Catholic fellowship

[As_for_my_House]

I am looking for catholic fellowship organizations for my son (he was raised catholic but fell away) who would like to learn more about the faith by meeting other Catholics. He has recently committed to becoming a Christian and spends regular time at Protestant churches where there are groups of people who after services, spend their whole Sunday afternoon fellowshipping with other brothers and sisters in Christ.
(I asked him to give fair time considering the Catholic faith. He agreed. So he tried a Catholic group and said he found it unfulfilling because no one wanted to talk about Christ or the Bible. I don’t know where to direct him to find that kind of fellowship. He likes to have serious conversations about Christianity and the Bible and he likes to do community service. He is a serious but sociable person.
I’ve combed the internet looking for a good fit and can’t find one. He is single and in his early 30’s
We live in the Philadelphia and Bucks County area.

Any catholic fellowship out there?

 

[pianistclare]

I think you have stumbled on a difference between the way Catholics approach community service and the way some other churches might…
When Catholics (in general) work in the community, at say, a soup kitchen, a home for unwed mothers, a nursing home…their goal is to serve the person. Where they are at. To address the dignity of the person in need. It’s not for the primary purpose to convert them, to talk to them about Christ or faith sharing.
Some people do inquire, and we answer questions. But really, we serve in the community to serve the community. At least that’s the viewpoint of my parish and my Priest. We try to meet their needs on a human level. We let the Holy Spirit touch their hearts, because they SEE and FEEL us living out our faith.
I would encourage him to keep volunteering through the Catholic Church. St. Vincent DePaul comes to mind. Sounds like he’d make a great case worker.
Peace.

 

[Auntie_A]

Google Latin Mass in Pennsylvania. See if there is one near you with a community that has religious education. Our local Latin mass community has a catechism with a social after mass, a good place to learn the faith and create fellowship.

Also look for a Jeff Cavin’s bible study class. They are good places to talk, mix, and learn some incredible things about Scripture. I especially liked the Old Testament series.

Look for a good Newman Center if your son is in college.

Find a monastery and learn about their retreats and events. My friend met the man who became her husband at a monastery picnic.

RCIA is also a good place to learn the faith and meet others. I attend even though I am already a Catholic with all of the Sacraments from baptism to Confirmation.

Ask around your area and look deep. Call the diocese. Read the diocese newspaper or magazine calendars.

Attend some of these events yourself.

 

[As_for_my_House]

I
I would encourage him to keep volunteering through the Catholic Church. St. Vincent DePaul comes to mind. Sounds like he’d make a great case worker.
Peace.

St Vincent DePaul doesn’t seem to be very active in our area(Philadelphia). They have one thrift shop. It doesn’t sound like the right fellowship fit for a young, active, inquisitive Christian adult.
He is currently doing community service with Protestant Christians because he can’t find any serious Catholic fellowship that is designed to study the faith and serve those in need.

I seriously worry that our young adults who are struggling to find their faith in todays society, have no where to go to be with fellow Catholics in the way that Protestants do.

Like I said, he tried one Catholic social group and was unimpressed with their commitment to sharing the faith. He said that he can eat pizza and bowl anywhere. He wants fellowship.

 

[pianistclare]

St Vincent DePaul doesn’t seem to be very active in our area(Philadelphia). They have one thrift shop. It doesn’t sound like the right fellowship fit for a young, active, inquisitive Christian adult.
He is currently doing community service with Protestant Christians because he can’t find any serious Catholic fellowship that is designed to study the faith and serve those in need.

I seriously worry that our young adults who are struggling to find their faith in todays society, have no where to go to be with fellow Catholics in the way that Protestants do.

Like I said, he tried one Catholic social group and was unimpressed with their commitment to sharing the faith. He said that he can eat pizza and bowl anywhere. He wants fellowship.

St. Vincent’s de Paul’s thrift shops are the least of their ministries. Here, there is a connection between the Society and most of the parishes. They have their own phone number, managed separately from the parish, and people of any faith can call and ask fro assistance with anything from food to help paying rent or utilities. The parish has a monthly 2nd collection and that fund is used to help people on a need and first come first served basis. The CASE WORKERS are parishioner who go out and meet with the people to help them get on their feet…offer support, money counseling, and give them contacts for more help, and check on their living conditions. Just because you don’t SEE them, does not mean they are not there.
svdppitt.org/

This is just a portion of what they do in your area.

