Bringing my children into the church

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Incandesio

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Hello, I’m new.

I’m in the process if becoming Catholic from an Evangelical background. I have several kids between 14 and 7, and I was wondering if any other converts had words of wisdom to offer about bringing kids into the church. I have felt like I’m doing a complete 360 with their religious education; for years I have answered their questions and taught them fundamentalist evangelical theology, and now I am asking them to accept this massive shift in my understanding of the truth.

I am afraid they will believe that religion is unstable and changeable, or that I’m not trustworthy. They are are currently enrolled in CCD (their dad and I attend with them) and I have been devouring everything I can get my hands on in order to understand what they need to be taught. Any words of wisdom/experience would be very much appreciated.

Edited to add: Their dad (my husband) is a cradle Catholic, poorly catechized but excited to be back in the church.
 
I don’t have any advice, but I did want to say Congratulations!!! Welcome Home!!!
I will say a prayer that the Holy Spirit guide you at this time to help you know what to say/do 🙂
I know this is different, but my mother was always Catholic, and even active, but she started learning more and becoming closer later on in life. The one thing that influenced me the most was her example: seeing how she lived her faith, how she held on to it, lived it, and truly believed… That helped me want to be better, learn more. As a teen etc I may not have always shown it lol, but it did stick with me. Your example (and that of your husband) can instrumental for your children!
 
May I recommend the book, The Bible Tells Me So by Christian LeBlanc. He wrote it for his 6th grade Religious Ed. class so he could show them that the teachings of the Catholic Church are indeed biblical and so that his students who live in a fairly fundamentalist area of the country will have answers for the questions they receive from their fundamentalist friends. Its 37 short chapters are written in a very entertaining and engaging way. I guess I would even recommend this book to you and your husband as well as you begin your journey, especially if you have a “if it’s not in the Bible it’s not true” background. Welcome home.
 
Perhaps you could tell them that you didn’t know the truth and believed in a version of Christianity that was not rooted in tradition or the Bible. In that way you would show them that you are not the source of the truth but God is, and that you were mistaken in what you believed and taught them.
 
So long as they are eagerly going to classes, I wouldn’t worry. It’s a lifelong journey. One doesn’t “graduate” at the end of RCIA.
Welcome home! 🙂
 
Thank you all for the responses & encouragement! RCbkr, I will definitely get a hold of that book, I appreciate the recommendation. Contra Mundum, that is a great way of putting it, thank you.

Thank you all again!
 
Incandesio said:
Thank you all for the responses & encouragement! RCbkr, I will definitely get a hold of that book, I appreciate the recommendation. Contra Mundum, that is a great way of putting it, thank you.

Thank you all again!
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👍 Glad to help. May God bless you and your family.
 
Hello and welcome!
I’m a Catholic woman who married a Protestant, fell away from the Church to attend my husband’s, sent some of my children to an evangelical Christian school, then returned to the Catholic Church.

I suggest you focus on the continuity and what your previous faith shared in common with the Catholic Church rather than the differences. Take for example the subject of religious art. While some Protestants frown on religious art, almost all show art work in children’s Bible story books. For a child who is illiterate or barely literate, those pictures “tell” the story. Art can do the same for adults, (literate or illiterate). The art tells the story.

The subject of Mary: Did you display a nativity at Christmas previously? Did you see Madonna and Child Christmas cards and recognize they gave honor to God? Catholics keep and use those “Christmas decorations” up all year long. Back how we treat Mary with Bible verses, particularly those found in the first few chapters of Luke. The Bible says that Mary said, “All generations will call me blessed” and she wasn’t struck down by lightening or anything–instead she gave that glory to God. If you come from a tradition that quotes with chapter and verse, quote with chapter and verse for your children. It will help them integrate what they are learning as Catholic Christians with what they learned as Protestant Christians.

Saints and saints: Do you have photos displayed of deceased relatives? As an evangelical did you and your ever ask people you know and ask them to pray for you? Do your children understand the concepts of heroism? The saints are simply older brothers and sisters in Christ that we ask to pray for us and to help us. They are still part of our family–God’s family–after they pass from this world. Now all people in heaven are saints, but the Catholic church holds up people who displayed heroic virtues in following Christ during their time on earth and then capitalizes the letter S. While many faithful evangelicals take issue with the Catholic Church over the issue of saints, in reality, faithful evangelicals pray for each other and recognize that some people are heroes in faith. Teach your children the Catholic vocabulary and the Catholic perspective to what they probably did, then build from there.

Whatever you are learning together as Catholics, translate it back for them into a way that is familiar to them as evangelical Christians. You are still Christians–that did not change. You now understand and can explain to your children Christianity in the fuller light of Christ through the Church that Christ established.
 
Gardenswithkids, thank you for your detailed response! That’s extremely helpful. Some of what you’ve suggested I’m already doing, and the rest I can begin. Many thanks.
 
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