Conversion

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StMichael88

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I am sorry if this has already been discussed, but i am a new member of the forums and have not had an opportunity to read all the existing posts. However, this is a very important subject for me.

I was born and baptized into The Church of Christ. And that is were all of my family is members of…however I realized that I was not getting a closer relationship with God…so i moved to the Baptist church. There i became an active member who attened Sunday School and the Wensday night services. (Basically every time the doors open). However, recently i had some friends intorduce me to the Catholic religion, and have loved every minute of it. I agree with everything that i know about the religion so far (especially the bread and wine being changed into the actual body and blood of christ *)

Anyway, last Sunday was The Fifth Sunday (the day the baptist church takes communion). And before we take communion the preacher gives a sermon…this Sunday the sermon was about the communion…he said that the communion that we were about to take was only a symbol and was nothing more. I, however, could not accept that, for the first time, the church that i was attending actually said it…“it is only a symbol”…a view that I did not agree with. So, during that service, i truly beleive that I received a calling from God to convert and become a Catholic.

My questions are:

1: Is my reasoning for converting valid or is it just superficial?
and
2: What is the process for me to convert? What must I go through to convert? Because I am willing.

I have been a Christian and I am 16 years old. (I put my age because i have heard that at certain ages you must have a sponsor…Is this true?)

Thank you*
 
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StMichael88:
I am sorry if this has already been discussed, but i am a new member of the forums and have not had an opportunity to read all the existing posts. However, this is a very important subject for me.

I was born and baptized into The Church of Christ. And that is were all of my family is members of…however I realized that I was not getting a closer relationship with God…so i moved to the Baptist church. There i became an active member who attened Sunday School and the Wensday night services. (Basically every time the doors open). However, recently i had some friends intorduce me to the Catholic religion, and have loved every minute of it. I agree with everything that i know about the religion so far (especially the bread and wine being changed into the actual body and blood of christ *)

Anyway, last Sunday was The Fifth Sunday (the day the baptist church takes communion). And before we take communion the preacher gives a sermon…this Sunday the sermon was about the communion…he said that the communion that we were about to take was only a symbol and was nothing more. I, however, could not accept that, for the first time, the church that i was attending actually said it…“it is only a symbol”…a view that I did not agree with. So, during that service, i truly beleive that I received a calling from God to convert and become a Catholic.

My questions are:

1: Is my reasoning for converting valid or is it just superficial?
and
2: What is the process for me to convert? What must I go through to convert? Because I am willing.

I have been a Christian and I am 16 years old. (I put my age because i have heard that at certain ages you must have a sponsor…Is this true?)

Thank you*
Dear Brother in Christ.

To believe that the Most Holy Eucharist is truly Christ Himself is perhaps the best reason to become a Catholic, for it is the greatest gift the Eternal God could give to you–Himself. For me, Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist is, in truth, all my reasons for staying Catholic.

As for converting, contact a priest in your area. Tell him your reasons and he will direct you.

Welcome, brother–for you’re home already.

Peace, so be it.
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I am also considering the Catholic Church (and how funny, I was also baptized in the Church of Christ and later switched to Baptist) I think you should start attending mass if that’s possible and sit up near the front where it’s less distracting. Read some good apologetic type books - you can find them online or at a Catholic Bookstore - Rome Sweet Rome is a good one and also all of the Suprised by the Truth books. Talk to a Priest if you want to enroll in an RCIA class - they will assign a sponsor to you which is just like a “buddy” to walk you through everything. Pray pray pray for God’s direction & peace. And my final piece of advice… get off these forums and don’t come back until you are so grounded in your faith, NOTHING will shake you! I felt 100% better about the Catholic Church before I started reading/posting on this forum. Trust me. Sign off now and don’t come back for a very long time. You’ll only get confused and you’ll begin to question yourself. Let the Holy Spirit lead you - not the nut cases that post here. (sorry… the few bad apples ruin the entire barrel.)
God Bless you, CM 🙂
 
carol marie:
Trust me. Sign off now and don’t come back for a very long time. You’ll only get confused and you’ll begin to question yourself. Let the Holy Spirit lead you - not the nut cases that post here. (sorry… the few bad apples ruin the entire barrel.)
God Bless you, CM 🙂
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it also takes a few good nuts to make a rich fruitcake. you are absolutely right Carol Marie (name of one of my closest childhood friends) not to base you knowledge of doctrine and Catholic practice, or your judgement of the entire Catholic Church based on the comments and attitudes of a handful of Catholics (knowledgeable or otherwise) on these forums. Our faith is in Jesus Christ not in individuals.

