paulturner.org/receiving-orthodox-christians/.

Based on Fr. Turner’s response and how we read the RCIA, here’s what we recommend. Your person would only need to say the Profession of Faith text that is at RCIA 491. Then your pastor, laying his right hand on the person’s head, would say the Act of Reception text at RCIA 492. There is no need to celebrate confirmation since your person’s confirmation is validly recognized by the Roman Catholic Church.

Now, this verbal exchange could be done as low-key as you like, for example, at the parish office, if that is beneficial for the person. But if it would be more beneficial for her to have some kind of liturgical expression of this dialogue, then it could certainly be done in a prayer service, like a Liturgy of the Word or other liturgy with a small group. Or it could even be done at a parish Mass if it would benefit your candidate to have the wider community witness her profession of faith and reception. In this case, she would recite the Nicene Creed together with the rest of the assembly as usual at Mass. Then the profession of faith and act of reception dialogue follows.

The Latin Rite and the Eastern Rite

In terms of when this would happen, she could be received as soon as she is ready, even before Easter, so that she could celebrate the Paschal Triduum fully. If you and she wanted to wait, you can do this sometime during the Easter season. But it is best not do it at the same celebration as your other Christians being received, if you have any. I think there are subtle differences in the nature of reception between an Orthodox Catholic and other Christians. In addition, your Eastern Rite person would not be confirmed while other Christians received would be. As explained above, her confirmation is validly recognized by the Roman Catholic Church.

One other point to clarify is that she does not become a Latin Rite Catholic. She becomes an Eastern Rite Catholic. Fr. Paul Turner’s book When Other Christians Become Catholic explains this clearly: “When an Orthodox Christian becomes Catholic, he or she becomes a member of the parallel Eastern Catholic Church, not a member of the Latin (Roman) Church. For example, if Greek Orthodox persons wish to become Catholic, they are received into the Greek Catholic Rite….If they wish to be Roman Catholic, they make recourse to the Apostolic See.” (p. 141)

He goes on to say that becoming Roman Catholic is not necessary or encouraged, if the concern is participation at the Eucharistic table. Eastern Catholics and Roman Catholics are able to share in the Eucharist together at their respective rites.

After her profession of faith, you would record this in your parish’s sacramental registry as you normally would for the reception of other Christians.

As with all these kinds of things, it would be good to inquire with your diocese’s tribunal to be sure you are doing what is required by your bishop.

Your turn

How many Eastern Rite Christians have you encountered in your RCIA ministry? What have your conversations about your community been like? Share your thoughts in the comments below.