Fear of becoming Catholic

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ShawnG

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Hi. This is my first post and and I hope I can gather some answers. When I was younger I attended mass with both of my grandmothers and one of my grandfathers. They went to mass every week and enjoyed serving God. I was baptized a baptist. But nothing in the baptist or penecostal services ever made me feel safe and loved, i was always left with more questions. I was taught some catholic prayers like the Prayer to St. Michael. It has comforted me in many ways, and other prayer as well. Because of these I feelings I would like to convert to Catholicism where my roots are based and also because it always felt right going to mass. But my fear is my mother does not approve. She is a devout Baptist and believes I should remain a Baptist. I believe she had bad expieriences with her mother and it gave her the wrong impression. I believe my mother would be ashamed of me if I convert. How can I remove this fear? Ive discussed it with my mother and it just makes her mad. Ive prayed about it and I feel its a decesion left up to me. Can anyone help?
 
ShawnG said:
Hi. This is my first post and and I hope I can gather some answers. When I was younger I attended mass with both of my grandmothers and one of my grandfathers. They went to mass every week and enjoyed serving God. I was baptized a baptist. But nothing in the baptist or penecostal services ever made me feel safe and loved, i was always left with more questions. I was taught some catholic prayers like the Prayer to St. Michael. It has comforted me in many ways, and other prayer as well. Because of these I feelings I would like to convert to Catholicism where my roots are based and also because it always felt right going to mass. But my fear is my mother does not approve. She is a devout Baptist and believes I should remain a Baptist. I believe she had bad expieriences with her mother and it gave her the wrong impression. I believe my mother would be ashamed of me if I convert. How can I remove this fear? Ive discussed it with my mother and it just makes her mad. Ive prayed about it and I feel its a decesion left up to me. Can anyone help?
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Shawn,
As I read your post, I noticed a banner at the top of my screen. It is a link to something right here on these pages called “Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth”
catholic.com/library/pillar.asp

Towards the end, there’s a chapter called “The Wave of the Future” which says much about your own situation.

We have to do what we know is right, and we have to do God’s will. That sometimes conflicts with our own human priorities. God is calling you to His Church. The only way to remove the fear is to do His will and accept the peace He is offering us though the Church. It’s not going to be easy, but you need to make the decision that is right for you when it comes to your own immortal soul.
Lookup the life of Saint Barbara and you might see your own difficulties from a different perspectice.
 
Welcome!! Don’t be afraid to be Catholic! I will pray for you, especially about bringing up the topic with your famly. :signofcross: You should get some good suggestions from the posters here.

Here is a very nice video clip: www.catholicscomehome.org/epic/epic120.phtml

Also, Catholics Come Home has a section for non-Catholics: www.catholicscomehome.org/not-Catholic.phtml

Do you know about The Coming Home Network? www.chnetwork.org/ There is the website, and Marcus Grodi has The Journey Home show on TV too, on EWTN, as well as on Catholic radio. The Journey Home is one of my favorite shows. 👍

I am a recent revert, after almost 30 years away, and I am SO thankful, by God’s grace, to be home in the Catholic Church. :yup:
 
It is perfectly normal to be called by God to his Church. **Pray for your family members **so that they may have this blessing also.

There is nothing more comforting than receiving the Eucharist and praying before Jesus’s body.
If you are talking about the next step in converting to Catholicism, then you would go to your local parish and sign up for the RCIA program.

Try this web-site
beginningcatholic.com/catholic-rcia-stages.html
 
It would also be a good idea to send this message to the ask an apologist section.
 
You should ask yourself, Why do I want to be Catholic? The answer should be, because it’s the one true church that Jesus himself established on earth. Everything Christ wanted for us is found in it. Not, because of a feeling. Feelings come and go. Start studying the faith and why we teach certain things. Why we believe Mary never sinned. Why contraception is intrinsicly evil and can never be used. Why confess to a priest etc. etc…These things must be believed as a Catholic or you can’t recieve communion for you wouldn;t be in FULL COMMUNION WITH THE CHURCH…God Bless and you are in our prayers…
 
Hi Shawn, welcome to the forum.

