Number 3

[Br. Xavier]

Attending... unsure of what it is called... tonight at 11:30 P.M. My third ever Orthodosx service. I have decided to continue my journey towards becoming Orthodox. Please, pray for me.

 

[MariaRegina]

Attending... unsure of what it is called... tonight at 11:30 P.M. My third ever Orthodosx service. I have decided to continue my journey towards becoming Orthodox. Please, pray for me.

My prayers, Xavier.

I went to Holy Friday Vespers at 3PM today and then to the Matins Service at 7PM tonight. Passages from the scriptures and holy services really jumped out at me.

Tomorrow, I will attend the 10 AM morning Divine Liturgy in anticipation of the Pascha, and then come back at 10:30 PM for choir practice. The Pascha Service begins at 11:00 PM on Saturday Evening.

 

[epiktetos]

My prayers, Xavier.

I went to Holy Friday Vespers at 3PM today and then to the Matins Service at 7PM tonight. Passages from the scriptures and holy services really jumped out at me.

Tomorrow, I will attend the 10 AM morning Divine Liturgy in anticipation of the Pascha, and then come back at 10:30 PM for choir practice. The Pascha Service begins at 11:00 PM on Saturday Evening.

I wonder, does anyone have to go through any conversion processes
like what goes on at the Catholic church to become an Orthodox?

 

[Coralie]

This is wonderful news! Kyrie eleison!

I get horribly confused with time zones (I am GMT +2, but the US is 6 hours behind us, I think? Or is that 18 hours ahead??), but I guess you are either going to the Epitaphios/Sepulchre service (Friday night) or the Resurrection service (Saturday night).

I hope you will be blessed by either one brother. I'm pretty sure you will be. I went to Epitaphios last night and it was amazing experience--I might share it in a thread today actually.

This must be a hard but good time for you. Times of searching tend to be both. I am praying for you and I ask God's richest blessings on your path to the Truth!

 

[rusmeister]

I wonder, does anyone have to go through any conversion processes
like what goes on at the Catholic church to become an Orthodox?

Many people - primarily those who have not been baptized in a recognized fashion (but sometimes those who have as well) go through a process called "the catechumenate"; they become a "catechumen". They basically learn what on earth it is that they are accepting and joining themselves to. This could take a few hours, like Philip and the eunuch, or months of evening classes.
Once the priest is satisfied that you understand what you are accepting; that you do understand and accept the Orthodox faith, he will arrange to have you baptized (or chrismated if you've already been baptized, as in my case).

 

[laconicstudent]

Attending... unsure of what it is called... tonight at 11:30 P.M. My third ever Orthodosx service. I have decided to continue my journey towards becoming Orthodox. Please, pray for me.

That's neat, I'm doing my 3rd Liturgy tomorrow night at Pascha, God willing.



And in a partial restatement of epiktetos' question: How does one typically go about becoming a catechuman in the first place? I know it varies wildly between parishes and dioceses, but generally, does one go to the priest or bishop and ask, or does one wait for the priest to mention it? Are you supposed to be attending weekly for 2 months first, or can you come out of the blue?

 

[Ambrosius]

That's neat, I'm doing my 3rd Liturgy tomorrow night at Pascha, God willing.



And in a partial restatement of epiktetos' question: How does one typically go about becoming a catechuman in the first place? I know it varies wildly between parishes and dioceses, but generally, does one go to the priest or bishop and ask, or does one wait for the priest to mention it? Are you supposed to be attending weekly for 2 months first, or can you come out of the blue?

What I did was go for about seven months and after the third or so time, when I knew I was definitely considering it, told the priest I was deciding on whether to ask to become a catechumen. That way he could answer any questions, and by the time I asked he knew I was serious...

And that week I was made a catechumen.

And I would be baptised by now probably if life circumstances hadn't made me change my mind a week later in a horrible way...

