Living Vatican II
The Second Vatican Council issued the Degree Orientalium Ecclesiarum, which is says, “The Holy Catholic Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ, is made up of the faithful who are organically united in the Holy Spirit by the same faith, the same sacraments and the same government and who, combining together into various groups which are held together by a hierarchy, form separate Churches or Rites. Between these there exists an admirable bond of union, such that the variety within the Church in no way harms its unity; rather it manifests it, for it is the mind of the Catholic Church that each individual Church or Rite should retain its traditions whole and entire and likewise that it should adapt its way of life to the different needs of time and place.”
The Tidewater, Virginia area is blessed to have two Eastern-Rite parishes in its mist. Ascension of Our Lord, located at 114 Palace Lane, Williamsburg, VA 23185; and Our Lady of Perpetual Help, located in at 216 South Parliament Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23462.
All Roman Catholics are strongly encouraged to live out the calling of Vatican II, and visit one of these Catholic parishes. Likewise, Catholics should take efforts to educate their children about the Eastern Rites. According to the Second Vatican Council, “The laity… should be taught as part of its catechetical education about rites and their rules.”
Members of the Legion of Mary have a particular duty to learn of the Eastern Rites. The Legion of Mary Handbook, quotes Pope John Paul II’s encyclical “Orientale Lumen,” saying “Since in fact, we believe that the venerable and ancient tradition of the Eastern Churches is an integral part of the heritage of Christ’s Church, the first need for Catholics is to be familiar with that tradition.”
Eastern-Rite Catholic should not be confused with Orthodox Christians. While we rightly call Orthodox Christians our brothers and sisters, and while they maintain valid sacraments, we are still praying for full unity with the Orthodox.
The Legion of Mary Handbook says of the Orthodox, “These Orthodox Churches are truly our Sister Churches, we must promote in every way possible reconciliation and unity between us according to the mind of Christ and in keeping with the guidelines of the document “Unitatis Redintegratio” of the Second Vatican Council.”
Further, we are to note that in the 1940s The Vatican gave the Legion of Mary special permission to recruit Orthodox Christians into its ranks. Thus, the Tidewater Curia openly welcomes and invites Orthodox Christians to join our praesidia, and seeks to form praesida at Orthodox Churches. All that is said in the Legion of Mary Handbook about protestants, does not apply to the Orthodox, as they possess valid holy orders, true sacraments, and are not protestants.
Although we cannot invite protestants into the Legion of Mary, and although protestants do not have valid holy orders and do not celebrate the Eucharist, we should still pray for their conversion. Protestants, and other non-Catholics, who are willing to say the Legion of Mary prayers, may be given copies of the prayers and encouraged to say them. They should be visited regularly, and encouraged to convert to the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. It is the Legion of Mary’s desire that all become one in Christ, through Mary.