RainbowSprinkles Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 (edited) I was born into a Catholic family, but no one ever went to church with me or taught me about it. I did have religion in school (Germany) and I did go to communion. I did not do confirmation. I am now a baptist, if I am anything. For the last year or two I have been feeling like I'd like to go to a Catholic service. I'm not sure why. My dh is also from a Catholic, but non-practicing family and does not seem very fond of it. We haven't talked about why as of yet. I'd love to learn more about the Catholic Church. The history, the traditions, etc.. :bigear: Edited November 28, 2011 by RainbowSprinkles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 (edited) You can join the Catholic group here, Crossing the Tiber. You should just go. Anyone can go, it's not all that hard, just do what evreyone else does-just don't go up for communion! The biggest reason I made the jump was because of the Eucharist. I started reading the church fathers, and what they said about the Eucharist and I wanted a church that believed as they did. But, you should go. Edited November 28, 2011 by justamouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 It would take more space and time than available to tell all about the Church. Its history alone is over 2000 years long. Our social group is pretty active. If you have a specific question, you would get a pretty thorough answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatMomof3 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 :iagree: With 2000 years of tradition/history there is so much, I would not even know where to begin. #1 - go to Mass you could also listen to Catholic Radio Stations, watch EWTN, read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, read about the saints, read the bible, and PRAY. If you have any specific question, I am sure someone here can help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 It's a good time to go to check it out as a lot of the words have been changed and everyone is reading along with the text and learning together. :) It's also awesome to know that He is always present in the Tabernacle. Sounds like He's calling you home. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Ah! I just remembered! If you can get it, Father Barron has a series out, Catholicism, which is excellent. It recently aired on EWTN, and PBS. It may still be airing on PBS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I would say that you should go to Mass. Prior, though, ask or check the Church bulletin - there are some parishes where one can go to the priest at Communion (in line with everyone else) and hold their hands over their heart signifying that they are unable (for whatever reason) to receive the Eucharist at that time, but they would like to receive a blessing. That's what is done in our Church. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I was away from the Church for 35 years. Long story. :) Here is a Catholic discussion forum. The people are knowledgeable and kind. Ask any question. There's a Catholic radio network called Relevant Radio. Maybe there will be an affiliate where you live. You might find something helpful on Steve Ray's blog site. And at some point, you could call a local Catholic church. I'm sure the pastor there would be happy to talk with you (and he won't be pushy :) ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merry gardens Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I was born into a Catholic family, but no one ever went to church with me or taught me about it. I did have religion in school (Germany) and I did go to communion. I did not do confirmation. I am now a baptist, if I am anything. For the last year or two I have been feeling like I'd like to go to a Catholic service. I'm not sure why. My dh is also from a Catholic, but non-practicing family and does not seem very fond of it. We haven't talked about why as of yet. I'd love to learn more about the Catholic Church. The history, the traditions, etc.. :bigear: I'd really like to tell you something, but I hardly know where to begin. I should probably begin telling you about Jesus, but since you are Baptist, you probably already know Him. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 (edited) . ETA -- Just in case you wonder about what I deleted, I misread a post above as anti-Catholic. My fault, so I corrected the situation. :-) Edited November 28, 2011 by milovaný Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I was away from the Church for 35 years. Long story. :) Here is a Catholic discussion forum. The people are knowledgeable and kind. Ask any question. There's a Catholic radio network called Relevant Radio. Maybe there will be an affiliate where you live. You might find something helpful on Steve Ray's blog site. And at some point, you could call a local Catholic church. I'm sure the pastor there would be happy to talk with you (and he won't be pushy :) ). Ellie these sites are wonderful - especially the first one! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avila Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I will second (third, fourth, whatever! :D) the invite to the Crossing the Tiber Social Group. We have posts there with resource lists that are very helpful in learning more. We also talk about the Church and answer questions people have, in a much less stressful environment than the General Board. I converted 15 years ago from a Pentecostal/Baptist background. I would be happy to talk to you further about specifics. PM me if you want to talk about it. May God bless you on your journey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainbowSprinkles Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 I joined the group and will work my way through the threads. