Do you hide your Catholicity from others?

[Vittorio23]

Nah- no point in hiding it really, it’s too much of intrigal part of who I am.

I don’t really flaunt it, either. I wear my medals and crucifix. I go to daily Mass (hey, where are you going? Oh, I’m heading off to Mss. You go to Mass everyday? Yup. Oh). If someone asks, I’m there to respond. I most always bless myself before a meal.

So, I mean, it’s there. If anyone has a problem with it, which I have yet to really happen, then we can deal with it. For the most part though, I haven’t encountered any real difficulties.

 

[Palladio]

Wow, some of you make me feel like an “old guy”!! I was born in 1950…

I was raised in an Army family that moved all over the world. While my father was still in the service we always went to Mass wherever we lived. I went to Catechism. All of my friends knew I was Catholic. It was just how it was. We all got along…never any problems.

After my father retired from the Army we returned to FL, and there the fun began. Kids in our new neighborhood in Orlando were for the most part Baptists or whatever…precious few Catholics. We never put up billboards or signs announcing that we were Catholic, but it did come out fairly quickly when everybody wanted us to attend their churches. Had to say no, and when they asked where we went to church…oh yeah…we got the “raised eyebrows”. And shortly after that I started getting the statements/questions…like “Our preacher says you have a tail and a third eye hidden under skin on your forehead, etc, etc.”. Well…proved them wrong, and duly informed them that their preacher was a “crazy person”…and they shouldn’t listen to crazy people… Upset some of their parents, who complained to my parents… and to the other kids parents I simply said… Men of the “cloth” should never lie to children…or adults. It goes against the teachings of Christ. Freaked them out…imagine that, a Catholic child knew something about the bible!!

Anyway…I have never made it a great point of “advertising” it, but when asked… I have never denied that I am Catholic. Yes, it has cost me some “friends”…but then again…if what my beliefs are cause them to dislike me, then they were not friends anyway.

If I am asked, I will answer. I will not deny what I am, nor will I deny what I believe to be the truth. And if questions arise, I will answer them. I will not argue. I simply tell them…Its what I believe, and its not ever going to change.

Some advice from an older person…ouch!, I sound just like my Grandfather…a good Methodist who loved my Catholic Grandmother for so many years… 63 years to be exact…, he drove her to Mass every Sunday, made sure all their children…all four were raised in the Catholic Faith… oops, I digress.

Anyway, for those of you who are young… If you are Catholic, be a Catholic… the friends that you have today…may be long gone tomorrow, so what they think is of little consequence now or even later. If you are honest to yourself and to God…even if they don’t like you because you are Catholic…they still have to “respect” you for your honesty to yourself and God. If not, they are not friends…and they are not people you want to have around you.

In the “hippy 60’s” there was a poster, I had one…it was entitled “Desderata”…here is one version at this link:

hobbes.ncsa.uiuc.edu/desiderata.html

There is some good advice in it…

Absolutely wonderful post!

God bless and keep you!

 

[CatholicCajun]

Wow, some of you make me feel like an “old guy”!! I was born in 1950…

I was raised in an Army family that moved all over the world. While my father was still in the service we always went to Mass wherever we lived. I went to Catechism. All of my friends knew I was Catholic. It was just how it was. We all got along…never any problems.

After my father retired from the Army we returned to FL, and there the fun began. Kids in our new neighborhood in Orlando were for the most part Baptists or whatever…precious few Catholics. We never put up billboards or signs announcing that we were Catholic, but it did come out fairly quickly when everybody wanted us to attend their churches. Had to say no, and when they asked where we went to church…oh yeah…we got the “raised eyebrows”. And shortly after that I started getting the statements/questions…like “Our preacher says you have a tail and a third eye hidden under skin on your forehead, etc, etc.”. Well…proved them wrong, and duly informed them that their preacher was a “crazy person”…and they shouldn’t listen to crazy people… Upset some of their parents, who complained to my parents… and to the other kids parents I simply said… Men of the “cloth” should never lie to children…or adults. It goes against the teachings of Christ. Freaked them out…imagine that, a Catholic child knew something about the bible!!

Anyway…I have never made it a great point of “advertising” it, but when asked… I have never denied that I am Catholic. Yes, it has cost me some “friends”…but then again…if what my beliefs are cause them to dislike me, then they were not friends anyway.

If I am asked, I will answer. I will not deny what I am, nor will I deny what I believe to be the truth. And if questions arise, I will answer them. I will not argue. I simply tell them…Its what I believe, and its not ever going to change.

Some advice from an older person…ouch!, I sound just like my Grandfather…a good Methodist who loved my Catholic Grandmother for so many years… 63 years to be exact…, he drove her to Mass every Sunday, made sure all their children…all four were raised in the Catholic Faith… oops, I digress.

