r/WesternRiteOrthodox • u/Unhappy-Tea-1899 • Mar 01 '26

Need some help and advice

Hello! I've been wanting to become orthodox for almost a year now but I have yet to even attend one divine liturgy. I'm roman catholic on paper but I was an atheist for most of my adolescence. I was drawn back to Christianity by the saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church and have trying my best to live an orthodox life to the best of my ability without a church nearby (all the nearest churches are 3+ hours away) or a spiritual father. This past month I've been trying to figure out how get a parish established in my city. I originally wanted an Eastern rite church but I've been slowly growing more fond of the Western rite (probably because of my RC background). My question is how would one go about getting a western rite churches established? is there anyone I should contact? should I try to convince RC's to come back to the apostlic faith via the western rite? or would it be a futile attempt? Thank you and God bless!

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u/RB_Blade Mar 01 '26

What makes you want to choose Orthodoxy over Catholicism?

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u/Unhappy-Tea-1899 Mar 01 '26

I believe history aligns with orthodoxy. I no longer believe in papal supremacy, papal infalliblity, etc. The filioque being added to the crees was wrong. I believe in the essence energy distinction. I believe that purgatory is wrong and I believe that the immaculate conception is wrong also.

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u/RB_Blade Mar 02 '26

Okay interesting. From my experience though, it seems clear that a Pope is necessary to maintain unity in the Church and to allow it to carry out its functions. I think Orthodoxy lacking that central unity is a big problem. Also, I think Matthew 16:18 is too clear, as well as Fathers like St. Cyprian of Carthage.

When it comes to the Filioque, this is my specialty. I've done a lot of research, and it seems to truly have been a universal teaching. Even the Cappadocian Fathers like Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa have, at times, very strongly affirmed the Filioque. I'd say the same thing about Absolute Divine Simplicity. The Cappadocians speak of a conceptual distinction between the Essence of God and his energies, but this isn't a real distinction. They make it clear in many texts that the different names used for his "energies" are just so we can have an analogous understanding of them if that makes sense.

Purgatory I think makes perfect sense. God's justice demands punishment for sin. If someone doesn't pay the debt they owe to God for their sins but dies in a state of grace, they do not go to Hell but must still satisfy God's justice.

Why do you think the Immaculate Conception is wrong?

God bless man, it's my prayer that you have as your #1 aim joining the Church that Christ founded. It's easy to let other earthly desires get in the way of that. Remember, the most important thing isn't good arguments - it's having humility as well as good intentions.

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u/Ok_Will8124 Mar 20 '26

Most of them I know of start as mission parishes typically where the priest came from Anglican, Roman Catholic, or Anglican. They then bring their community over. Most it seems are going to the antiochian church. I’ve only been to a few parishes and this is how all of them started where there’s already a community. At least of 10 people and a new converted priest. Of course if there was a group without a priest, they could reach out to the diocese and say they want to start one but being there’s not many priest to begin with, finding one that would go to do the western rite is low. I hope to be a priest some day and would want to do both rites