Former Episcopalian searching

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deskjockey

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Hello. I am new to posting on this forum but have been reading for quite a while. My wife and I are both Episcopalians but have been searching for a new church for over two years due to the strife going on in the denomination. I have been studying and researching the Catholic Church to see if I could become a convert at some point. I know that my wife has no interest whatsoever and is very drawn to non-donominational churches and a specific one in the city that we live in. We have a new baby, and he has not been baptized. The church we have been going to does not baptize until they have reached the age of reason. I am posting this to seek advice from Catholics and non-Catholics as well. Thank you for any help!!
 
The best advice I would give would be to express your thoughts whether you think they are negative or positive so that we can be on the same page on this forum. Don’t be shy, put it all out on the table so we can answer your questions to the best of our ability.
 
I recommend finding a Catholic parish in your area and talk your wife into attending RCIA while the nursing staff give you a break so that you can learn about the Church more together. That’s what my wife and I did. It was a much needed break for us since we have no family near us.
 
it sounds like you feel that you could never convince your wife to become Catholic.
there are anglican churches which are protestant and catholic and have separated from the episcopal church - if you are looking for a more orthodox church than what the episcopal church is today. i was raised in the episcopal church and always felt i was Catholic, just in an English way. i am now Roman Catholic for 3 years. now that i am mature, i see the benefit of having the Pope and the Magisterium.
the anglican church baptizes infants if that is what you are looking for.
i guess it is something that the two of you will have to talk about. perhaps it would help to visit a Catholic church and speak with a priest.
 
You don’t mention the city you live in, however, the Ordinariate for former Anglicans/ Episcopalians will be established in the US this Fall. There are already several Anglican Use Catholic parishes in the US.

At this time it is not known where all the AU parishes will be located, as more and more former Continuing Anglican parishes and some Episcopal parishes are joining the Ordinariate. If you are close to one of them, it might be more acceptable for your wife to become Catholic through an Ordinariate parish. They will retain the Anglican Patrimony and traditions and many of the AU parishes are much smaller than a Latin Rite parish.

If you want to PM me I do know of some parishes which are joining and there might be one close enough to you.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette
 
Hello, deskjockey!

If you feel at all called to the Catholic Church, I would encourage you to contact your local Catholic Parish. Most Catholic Parishes have a program called the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). It is a series of classes, usually weekly, designed to teach people about the Catholic faith.

It is oriented toward people coming in to membership, but most programs are open to everybody – including those who are just curious and want to learn. Going to RCIA classes is not a commitment to join (although the class will prepare you to join if you were to decide to).

It would be a good opportunity for you (and your wife, if she would be willing to join you) to discern whether the Catholic Church is the right place for you and your family.

I have helped out with the RCIA program at my Parish (after going through it myself as a convert three years ago), and beginning this year I will be the director of the program. Some come through the program and decide, for whatever reason, that the Church is not right for them (at least not yet). Others come intending just to learn and discern quickly that this is where the Holy Spirit wants them to be. In either case, people learn a lot about what the Church believes and why.

May God bless you in your faith journey. If you have any questions about the Catholic Church there are lots of great folks here on the forums who would be happy to help!
 
The Catholic Church says that it is the one true Church (and it is) founded by Jesus in His authority given to the apostles. Where the myriad of other churches agree and are united to us via the things that are typically Catholic, the Bible, Baptism, love for Jesus, etc, these things put those other churches in a level of community with us.

Whereas these other communities of like minded souls in their churches say that we are wrong and have varying levels of contempt for us right down to calling us the “whore of Babylon”, we say that they have not achieved the fullness of truth as yet and we commend them to God in charity for their salvation. This is a very telling distinction, to me, that the Catholic Church takes their abuse and returns charity, since it is by our love for our neighbors, Jesus said, that “all men shall know you are My disciples…”, John 13:35. Quite telling indeed.
 
Look carefully at the Roman Catholic Church, and ask questions; here for example. If you find that you can affirm all you are required to affirm, then go.

Do I understand that you are currently in an Episcopal Church that does not practice infant baptism?

GKC

Anglicanus-Catholicus
 
GKC said:
Look carefully at the Roman Catholic Church, and ask questions; here for example. If you find that you can affirm all you are required to affirm, then go.

