Best Catholic T-shirt?

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Oremus!

(I’d really like the Women’s long sleeve T. Casual, but classic and kind of elegant.)

ETA: I’ve always liked the Tiber Swim Team ones.
 
An earlier post suggested the cafepress website - while they do have a TON of t-shirts, just do a search on “Catholic” - they don’t care what they sell, apparently. Some of the t-shirts are vulgar towards the Catholic Church, our priests, etc. I can’t recommend buying anything from cafepress and supporting them when they sell this type of garbage
 
Cat, and others, have a look at the T-shirts offered by:
www.totally-catholic.com/

This is a Catholic family that supports themselves via production of the T-shirts and other athletic wear. I have several which I wear. Not too many have so far asked questions, although some have made positive comments. I guess a faithful, catechized Catholic is somehow a threat!

Christ’s peace
 
Elzee said:
An earlier post suggested the cafepress website - while they do have a TON of t-shirts, just do a search on “Catholic” - they don’t care what they sell, apparently. Some of the t-shirts are vulgar towards the Catholic Church, our priests, etc. I can’t recommend buying anything from cafepress and supporting them when they sell this type of garbage
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Cafepress does not create these designs on their own - they offer a service to anyone who wishes to make their own designs.

Just remember - the same ability to purchase vulgar items from them is the same ability that allows so many good Catholic shirts to be easily available.

Sure - I don’t like those shirts either, I saw some of them yesterday. So I won’t buy them. But that does not mean that I would want to prevent anyone else from buying some really well done and clever Catholic shirts that probably can’t be had elsewhere.

~Liza
 
I use Cafe Press for some of my more detailed designs. I have some that I get printed myself and keep in my office. Others involve too many colors, so that’s where Cafe Press comes in.

Sure, there are all kinds of bad shirts out there, but there are lots of us small guys (good Catholics) who use them.

www.cafepress.com/betterinlatin

And as for them stimulating conversation, I had my “Ecclesia Militans” shirt on at the Post Office, and a guy asked me what that meant. He said he was a professor of some sort on religious issues at a small college in Baltimore. Fortunately, I knew what it meant and explained not only the Church Militant, but also the Church Suffering, and the Church Triumphant. ( It was a long line).

I don’t know if he was testing me, or if he was honestly curious, but either way, I was ready to “give the explanation”.
 
PaulN420 said:
And as for them stimulating conversation, I had my “Ecclesia Militans” shirt on at the Post Office, and a guy asked me what that meant. He said he was a professor of some sort on religious issues at a small college in Baltimore. Fortunately, I knew what it meant and explained not only the Church Militant, but also the Church Suffering, and the Church Triumphant. ( It was a long line).

I don’t know if he was testing me, or if he was honestly curious, but either way, I was ready to “give the explanation”.
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Good point!!! If you are going to wear it, you better be able to explain it!!! 👍

~Liza
 
I’m seriously tempted by one or two of these - love the ‘Ratz Pack’ tshirt on the Remnant site.
 
byers said:
Well, I am a lifelong Catholic and I find it hard to listen to recent converts from evangelical denominations spout off about “how catholics should…” this or that and why. That is be more ‘like evangelicals’ in all kinds of ways, such as advertising their religion on a t-shirt. It makes them sound so incredibly full of themselves.

Then they all go on about how there is nothing wrong with it etc. and start discussions about pros and cons etc. and how helpful it can be, bring people into the church and on and on. The old back and forth like in protestant churches…where we all “discuss” these techniques and what works and why.

This is protestant thinking. And one of the hardest things I notice for converts from evangelicalism is that it takes them awhile to stop “thinking like an evangelical” instead of “thinking like Catholic.” Of course this takes time.

Someone who has been a catholic a few years spouting off their own ideas on what “they” think is just fine and why “they” think it’s fine, and then giving all kinds of “their” reasons to to someone who has been a practicing catholic for say over 50 years is a person lacking in humility and unwilling to learn. It would appear they already know it all. And they are going to make sure to teach these old catholics a thing or two. At least that is what it sounds like to old catholic ears.

I wonder where do they get this boldness and audacity??
Shouldn’t a fairly new convert be more concerned with wanting to learn the catholic way of thinking and looking at things? If I were new to anything including a religion instead of acting like a know it all about things, I would realize I have much to learn before I express my opinion on anything!

I would instead seek to study and learn from the ‘veterans’ so to speak because they might actually have something of value to teach me. What they are exhibiting without realizing it is flagrant pride.

And no, one really should not be “proud” to be Catholic…as if you had made a sports team. This is not something “you” accomplished and should be proud of yourself. This is something from God. You didn’t do it…God had mercy on you.

One should be grateful to God in deepest humility for granting them the mercy to find the truth…and keep their ears and eyes open and their mouths shut for a few years while trying to learn to think live and act like a catholic.

And no of course you can argue it’s not a sin to wear a t-shirt, because it isn’t…it just crass, lacking in taste, and lacking true respect for HIS SACRED Name.