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I was born into a Catholic family, but we quit going after I received 1st Communion. Three years ago I went back for various reasons, but mostly so that my kids would have some exposure to religion. I learned that much of what I thought about the Catholic faith and Church were untrue or at the least distorted. I went through the RCIA program so that I could be confirmed and I have not looked back. Dh is from a Lutheran family (the first first-born male in the family to not become a pastor). He converted this past spring after much soul searching, studying, etc. All this is to say that the Church might not be as you and your dh remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LG Gone Wild Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I was born into a Catholic family, but no one ever went to church with me or taught me about it. I did have religion in school (Germany) and I did go to communion. I did not do confirmation. I am now a baptist, if I am anything. For the last year or two I have been feeling like I'd like to go to a Catholic service. I'm not sure why. My dh is also from a Catholic, but non-practicing family and does not seem very fond of it. We haven't talked about why as of yet. I'd love to learn more about the Catholic Church. The history, the traditions, etc.. :bigear: That's a tall order. I am going to disagree with reading the Catechism as the first step. It's a hundred million pages long and not light reading. Start with the that PBS/EWTN series on the Catholicism and read Catholicism for Dummies. THEN reach out for the Catechism. I am also reading a book called The Catholic Church Through the Ages: A History by Vidmar. It's a good book that isn't too much for an inquiring to brain to digest. It is almost like reading SOTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 You can join the Catholic group here, Crossing the Tiber. You should just go. Anyone can go, it's not all that hard, just do what evreyone else does-just don't go up for communion! The biggest reason I made the jump was because of the Eucharist. I started reading the church fathers, and what they said about the Eucharist and I wanted a church that believed as they did. But, you should go. Wow! You sound like St. Elizabeth Ann Seton! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I was born into a Catholic family, but no one ever went to church with me or taught me about it. I did have religion in school (Germany) and I did go to communion. I did not do confirmation. I am now a baptist, if I am anything. For the last year or two I have been feeling like I'd like to go to a Catholic service. I'm not sure why. My dh is also from a Catholic, but non-practicing family and does not seem very fond of it. We haven't talked about why as of yet. I'd love to learn more about the Catholic Church. The history, the traditions, etc.. :bigear: While cleaning out my van, that was just towed away :( , I found Scott Hahn's conversion story on cassette tape. If I can figure out where I put it, you can have it. PM me if you're interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyR Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 (edited) I agree, check out EWTN, Catholic.com and some of the other websites out there. I also have enjoyed watching Journey Home on Youtube. It is the a series were laypeople come and talk about their journey to or back to the Catholic faith. This is on EWTN as well. I wouldn't tackle the adult Catechism quiet yet. Though you can get the New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism. Its written for young children but we've gone through it together and I've learned a thing or two from it. You could also bump it up a notch and read YouCAT(Youth Catechism), this is the catechism for teenagers. I've seen the book and its really good and I think it would be helpful for an adult as well to understand the Catechism of the church. I know our deacon bought this. He said if he can purchase books written towards teens it actually helps with teaching adult. LOL. I don't own YouCat yet but do plan on getting it for my 13 yr old. If you want to tackle it right now. You can go to Family Catechism This is an EXCELLENT website, with the catechism written for the whole family , from preschool to adult. My family converted from being Protestant last Easter. I had already been baptized into the Catholic church. But my mom switched to every flavor of Protestantism as we grew up and my dad never took us to church. I did attend a couple Catholic schools so I vaguely remember it. I agree, now is a good time to attend Mass since everyone is learning together the wording of the Missal. Plus its Advent too. A beautiful time to be attending Mass, right next to the Easter Vigil. Ask about RCIA. Take the course. I think this is the best way to really learn about the CAtholic faith because if you have questions you can have them answered by whomever is teaching the class. The one thing about RCIA is that you can go as far as you wish into the process. We actually had a gentleman take the whole class but in the end decided it wasn't for him. So its not set in stone should you attend a class. We actually had a great class last year. It was actually the only time my husband and I had to ourselves. It was our weekly 'date night'. I