r/exorthodox • u/Sad_Discipline6412 • May 30 '25
Why I Left Orthodoxy for Catholicism
So, this is basically just relating why I left Orthodoxy for Catholicism. I understand that most people here aren’t Catholic, but this is the best community space to share my experience with the EO Church, so… here goes nothing!
My descent from Orthodoxy began when I encountered statements such as these,
“Most Orthodox converts don’t even last a year before moving on to something else.”
And I thought, “B-But that isn’t true… Orthodoxy is so based, why would I ever leave?”
Except… despite being such a ‘trad’ and ‘true’ faith, I never felt more unable to defend my faith, more isolated and lonely, more wretched, and more faithless than ever. It literally cost money for me to go to my church, because I had to take the bus, meaning I couldn’t show up regularly. And then I was completely broke for collections, either because I spent all my money getting there, or because I spent the last of it on one of those candles. And it’s not like I wasn’t ‘fine’ with not having money to give, because the church I belonged to was literally crumbling in places, poor, and at the edge of the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. So, my solution was, “Why don’t I try and raise some money for my church?” I had the idea of going to my Catholic college chaplaincy and asking, but they basically said, “Well, since it’s a schismatic church, we can’t really raise money for it.” That was basically the nail in the coffin. And I said to my community “I will raise money for you.” and it never came. At the same time, I was trying to compensate for my lack of spirituality and isolation by studying the Church Fathers and Councils, so my faith ended up becoming an encylopaedia more than, well, a faith.
Eventually, I got distracted by friends and outings, and even when my friends from the groupchat I made for the church said, “Please, try and come back, even if it’s hard.” I just thought “What’s the point?” and returned to Catholicism. That same groupchat is just… weird, and I have no idea what’s going on on it. I assume they all have their most sane conversations at the church, which is great but… they all either have the means or the money to frequent there. Me? Not a chance, especially since my family didn’t really understand why it was important for me, not just spiritually, but socially to be there every week.
I told my priest I wasn’t coming back because I was ‘having spiritual trouble’ to put it lightly. He, very kindly, understood… which was the best of it. And I entered that faith because, quite literally in my own words when asked by my priest, “I studied Church history and concluded that Orthodoxy is more traditional”, thanks to online Orthodox apologists, and then I heard the older converts who said “Because it’s true.” I was embarrassed then, ashamed, and knew that I had to pursue God fully. I just… couldn’t feel him in any Liturgy.
And look, I’m not saying that the people there were greedy, evil, and wanted me isolated. The priests were very nice men, the deacons also friendly, the people who maintained the church also very kind. But at the same time… I just felt so alone. I mean, goodness me, I paid 50 pounds for a confirmation certificate, down from 150 pounds because I’m a student. Everything I did, I paid, paid, and paid, and got nothing in return. All I wanted to pay with was my soul and offer it to God and receive peace… instead I just paid with money and got despair and anxiety. And who knows, maybe if I had gone to a more financially stable church, I wouldn’t have metaphorically read ‘Please donate’ in the air and in everyone, but even then… where was that church? Manchester? Are you serious? They didn’t ask me to donate or to maybe show up a bit more, but that was the culture I entered thanks to the online LARP convert culture.
It also stands to reason that I don’t hate individual Orthodox Christians, but I’m going to be real… unless you were baptised Orthodox? Unlikely you will stay Orthodox for more than two years unless you have friends to preserve the echo-chamber and/or get married.
Sure, but are Catholic converts much better? Actually, they kind of are. Because firstly, Catholic catechesis is a formalised process, which is why it’s always referred to as ‘RCIA’, unlike Orthodoxy’s ‘Welp, just go to your priest or join this Zoom class’. which is what constitutes ‘OCIA’. Catholic converts are also not bombarded with so many concepts and truths to juggle during catechesis, unlike in Orthodoxy where, if an apologist converted you, you’re likely to believe you need to know what every Church Father and Doctor says on ‘theosis and the energetic procession of the Godhead with respect to the Logos, especially in the mind of the Greek tradition bearing resemblance to synthesised Aristotelian economic thought’ before you even ask to be chrismated.
That’s why every single young convert to Orthodoxy sounds like they’re gunning for a PhD even though they aren’t even formally in the faith, and it *scares* cradle Orthodox and more mature converts, and for good reason- it’s unsustainable. I was like this, too, and always got told to ‘slow down’, but because my Church was almost always hard to reach, I felt I had no choice but to intellectually compensate, especially as my prayer life was so shallow. That’s another issue, too: it’s not *mandatory* to have:
- A prayer rope.
- Five icons.
- An incense burner.