Anyway, for those of you who are young… If you are Catholic, be a Catholic… the friends that you have today…may be long gone tomorrow, so what they think is of little consequence now or even later. If you are honest to yourself and to God…even if they don’t like you because you are Catholic…they still have to “respect” you for your honesty to yourself and God. If not, they are not friends…and they are not people you want to have around you.

In the “hippy 60’s” there was a poster, I had one…it was entitled “Desderata”…here is one version at this link:

hobbes.ncsa.uiuc.edu/desiderata.html

There is some good advice in it…

Great post. My mom is Methodist, has always been and will always be, BUT, she taught us the Rosary as very young children taught us our Catholic Prayers and raised us Catholic. We would go one Sunday to Mass and the other to her church, didn’t realize it was a sin to miss Mass as a young child, anyway when we were old enough we were told to choose what church we wanted to belong to, she would tell people that when she babtized us Catholic she made a promise to the Priest to raisw us Catholic and to her that was the same as a promise to God.

 

[Hugo_Abreu]

Very nice thread.

In Portugal everybody is more or less Catholic. Or almost everybody. Unfortunately, in the younger generations atheism is spreading. Specially in left-wing and “right-wing liberals” (liberal in Europe means a people who believes in a minimal state, and are usually opposed to Christian-Democrats*, who support the idea of a social-state).

However, it’s difficult to be 100% Catholic. People may have a strange reaction if you tell them you pray the rosary (specially if you are young) or if you say you actually support the Church’s views on sexuality. The last leads to many arguments. Many look at you like if you are ignorant or dumb.

*Christian Democracy is a mainstream right-wing ideology based on the Church’s Social Doctrine, which is also popular and supported by protestant churches.

 

[Donna_Mc]

No, not at all, I frequently wear a necklace with some sort of
religious medal or crucifx, so people can usually tell.

 

[allaussie]

I’m happy to mention my faith when it comes up, the only person I avoid mentioning going to church or just about any matter of faith in front of is my dad, he’s an atheist (though raised Methodist he decided as an adult that he didn’t believe in religion) and was never happy about his kids going to church.
While he was living with us my Mum went to mass on Sundays alone, but my parents split up when I was about 9 and gradually we started going to church with Mum on Sundays (rather than being bored sitting at home watching TV while Mum was out) Dad would try to get us to miss church by taking us out on Sundays so we went to Church on and off for a year or two but when we were old enough for the sacraments my Mum told us that we had to make a decision to either attend mass regularly or not at all, my sister and I both made the decision to practice our faith. But as I know that mention of religion upsets him and I am not likely to change his mind on God I have decided not to sour our relationship by making my religion obvious to him.

 

[happyseppy]

I’m in the exact same situation - although I haven’t went to Mass yet.

I’m also afraid of what people will think of me if I start going to church. I wish I wasn’t but I am. I have no problem telling people that I’m a Catholic but I am afraid of their criticisms if I start practicing my faith.

you be the trailblazer!
:knight2:

 

[havemercy]

I tend to be opinionated, so it comes out. haha

 

[4loveofJesus]

May God’s peace, love and mercy be with you all!

I don’t hide my being Catholic. I just try to live my normal ordinary life striving to be faithful to Christ, His Holy Catholic Church and its teachings.

I work in a nursing home and there are moments when elderly residents ask me if I’m Catholic even though I have not revealed to them that I am. I joyfully respond yes to anybody that asks me and the response that I get is always positive. There were, I think, only 3 negative responses that I had over theses years and thank God I was able to answer their negative misconceptions of the Catholic Church. There are very good apologetic materials by Scott Hahn, Patrick Madrid etc., that are very helpful so we know what we believe and why we believe it, in order to defend our faith.

It’s funny today my cell phone rang at 3pm (hour of Divine Mercy, when Our Good Lord died). I had it set up as an event reminder to ring at different times of the day (6pm etc.) to remind me to pause for a very brief moment and lift my thought to God in prayer without anybody noticing it. The ring tone was the Chant of the Benedictine Monks praying Glory be in Latin. So, the director of nursing, the nurse and the psychiatrist started wondering and looking around for where the chant was coming from and they finally realized it was my cellphone. The director of nursing remarked that it reminded her of church. Well, I am just thankful to God that a mere simple ring tone would remind people of Our Good God. So then the psychiatrist asked me if I was religious, I answered him that I don’t really go by with the word religious because people can go every Sunday to Church just because they have to not because they want to, or profess to be a Christian but not live that life and have hatred in their hearts, it just doesn’t work. I finally told him that I try to go to daily mass and he was shocked and thankful at the same time and said it is truly a blessing of which I wholeheartedly agree.