Some background info on me:

I too am a (semi-) convert. My parents and my father’s side of the family are all Southern Baptist, and I was raised Baptist, but like you never really felt at home there. I discovered that as an infant I was baptized Catholic (my mother was raised Catholic, and my parents were married in the Church and left soon after). Once I left home for college, I decided to explore that side of my faith/heritage. The opposition I encountered from my father and from his side family was severe. There were times in my journey when I considered abondoning my faith all together, but God had a different plan. I joined RCIA last year and completed my Sacraments of Initiation this past Easter Vigil, and the home I found in the Catholic Church is something that I can now never imagine living without. Every argument/hardship I had to endure was entirely worth it.

Remember- Courage is not the lack of fear, it is the ablity to overcome fear to do what we know is right.

My advice to you is:
  • Do not be afraid.
  • Do not be discouraged.
  • Remember that Satan is real, and will use every weapon at his disposal to try to scare you away from the Church
  • Talk to your mother and see how she feels- everything you think is how you expect her to feel, but this may not be so.
  • Talk to your local parish priest about the process of converting, he will also be able to help you in dealing with your family.
And most importantly:
  • Pray
  • Listen
  • Respond
If you have any questions for me feel free to PM-

You are in my prayers.
 
I also think you can find comfort in knowing that most Catholics have to deal with adversity to some degree. My father does not “appreciate” the Church either, but I think he realizes that this is my choice. My co-workers constantly harass me about my recent conversion. One of them, who is an older Baptist, constantly questions different aspects of Catholicism in an accusatory manner (and he makes very rude comments to which I will not repeat here). I’m not trying to scare you away, but you’ll soon realize that no one gets harassed more about their faith than Catholics do IMHO. You have to be prepared for it.

You are making the right choice, and you seem to know that this is the right choice. Feel comfort in the fact that you have over 1 billion brothers and sisters who got your back.

🙂
 
ShawnG said:
Hi. This is my first post and and I hope I can gather some answers. When I was younger I attended mass with both of my grandmothers and one of my grandfathers. They went to mass every week and enjoyed serving God. I was baptized a baptist. But nothing in the baptist or penecostal services ever made me feel safe and loved, i was always left with more questions. I was taught some catholic prayers like the Prayer to St. Michael. It has comforted me in many ways, and other prayer as well. Because of these I feelings I would like to convert to Catholicism where my roots are based and also because it always felt right going to mass. But my fear is my mother does not approve. She is a devout Baptist and believes I should remain a Baptist. I believe she had bad expieriences with her mother and it gave her the wrong impression. I believe my mother would be ashamed of me if I convert. How can I remove this fear? Ive discussed it with my mother and it just makes her mad. Ive prayed about it and I feel its a decesion left up to me. Can anyone help?
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Seeing that both grandmothers and one grandfather were Catholic, I would assume that your father was possibly Catholic. Not knowing your family background. (and this board may not be the place to discuss it) It would seem that you maybe should have been Baptized Catholic, the obligation of a Catholic father would be to Baptize and raise his children Catholic. This may be why your mother is not happy with the possibility of you converting.
 
ShawnG said:
So what should be my next step?
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Your next step should be to contact the priest of the parish you would be attending.

Tell him your background, and tell him you would like to convert to Catholicism. He will most likely have you sign up for RCIA class (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). The class usually meets once a week from Sept to May, and you will be taught about what the Church believes. If you find that you do really want to become Catholic, then you would be initiated into the Church at Easter.
 
Shawn,

You are receiving some very sound advice on this forum! I felt I would give you my :twocents: .

I consider myself a ‘Cradle Catholic Convert’ - what I mean by this is that I was born and baptized into the Catholic faith - although my father was Mormon, my mother was Catholic and raised me in the church. I fell away after my confirmation and started attending services with other denomimations. non-denoms to Mormon - none of them felt ‘right’. After moving from Utah to Southern Indiana I came to realize what was missing in my life. I returned to the church. In my return I have had a couple ‘conversion’ experiences that help me to realize that I am Home.

The problem is: My dad is still anti-Catholic (today he is non-denominational, non practicing - he believes in God and to him that is enough). My sister is following in his footsteps. A few years ago I was discerning priesthood (I’m now 37) and told my family - needless to say these two were not at all acceptant of me becoming a priest. But, I listened to the words of Blessed Pope John Paul II (which he got from Scripture): ‘Do not be afraid.’ and I went on. God led me down a different path eventually - but I know he was pleased that I did not let them stop me from doing His will!!