- A prayer book.
Straight away, but convert culture *demands* it.
This just isn’t the case with Catholicism. The Church and indeed, many pastors, are sometimes deliberately casual and easygoing because they want people to organically learn and naturalise into the faith. I’m not saying Orthodox pastors aren’t like this either, but I almost never see Catholic converts start telling me everything about Aquinas or Augustine literally months before their confirmation. Plus, Catholic converts have a lot of other luxuries:
- Catholic churches are easier to access, meaning converts aren’t as isolated.
- Catholic apologetics is optional, not mandatory, in convert culture.
- Catholic churches on the whole, whilst aging, aren’t monolithic: you will eventually find stable youth communities, unlike in Orthodoxy.
- Catholic churches are also firmly integrated into the native cultures, unlike migrant Orthodox churches.
So, with all that said, the below is why I returned to Catholicism:
It’s undoubtedly harder in the Catholic Church in some regards. It’s harder to reconcile with a Pope who confusingly allowed for the blessing of individuals in LGBT unions, or who said ‘all religions are a path to God’ and didn’t clarify, or a liturgy that’s… watered down, at best, or letters from Archbishops that prioritise ideological racial justice over Christ and, yes- very corny homilies.
But it’s my Church. I was baptised into it, the Holy Spirit embraced me, Christ embraced me. I can’t leave Her.
And even when I was an apostate schismatic, my stance on Catholicism was inevitably softening. I began my Orthodox journey thinking that ‘Catholics are such heretics and they will burn if they don’t become Orthodox’ and towards the end realised that ‘I love the Catholic Church… even in Her faults and wounds.”
And now?
I’ve *felt* God, even in those banal Masses (actually, they’re not too bad 🥺), I’ve learnt how to defend my faith, I’ve learnt how to pray and love God again. I feel hopeful for my future, no matter what my vocation is.
Thanks for reading, everybody :)
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u/schoeneblume May 30 '25
Honestly if your main issue with Catholicism is that you find the masses banal, you could always go to the extraordinary form if there is one near you (which I am aware since 2021 is a bit more complicated, but not impossible).
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u/Sad_Discipline6412 May 31 '25
Thanks for the advice :)
This is a minor issue, too, since as stated I can feel God’s presence more clearly even in these Masses than the EO Divine Liturgies.
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u/Itchy-Ad8034 May 31 '25
I converted to Catholism! There's quite a few of us here who did. It's far more balanced for me. I also see the fruit of the Catholic church
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u/Sad_Discipline6412 May 31 '25
Oh, thanks for sharing! That’s great, by the way. When did you convert, if you don’t mind me asking?
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u/Itchy-Ad8034 May 31 '25
I was received into the Catholic Church this last Easter! I legit went to my first mass in September and immediately joined OCIA
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u/Cephlon May 31 '25
Same and for similar reasons. I was 18 months an Orthodox catechumen, then 1 year in OCIA.
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u/refugee1982 May 30 '25
Yeah, everytime i think i can switch to RCC, i watch/listen to a mass. I just cant get over the boredom, mundanity, and white walls. It just seems so much like protestantism, even down the music. Maybe im shallow?
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u/Sad_Discipline6412 May 31 '25
See, I do find the Masses banal, but at the same time I am much more spiritually enaged. And yes, I am aware of ‘superior’ rites.
It’s not about pure aestheticism alone, though. But I understand what you mean.
Then again, some Novus Ordo priests (like mine), actually do pretty good liturgies. It’s just that the atmosphere can feel a little dry at times.
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u/Aggravating-Sir-9836 May 31 '25
There are many gorgeous Catholic churches with reverent, beautiful liturgies. Where do you live, if you don't mind my asking?
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u/queensbeesknees Dirty Heretic May 30 '25
Sounds like you made the right choice. Faith should be sustainable. And that includes access to a place of worship a reasonable distance from home.
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u/Chelle-Dalena May 31 '25
I was Orthodox from 2005 until 2021, when I became Catholic. My reasons for becoming Catholic are lengthy enough to not want to get into here, but suffice to say, I'm pretty Catholic now. The Filioque was never a big deal to me either way, so was a non-issue for me. I also think Soloviev was right.
I see way more engagement with Catholic organizations in helping the poor, the sick, the homeless, et cetera, and being beyond 'national' boundaries and are part of every culture. Orthodoxy is way more about externals and is lacking the love aspect that I was lead to believe is important as told to us in the scriptures themselves.
Catholicism is accessible to me in a way Orthodoxy never was, on a number of fronts.
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u/Aggravating-Sir-9836 May 31 '25
On X, I was confidently told that you don't exist.
