The Pastoral Care of Eastern Catholics in the USA

(The following are taken from pages 20 to 33 of the book, Eastern Catholics in the United States of America published by American Conference of Catholic Bishops.Providing an overview of the four original Eastern Catholics traditions (Antiochian, Alexandrian, Byzantine, and Armenian), this book explores the similarities and differences between the Roman and Eastern Churches. Building on Pope John Paul II’s apostolic letter, The Light of the East (Orientale Lumen), this new publication is designed to promote a greater understanding of the experience of Eastern Catholics in this country. From the U.S. bishops’ Committee on the Relationship Between Eastern and Latin Catholic Churches.)

The Patriarchal Church

Major Archiepiscopal Church

The Autonomous Metropolitan Church

Other Eastern Catholic Churches

Sacramental Interecclesial Legislation

Membership of Autonomous Ritual Churches
1. Baptism of children under the age of fourteen
2. Baptism of children over the age of fourteen

The Holy Mysteries of Christian Initiation
Baptism
Chrismation
The Eucharist

The Holy Mystery of Penance

The Holy Mystery of Matrimony

The Power to Dispense

Transfer from One Church to Another

In order to consider the pastoral care of Eastern Catholics in the USA, it is necessary: to take into account various structures of Eastern Churches, especially the patriarchate and major archiepiscopate.

The Patriarchal Church

This is a Church under the pastoral care of a patriarch. As well as being the eparchical bishop of his own patriarchal eparchy, the patriarch also exercises special jurisdiction over all metropolitans, archeparchs (archbishops), eparchs (bishops), apostolic exarchs (vicars apostolic), and all the clergy and faithful of his Church within the geographical area of his patriarchate. The patriarch’s jurisdiction does not extend outside the traditional territory of his patriarchate.

In the USA there are six eparchies and one exarchate of patriarchal or metropolitan sui juris Churches:

The Eparchy of Newton for Melkite Greek Catholics

The Eparchy of Saint Maron in New York for the Maronite Catholics in the Eastern USA

The Eparcby of Saint Thomas in Detroit for Chaldean Catholics

The Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon in Los Angeles for Maronite Catholics in the Western USA

The Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance in Newark for Syrian Catholics

The Armenian Catholic Exarchate of the USA and Canada

The Romanian Catholic Eparchy of Saint George in Canton, which has its origins from the autonomous Metropolitan Church of Fagaras and Alba Julia

Major Archiepiscopal Church

A major archbishop is, in almost all respects, identical with a patriarch and has similar rights and privileges.

In the USA there is one metropolitan archeparchy of a major archiepiscopal Church, with three eparchies:
The Archeparchy of Philadelphia for Ukrainian Catholics
The Eparchy of Stamford for Ukrainian Catholics
The Eparchy of Saint Nicholas in Chicago for Ukrainian Catholics
The Eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma for Ukrainian Catholics
(The St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago)

The Autonomous Metropolitan Church

In the USA there is one autonomous metropolitan Church, that of Ruthenian Byzantine Catholics divided into one archeparchy and three eparchies: The Archeparchy of Pittsburgh The Eparchy of Passaic The Eparchy of Parma The Eparchy of Van Nuys

Other Eastern Catholic Churches

The other Eastern Churches for a variety of reasons have not yet established an eparchy or an apostolic exarchate in the USA. Some of these Churches-the Russian, Belarusan, Coptic, Ethiopian, Syro-Malabar, and Syro-Malankara do have one or more priests here in the USA. These priests and their faithful are entrusted to the governance of the local bishop of the Latin Church. (This book was published before the establishment of St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago).

However, members of Eastern Churches who do not have any contact with their own pastors ought to be helped as far as possible to observe their own tradition and customs.

Pope John Paul II expressed a special concern for these Catholics in his apostolic letter Orientale Lumen, “Where in the West there are no Eastern priests to look after the faith­ful of the Eastern Catholic Churches, Latin Ordinaries and their co-workers should see that those faithful grow in the awareness and knowledge of their own tradition, and they should be invited to co-operate actively in the growth of the Christian community by making their own particular contribution.”

Sacramental Interecclesial Legislation

When the Code of Canons for the Eastern Churches uses the phrase “autonomous ritual church” to designate the Latin Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches, it is evident that laws concerned with the relations between these Churches should no longer be called “inter ritual” but more appropri­ately “interecclesial.”