 

[As_for_my_House]

St. Vincent’s de Paul’s thrift shops are the least of their ministries. Here, there is a connection between the Society and most of the parishes. They have their own phone number, managed separately from the parish, and people of any faith can call and ask fro assistance with anything from food to help paying rent or utilities. The parish has a monthly 2nd collection and that fund is used to help people on a need and first come first served basis. The CASE WORKERS are parishioner who go out and meet with the people to help them get on their feet…offer support, money counseling, and give them contacts for more help, and check on their living conditions. Just because you don’t SEE them, does not mean they are not there.
svdppitt.org/

This is just a portion of what they do in your area.

Do they have groups who meet regularly to discuss the faith and the Bible?
He already runs his own food distribution in the city. He has begun to connect with Protestants because of their willingness to discuss their faith in depth and he is drawn fellowship. The charity work they do is part of the overall package that is drawing him into the Protestant charisma. He finds Catholics unwilling to talk about their faith and it is turning him off to the faith.

I hope that if he met Catholics on fire for the faith like his Protestant friends seem to be, he would begin to understand his own faith and maybe revert.

And I’m not saying the ST Vincent DePaul are not on fire. It’s just that he is looking for a social group that reinforces the faith. I hope that I am explaining he need without discounting your good advice. I appreciate your (name removed by moderator)ut and will make phone calls to see if there is a social group for St Vincent. Many Thanks.

 

[pianistclare]

Do they have groups who meet regularly to discuss the faith and the Bible?
He already runs his own food distribution in the city. He has begun to connect with Protestants because of their willingness to discuss their faith in depth and he is drawn fellowship. The charity work they do is part of the overall package that is drawing him into the Protestant charisma. He finds Catholics unwilling to talk about their faith and it is turning him off to the faith.

I hope that if he met Catholics on fire for the faith like his Protestant friends seem to be, he would begin to understand his own faith and maybe revert.

And I’m not saying the ST Vincent DePaul are not on fire. It’s just that he is looking for a social group that reinforces the faith. I hope that I am explaining he need without discounting your good advice. I appreciate your (name removed by moderator)ut and will make phone calls to see if there is a social group for St Vincent. Many Thanks.

I see. Well, maybe, but their focus is primarily service.
What he needs is a good Bible study or a Just Faith group. It might not be at your parish, but SOME parish around there has it. Call the Office of Social Justice in your Diocese and tell them what you are looking for.
Why doesn’t he sign up for this site? LOL There’s gazillions of people who like to talk/argue/vent/ discuss their faith.
Again, I would recommend calling the Diocese and seeing what they recommend. There may be a young adult group that meets at the Cathedral, or a long term Bible study group.
My concern is that he associate with some people who are giving him the Catholic perspective and Catholic interpretation of the Bible. It’s not always the same as other, no matter how excited or “on fire” it may appear to be. Look around for a great apologetics group to join.
I wish you all the best, and I hope you find a place that challenges him in a posititve way.
Peace!
Clare

PS:
Ok, it take ,me a while to catch on…
If you are afraid that he is moving away from the faith because another group is giving him the “hard sell”, then invite your priest over to dinner and tell the priest why you want him to come. Having him talk with a priest might be the best thing. If he’s comparing faiths, the best person to talk to is an expert.

 

[fide]

I am looking for catholic fellowship organizations for my son (he was raised catholic but fell away) who would like to learn more about the faith by meeting other Catholics. He has recently committed to becoming a Christian and spends regular time at Protestant churches where there are groups of people who after services, spend their whole Sunday afternoon fellowshipping with other brothers and sisters in Christ.
(I asked him to give fair time considering the Catholic faith. He agreed. So he tried a Catholic group and said he found it unfulfilling because no one wanted to talk about Christ or the Bible. I don’t know where to direct him to find that kind of fellowship. He likes to have serious conversations about Christianity and the Bible and he likes to do community service. He is a serious but sociable person.
I’ve combed the internet looking for a good fit and can’t find one. He is single and in his early 30’s
We live in the Philadelphia and Bucks County area.

Any catholic fellowship out there?

As a “revert” myself, I think I understand what you and he are looking for - and in my experience, it is rare and hard to find. It ought not be hard to find! But it is.

When I came back to the Church, I did so because I believed that the Catholic Church is the one Church instituted by Jesus Christ, possessing the one true and complete Gospel. To try to fellowship and worship anywhere else would make me part of the problem (the one Church is now fractured and divided, and the one message of the one Gospel is confused), and not part of the solution.