It makes you seem more interested in being all puffed up and proud because you’re catholic and feeling you are all qualified now to go out “evangelizing”…with your t-shirts or whatever. the same thing you did as an evangelical.

.

This sentence expresses the sentiment I am referring to. The Church has been evangelizing for over 2000 years, I think you can trust them to be able to evangelize protestants too. You see you think you know better than the church how this should be done. What arrogance.

I truly believe it would be a great help for former evangelicals to spent a great deal of time reading the lives of as many saints as they can - and of course there are thousands to choose from among-…because YOU are the ones who have much to learn, especially about humility and holiness.

And here is a another typical comment. NO you are wrong they do NOT have to be told verbally…they need your prayer and God will call and lead them. You can’t seem to understand that YOU are not in charge of doing it…God is. Just pray and be ready to answer with meekness and humility as scripture says, IF they ask the reason for the hope in you. You are confusing recruiting with evangelizing.

And one last point I want to mention was from a post about holiness, that shows most evangelicals have no understanding of the meaning of this word. You are confusing outward behavior and esthetics , such as not drinking alcohol, avoiding horoscopes etc…with holiness, which is humility of the soul and has nothing really to do with these outward signs or “show” of holiness. You are too worried about “evangelizing” others and not worried enough about pleasing God by growing in virtue and holiness, before you can be of any help to anyone else.

You come into the Church and very soon you know more than God and his 2000 year old Church, and certainly more than anyone who has been catholic their whole lives…so since you already know it all. I have nothing more to say.

Our Lady of Mercy…pray for them.
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Sorry, I disagree on one major point. It takes a lot of pride to say that the veterans of Catholicism have nothing to learn from new converts. It sort of gets into a “I’m more Catholic than you because I have been Catholic longer than you” thinking.

When I went through RCIA, I had lifelong cradle (practicing Catholics) admit to me that I knew many things about Catholicism and being Catholic that they did not know, because as a convert from Evangelicalism, I had personally studied the faith at a deeper level than they had.

The Lord has brought us all together to learn from each other. We are the body of Christ, and no one part is better than the other. Converts need veterans to show them the ropes at times, but converts can also provide the cradle catholic with a perspective that reminds them not to take their faith for granted because they have been in the church their whole lives.

Just my two cents.
 
I know this isnt a t-shirt but the best apron I have ever seen was when I went back home for the day to visit the hometown folks at the Catholic Church Bazaar fund raiser. It said. " I am cleaning up after Jesus".
 
Cat, thanks for starting this thread! I’ve now got some great websites that I had never heard of - and hopefully will be ordering a couple shirts in the future. 🙂

I got on here and was shocked to see this getting into a debate! I can see where opposing posters are coming from, but I am a HUGE fan of Catholic t-shirts that promote our faith! I think many Catholics don’t have the courage (not saying those posters fall into this category at all) to evangelize and even MORE Catholics have no idea why they are Catholic. These t-shirts help start that conversation! I definitely think our actions should reflect our faith first and foremost (Preach the Gospel, use words if necessary) but if a t-shirt is going to plant some seeds, I’m all for it :). You never know who is going to see it, how it’s going to touch them, and maybe even if they don’t approach you with questions - they may go look it up or ask someone else who is a great Catholic! 👍 Anyway, thanks again - I really liked some of these websites :)!
 
JohnnyReb said:
Sorry, I disagree on one major point. It takes a lot of pride to say that the veterans of Catholicism have nothing to learn from new converts. It sort of gets into a “I’m more Catholic than you because I have been Catholic longer than you” thinking.

When I went through RCIA, I had lifelong cradle (practicing Catholics) admit to me that I knew many things about Catholicism and being Catholic that they did not know, because as a convert from Evangelicalism, I had personally studied the faith at a deeper level than they had.

The Lord has brought us all together to learn from each other. We are the body of Christ, and no one part is better than the other. Converts need veterans to show them the ropes at times, but converts can also provide the cradle catholic with a perspective that reminds them not to take their faith for granted because they have been in the church their whole lives.

Just my two cents.
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Bravo. I’m a cradle Catholic too, but that doesn’t make be a “better” Catholic. As a matter of fact, I should be held to a higher standard of Catholicism.

I wonder how Peter felt when Paul came along and started telling him he was doing the wrong thing (he did, you know). Or anyone else in the Church did when Augustine started writing.

There seems to be a sort of weird Catholic triumphalism here…not only do they want everyone to convert to Holy Mother Church, they want them to sit in the back of the Church and shut up, and defer to those of us who have been Catholic longer. I guess they figure that cradle Catholics have seniority. 🤷

I refer you to the tale of Sir Abner and his grape-pickers.
 
I have two shirts that are tie dyed that I had my sister in law decorate and write on for me. On one it says “Jesus Freak” on the front and on the back it says " Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation 2 Corinthians 5:17" On the other shirt says, " I am a Christian" on the front and on the back it says " In case of Emergency Read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John."
 