 

[Ambrosius]

I think of all the feast days and services I've been to Good Friday vespers sums up the entire core of Orthodoxy amazingly well to me... humanity condemned it's creator but he was so merciful that did not fight us, he suffered for us and prayed for those who wronged him because of his love.

 

[Michael G]

I was never actually made a catechumen.

Instead I went to one on one classes with Fr. Basil for 4 months every Saturday night after Vespers and then when Great Lent started and I told Fr. Basil that I wanted to be Orthodox he told me to spend all of Lent praying and that he would chrismated me on Lazarus Saturday, April 3, 1999.

 

[cobweb]

I was not made a catechumen for 2 1/2 years. My catechumenate only lasted all of Lent though.

First serious inquiry to Chrismation took 5 months for my husband. It was sooooo not fair.

 

[SeraphimSarov]

From the beginning of my inquiry until my entrance into the Church was a little over a year. I don't believe I was ready, but then again, is one ever?

Prayers.

 

[HandmaidenOfGod]

Attending... unsure of what it is called... tonight at 11:30 P.M. My third ever Orthodosx service. I have decided to continue my journey towards becoming Orthodox. Please, pray for me.

If you are going to the Saturday evening service at 11:30 PM, you are going to be at the Pascha Service which is the feast of feasts! Prepare to stand long, and then eat a lot when you are done!

You've picked a wonderful service to go to.

May God bless you on your journey!

P.S. Please speak to a priest about your decision to continue on this journey.

 

[choirfiend]

Attending... unsure of what it is called... tonight at 11:30 P.M. My third ever Orthodosx service. I have decided to continue my journey towards becoming Orthodox. Please, pray for me.

That would be Nocturns, followed by the Paschal procession, then Matins and Divine Liturgy of Pascha. It is actually 3 services that immediately follow one another.

 

[Michael G]

From the beginning of my inquiry until my entrance into the Church was a little over a year. I don't believe I was ready, but then again, is one ever?

Prayers.

If you count my inquiry with the first semester of Roman seminary, then my inquiry was 2 1/2 years until I was chrismated.

 

[Br. Xavier]

Thank you, Maria.

If you are going to the Saturday evening service at 11:30 PM, you are going to be at the Pascha Service which is the feast of feasts! Prepare to stand long, and then eat a lot when you are done!

You've picked a wonderful service to go to.

May God bless you on your journey!

P.S. Please speak to a priest about your decision to continue on this journey.

Thank you for the advice! That is the service I will be attending.

 

[Br. Xavier]

That would be Nocturns, followed by the Paschal procession, then Matins and Divine Liturgy of Pascha. It is actually 3 services that immediately follow one another.

Thank you for clarifying.

 

[MariaRegina]

I was not made a catechumen for 2 1/2 years. My catechumenate only lasted all of Lent though.

First serious inquiry to Chrismation took 5 months for my husband. It was sooooo not fair.

Often spouses of Orthodox Christians do not need an extensive catechumenate. According to my priest, his reasoning is that when the other spouse first converted (if a convert), then many things were discussed, and the couple shared many experiences and learned together.

If an Orthodox Christian marries a Christian who is not Orthodox, and that spouse wants to convert, usually they have been to many services together.

Today we had the Chrismation of Michael, who was formerly a Presbyterian. He has been married for about eight years to his wife, who was born into a devout Orthodox Christian family. So, his catechumenate in a sense began before they got married. It was a gradual process that involved celebrating Christmas, Pascha, the fasts and feasts of the Church, and the Baptisms of their four children.

 

[jckstraw72]

glory to God!

 

[zhilan]

I was never officially made a catechumen either, but I went to classes for about a year and a half before converting.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

MOD HAT ON AND OFF....

Previous Mod Hat removed as it's location was out of context with the thread (sorry for any misunderstanding this may have caused). Posts replying to it have been removed also by staff as a cleanup; since they are no longer relevant.

Thread reopened.

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Mark
Staff Super.