believe if you have recieved Communion and haven't attended a Catholic church in a long time that first you would need to go to Confession before being able to participate in Communion again. If you have not recieved Reconciliation ( Confession), you can recieve a blessing from the priest ( only a Priest or Deacon can give a blessing)by going up in line and crossing your hands across your chest. This lets the priest know that you want to recieve a blessing. There was a lady the year before who took RCIA class because she had recieved all of the sacraments except for Confirmation. So its not unheard of. LOL Good luck to you on your Journey back Home. For us it was a wonderful journey. More so because we did so all as a family. Edited November 28, 2011 by TracyR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PattyH Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I'd say go to a few masses before starting to read the history. There is so much history, dogma, politics .... as an institution the Church is older than just about anything, and its interesting to read but definitely go to a mass first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I'd say go to a few masses before starting to read the history. There is so much history, dogma, politics .... as an institution the Church is older than just about anything, and its interesting to read but definitely go to a mass first. Yes! Straight to Jesus, the source of grace! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Wow! You sound like St. Elizabeth Ann Seton! OK, that seals it, she's my patron saint for the year. It's been coming up, and up, and I don't need a knock upside the head to get it. Thank you! :D I also have enjoyed watching Journey Home on Youtube. It is the a series were laypeople come and talk about their journey to or back to the Catholic faith. This is on EWTN as well. I *lovelovelove* Journey Home. SO many questions get answered-because as people journey-they have a lot of the same questions! I'm one that is just getting my confirmation this year, and taking RCIA. I did have to go to reconciliation (30 years away, oy I had a lot to confess!) but now I can at least go up for communion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Oh, I forgot about this. Try Catholics Come Home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
journey00 Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 I agree, I think you are being called home :) Catholicism is a fantastic series!! Go to the website: Catholic.com. It will answer any and all of your questions! I'm a revert to the Church and I'm soooo thankful I came home. (I also wandered off to the Baptist Church...lots of great ppl there but I'm so happy to make it back home to Rome. Also go to catholicconvert.com. His name is Steve Ray and he was raised Baptist and coverted when he was almost 40 yrs old....he's an excellent apologist! If you can get to hear the radio station Catholic Answers, you can even call in and ask questions. They are super nice and super smart! Instrumental in answering my questions and understanding my beautiful religion again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 http://www.americamagazine.org/ Here is a terrific magazine with many thoughtful articles by the Jesuits. My opinion is in the minority here but I strongly disagree that EWTN is a complete or accurate source of information about Catholicism. The anti protestant slant is frankly disturbing to me and unneeded. If it be truth you will recognize it without the need to belittle and demean other faith traditions. Just my 2 cents. Take it as a balance against all the rah rah for EWTN. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imagine.more Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Definitely agree with everyone about attending Mass, just being in the presence of Christ was enough to keep me coming back for more :) After I did my research and dabbling in DH's denomination (Lutheran) I ran back to the Catholic Church pretty quickly. In the past 2 years I've begun reading and learning a lot more. Catholicism for Dummies was actually recommended by my priest (he has a copy, lol) so I got that and it really was a good overview, I was impressed! Also, Scott Hahn's The Lamb's Supper was recommended for my DH by my old Life Teen leader and I found it extremely inspiring. Now I'm reading a book on the new translation of the mass very very slowly (we're super busy). I've also read some stuff by Protestants-turned-Catholic but I found the tone off-putting sometimes. My DH is actually investigating Catholicism now, he's been most influenced by reading the actual church fathers, more direct sources as opposed to some of the more approachable modern day stuff like Scott Hahn or Mark Shea. But then he's been to seminary so his theological vocabulary alone far surpasses mine. I trudge through St. Augustine's stuff at a snail's pace, lol! It makes our theological debates rather one-sided, I always have to remind him to speak in layman's terms, not seminary-speak. You might be more comfortable with the more approachable stuff to give you an overview, then if you still have questions delve into the deeper stuff :) We watch The Journey Home every week, we like it. DH's parents were none too pleased when we automatically turned that on one Monday night when they were visiting, oops! The Catholic Answers site is actually useful for those quick questions you might have, though its message board of course gets all sorts and people will argue back and forth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.