Advice for potential convert

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Curious11

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Some part of my soul is starting to feel the pull of Catholicism, but it is not yet very prominent. I still have doubts about who Jesus was, but I do love how Catholics are supposed to seek the kingdom of god before anything else, and I do have some appreciation for the Catholic Church as the true church, inheritors of Jesus and his apostles which to me makes it more attractive than Protestantism. How can I truly know if Catholicism is for me? Can anyone give some advice about what path to follow to find out whether god wants me to join this church? Preferably relating their own experiences on becoming a catholic? I do get the feeling increasingly that I cannot be truly happy unless I try to make god happy by following His way, which I do believe is the way to Life, but I admit I do not know if I am catholic material or whether i want to be. I should mention I’m baptized in the church but have never done the communion or confirmation, and haven’t attended mass save for maybe 3 occasions in my whole life, in which I abstained from ingesting the holy bread out of respect for Catholics, whose religion I by no means take as a joke.
 
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Jesus Christ must be the reason you desire to convert, otherwise you’ll just be joining a religion and probably end up spending your life trying to defend the religion itself.

Faith is God’s revelation of Himself to us, however that may happen.

Religion is our response to faith.

Jim
 
Jesus Christ is the reason I am only seriously considering the Catholic Church out of the many denominations of Christianity
 
Hi,

Take a look on Youtube for videos by Scott Hahn and Steve Ray, but be very careful of all the anti-Catholic videos on YouTube and the comments. Many are not accurate concerning the actual truth of Catholicism.

I would also suggest that you check out videos from Catholic Answers on YouTube. You can also search Catholic [dot] com for numerous articles.

If you have a smart phone, download the ETWN app and use the AUDIO ON DEMAND portion. I specifically recommend CALLED TO COMMUNION which airs at 2 p.m. EST Monday through Friday. However, you can listen to recent past broadcasts on the ETWN app.

I have personally put hundreds of hours into Catholicism over the last 12 months and will be entering the Church this Easter. I have been a Christian since Childhood but come from a protestant background. I’m 51 now and I’m so glad that I found the TRUTH I’ve been seeking in the Catholic Church.

Hope this helps
 
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Find a parish near you. go to Mass. If you can, talk to the pastor.
 
I’ll follow your advice and hopefully find God’s way. Thank you kind friend!
 
I don’t really feel I’m really “there” yet, to be honest. I don’t feel ready to talk to a priest
 
Then continue to poke around the Internet. EWTN, as others have said, is an amazing resource. Stay on CAF, maybe read the Bible and Catechism online… to quote the Dos Equis man, “Stay thirsty” (for truth) 😃
 
Let me ask you: are you a very holy person? Do you rarely ever sin? Do you wish to die before doing any sort of sinful activity or offending God? Then you are Church material.
Let me ask you: do you sin? A little or maybe a lot? Some immoral things? A lot of immoral things? Then you are Church material.

I think everyone is called to Catholicism. In it is the fullness of the Truth, which we all desire. God bless
 
I can only hope I never get rid of this holy guiding thirst until the Lord himself gives me to drink from the water of life
 
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Mine was an incredibly long journey. I started feeling the call to the church almost 10 years before I decided to join. I spent a long time learning the faith, facing my own objections and concerns with Catholicism and Catholic teaching.

I noticed you said you didn’t feel you were ready to talk to a priest. I’d encourage you to talk to one even now. They are an invaluable resource, and the good ones know how to educate and evangelize without proselytizing. Many of the teachings of the Church can be difficult to understand without their help.

The other helpful hints I would have would be to go to Mass and spend some time in prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament. If you believe you might be hearing God’s call, there is no better place to hear it than in His house in the presence of the body of Christ.
 
you could still check out your local parish, go to mass and experience it on a more frequent basis, and there’s nothing preventing you from parcitipating in some ministry, like outreach to the poor, or a bible study, most parish have many faith formation programs. you could also tak ethe next RCIA class which is especially designed for people who are trying to learn about the faith.
there’s nothing necessarily wrong with trying to learn on your own with the internet, but it can be a lonely and discouraging road. You also need some sort of fellowship to help you along the way
 
RCIA Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults could be called something else in another language but the term used is mostly in English speaking countries. It would mean the same and the purpose is to being adults into full communion with the Catholic Church via teaching of the faith and different steps taken during the process etc.

Contact your local parish priest and he will guide you from there.
 
Convert here! My journey to Catholicism took about eight months, plus another year before I entered the Church. They were filled with such joy, and I think the happiest day of my life was the day I was initiated into the Church and received Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time! There have been trials and pain since then, but I wouldn’t have things any other way – the joy outweighs the pain.

My advice to you? Read. Read about Catholicism. This website has a lot of articles that will teach you the fundamentals. Go to Mass. Don’t be worried if you don’t have the prayers memorized, you have time. 😛 Most of all, pray!
 
I thank God for the gift of curiosity! It led me to the Catholic Church two years ago. I read everything I could get my hands on, especially Scott Hahn. Watched EWTN and listened to Catholic radio. I researched the early Church fathers and the differences between my protestant faith and the Catholic Church. After several years, I finally attended my first Mass. When I saw the priest raise the Eucharist, I knew I was in the presence of Christ. I’ll pray for you, it’s wonderful to love Jesus.
 
You’ll pray for me? You literally almost brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for such a heart warming act of love for me, a complete stranger. No one has ever told me they would pray for me, you have shown me how beautiful it is to be told that. God bless you!
 
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You will be in my prayers, Deborah. Don’t ever give up your faith!
 
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