Since returning, I have begun to work in the Church for the kind of strong and fervent faith that makes believers want real Christian fellowship. That is, I have begun to work in programs to help adults know the Faith, to know Holy Scripture, to find Jesus in the Scripture, to find Catholic doctrine consistent with Scripture, to become rightly disposed to receive sacramental graces fruitfully, and so on. In other words, too many Catholics are as your son finds them - unwilling to talk much about their faith and about Jesus - because their faith is so unformed, so uninformed, so uncertain. We need comprehensive and substantive adult faith formation, including of course young adults - but ALL adults.

I can see now the dim beginnings of small groups such as your son seeks (ALL Christians ought to hunger for such fellowship!) - it is a slow and small beginning of what ought to be happening in every parish of our Church. But to date, it is not.

Concerning your son, I would tell him this: It is shameful to admit, but the Catholic Church is very weak (and shallow) in the fellowship he seeks. But the fact remains, the Catholic Church is the only place where he will find the fullness of divine truth that Jesus Christ died on the Cross to give to him!

That fact - that this Church is the one true Church - is crucial and essential. What good is fellowship around faith in Jesus, when the Jesus who is believed in is a bit “off” from the one Jesus who IS? What good is it to have fellowship around the Gospel, when that “gospel” is part true but part false? The house and furnishings may look and feel great - but if the foundations of the house are unstable and faulty, what good will the house be when the storms come? A house must have a strong foundation - it must be the house built upon rock. That house is the one Church instituted by Christ Jesus.

Urge your son to seek above all, the Truth! Which church has the complete and true Gospel? Which Church knows and teaches the full revealed Truth about God? Find that Church, and then seek fellowship there.

 

[TexCatholic4JMJ]

As a “revert” myself, I think I understand what you and he are looking for - and in my experience, it is rare and hard to find. It ought not be hard to find! But it is.

When I came back to the Church, I did so because I believed that the Catholic Church is the one Church instituted by Jesus Christ, possessing the one true and complete Gospel. To try to fellowship and worship anywhere else would make me part of the problem (the one Church is now fractured and divided, and the one message of the one Gospel is confused), and not part of the solution.

Since returning, I have begun to work in the Church for the kind of strong and fervent faith that makes believers want real Christian fellowship. That is, I have begun to work in programs to help adults know the Faith, to know Holy Scripture, to find Jesus in the Scripture, to find Catholic doctrine consistent with Scripture, to become rightly disposed to receive sacramental graces fruitfully, and so on. In other words, too many Catholics are as your son finds them - unwilling to talk much about their faith and about Jesus - because their faith is so unformed, so uninformed, so uncertain. We need comprehensive and substantive adult faith formation, including of course young adults - but ALL adults.

I can see now the dim beginnings of small groups such as your son seeks (ALL Christians ought to hunger for such fellowship!) - it is a slow and small beginning of what ought to be happening in every parish of our Church. But to date, it is not.

Concerning your son, I would tell him this: It is shameful to admit, but the Catholic Church is very weak (and shallow) in the fellowship he seeks. But the fact remains, the Catholic Church is the only place where he will find the fullness of divine truth that Jesus Christ died on the Cross to give to him!

That fact - that this Church is the one true Church - is crucial and essential. What good is fellowship around faith in Jesus, when the Jesus who is believed in is a bit “off” from the one Jesus who IS? What good is it to have fellowship around the Gospel, when that “gospel” is part true but part false? The house and furnishings may look and feel great - but if the foundations of the house are unstable and faulty, what good will the house be when the storms come? A house must have a strong foundation - it must be the house built upon rock. That house is the one Church instituted by Christ Jesus.

Urge your son to seek above all, the Truth! Which church has the complete and true Gospel? Which Church knows and teaches the full revealed Truth about God? Find that Church, and then seek fellowship there.

Welcome back!

 

[As_for_my_House]

Dear TexCatholic,

I am grateful for your response. I shared it with my son. He found it frank and thoughtful. I found it Spirit inspired. I hope it planted a seed in him and impressed upon him that there *are *Catholics out there who are informed, inspired and on fire for the Lord.

 

[808Catholic]

I am looking for catholic fellowship organizations for my son (he was raised catholic but fell away) who would like to learn more about the faith by meeting other Catholics. He has recently committed to becoming a Christian and spends regular time at Protestant churches where there are groups of people who after services, spend their whole Sunday afternoon fellowshipping with other brothers and sisters in Christ.
(I asked him to give fair time considering the Catholic faith. He agreed. So he tried a Catholic group and said he found it unfulfilling because no one wanted to talk about Christ or the Bible. I don’t know where to direct him to find that kind of fellowship. He likes to have serious conversations about Christianity and the Bible and he likes to do community service. He is a serious but sociable person.
I’ve combed the internet looking for a good fit and can’t find one. He is single and in his early 30’s
We live in the Philadelphia and Bucks County area.