In the day-to-day life of the Church, it is usually a question relating to the celebration of the Holy Mysteries of Christian Initiation and Marriage for Eastern Catholics, which require a clear understanding on the part of the minister of the Latin Church.

Membership of Autonomous Ritual Churches

It is not possible simply to be a “Catholic” – a member “at large” of the universal Catholic Church. A person is always a member of a specific autonomous ritual Church and only as such is a person a member of the Catholic Church.

In Baptism, a person is enrolled in an autonomous ritual Church and the Church to which that person belongs is determined by church law. A person, no matter by whom or where or in what liturgical ceremony he or she is baptized, belongs to the autonomous ritual Church to which he or she should belong in accordance to the norms of law. Canons 29-30 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches establish the canonical legislation for Eastern Catholics.

From time to time, it may become necessary, when it is a question of membership of a Church by reason of Baptism, to clarify to which Church a Catholic belongs. In such cases, the following principles apply:

1. Baptism of children under the age of fourteen:

By virtue of Baptism, a child is enrolled in the Church of the Catholic father or the Church of the mother if only the mother is Catholic or if both parents by agreement freely request it, with due regard for particular laws established by the Apostolic See; these principles also apply in the case of an adoptive father and mother;
i. If only one parent is a Catholic, the child belongs to the Church of that parent.
ii. If born of an unmarried mother, the child belongs to her Church;
iii. If born of unknown parents, the child belongs to the Church of the legal guardians;
iv. If born of nonbaptized parents the child is to be a member of the Church of the person undertaking the responsibility to educate the child in the Catholic faith.

2. Baptism of children over the age of fourteen:

A person of fourteen years of age or older, who requests Baptism, is free to choose any Church.

The Holy Mysteries of Christian Initiation

Baptism

A priest or deacon of the Latin Catholic may not baptize a child of Eastern Catholic parents, unless a priest of the parents’ Church cannot perform this holy mystery. The follow­ing circumstances constitute unavailability of the priest of the Eastern Church, and in such cases a priest or deacon of the Latin Church may baptize the child.
i. The child is in danger of death;
ii. The priest of the Eastern Church is too far away to bring the child to him;
iii. The priest of the Eastern Church cannot come to baptize the child.

If, in these circumstances, a priest or deacon of the Latin Church baptizes the child he must:
i. State, in his own baptismal register, to which Eastern Church the child belongs;
ii. Send notifications of the baptism to the priest of the Eastern Church;
iii. If there is no priest of the child’s Eastern Church in the USA, the registration of the baptism is made only in the parochial register of the Latin Church, but the Eastern Church to which the child belongs must be noted.

Chrismation

In the Eastern Catholic Churches, Chrismation (known in the West as Confirmation) is always received at the time of Baptism. (When there is danger of death, it may be admin­istered later.) If, in the exceptional circumstances as mentioned above, a Latin priest were to baptize a child belonging to an Eastern Church, unless such a priest has the faculties to administer the Holy Mystery of Chrismation and has the permission of the proper pastor to do so, he must not chrismate the child. The child should be chrismated by a priest of his or her own autonomous ritual Church as soon as possible after Baptism.

As many Eastern Catholic children attend Catholic schools under the control of the Latin Church, it often happens that they are involved in sacramental preparation programs. It is at these times that the question of Chrismation arises. As the Sacrament of Chrismation cannot be repeated, any attempt to do so is strictly prohibited.

If, at the time of confirmation for the class or group of chil­dren in the sacramental program, it is found that a child belonging to an Eastern Church has not yet received the holy mystery of Chrismation, the child must then be chrismated in his or her proper autonomous ritual Church.

The Eucharist

It is the normal practice of the Church that Catholics cele­brate the Lord’s day by participating in the celebration of the Eucharist in a community of their own Church. Nevertheless, where there is a diversity of Churches in the one place, the faithful worthily celebrate the resurrection of Jesus by attending the Eucharist in any of the autonomous ritual Churches.

Holy Communion may be received in any Catholic Church. Since sacramental initiation in the mystery of salvation is perfected in the reception of the Divine Eucharist, children of Eastern Catholic Churches who have not received the Eucharist at the time of their Christian initiation, should receive their first Holy Communion in their own autonomous Church.