Ghoti said:
Bravo. I’m a cradle Catholic too, but that doesn’t make be a “better” Catholic. As a matter of fact, I should be held to a higher standard of Catholicism.

I wonder how Peter felt when Paul came along and started telling him he was doing the wrong thing (he did, you know). Or anyone else in the Church did when Augustine started writing.

There seems to be a sort of weird Catholic triumphalism here…not only do they want everyone to convert to Holy Mother Church, they want them to sit in the back of the Church and shut up, and defer to those of us who have been Catholic longer. I guess they figure that cradle Catholics have seniority. 🤷

I refer you to the tale of Sir Abner and his grape-pickers.
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I find this frustrating, too.

But I must speak up in their defence. In Protestant fellowships, often a person will convert, and if the person is “famous” or has any kind of talent (music, speaking, writing, etc.) he/she will be instantly plunged into all kinds of speaking engagements and teaching situations.

Often these people end up crashing and burning within a few years or months. It’s like the Gospel of a few weeks ago said–without a root, they whither and die.

I do think that it is wise for new Catholics to be discerning before plunging into ministry.

But OTOH, many new Catholics have just been through an intensive study of the faith through RCIA (if the program in their parish is good–ours was excellent), and many have put in several months or years studying the Catholic Church on their own through books, CDs, and seminars. So I do think it’s fair to say that many new Catholics know a lot about the Church and the theology.

What they DON’T know is the “personality” of the Church and of their particular parish, and I think that’s particularly difficult to get a handle on. A lot of evangelicals like me came from non-drinking, non-smoking, no movies, no media, no Halloween–etc. backgrounds, and it’s often difficult for us to accept that now all these things are okie dokie! AND a lot of us come from backgrounds where masturbation and artificial contraception were okie dokie, and it’s often difficult for us to accept that these are actually mortal sins. Most evangelicals have lived through the music wars and thought that everything was resolved and rock music in church is okie dokie, but now as Catholics we are besieged on all sides by those who hold up first one document and then another document “proving” that rock music in church is inappropriate.

As for t-shirts, most evangelicals are solidly behind “bumper sticker and t-shirt” evangelism, and it never occurs to any of us that some Catholics might find this “irreverent.” We don’t get it.

So I can see the wisdom of treading carefully for a while until you have the pulse of the Church.
 
Cat said:
I find this frustrating, too.

But I must speak up in their defence. In Protestant fellowships, often a person will convert, and if the person is “famous” or has any kind of talent (music, speaking, writing, etc.) he/she will be instantly plunged into all kinds of speaking engagements and teaching situations.

Often these people end up crashing and burning within a few years or months. It’s like the Gospel of a few weeks ago said–without a root, they whither and die.

I do think that it is wise for new Catholics to be discerning before plunging into ministry.

But OTOH, many new Catholics have just been through an intensive study of the faith through RCIA (if the program in their parish is good–ours was excellent), and many have put in several months or years studying the Catholic Church on their own through books, CDs, and seminars. So I do think it’s fair to say that many new Catholics know a lot about the Church and the theology.

What they DON’T know is the “personality” of the Church and of their particular parish, and I think that’s particularly difficult to get a handle on. A lot of evangelicals like me came from non-drinking, non-smoking, no movies, no media, no Halloween–etc. backgrounds, and it’s often difficult for us to accept that now all these things are okie dokie! AND a lot of us come from backgrounds where masturbation and artificial contraception were okie dokie, and it’s often difficult for us to accept that these are actually mortal sins. Most evangelicals have lived through the music wars and thought that everything was resolved and rock music in church is okie dokie, but now as Catholics we are besieged on all sides by those who hold up first one document and then another document “proving” that rock music in church is inappropriate.

As for t-shirts, most evangelicals are solidly behind “bumper sticker and t-shirt” evangelism, and it never occurs to any of us that some Catholics might find this “irreverent.” We don’t get it.

So I can see the wisdom of treading carefully for a while until you have the pulse of the Church.
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You’re right.

But I guess it comes down to what you agree/disagree with, with regards to each particular issue.

There are cradle Catholics, too, who (seem to) have no problem with masturbation, birth control, sexual license, homosexuality, etc. There are cradle Catholics who have no problems with women priests – I believe that the recent spate of women who were “ordained” were cradle Catholics. So converts from more liberal traditions – say, the United Church of Canada – would have no problem finding a home for their views. However, many converts would either come from a more conservative tradition, or may come from any background and accept the teaching of the Church on these issues in toto – should they remain silent because they are “newbies”?

I find myself drifting oh-so-slowly toward the conservative wing of the Church. But I have no problem with “Catholic T-shirts”, as long as they’re in “good taste” (scare quotes here because the concept of good taste varies with the beholder). There are some I would wear, too. And some – like the “When was your religion started?” – I would not.

I just don’t like the blanket sentiment that converts should just sit down and shut up, that cradle Catholics know better, stop coming in here and changing everything around, which is a sentiment that some seem to hold.
 
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