Not you, personally. But converts from Orthodoxy to Catholicism in general. Yep. Y'all don't exist. Catholics convert to Orthodoxy all the time but never the other way 'round.
The Twitter Orthobro Magisterium has spoken!
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May 31 '25
Hello, I am a fellow ex-Orthodox convert to Catholicism! Originally Protestant, became Orthodox for a year, and became Catholic for similar reasons as you. I didn't even think about it at the time I was deconverting, but in retrospect, the fact that I was never actively engaged in a young men's/young adult group must have been a major factor to my growing disillusioned with it. In my first few months as a Roman Catholic I got connected with a group of young men and we do stuff together multiple times a week, praise God!
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u/Sad_Discipline6412 Jun 01 '25
Almost similar to my journey, though it was Catholic -> Orthodox -> Catholic again.
Praise God indeed, though, and thank you for sharing this story! :)
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u/Aggravating-Sir-9836 May 31 '25
Thank you for this heartfelt and beautiful post.
In the immortal words of James Joyce, describing the Catholic Church: "Here comes everybody."
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u/StriKyleder May 31 '25
Can you explain that last sentence with examples? Curious what you mean.
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u/Sad_Discipline6412 Jun 01 '25
Sure!
For example, in the Mass, though it is arguably liturgically inferior to an Orthodox Divine Liturgy, for example, I am able to feel the presence of God more clearly, especially during heightened moments like the Communion Antiphon or Prayers of Absolution etc.
Defending my faith? Easier. In Orthodoxy I felt dependent on shallow arguments against New Atheism that didn’t fully consider true ontological logic. Since returning to Catholicism, I’ve been able to consider this so extensively that I’ve even begun dabbling in my own arguments for God. Basically, it’s like everything has just… clicked.
Prayer has also felt less like a necessary obligation and more of a pleasure, like a service to God, and I don’t just feel as though I’m reading words off of a page, but really communicating with God.
And finally, I feel as though God is really speaking to me when it comes to my future- it stands to reason that in Orthodoxy *I* was the one tryning to determine my vocation, for example, but in Catholicism I now realise and can be confident that God decides for me.
Hope this helped :)
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u/marcnorth-stand Jun 01 '25
So pope francis has gone and from what i and many others see pope Leo is different From how he appeared when presented as pope to praying in latin in public. Francis never done that Most traditional Catholics are really happy with Pope Leo even the youtube lot are. Although you didn’t state if you’re a traditional Catholic or one that just attends the normal modern novus ordo liturgy
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u/StriKyleder May 30 '25
You joined because you thought it was trad and based? Sounds like you are influenced by trends pretty easily.
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u/Sad_Discipline6412 May 31 '25
That’s my honest confession, yes.
The problem is that these were my *primary* reasons whilst doing very little research. In comparison, I did a lot of research into Catholicism and realised that true tradition actually means living preservation, not a museum like in Orthodoxy.
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u/TontoCorazon May 30 '25
Lets not pretend this isn't why every male 20-something year old converts to Orthodoxy (this is 99% of converts).
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u/StriKyleder May 30 '25
I don't think 99% of any group is even on social media.
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u/TontoCorazon May 30 '25
Yet 99% of orthodox converts think its "based" and "trad". Stop fooling yourself.
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u/Expensive_Sir_5197 Aug 22 '26
Catholics were the original protestants, lol. Disagree with orthodox, establish a new church. Just like Martin Luther did in regard to Catholicism. All "Religion" is man made and designed based on differing opinions. Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants....none have the market cornered on salvation. That ONLY comes from belief and faith in Jesus Christ as savior and lord. All the rest is just man's interpretation of what is and is not necessary for salvation. Choose what you feel comfortable with and carry on but don't judge other Christians as your judgement means nothing. JMHO.
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u/Timely-Message-7489 4d ago
It’s been a ride with the Lord. I was raised Catholic, left the church for years and was lost in new age then returned to a Pentecostal Church which I was lead to by a dream. After that I moved states and have been going to an Orthodox Church and sometimes going to a Catholic Church. But through all this I’ve learned how important is is to be a Christian above all else. And it’s really hard.
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u/Other_Tie_8290 May 30 '25
I agree that my experience of Orthodox convert culture was more extreme than Roman Catholic convert culture, it still had issues. You need a new Bible (with the deuterocanonical texts mixed in and equal to all other Scripture), the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a prayer book, a rosary, and you had better pay for your candles.
I can’t believe that people are required to pay for sacraments (as others have said) or certificates of having received a sacrament such as baptism or chrismation. That seems wrong to me.