Divorce took me away from church...help?

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loveGODlove

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I’m a teenager still in high school, and I am a Catholic. I love the Lord and I pray ever night and live my life for him. I was raised to be a faithful Catholic by my mother, but then my parents divorced and my mother moved out of state and I have lived with just my father for the past 3 years, in which I havent been able to go to church except on holidays. I really want to join a church because I feel like when I don’t attend mass i am not a true Catholic and I really love being a part of a church. I do all that I can at home, but I know this is not enough. My father will not go to church and I have no other relatives available to go…is it okay to join alone? I feel like church is a family thing and a lone teenager wouldn’t be normal. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

oh, and do you think it angers God that I have not been to church? I never had a communion… 😦
 
Of course its ok to join alone.👍 Call your local parish and ask to set up an appt with the priest. If you’ve never had communion you will need formal instruction before receiving communion. God Bless!
 
thank you! so it doesn’t matter my age? I thought communion was at a certain age
 
No, it doesn’t matter your age. Would your Dad consent to you receiving formal instruction?

in Christ
Steph
 
loveGODlove said:
oh, and do you think it angers God that I have not been to church? I never had a communion… 😦
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God isn’t angry with you. You’ve relied on others’ help and direction with regard to your religion. The support you had to go to Mass hasn’t been there. You weren’t sure of your situation. Church may be ‘a family thing’ but many people have to go alone. I go alone to Mass. Even if you have no ‘family’ with you, you are part of the Catholic community…and hopefully will come to make friends at Church.

A lone teenager would be an inspiration to others, not a strange thing…I know that if I saw a young person coming alone I’d be very impressed to think he or she cared enough to come even though no one accompanied him or her!

I hope that God helps you with all this. Dear God, please be with and inspire and lead this wonderful young person!
Do you think you would have the courage to speak to the priest sometime? Anyway, if you can get to Mass that would be good.

God bless you, Trishie
 
A teenager would be very welcome in a parish even alone!!!

You could also get involved in volunteer projects as well. You could make some new friends too.

I go alone and I’m starting to make friends now after about a year. It took me a while b/c I’m pretty shy and even though I’m friendly, I’m quite reserved 😊
 
Thank you all so much! I am much more confident about going to church alone. What should I say when I call the local priest? And what kind of formal training will I receive? Will I have my communion with others or alone? Sorry to ask so many questions, I just don’t know where else to turn I’m so glad I found this forum. Thanks again
 
To allow yourself time to talk about things, you might like to phone and ask if you can make a time to see the priest. Or you see him at the Church when you go for Mass, you can ask him if he has time to talk with you.

Just tell your priest what you’ve told us. He will be able to explain about instructions…and how and when you can receive the Sacraments in his parish.

Our love and prayers go with you. 🙂
God bless you,

Trishie
 
Talk to your priest. I’m sure other questions will come up during the discussion. God loves all of us equally. He calls us to be in communion with other believers. It’s more than ok to attend alone. If transportation is a problem, ask at the church office. They may be able to put in a notice in the bulletin that you need a ride.
 
Oh and yes my dad would consent…he has no problem with me and my religion, he’s just not into it himself. Okay I am going to call the church to make an appointment tomorrow! Since it has been a while for me, what’s appropriate for me to wear?
 
loveGODlove said:
Oh and yes my dad would consent…he has no problem with me and my religion, he’s just not into it himself. Okay I am going to call the church to make an appointment tomorrow! Since it has been a while for me, what’s appropriate for me to wear?
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Most folks are pretty casual in their dress at church these days, which some traditionalists may have a problem with. I would recommend something comfortable and modest, and focus on what’s important- you’re at church to express your faith in communion with others and praise Him!

God Bless you and welcome home 😉
 
I want to add one bit of advice:
There may be multiple catholic churches near where you live. Try a couple different ones if the first one doesn’t seem to work out. Some churches have youth groups, some don’t. Some have friendlier priests/parishoners, too.

Of course, don’t take it to an extreme and hop around too much… just try to trust God to direct you to where he wants you!

-mike
 
Honey, I wish you were here so I could take you to church with us. As a mommy, I want to hug you tight, and I know my girls would welcome you with open arms. Call a priest and he will help you find the family we call parish!
I moved recently and live next door to a Catholic Chruch. I still drive 30 mins to our parish because they are family to us. You will be wrapped up as long as you allow yourself to become involved. Vollenteer so you can get to know the faces in the pews.

Welcome home young one, we are glad to have you!
 
mommybug47 said:
Honey, I wish you were here so I could take you to church with us. As a mommy, I want to hug you tight, and I know my girls would welcome you with open arms. Call a priest and he will help you find the family we call parish!
I moved recently and live next door to a Catholic Chruch. I still drive 30 mins to our parish because they are family to us. You will be wrapped up as long as you allow yourself to become involved. Vollenteer so you can get to know the faces in the pews.

Welcome home young one, we are glad to have you!
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Aw thank you! it would be so nice to have a family that liked to go to church with me! I’m sure in time I will make great friends at the church. I called the church thats within walking distance, so that I’d have a ride and they have a very good reputation. I have an appointment to see one of their priests on Wednesday. I’m very excited. My grandparents are very supportive of me and they wish they could attend, but recent money problems have forced them to work on every sunday…which is why there’s no relatives available. Maybe if the economy gets better, they can come to church with me. I hope that the priest can allow me to get my communion and confirmation, so I will feel more fully accepted in the Catholic community and the eyes of our Lord. Do you think I would take those in a group or alone?

Next year I will dual enroll at college classes and only have 3 days of class a week, and I have been wondering what to do with those empty days, and now I’ve got it. I can volunteer with the church! I’m very excited with the changes that are happening in my life.

Thank you all so much for your advice! God bless
 
The Priest will help you to decide when you are ready to recieve the Lord in Eucharist and the best way for you to begin. You are old enough that you may be enrolled in RCIA, yet young enough that you may be invited to join the youth ministry Confirmation class. Your priest will be best at finding the best fit. They will certainly welcome your zeal and energy with what ever projects they find for you. ( Hint: if someone says that there is no place for you to vollenteer, just hang around, somebody will need you. My kids love to help, but there is a bias that only little old ladies work at church! so we wait and we ar always put to work. )
 
Hi loveGodlove,
I came back to the church when I was 15 years old. My parents were not practicing Catholics, and I often went alone to Mass. Regularly. I think, looking back, people were very inspired that such a young person was mature enough to understand the real reason for the Mass. Of course, I was not going to Church to impress anyone; I have been going because of God’s love for me but I’m saying this because you should not be ashamed of going because you are young. You should take holy pride in knowing a young person like you has the brains to be a part of something that matters more than anything in life. Your Catholic faith.

Now finally my mom and sis, we go together to Mass. So things may change if God touches some of the people you know, as He’s beginning to touch you.

You don’t have to be a certain age to get Communion training. You will be soooo excited when you find out WHAT and WHO you are receiving in the Eucharist. That was a huge reason for my conversion. That little piece of bread…it’s NOT bread you are going to receive!! If you don’t know this, and you find out, you will be as excited as I was and probably more! No wonder why Mass is so important.

You are in my prayers and feel free to message me privately if you would like to discuss further. God bless,

unworthy
 
Reading through this thread has indeed been awesome, to see the grace of God working in someone’s life. Welcome Home!!
 
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