If you are going to be scandalized and have your faith shaken every time a Catholic–priest, bishop, lay person, catechist, nun, neighbor, or anonymous person on the internet–says something you do not agree with, or acts in ways unbecoming to a Christian, you are going to be very unhappy in this Church.

The Truth is here, the fullness of truth, and while we are all on our way, none of us is perfectly in harmony with truth yet. If we were we would be in paradise, but we’re not. We are here on earth, with all its evils and temptations, and we are sinners. If you want a Church of perfect people, I cannot tell you where to go, but if you want a Church full of sinners, the Catholic Church is your true home. Jesus said he did not come to the saved, but to the lost. That would be us.
 
I agree with all of the posters above. You want to talk to a preist. You can read books like “The Lambs Supper” by Scott Hahn.

The Eucharist is the best reason to convert.

You must be careful on these forums sometimes, because there are some things that are poorly discussed and can confuse people.
 
StMichael88, you’ve been given some great advice here. I would like to expand on what CarolMarie said. If you have a desire to come home to the Catholic Church, besides reading, I would find the parishes in your area and attend Mass at each (if there is more than one) to see if you feel more at home in one or the other. When you find one you feel “at home” in, talk to the priest and tell him what’s in your heart, and that you would like to sign up for RCIA/RCIC class (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults/Children).

Also, when you do go to Mass and the congregation goes up for communion, you will unfortunately be unable right now to join them. What you can do, however, is go in line with your arms crossed over your chest and ask for a blessing from the priest. You can also make an act of spiritual communion, which is a prayer such as the following:
My Jesus, I believe You are truly present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to possess You within my soul. Since I am unable now to receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as being already there, and I unite myself wholly to You; never, never permit me to be seperated from You.

(Prayer of St. Alphonsus Liguori)​
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Peace to you on your journey, and may God be with you!
 
carol marie:
Trust me. Sign off now and don’t come back for a very long time. You’ll only get confused and you’ll begin to question yourself. Let the Holy Spirit lead you - not the nut cases that post here. (sorry… the few bad apples ruin the entire barrel.)
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Once I found a church full of perfect people. They wouldn’t let me join. 😉

Paul
 
1: Is my reasoning for converting valid or is it just superficial?
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Valid. Welcome home!
2: What is the process for me to convert? What must I go through to convert? Because I am willing.
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You are willing. That is the main criteria.
I have been a Christian and I am 16 years old. (I put my age because i have heard that at certain ages you must have a sponsor…Is this true?)
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Your questions will be answered by your priest when you see him. The priest might ask for permission from your parents, as you have to honor them. I don’t see why one of your Catholic friends cannot be a sponsor for you.

kepha1
 
The Eucharist is certainly a solid foundational reason for converting.

Also, consider how many different teachings there are “out there” regarding what the Lord’s Supper “is”!! So much of Catholic theology is centered on the Eucharist, and I don’t think that’s an overstatement.
Oddly enough, I’ve gone through periods when certain aspects of Catholicism have pulled really strongly on me, and Confession was one of the strongest. Not to dis my church or other Protestant churches, but you take repentance pretty seriously if you know that you better not approach the Eucharist to receive it if you have unconfessed (to a priest) mortal sin! But it’s more than that, it’s a sacrament that Christ honors, preparing you to receive Him. Wow!

I think that, like other posters have said, you’ll have times when certain things the Church teaches or folks say the Church teaches will sound disconcerting, or maybe even bad, but remember, that never seemed to disturb many faithful Protestants, we/they just say “well, we don’t all agree, but that doesn’t mean the Baptist/Presbyterian/whatever faith is satanic.” At least many Catholic teachers are taken seriously, for better or for worse.
 
As a revert to the Catholic faith, I knew it was time to go home when I sat at a communion service with tears running down my face and realized I couldn’t receive communion because they believed it was just a symbol. Welcome Home.
 
Welcome Home!

