Do you hide your Catholicity from others?

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catechumen08

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This is something I’ve been wondering about. Do people act differently around you after you tell them that you’re serious about your faith? Have you lost friends over this? I’ve sparred with my best friend over this, and in the end, we agreed to disagree. Another good friend doesn’t think I’m serious about it. Sometimes it does get a bit frustrating, to say the least.

So do you tell your friends and acquaintances about your faith? Or do you do it on a need-to-know basis?

Thanks in advance!
 
Most of my friends, who are fundamentalist Protestants, already know because word spread through the grapevine. But I have only had 3-4 friends ask me about it, and it was in a really nice way, no Catholic-bashing at all.
I am open about my conversion but with my fundamentalist friends, I just pray with them and read the Bible because that’s all they understand.
 
No, I don’t hide that I’m converting. I won’t hide the fact that I’m Catholic in the future, either. 🙂

My friends and family all know that my husband, children and I are converting. So far, nobody has said anything negative about it. It wouldn’t matter to me if they did, so they might as well just hold their breath. 😛
 
Everyone knows I’m Catholic. In addition to always describing myself as such when prompted to talk about myself, I bless all my meals, wear Catholic paraphenalia (t-shirts mostly), throw the “s-word” (sin) around freely, tell people I’m going to confession, and various other activities which tend to make it obvious. It’s not that I’m trying to rub it in anyone’s face, it’s just that I don’t feel like I should have to be discreet. The fact that most people in modern-day America think you’re a loony if you seriously believe in “sin” or cross yourself if you’re not in a church, is their problem, not mine or God’s or the Church’s.

We are in the right. Don’t be discreet.
 
I don’t think so. I don’t talk much about it at work (doesn’t come up much), but I don’t mind turning down meat on Lenten Fridays and saying why. My friends all know I’m Catholic.
 
catechumen08 said:
This is something I’ve been wondering about. Do people act differently around you after you tell them that you’re serious about your faith? Have you lost friends over this? I’ve sparred with my best friend over this, and in the end, we agreed to disagree. Another good friend doesn’t think I’m serious about it. Sometimes it does get a bit frustrating, to say the least.

So do you tell your friends and acquaintances about your faith? Or do you do it on a need-to-know basis?

Thanks in advance!
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I do NOT hide my light under a bushel. All my family, friends, and co-workers know I’m Catholic. I wear a 5-1/2 San Damiano Crucifix around my neck for all to see.
 
I had some of my more “eccentric” Catholicism around my friends and family, who are “moderately” to “slightly conservative” Catholic.
I prefer to be a gentle guide and light, rather than a lighthouse with a fog horn 🙂
I did, however, wear my mantilla to my wedding rehearsal, causing a bit of a stir (esp. with my dad and little sis), but I did explain.
My poor husband, however, sees it all. And I think it scares him a little (I as a Witch when we met a little more than two years ago, and now I am a “crazy mantilla wearing Catholic”)
 
Generally, this is the pattern that happens with me:

On first meeting me, those who get past my introvertedness and eccentric creativity really like me and I become quite popular. If I mention I’m Catholic, they still like me at that point, because there are so many people who call themselves Catholic but don’t live their beliefs. When people discover that I actually live my beliefs, suddenly overnight my popularity vanishes and the same people who were friendly either ignore me or become downright hostile. The worst treatment generally comes from ex-Catholics.

As it happens, I have a couple of good Protestant friends who respect my Catholic beliefs just fine. Thank God for them.

And I’ve learned to become very good friends with St. Michael the Archangel. It’s not that I pray the St. Michael prayer out of some “feel good” or “nice thing to do” devotion or trying to improve my prayer life or be holy … I pray out of necessity.

Meanwhile, Jesus is my utmost important Friend. And fortunately I can visit Our Eucharistic Lord in the Adoration Chapel at my parish.

