Can I become Roman Catholic?

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forgiveness84

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Hi I am 28 years old and I was baptized as an Episcopal when I was a baby. I grew up believing in God, but did not attend church every sunday. I also went to a Baptist and christian school. My question is can I become Catholic now that I’m an adult? My mother has told me no because I was not brought up in the catholic church. Is this true?
 
Dear friend, the Catholic Church was founded by Christ on Peter for sinners. I am a sinner, St. Peter was a sinner, and you are a sinner. Even if you’re not, you certainly used to be. 🙂 The grand thing about God is that He shows no respect to each person based on ‘accomplishments’ or ‘fashion’. You are one of God’s beloved creations, one of His poor little children to be instructed and loved. He will accept you into the Catholic Church, if you wish to become one with His Body. 👍 The Church never rejects a penitent sinner!
 
That is absolutely false. Anyone can become Catholic no matter what stage you are in life.

The only stumbling block you might have is reconciling your beliefs with those of the Catholic Church. The best place to start learning about Catholicism is at a local parish in their RCIA classes. Feel free to read through this short catechism that should tell you exactly what Catholics believe.

Fr. Most’s Basic Catechism

It is a relatively short read 81 pages printed out I think. I hope this helps. Good luck on your journey.
 
Plenty of people have been received into the Catholic Church on their deathbeds, in their old age. Not an obstacle! 🙂
 
forgiveness84 said:
Hi I am 28 years old and I was baptized as an Episcopal when I was a baby. I grew up believing in God, but did not attend church every sunday. I also went to a Baptist and christian school. My question is can I become Catholic now that I’m an adult? My mother has told me no because I was not brought up in the catholic church. Is this true?
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Of course you can become a Catholic. Your mother is simply mistaken.
 
You can most certainly become Catholic at any age. However, you cannot simply start going to a Catholic church every Sunday and call yourself Catholic. You have to go through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, more commonly known as RCIA. This is several months of instruction that make sure that you’re earnest in your intent to convert, and that you understand Catholic beliefs. After that, you will be able to receive the sacraments and call yourself a Catholic.
 
forgiveness84 said:
Hi I am 28 years old and I was baptized as an Episcopal when I was a baby. I grew up believing in God, but did not attend church every sunday. I also went to a Baptist and christian school. My question is can I become Catholic now that I’m an adult? My mother has told me no because I was not brought up in the catholic church. Is this true?
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The Catholic Church has a process called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults or RCIA precisely for people like you. Call you closest parish and ask about RCIA.

Your mother might be interested in knowing that not only can adults become Catholic, but one convert from Anglicanism to Catholicism – John Henry Newman – was recently beatified, a step on the way to being declared a saint. You can read a bit about his beatification here and part of the Pope’s homily on the occasion here.
 
forgiveness84 said:
Hi I am 28 years old and I was baptized as an Episcopal when I was a baby. I grew up believing in God, but did not attend church every Sunday. I also went to a Baptist and christian school. My question is can I become Catholic now that I’m an adult? My mother has told me no because I was not brought up in the catholic church. Is this true?
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Of course you can. I become Catholic last year. I was Orthodox. My advise is that you go to the first Catholic Church and talk to the priest. He will tell you what you have to do and how it works. I went to the priest that married my husband and me and told him of my decision. He said “very good, come let’s talk” and then told me everything about the process.
 
Welcome to the forums, and God bless you in your faith journey!

Your mother is mistaken. The Catholic Church welcomes people of all ages. My wife and I were Baptized, raised, and Married in the United Methodist Church. We entered into full communion with the Catholic Church and received Confirmation together about two years ago at the age of 26.

The normal way for adults to enter the Church is through an RCIA program, which is the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. Normally these classes start in the fall (October-ish) and continue until the Easter Vigil in the spring. Through the program you learn about the Church, Christian history, the Sacraments, etc. It’s mostly for people who are converting, but it is also usually open to people who just want to learn about the Church.

I help with the RCIA program in my Parish, and we have had a wide variety of participants…young and old, men and women, seeking conversion and seeking information, baptized and unbaptized. All are welcome to come and learn and question and, if so called, enter into full communion.

I would urge you to contact your local Parish and inquire about their RCIA program. Also, most likely, the Priest(s) will be willing to meet with you individually to answer any questions you might have about the Church.

Becoming a Catholic has been one of the most wonderful things imaginable for my wife and me. If you have any questions about the process of entering the Church, I’m happy to answer them (here, or privately).

God bless you!
 
I applaud your seeking an answer to your question at a relatively early age. Of course you can “come home” to the Catholic Church. My husband and I went through an RCIA program in 2008. The holy spirit had been “nudging” each of us along for years. This was the wisest decision that we have ever made. Our only regret is that it took so many years.
 
forgiveness84 said:
Hi I am 28 years old and I was baptized as an Episcopal when I was a baby. I grew up believing in God, but did not attend church every sunday. I also went to a Baptist and christian school. My question is can I become Catholic now that I’m an adult? My mother has told me no because I was not brought up in the catholic church. Is this true?
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yes you can become Catholic. The one to ask is not your mother, it is the priest of the nearest Catholic parish. If you are an adult, this is a step you take, and not your parents.
 
forgiveness84 said:
Hi I am 28 years old and I was baptized as an Episcopal when I was a baby. I grew up believing in God, but did not attend church every sunday. I also went to a Baptist and christian school. My question is can I become Catholic now that I’m an adult? My mother has told me no because I was not brought up in the catholic church. Is this true?
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Two requirements:
  1. You must be breathing
  2. You must be willing.
    Other than those, the door is wide open for you. The Catholic Church will forever be incomplete without you.
I was received into the Church at 35. For this exact purpose, the Church offers the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).
 
The Apostles were Jewish before being called by Jesus. The Church is founded on Peter and others who were not born Catholic. No one is “born Catholic” although Catholics have their children baptized into the church as soon as they can!
 
GiveMePeace said:
The Apostles were Jewish before being called by Jesus. The Church is founded on Peter and others who were not born Catholic. No one is “born Catholic” although Catholics have their children baptized into the church as soon as they can!
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Amen! We’re all born pagans and through baptism become members of God’s family.
 
forgiveness84 said:
Hi I am 28 years old and I was baptized as an Episcopal when I was a baby. I grew up believing in God, but did not attend church every sunday. I also went to a Baptist and christian school. My question is can I become Catholic now that I’m an adult? My mother has told me no because I was not brought up in the catholic church. Is this true?
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No. Of course you can become a Catholic! How you grew up has nothing to do with it. You must take adult classes and believe what the church teaches and then receive the Sacraments. Right now, you can attend Mass. You can’t go to Confession or Holy Communion but you can go and pray the Mass.
 
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