How can I help my Mother become Catholic

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pyro_alchemist

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I am a convert to the Catholic faith, from a very religious family in the evangelical-protestant tradition. While my mother and father were strangely supportive of my decision to convert nearly twenty years ago (I actually had not practiced my protestant faith for several years) I have been pretty much ostracized by the rest of my relatives.

My 84 year-old mother is now a widow and has been a resident in a Catholic nursing home for six months. She is very happy there and has been hinting to me that she would like to learn more about the Catholic faith. This leaves me in a very delicate position. I would love to help her become Catholic but I would face extreme friction from my brother and his wife (who is particularly anti-catholic) if they suspected that I were trying to convert her. I am afraid that he would move her to another home in spite of the fact that it would make her very unhappy. He is her legal guardian.

What should I do?
 
This is all about your Mom. Just answer her questions and do whatever you can do for her; even if she was forced to move, she could still learn about the church and convert. Is there anyway to change her guardianship over to you?
 
Contact your local RCIA director and ask if some one from RCIA could visit her to discuss the issue.
 
Give her a book, like “Reasons to Believe” by Scott Hahn or something. Should she decide to convert, I think it would be clear that it was her decision

Secondly, talk to your brother about why he’s anti-Catholic. Clear up his misconceptions.
 
Hi pyro -

I’ll pray for your mother and for the rest of your family, too.

My mother is 83 years old and she and my brother are now the only non-Catholics in our family. One of my cousins has wondered if my mother will swim the Tiber, too, and at first I thought it would never happen. But my mother has accepted my becoming Catholic and then she became doubly impressed when my husband became Catholic, so anything’s possible. 🙂

Parents can still surprise us. When I was 12 my mother told me that I was definitely absolutely not becoming Catholic. Now she’s genuinely happy for me and my husband. Parents can change. And prayer can certainly help!

Another thought is are there any Catholic residents at the nursing home who are your mother’s age and who you know she likes and respects? Maybe a little peer-to-peer pressure might work. 😃
 
This Sunday mom will be attending mass with my wife and me at her nursing home. Pray for us.
 
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