Catholic Friend wants to Attend NonCatholic Services

[Skittle5]

My friend is a Catholic and going through a rough time. She confided in me that she has been going to the Catholic Church on Saturday and a Baptist Church on Sunday. She asked me if this was a sin. I told her I thought so. Was I correct in assuming this? I am trying to help her, but she says she doesn’t get much out of mass. Please help!

 

[dronald]

My friend is a Catholic and going through a rough time. She confided in me that she has been going to the Catholic Church on Saturday and a Baptist Church on Sunday. She asked me if this was a sin. I told her I thought so. Was I correct in assuming this? I am trying to help her, but she says she doesn’t get much out of mass. Please help!

Do you mind if I ask for more context? Is she going through a rough time spiritually; that is, confused about what is truth? Or is she going through a rough time in that she needs friends and has found them within a Baptist Church?

 

[Skittle5]

I don’t think she is confused about the truth. I think the second is true. She felt befriended by the Baptist congregation.

 

[dronald]

I don’t think she is confused about the truth. I think the second is true. She felt befriended by the Baptist congregation.

Then I’ll let the Catholics answer; if it was about truth then I would help her and her conscience. Because it’s the former all you can do (and your Catholic friends) is show her greater love.

 

[Skittle5]

Thank you so much. I wish so much I belonged to her parish. I live in a different area. However, I have invited her to join a group that prays and studies the bible together from all over.

 

[Dorothy]

My friend is a Catholic and going through a rough time. She confided in me that she has been going to the Catholic Church on Saturday and a Baptist Church on Sunday. She asked me if this was a sin. I told her I thought so. Was I correct in assuming this? I am trying to help her, but she says she doesn’t get much out of mass. Please help!

When someone says they don’t get much out of the Mass, they need some catechesis, and also learn how to pray with the Mass. When they begin to be aware that Mass is heaven on earth, that helps a lot!

The Mass is the greatest spiritual treasure on earth!

 

[House_Harkonnen]

My friend is a Catholic and going through a rough time. She confided in me that she has been going to the Catholic Church on Saturday and a Baptist Church on Sunday. She asked me if this was a sin. I told her I thought so. Was I correct in assuming this? I am trying to help her, but she says she doesn’t get much out of mass. Please help!

Perhaps she should speak with her priest, if she is going through a tough time.

Also, I don’t believe its a sin so long as she doesn’t receive communion.

 

[Catholic1954]

My friend is a Catholic and going through a rough time. She confided in me that she has been going to the Catholic Church on Saturday and a Baptist Church on Sunday. She asked me if this was a sin. I told her I thought so. Was I correct in assuming this? I am trying to help her, but she says she doesn’t get much out of mass. Please help!

It is not a sin as long as she continues to fulfill her Sunday obligation for Mass, but this could be the first sign that she is thinking about leaving the Church; you can be sure that the Baptists at the other church are encouraging her to do just that. You can remind her that only the Catholic Church has the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ present in the Holy Eucharist and she won’t find that anywhere else.

 

[mek42]

Is there a monastic community or college nearby where you could go to Mass together? The Mass at a Franciscan community I attended many years ago always felt more alive, more powerful than parish Masses.

 

[coptsoldier]

It is certainly not sin to attend a baptist service, as long as one is still in communion with the Catholic Church, and one does not recieve sacraments from the baptists. However as stated above, alot of baptists still hold to the view that the catholic church is the antichrist, and as such will be doing everything to spread heretical teaching. I would advise rather then combat against her going to the baptists, Deepen her knowledge of the catholic faith, encourage her attendance at Holy Euchrist services, pray the Rosary with her. Once one has seen the beauty of the Apostolic Church, one cannot go to the falseness at the baptists for long. They crave the euchrist.

 

[Peter_J]

My friend is a Catholic and going through a rough time. She confided in me that she has been going to the Catholic Church on Saturday and a Baptist Church on Sunday. She asked me if this was a sin. I told her I thought so. Was I correct in assuming this? I am trying to help her, but she says she doesn’t get much out of mass. Please help!

On the one hand, I admire that she is making the effort to go to mass on Saturday.

But at the same time you might try to warn her about Baptists – but of course not in a way that might “push her away”, which would probably just lead to her going only to the Baptist church. Maybe just help her to see that non-Catholic Christians are not all the same. (Hence why, when I list them, I usually use an order like Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Pentecostals.)

 

[Peter_J]

On the one hand, I admire that she is making the effort to go to mass on Saturday.

But at the same time you might try to warn her about Baptists – but of course not in a way that might “push her away”, which would probably just lead to her going only to the Baptist church. Maybe just help her to see that non-Catholic Christians are not all the same. (Hence why, when I list them, I usually use an order like Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Pentecostals.)

P.S. I don’t know her of course, but depending on her tastes something like this could possibly be helpful:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=J5pKrwnn_2s