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Date Posted

5/16/2008
Question: I have a good friend and colleague who has invited me to her husband's ordination into the priesthood.  They are Greek Orthodox.  Do I need to attend Mass before attending the ordination Mass or is it an accepted form to fulfill my obligation within the Roman Catholic Church?
   
Answer from      Father Jeff: Let me begin by thanking you for your question.
 

I take it that the ordination will be done on a Sunday afternoon since you asked about needing to go to a Roman Catholic Mass before.  There are two things to consider; is the Church in union with Rome, and is the Ordination Mass a Sunday Mass.  The second question is really the same question people attending Catholic weddings Saturday afternoon ask when they say “Do I still have to go to church on Sunday?”  Then, the answer is yes, the wedding does not count as a Sunday Mass.  I do not know if the Greek Orthodox would do the ordination as a Sunday Mass.

Is the Greek Orthodox Church in union with Rome?  The Roman Catholic Church recognizes the Orthodox Church as having valid sacraments but we are not in full communion with them because the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox church have separate hierarchies.  In the event of an emergency, when no Catholic priest is available, we may receive Communion from an Orthodox church since their sacraments are considered valid.

Given what I have said about receiving Communion, I would say that if any possible, you should attend Sunday in a Roman Catholic Church.  If there is no Catholic Church near where the ordination will be, then attending the Greek Orthodox ordination would count to fulfill your Sunday obligation.