~~ the phoenix
 
In most cases - I tend to keep it quiet - this isn’t a good thing to do really. I am in the inital stages of trying to come back to the church (not very successfully at the minute) and am unsure about a lot so maybe that explains it - though to be honest I am probably afraid of what my friends would say if i told them (i am in my mid 20’s and dont have any catholic friends where I am now living) in fact I sneak out to Mass and make excuses as to where I am going. This probably sounds terrible - I hope I someday have the courage to not worry about these things and I hope I will one day have full trust in Jesus that it is ok to tell people.
 
catechumen08 said:
This is . Another good friend doesn’t think I’m serious about it. Sometimes it does get a bit frustrating, to say the least.

!
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why does your friend think you are not serious about your faith? what is it about your words and actions that give him that impression? whatever we say out loud, our actions will still speak louder than words, and the more vehemently we proclaim our belief, the more strenuously we must conform our actions to Christ, and thereby be a witness to the Faith.
 
Some people just can’t conceive of anyone being serious about religion. It might not be anything the Catholic person does or doesn’t do - it’s just beyond the observer’s comprehension.
 
puzzleannie said:
why does your friend think you are not serious about your faith? what is it about your words and actions that give him that impression? whatever we say out loud, our actions will still speak louder than words, and the more vehemently we proclaim our belief, the more strenuously we must conform our actions to Christ, and thereby be a witness to the Faith.
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That’s a good question. I told him that I was converting, and have been attending Mass weekly since March. Maybe I didn’t make it clear to him, but he basically just laughed in my face over the phone. I’m still kind of upset at him about it, but I guess it’s probably because I didn’t make it clear him to him that I was serious. Anyway, I don’t think I’ve talked to him since. I’m kind of afraid to call him now, in case he says something about it again.
 
catechumen08 said:
This is something I’ve been wondering about. Do people act differently around you after you tell them that you’re serious about your faith? Have you lost friends over this? I’ve sparred with my best friend over this, and in the end, we agreed to disagree. Another good friend doesn’t think I’m serious about it. Sometimes it does get a bit frustrating, to say the least.

So do you tell your friends and acquaintances about your faith? Or do you do it on a need-to-know basis?

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
No, I only hide my tattoos at times. The rest of me is an open book.😃 I’ve lost all my friends, except for my wife who witnessed my conversion experience. She was there when I was purged and received the HS. The rest think I lost my mind. My sister believes me though, mostly because she saw how much I suffered with cancer and was there with my wife to help me through it. She knows I would not lie about something like this. My brother won’t face it yet. He knows something happened, but feels comdemned himself. The rare times I have talked to him, he still questions me about the Lord. He doesn’t understand suffering yet. I have a green scapular on the way for him. Never fear talking about your faith. Tim
 
No I don’t hide it, but I don’t purposely flaunt it either. It’s just who I am, and at my age, I could care less what people think. (You tend to get that way as you grow older.) I do what I do, and think what I think, and if they don’t like it, that is not my problem. I will defend my faith , but usually if someone gets into bashing it, the conversation is over at that point. That usually does the trick. Otherwise I will answer any questions someone has, offer prayers if needed, that sort of thing.
 
I don’t hide it but I’m living in an area where we are the minority. When we moved here following Katrina our next door neighbor told me they would invite us over for dinner after we got settled - the next day or so he talked to my husband and was inviting us to his church when my husband told him we were Catholic - we still have not been invited to dinner, but he does talk to us when he sees us outside. One day I walked acrossed the street to let my neighbor there know we would be in LA for about a week - I heard her daughter come by the door and she peaked out and then I heard her call her mother - they never answered the door. I made sure I bought the biggest Blessed Mother statute I could find and afford - she sits proudly in my front yard - I have very few friends here and I can’t wait until I go back home to be around more Catholics again. :signofcross:
 
There was, at one time, a little bit of confusion, but not since I started wearing the medal of Ste. Therese and the Virgin of Carmel 😃
 
I never hide my faith from anyone. My former co-workers knew I was Catholic, because I would mention going to Mass after work. I also never ate any meat on Fridays when we ordered out lunch. I have a good friend who is Methodist. We always talk about what we are doing at our churches or mention something that was said in the homily at Mass or the sermon at the service. Everybody who knows me knows that I go to Bible study at my church and volunteer at a ecumenical mission meal at a local Methodist church (with volunteers who are Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian and Baptist). The other volunteers who are not Catholic know that I am. I am proud to be Catholic and never feel ashamed of my faith.
 
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