Everyday that passes by there is always somebody that I meet or encounter where they talk to me about God or vice versa. It always happens that way by God’s Divine Providence. One time one of the residents of the nursing facility was dying, I was approached by the Social worker to say goodbye to her for she may not make it. So, I did when I got finished with what I was doing at that time. I took a break and dropped by in her room. With her mom and dad in the room, I asked her mom if I could say a prayer for her. She agreed and so I did. After praying she asked me if I was Catholic and so I said yes and she told me that her daughter was Catholic but has left the faith. The mother also revealed to me that she was catholic too but was married outside the church and has not been practicing the faith. So, I called the Cathedral to send a priest to give the patient the last rites and I also talked to the mother about having her marriage blessed by the priest in the Catholic Church. I told her the parish that she can go to and to talk to the priest in that church. Hours after the last rites were administered, the patient passed away. The Social worker told me days later that the mother had called and was very grateful for having her daughter receive the last rites before she died. What a beautiful moment! Thanks be to God! So many awesome stories, so little time!

We should never be afraid, nor ashamed to admit who are Master is nor the fact that we are members of the only Church that Christ has founded 2,000 years ago- the awesome Catholic Church!

God puts us where we need to be in a particular place at that moment each and everyday for a purpose, according to His Most Holy Will, for His greater honor and glory, and for the salvations of souls.

Blessed be Jesus and Mary!

 

[historyb]

I do sometimes unfortunately, I converted and unconverted to many times that I’m not sure lots would believe me. http://www.iheartpaws.com/forums/images/smilies/2141.gif

 

[barbfromtucson]

No, I don’t hide my Faith at all. I am totally open about it and even have bumper stickers on my car.

However, I do not force it on anyone! My non-Catholic friends all know that I’m Catholic, but I don’t actively try to convert them. I always pray that they will convert on their own, and if they were to want to convert, I’d happily be a sponsor.

I’ve only had one fundamentalist friend who ‘broke off’ soon after finding out I was Catholic, but c’est la vie!

God Bless,
Barbara

 

[CB_Catholic]

May God’s peace, love and mercy be with you all!

I don’t hide my being Catholic. I just try to live my normal ordinary life striving to be faithful to Christ, His Holy Catholic Church and its teachings.

I work in a nursing home and there are moments when elderly residents ask me if I’m Catholic even though I have not revealed to them that I am. I joyfully respond yes to anybody that asks me and the response that I get is always positive. There were, I think, only 3 negative responses that I had over theses years and thank God I was able to answer their negative misconceptions of the Catholic Church. There are very good apologetic materials by Scott Hahn, Patrick Madrid etc., that are very helpful so we know what we believe and why we believe it, in order to defend our faith.

It’s funny today my cell phone rang at 3pm (hour of Divine Mercy, when Our Good Lord died). I had it set up as an event reminder to ring at different times of the day (6pm etc.) to remind me to pause for a very brief moment and lift my thought to God in prayer without anybody noticing it. The ring tone was the Chant of the Benedictine Monks praying Glory be in Latin. So, the director of nursing, the nurse and the psychiatrist started wondering and looking around for where the chant was coming from and they finally realized it was my cellphone. The director of nursing remarked that it reminded her of church. Well, I am just thankful to God that a mere simple ring tone would remind people of Our Good God. So then the psychiatrist asked me if I was religious, I answered him that I don’t really go by with the word religious because people can go every Sunday to Church just because they have to not because they want to, or profess to be a Christian but not live that life and have hatred in their hearts, it just doesn’t work. I finally told him that I try to go to daily mass and he was shocked and thankful at the same time and said it is truly a blessing of which I wholeheartedly agree.

Everyday that passes by there is always somebody that I meet or encounter where they talk to me about God or vice versa. It always happens that way by God’s Divine Providence. One time one of the residents of the nursing facility was dying, I was approached by the Social worker to say goodbye to her for she may not make it. So, I did when I got finished with what I was doing at that time. I took a break and dropped by in her room. With her mom and dad in the room, I asked her mom if I could say a prayer for her. She agreed and so I did. After praying she asked me if I was Catholic and so I said yes and she told me that her daughter was Catholic but has left the faith. The mother also revealed to me that she was catholic too but was married outside the church and has not been practicing the faith. So, I called the Cathedral to send a priest to give the patient the last rites and I also talked to the mother about having her marriage blessed by the priest in the Catholic Church. I told her the parish that she can go to and to talk to the priest in that church. Hours after the last rites were administered, the patient passed away. The Social worker told me days later that the mother had called and was very grateful for having her daughter receive the last rites before she died. What a beautiful moment! Thanks be to God! So many awesome stories, so little time!

We should never be afraid, nor ashamed to admit who are Master is nor the fact that we are members of the only Church that Christ has founded 2,000 years ago- the awesome Catholic Church!

God puts us where we need to be in a particular place at that moment each and everyday for a purpose, according to His Most Holy Will, for His greater honor and glory, and for the salvations of souls.

Blessed be Jesus and Mary!

What a wonderful and heartfelt witness for our Lord!