The Holy Mystery of Penance

Catholics may receive absolution from any priest belonging to either the Latin or the Eastern Churches provided he has the faculty to administer the Holy Mystery of Penance. However, priests of the Latin Church hearing the confession of members of Eastern Churches should exercise particular care, as the perception of failing towards God and one’s neighbor is deeply formed, and expressed, in terms drawn from one’s own liturgical and religious experience.

Priests of the Latin Church need to be aware that the auto­matic penalties in the law of the Latin Church are not found in that of the Eastern Churches. On the other hand, the prac­tice of “reserved sins” is still retained in the Eastern Churches.

The Holy Mystery of Matrimony

It is at the time of an impending marriage that members of Eastern Churches often come into contact with pastors of the Latin Church.

It is the canonical tradition of Eastern Churches that mar­riage is to be celebrated before the pastor of the groom unless particular law determines otherwise or a just cause excuses. Unlike the Latin Church, in the Eastern Churches a deacon cannot assist at a marriage.

In the USA, a priest of the Latin Church cannot, without special delegation from the eparch of the Eastern Church, validly bless the marriages of the subjects of that eparch even if celebrated in his parish:

1. Two Eastern Catholics both of whom belong to the Armenian, Chaldean, Maronite, Melkite, Romanian, Ruthenian, Syrian, or Ukrainian Churches;

2. An Eastern Catholic belonging to the Armenian, Chaldean, Maronite, Melkite, Romanian, Ruthenian, Syrian, or Ukrainian Churches marrying a baptized person who is not a member of the Catholic Church or an unbaptized person; a bishop of the Latin Church has no authority to permit such a marriage or grant a dispensation for it.

In the USA, a priest of the Latin Church, with the faculty to assist at marriages, may validly bless the following marriages involving Eastern Catholics:

1. Two Eastern Catholics neither of whom belongs to the Armenian, Chaldean, Maronite, Melkite, Romanian, Ruthenian, Syrian, or Ukrainian Churches;

2. An Eastern Catholic who does not belong to the Armenian, Chaldean, Maronite, Melkite, Romanian, Ruthenian, Syrian, or Ukrainian Churches marrying a baptized person who is not a member of the Catholic Church or an unbaptized person.

The marriage between a Latin Catholic and an Eastern Catholic should take place in the Church of the man. Unlike the Latin Church, a deacon in the Eastern Catholic Churches cannot validly assist at a marriage between a man belonging to the Latin Church and a woman belonging to an Eastern Church.

In the case where the groom is a member of the Armenian, Chaldean, Maronite, Melkite, Romanian, Ruthenian, Syrian, or Ukrainian Churches, and the bride is a Latin Catholic, the Eastern Eparch may grant a dispensation so that the marriage may be lawfully celebrated.

When dealing with the faithful of the Eastern Churches, Latin pastors must be aware of the differences in the legis­lation of the Latin Church and that of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches in regard to marriage. For example, the impediment of affinity extends in the collateral line to the second degree, that is, prohibiting marriage with one’s sister/brother-in-Iaw. The impediment of spiritual relation­ship is retained in the Eastern Churches so a marriage between a sponsor and the baptized person and the parents of the same is invalid.

The Power to Dispense

Eastern Catholics can only be dispensed by their own eparch. Any dispensation granted by a Latin bishop to the faithful of these Churches is invalid.

Those Eastern Catholics who do not have their own eparchy or exarchate established in the USA are placed under the jurisdiction of the local Latin bishop and may be validly dispensed by him.

Transfer from One Church to Another

In very exceptional circumstances, the Church permits the faithful to transfer their membership from one autonomous ritual Church to another. This is never undertaken lightly and touches upon the deepest relationship between the indi­vidual member of the body of Christ, its other members, and the bonds that link us to our Savior. Formerly the power to authorize such a transfer was reserved to the Apostolic See alone. For Eastern Catholics in the USA, such a trans­fer may take place on the agreement of the respective bish­ops. If there is no agreement, the request is submitted to the proper Roman dicastery.

Marriage also provides an opportunity for a person to trans­fer from one Church to another. An Eastern Catholic wife may transfer to the Church of her husband. A Latin Catholic husband or wife may transfer to the Church of their Eastern spouse at the time of marriage or during the marriage.