Satan is going to pull you in many directions - and you may get confused. Always remember one thing when it comes to the Catholic faith: Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. That one thing keeps me going! No matter if the priest is a lousy homilist, or the choir is always off pitch - Christ is still present and wants us to be a part of His Church.

God bless you on your Journey, Brother. I will be praying for you.
 
I don’t think you mentioned in your post how old you are. If you are a minor still living with your parents, it might be best to wait patiently, quietly pray and learn gradually about the Catholic faith without making a big thing of it with your mother, and then officially join the Catholic Church when you become an adult. God knows your heart, He knows your desire to become Catholic, but He will bless you for your obedience to your mother, who probably thinks she is doing the best thing for you.

If you are an adult, you have already received some good advice here. Act with courage in embracing the Catholic faith, and act in charity toward your mother. Don’t let it become a battleground. Make your newly-found faith attractive to her by increasing your signs of love and kindness to her.
 
PhilotheaZ said:
If you are an adult, you have already received some good advice here. Act with courage in embracing the Catholic faith, and act in charity toward your mother. Don’t let it become a battleground. Make your newly-found faith attractive to her by increasing your signs of love and kindness to her.
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In college, I stopped going to the Baptist Church and eventually became an Episcopalian. My mother raised hell about it.

But it really had nothing to do with faith, as she didn’t go to church herself.

It was more about control–and she was losing control over me and my actions, which she couldn’t handle.
 
Yeah my father was raised Catholic and he left the church for some reason. Thats why I wasnt raised Catholic. But before he died of cancer he rejoined the church and I believe is in heaven right now. I am also 22 years old and not living with my mother but is still dependant on her financially due to me being in college.
 
Shawn, I’m also 22, I’m in college, and I became a Catholic this year. My family is not Catholic… they accepted my decision, but sometimes I feel that they’d rather me go to their church still. My conversion was difficult though cause I faced a lot of opposition in other ways, and I lost some friends and acquiantances. I’m very glad that I didn’t give up though and that I’m Catholic now. It was all worth it, just to receive the Eucharist. I suggest definitely praying, and - if you talk to your mother, take it step by step. Give her time to think about it, to get used to it. Don’t be afraid. Sometimes God calls us to do difficult things, but He also gives us strength, if we’re willing to accept it. Maybe you could use this time to learn more about the Catholic Church and pray, and probably with time, you’ll feel braver. It took me several months to finally say ‘yes’ to converting.

God bless you ((hugs))
 
Hi - I can sympathize with your situation. My father was Catholic and my mother was a Protestant. They divorced when I was 12 and I wanted to become Catholic right around that time, but my mother associated the Catholic church with my father. As many people can relate, my mother was caught up in the midst of divorce issues and insisted that I not have anything to do with the Catholic church. Since I was only 12, she had the right.

Well, fast-forward 35 years and even painful divorce memories can fade. I was sure she would be furious when I called her the week after I was accepted into the church and told her that I was now a real Catholic and that my husband and I loved our parish. *She was genuinely happy for me! * Her only question was if my husband would follow me into the church and he did this year.

My point is that it’s easy to assume that our parents will always and forever feel a certain way about issues. Their opinions really matter to us, and we feel deeply what they say to us, even when they aren’t thinking straight.

My recommendation is this:

(1) Be sure you really feel called to become a Catholic. You should know in your heart if this is right, and if in doubt then discuss with RCIA instructors, your priest, or your sponsor.

(2) Tell your family about the joy you feel after you become Catholic. Adults have full capacity to make up their own hearts and minds and deserve to do so in a peaceful environment. I waited to tell my mother after the fact, and I’m glad I did.

(3) Be prepared to be pleasantly surprised! If parents can feel the happiness that surrounds a new Catholic, they will be happy, too.
 
I would find a good, holy, Catholic priest. One I felt very comfortable with. I would explain my dilemma to him. I am very certain that this is a common problem in converts and would be able to advise you with ways to help you keep the peace with your family.
 
Do you still live with your mum? If you’re an adult then it’s up to you where you decide to go to Church. Do you need to tell your mum or would you consider it to be a private or personal decision? It might be her decision to attend the Baptist Church but you also have freedom of choice.
 
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