Any catholic fellowship out there?

Might want to try the Knights of Columbus at your local parish. We’re constantly doing service projects and you meet young and old members.

 

[As_for_my_House]

I am sorry to say, and please, please don’t be offended that, because the pageantry, my son is a little cautious of The Knights of Columbus.
He likens them to Free Masons (this is pure ignorance on his part) but I can’t overcome that opinion at this point. He is suspicious of the Catholic Faith as a whole as far as the pomp and pageantry goes. I understand from his perspective that the K of C seems very different than the early Christian Church fellowship that he is seeking.

He’s just not there yet. Thank you for your kind (name removed by moderator)ut.

 

[As_for_my_House]

Dear TexCatholic,

I am grateful for your response. I shared it with my son. He found it frank and thoughtful. I found it Spirit inspired. I hope it planted a seed in him and impressed upon him that there *are *Catholics out there who are informed, inspired and on fire for the Lord.

Sorry this response was meant for Fide. Thanks Fide.

 

[fide]

Dear TexCatholic,

I am grateful for your response. I shared it with my son. He found it frank and thoughtful. I found it Spirit inspired. I hope it planted a seed in him and impressed upon him that there *are *Catholics out there who are informed, inspired and on fire for the Lord.

I hope it did plant a seed - seeds are amazing things, that can work very quietly when no one is looking, and where no one can see, and then Surprise! If he is seeking, he will find. That promise is from the Lord: Everyone who seeks, finds.

 

[TexCatholic4JMJ]

Sorry this response was meant for Fide. Thanks Fide.

Credit was given where credit was due (to Fide). I agreed with him, of course, which is why
I quoted it.

 

[EvagrianBridge]

Fr. Joe Mostardi 610- 519–4080
Little Rock Scripture Study - St. Agnes Parish - Perkasie 215-721-9113
PM me for more info

 

[Casilda]

As my husband and I are also searching for the same (I a revert, my husband an eager convert) I will share what we have found. Check for resources in the diocese. We have dug up a few Legion of Mary groups, serious Bible studies (one year round, all others take a summer break), prayer groups, etc. My husband is also cautious of the KofC. Our parish does not have one, but does have a plain old men’s group. We have found that the few people who still come to mass during the summer and attend adoration and most weekday services are very devout and love to share and talk about their faith and share book ideas for further study. Encourage your son to regularly attend and get to know people. Catholics are so used to being condemned for their beliefs that I can see why they have been conditioned to stay quiet. But we have found a few who are willing to help my husband grow in the faith.

 

[alexandratm]

What about a Theology on Tap group? I believe it’s discussion oriented, rather than service oriented, but it would be people his age wanting to discuss theology, and could lead to service projects.

 

[SoulPatch]

I’m a convert and revert. I still struggle with, perhaps, the same need your son has. The Mass in our parish has been modernized and has lost the silence, respect, reflection and honor I find I need to find Christ. It seems the music director is afraid to let a single moment pass in silence or a response or prayer be spoken. I feel like I’m more at a circus than a service. I reverted, however, due to EWTN and Catholic Answers and Ignatius Press and the wonderful books by Scott Hahn and Patrick Madrid and etc., etc., etc. I struggle through Mass praying for inner peace and worshiping Christ and for the Eucharist. Perhaps your son would enjoy EWTN/EWTN Radio or some good books and could bring what he learns to the Protestant fellowships he attends. I think he will quickly either get into very deep and very fruitful discussion or he will find little depth of thought behind many protest positions and no longer attend those groups. Either way, I guess what I am trying to say is that there are many people who would also enjoy such a group and perhaps your son could start one in his area.

 

[ajaxbogs]

I am looking for catholic fellowship organizations for my son (he was raised catholic but fell away) who would like to learn more about the faith by meeting other Catholics. He has recently committed to becoming a Christian and spends regular time at Protestant churches where there are groups of people who after services, spend their whole Sunday afternoon fellowshipping with other brothers and sisters in Christ.
(I asked him to give fair time considering the Catholic faith. He agreed. So he tried a Catholic group and said he found it unfulfilling because no one wanted to talk about Christ or the Bible. I don’t know where to direct him to find that kind of fellowship. He likes to have serious conversations about Christianity and the Bible and he likes to do community service. He is a serious but sociable person.
I’ve combed the internet looking for a good fit and can’t find one. He is single and in his early 30’s
We live in the Philadelphia and Bucks County area.

Any catholic fellowship out there?