The center and summit of our faith is the real presense of our precious Lord in the Eucharist.
 
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StMichael88:
1: Is my reasoning for converting valid or is it just superficial?
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From the Catholic perspective, no. The Eucharist is the center of all Catholic worship because we believe it to be the actual body, blood, soul, and divinity of the resurrected Lord. In addition to the excellent recommendations already given, I recommend a three volume work titled, “The Faith of the Early Fathers,” edited by William Jurgens. In it you will find writings going back to the earliest post-apostolic days of Christianity. In reading these, you will see that the Early Church believed the same thing that the Catholic Church does.
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StMichael88:
2: What is the process for me to convert? What must I go through to convert? Because I am willing.
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Go to your local Catholic parish and ask about their programs. You will likely be directed to an RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) class; although, being a Christian already, they might have a separate “Candidate” course.
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StMichael88:
I have been a Christian and I am 16 years old. (I put my age because i have heard that at certain ages you must have a sponsor…Is this true?)
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Actually, I believe that all who are entering the Church need a sponsor. This will be a Catholic who will go through the course with you and be there to help answer your questions along the way.

One other thing. You may be required to receive a “conditional baptism.” The Catholic Church only believes in one baptism but not all Christian churches baptize in a valid manner. If you have a baptismal certificate, you should take it with you along with any documentation on the form of baptism (how the baptism is done). The difference between an actual baptism and a conditional one is that, if you have already been baptized, the conditional one has no effect (because you have already received the seal of Christ’s baptism on your soul.)
 
carol marie:
Let the Holy Spirit lead you - not the nut cases that post here. (sorry… the few bad apples ruin the entire barrel.)
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OUCH! I hope she didn’t mean ME! 😃

Actually, though, a very good point. One of the differences you will find between Catholicism and Protestantism is the authoritative Church. What any Catholic posts in these forums falls into three categories.

A) In accordance with the infallible doctrinal and dogmatic teaching of the Church.

B) Unintentionally not in accordance with the infallible and dogmatic teaching of the Church.

C) Completely fallible opinion.

Carol Marie encountered this in regard to other posts she made. She had read the opinion of certain theologians whose teachings actually contradicted the authoritative teaching of the Church. Whenever this occurs, it is the theologian who is wrong; even (I hate to admit it) when that theologian is me. 🙂

The unity of the Catholic Church rests in her constant and unchanging teaching; not in the unanimous agreement her members.
 
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StMichael88:
My questions are:

1: Is my reasoning for converting valid or is it just superficial?
and
2: What is the process for me to convert? What must I go through to convert? Because I am willing.

I have been a Christian and I am 16 years old. (I put my age because i have heard that at certain ages you must have a sponsor…Is this true?)

Thank you
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Hey St.Michael88! 👍

I don’t get the impression that you are superficial. If you were that you would not have asked us!

But you are young! I didn’t like people to tell me that when I was at your age :banghead: , so if you don’t like me saying it it’s OK. The reason I’m talking about it, is that all the converts I know, was older then you when they converted and they had used some years to read, think and pray berfore their convertion.
I want you to feel comfortable with the thought that you may need some time before you take the final decition. You have to be sure that you walks hand in hand with Jesus when you are doing this. :getholy:

The first thing you must do, is to contact a catholic priest. He will listen and take you seriously. May be he will recommend you some books to read. You may ask him if he has time to follow you up. If not, he can send you to someone who has the time. 👍

I have sent a prayer for you and I wish you all the best on your way to a closer relationship with the Lord! :tiphat:

God Bless!

Grace
 
One more caution: I went through a “spiritua” conversion 5 1/2 years ago and when I started getting involved in daily mass and many church functions and services, I found disagreements amongst the “faithful” of the church.

The most important step for me was to get a good spirtiual advisor to help me sort out the good from the bad until I got my “legs”. I have done much reading and listening to Catholic radio (EWTN) and feel comfortable defending my faith. I also teach RCIA and CCD now. You don’t have to “go it alone”–there is much help out there.

Welcome home and God bless you abundantly in your search.

:love: Lindalou
 
StMichael88 ~

Excellent advice given to you here. However one very important detail if you can find a parish to accommodate you. Get a PRIEST who teaches RCIA. They are much more interested in the educating part of the rite than the liturgical (symolism) part.
 
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