What an excellent question! Thank you for posting. I think this thread will be helpful for others.
My husband and I are converts from evangelical Protestantism. We attended Conference Baptist, Assemblies of God, Southern Baptist, Christian and MIssionary Alliance, and Evangelical Free Church in America.
I’m sure you understand when I say that our entire life was our church–all our social activities were done with people in our church, and most of those activities were in the church, or had something to do with church (e.g., Bible study, cottage prayer meetings, church potlucks, meetings for various committees, choir practices, etc.) We didn’t really have friends outside of our church, and we didn’t do many “secular” activities like sports, theater, etc.
Things changed a little after our children started figure skating at ages 3 and 5 because we had “skating friends” and we did “skating things” (competitions, ice shows, workshops, lessons, etc.).
But for the most part, we still spent most of our “leisure” time with friends from our church.
Then we were kicked out of our Evangelical Free Church-a woman pastor (children’s pastor) brought up false charges against us, and a tribunal was called, and we were asked to leave. (A year after this, the woman pastor was caught in a lie and fired.)
Our lives literally ground to a halt. We suddenly had nothing to do and no one to do it with. We had been used to spending 5-6 days/evenings a week in church or involved in church activities, and suddenly, we had NOTHING (except skating–thank God! We are still very involved with this sport, BTW.)
So I understand where you are coming from. Here are my suggestions for you.
I agree with all those who say to stop attending worship services and Bible studies in your old church. There is no reason to do this, because now you have Mass and Catholic Bible studies. Attend weddings and funerals, and if there is an annual “Founders’ Day” service at your old church, go for the sake of those who have passed on, and remember them in your prayers. But for the most part, stop attending Protestant “learning” opportunities.
I recommend attending Mass as often as you can. If you can go to daily Mass, do so. You will enjoy this, and enjoy meeting others. If you can’t attend daily Mass due to work or other schedule situations, that’s OK–just make sure to attend Mass on the weekends.
Chat with people you see at Mass who look like they are your age and in your situation (married, single, older, younger, whatever). Make sure to chat OUTSIDE of the church (Catholics call it the “nave” and Protestants call it the “sanctuary.” I’m referring to the big space where Mas is done–don’t chat in there. Chat out in the lobby or the narthex or down in the Fellowship Hall or if it’s warm enough, in the parking lot.)
Get your parish bulletin after Sunday Mass, and/or check out the parish website. There are probably some activities outside of Mass (sadly, you will find that many Catholic Churches have very little to offer compared to what Protestant churches offer in the way of social opportunities outside of Mass). Our parish has tons of activities, including a Dinner Club (eating out), a Garden Club, several Bible studies for various ages and interests, a Book Club (reading a book a month and discussing it), several “traditional” Catholic organizations like the Knights of Columbus and the Legion of Mary, etc. There are lots of volunteer opportunities, too.
Remember that if your parish doesn’t have much to offer outside of Mass, you are free to attend these activities in other Catholic parishes in your town/city. Perhaps another parish has a club or activity or Bible study that you would enjoy–it’s OK to get involved! When you are are Catholic, you are a member of the Catholic Church all around the world, not just your parish. Isn’t that cool?
I would highly recommend that you get involved in a Catholic Bible study somewhere in your city. If your parish doesn’t have one, look for one in another parish. This will really help you to find some new friends and do something that you feel comfortable with–studying the Bible.
Finally, when it comes to your old friends in the Protestant world, stay in touch, but do “secular” activities, not “church” activities. Do dinners together, with board games. Invite them to attend a local hockey game with you, or some other sporting event that you all would enjoy. Meet at a museum in your town/city. Attned any local events, like Christmas tree lightings, community festivals, county fairs, etc.
Or go to a concert, whatever your personal taste in music is. If the only kind of music you like is Contemporary or Traditional “Christian” music, I’m sorry to say that there don’t seem to be many “Catholic” musicians out there who are touring, so you will probably have to attend “Protestant” Christian concerts featuring Protestant musicians. Just be careful not to get swept up in the emotion and confused over your new Catholic faith.
And there are SOME Catholic musicians–be on the lookout, and then invite your Protestant friends to their concerts.
As for inviting your friends to Mass–I say go for it. Make sure they understand that they are NOT to receive the Eucharist because they don’t believe that this is Jesus, Truly Present. I happen to believe that many Protestants are terribly curious about the Mass–so invite them. Let Jesus Himself, Truly Present, “woo” them to Himself–remember John 12:32!
And of course, if your Catholic Bible study turns out to be a good one, with a good teacher, invite your Protestant friends!
Godspeed to you.
