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Christphr
Guest
Have you lived abroad? Did this impact your faith?
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Greenfields
Guest
Yes, and yes.I never stopped going to mass and confession when I was young,and would make a point of visiting a church in each new village I went to .It was like touching home base .Spending some months in the company of nuns reinforced my faith very much.
God bless
God bless
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DaveBj
Guest
Yes and no.
(Full disclosure – I was Pentecostal at the time, not Catholic.)
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(Full disclosure – I was Pentecostal at the time, not Catholic.)
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Hereiam
Guest
I lived in South Korea for 2 years (2008-2010)…As a retired military member, my wife and I would spend Sunday’s on the Army base, where we began attending Mass at the base parish…upon return home, I began RCIA and entered into full communion with the Catholic Church in 2011.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
I lived in England for a few months and definitely saw some anti-Catholicism, which made me more dedicated to my faith. At the time I wasn’t going to Mass every single Sunday, but the atmosphere of criticism of my faith got me annoyed and motivated me to go more often than I would have on my own.
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goodcatholic
Guest
It did. I caved into secularism for several years, the whole time I was there.
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brikar
Guest
I lived in China for 1 year. I attended daily mass, frequent adoration, Bible studies, parish retreats and a home prayer group. I greatly miss the faith community. I went there with a strong faith, but my leadership abilities grew from the experience.
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michaelArc
Guest
I do live abroad in in a very secular country (The Netherlands.) Though I am plagued by weak faith, I feel like I’m a covert Catholic.
I don’t openly evangelize because I would be either ridiculed or discriminated for my religious beliefs. I honestly think that some people here would be more accepting if I were to have criminal background than admitting I’m Catholic. Speaking vile things about religion in general is like reaching common ground with someone you just met.
Although I don’t believe that this impacted my faith. It may be a bit discouraging at times as I don’t feel like I’m a part of a community, but I was already on the path of rediscovering my faith before moving abroad.
I don’t openly evangelize because I would be either ridiculed or discriminated for my religious beliefs. I honestly think that some people here would be more accepting if I were to have criminal background than admitting I’m Catholic. Speaking vile things about religion in general is like reaching common ground with someone you just met.
Although I don’t believe that this impacted my faith. It may be a bit discouraging at times as I don’t feel like I’m a part of a community, but I was already on the path of rediscovering my faith before moving abroad.
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paperwight
Guest
That’s interesting, and very sad, 'Tis Bearself. I have never experienced real anti-Catholicism in a lifetime of living here, apart from odd jibes by comedians.
Sincere disagreement, yes, and of course a lot of comment following the child abuse news, but not prejudice, really. In fact, I find it fascinating how many Catholic customs which used to be shunned when I was growing up -lighting candles in the wake of a tragedy, using ashes and palms for instance,- are now commonplace among the Reformed churches.
Were you perhaps in London? They think themselves terribly clever, those London folks.
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Reuben_J
Guest
Travelled a lot (to many countries all over the world). Didn’t really live in them but have much experience of living with Catholics from different countries during those travel. I should say my faith is all the more enriched as I witnessed Catholics in different countries living out their faith.
God bless.
God bless.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
I have been in London many times, but this particular time when I was living there, I was at Oxford for school.
I was living at Trinity, so not far from that cross in the street where the Oxford Martyrs were burned. And of course seeing and hearing a lot about the Oxford Movement and finding books in the bookstores detailing various anti-Catholic historic riots and such that were not so discussed in the USA.
It was not so much with the people from Oxford University itself (which is in any event overrun with Americans in the summer, or was then, and I ran into more anti-US sentiment than I did anti-Catholic sentiment) but more in the town. I didn’t get the worst of it because I was only a sporadic churchgoer, but one of the girls on summer study with me was closer to being a traditional Catholic and she ran into some of it. I don’t think it was universal among all the people who lived there either but it was just enough to make me think. Although I wasn’t happy about people being burned either and that made me think too.
I was living at Trinity, so not far from that cross in the street where the Oxford Martyrs were burned. And of course seeing and hearing a lot about the Oxford Movement and finding books in the bookstores detailing various anti-Catholic historic riots and such that were not so discussed in the USA.
It was not so much with the people from Oxford University itself (which is in any event overrun with Americans in the summer, or was then, and I ran into more anti-US sentiment than I did anti-Catholic sentiment) but more in the town. I didn’t get the worst of it because I was only a sporadic churchgoer, but one of the girls on summer study with me was closer to being a traditional Catholic and she ran into some of it. I don’t think it was universal among all the people who lived there either but it was just enough to make me think. Although I wasn’t happy about people being burned either and that made me think too.
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