J
jasphair
Guest
Greetings!
I’m interested in discovering more of the Catholic faith, by attending Mass, sitting in on RCIA (though not necessarily working towards baptism, communion, confirmation, etc) right away. In my area, however, there are dozens of Catholic churches, some in newer buildings, others in older cathedrals. My journey with Catholicism is one I’m taking alone, and I do not know anyone who practices Catholicism, and thus, whom I can go and attend church with. I’ll be walking into a church, now knowing anyone, and not being known by anyone. So, my question is, how do I go about picking a place? In my experience with Protestant churches, they can obviously vary quite a bit, which is something you need to get a feel for to find the one you’re comfortable with.
If I understand correctly, however, most Catholic churches are similar (though some are more ‘liberal’ than others, whatever that means), in that they follow the same Missal, etc. So in that sense, I’m not too worried (stop me if I should be), but am worried about fellowship. I’m a young lad, and would like to find other young people to mingle with, possibly befriend, and learn from, whilst on this journey. There is one Catholic cathedral near a college campus (which I do not attend), so I suppose that might be an option, though it’s rather far away. Should I just start visiting a different church every week, to scope the place out and see what kind of people attend, or is there an alternative or more efficient method?
I’m interested in discovering more of the Catholic faith, by attending Mass, sitting in on RCIA (though not necessarily working towards baptism, communion, confirmation, etc) right away. In my area, however, there are dozens of Catholic churches, some in newer buildings, others in older cathedrals. My journey with Catholicism is one I’m taking alone, and I do not know anyone who practices Catholicism, and thus, whom I can go and attend church with. I’ll be walking into a church, now knowing anyone, and not being known by anyone. So, my question is, how do I go about picking a place? In my experience with Protestant churches, they can obviously vary quite a bit, which is something you need to get a feel for to find the one you’re comfortable with.
If I understand correctly, however, most Catholic churches are similar (though some are more ‘liberal’ than others, whatever that means), in that they follow the same Missal, etc. So in that sense, I’m not too worried (stop me if I should be), but am worried about fellowship. I’m a young lad, and would like to find other young people to mingle with, possibly befriend, and learn from, whilst on this journey. There is one Catholic cathedral near a college campus (which I do not attend), so I suppose that might be an option, though it’s rather far away. Should I just start visiting a different church every week, to scope the place out and see what kind of people attend, or is there an alternative or more efficient method?