Do I understand that you are currently in an Episcopal Church that does not practice infant baptism?

GKC

Anglicanus-Catholicus
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i think he and his wife are both episcopalians, but have been attending a non-denominational church that does not do infant baptisms. not sure if i understood correctly.
guess we will have to wait until poster returns to check thread.
 
7_Sorrows said:
i think he and his wife are both episcopalians, but have been attending a non-denominational church that does not do infant baptisms. not sure if i understood correctly.
guess we will have to wait until poster returns to check thread.
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Rereading the post, I think you are correct.

GKC
 
Throw out as many questions as you like! They are all welcomed. Do keep each thread to one topic though so posters can answer every question and be clear. (multiple questions in a thread can get muddy)

For myself it was in learning what the Church taught that I realized She was the Church established by Jesus. And having the Eucharist is the ultimate example of God’s love. No nondenominational church will have this.
 
deskjockey said:
Hello. I am new to posting on this forum but have been reading for quite a while. My wife and I are both Episcopalians but have been searching for a new church for over two years due to the strife going on in the denomination. I have been studying and researching the Catholic Church to see if I could become a convert at some point. I know that my wife has no interest whatsoever and is very drawn to non-donominational churches and a specific one in the city that we live in. We have a new baby, and he has not been baptized. The church we have been going to does not baptize until they have reached the age of reason. I am posting this to seek advice from Catholics and non-Catholics as well. Thank you for any help!!
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Alvin Kimel’s blog is very helpful, IMHO. pontifications.wordpress.com/9/

He was an Episcopalian priest who converted to Catholicism. The blog stopped some years ago, but I think the site, above, has all or most posts from it.
 
May God bless your search for His Church!

It seems you’re from a “low-church” version of Episcopalian?

Praying for your wife to open up! The least she could do is to investigate the Catholic Church since you have shown an interest; while that is logical… her feelings must be a chief concern, but be sure to try to dispel any misconceptions you think she has about the CC.

Peace,
Phil
 
Thank you for all of the responses. We have been struggling with this for a while and I just want to be able to seek and serve God in a place that we can both grow in our faith. Having spent all of my life to this point in the Episcopal Church, I identify much more with the Catholic Church than the one we have been attending.
 
I would just take a look at the basic tenants of the Faith and see which ones you and your wife are on board with and which ones you are not.

If you are Anglican and are concerned about the direction that the Anglican church has taken in recent years (women priests and bishops, gay priests, pro-abortion), you are not alone. There are many many people just like you out there. There are literally tens of thousands who have split off from the Anglican/Episcopal Church in recent years in North America alone. Many of those people are coming into the Catholic Church and some even into the Orthodox Church. I predict with the expansion of the Anglican use (which I am hopeful will become the Anglican Rite and represent a distinct and co-equal rite within the Catholic Church in coming years), that there will be more and more disaffected Anglican/Episcopal Church members coming into the Catholic Church.

The advice you received on trying to find an Anglican Rite Parish of the Catholic Church in your area is great advice. I would start by just going to Mass a couple of times and see how you and your wife feel about it.

amazon.com/Anglicans-Roman-Catholic-Church-Developments/dp/1586174991

The above link is a book that discussed the recent developments in between the Anglican and Catholic Church. It may be a good resource for you.

God Bless you in your discernment.
 
deskjockey said:
Thank you for all of the responses. We have been struggling with this for a while and I just want to be able to seek and serve God in a place that we can both grow in our faith. Having spent all of my life to this point in the Episcopal Church, I identify much more with the Catholic Church than the one we have been attending.
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Maybe you both could compromise initially, attending each other’s churches until you find something that is suitable for both of you?
 
Is there a list of Anglican Use parishes in the US which exists? That would be a helpful tidbit of information to have. Perhaps, it should even be made a sticky somewhere on the forum so that it can be updated as more come in.

Cheers!
 
jwinch2 said:
Is there a list of Anglican Use parishes in the US which exists? That would be a helpful tidbit of information to have. Perhaps, it should even be made a sticky somewhere on the forum so that it can be updated as more come in.

Cheers!
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There’s a list on wiki, under Anglican Use. But you know wiki.

I assume such a list is hard to keep up to date. BernedetteM might know a good source.

GKC
 
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