[kosta50]

Canon 844 (4) permits those outside the Catholic church to take communion IF they believe in the Catholic doctrines with respect to the Eucharist, IF they ask themselves (can't offer - they have to ask), IF no minister of their own faith is available, and IF there is danger of death or other grave circumstance

AAM, IF you qualify for all those then you just might be a Catholic in your heart and should convert without further delay.

I know we all have rules about "becoming" Orthodox, Catholic, etc. but no piece of paper is going to "make" you something you are not in your heart. A piece of paper is just that -- and administrative document that is not needed for one's faith, but for the Church administration and other administrative, legal issues.

[AnAmericanMother]

It's o.k. . . . I should have emphasized that that was in the PAST.

GC 2003 happened in August, IIRC. We started looking for a church immediately, we joined our local Catholic parish provisionally (receiving under Canon 844) in January 2004, and we were received into the Catholic Faith on Memorial Day 2004.

We're home and hosed as they say (speaking of racehorses.)