How to get introduced?

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ttclar

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Hello all,

I was raised Baptist but never baptised. I have recently felt a calling to look into the Catholic church. However, I have no idea how to do this. I don’t think I’m ready to go to Mass yet, as large crowds tend to scare me a little.

Can I just go into a church and pray? Should I call ahead to ask questions? How do I talk to a priest?

Sorry if these questions have been answered already.
 
You could call the rectory of your parish and ask to speak to the priest. And yes, you can go into the sanctuary or chapel and pray. I recommend going to Eucharistic Adoration, if your parish has it.
 
Be not afraid. Call upon a priest, or a friend or maybe an acquaintance who is Catholic. They will help you. And if you feel like it, visit a church. There you will find the living spirit of Jesus. You are always welcome. I pray that you find peace, comfort, friendship, and joy.
 
If you’re the shy type, just go to a Catholic church and go inside. They’re usually unlocked during daylight hours. You can wander around looking at the statues, just slide into a pew and sit, kneel at a side chapel, whatever suits you and whatever that particular church has. None of those behaviors should get a second glance by anyone. If a church is old and “classic,” it’s quite common for people to play tourist and wander around. It’s equally common, even in the blandest barn-like church, for people to come in and pray for a few minutes.

Masstimes.org can help you locate the parishes near you, and usually has a link to the website where you can learn a little more about a particular church. Some sparsely populated places may share a pastor with a neighboring town, and the church buildings might be locked. So it pays to do a little research.
 
ttclar said:
Hello all,

I was raised Baptist but never baptised. I have recently felt a calling to look into the Catholic church. However, I have no idea how to do this. I don’t think I’m ready to go to Mass yet, as large crowds tend to scare me a little.

Can I just go into a church and pray? Should I call ahead to ask questions? How do I talk to a priest?

Sorry if these questions have been answered already.
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Do you understand anything of the beliefs of the Catholic Church? I would suggest reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Then, when you actually speak with a Catholic priest about entering the Church, you will be more confident that you can readily accept its dogmas and doctrines. Feel free to visit a Catholic Church and know you are welcome. Good luck and God bless.
 
If you are free during the day, and a local chuch has a weekday Mass at a time possible for you, why not slip into a church and observe Mass? It will be a very shortened form compared with the Sunday Mass, and usually not so many people. If you sit at the back you will see when to kneel and so on. Just remember not to go to the front for Holy Communion when everyone else does.

If you are confident, it would also be a good place to say to someone there,’ Hi, this is my first Mass. Can you help me?’. Or approach whoever is tidying up at the end.

Something which helped me when i was in the same situation was looking through the books for children, either in the church or a bookshop. I found these had a very useful simplified explanation of Mass, what Catholics believe and so on - getting down to the essentials.

What area and country are you in? You never know, perhaps there is someone local to you reading this who can help you.
 
ttclar said:
Hello all,

I was raised Baptist but never baptised. I have recently felt a calling to look into the Catholic church. However, I have no idea how to do this. I don’t think I’m ready to go to Mass yet, as large crowds tend to scare me a little.

Can I just go into a church and pray? Should I call ahead to ask questions? How do I talk to a priest?

Sorry if these questions have been answered already.
Click to expand...
Welcome Home! You are most welcome to go in and pray anytime the church doors are open. To speak with a priest just call the parish office and make an appointment; the priest will be happy to chat with you and answer your questions and address your concerns. In the fall, the RCIA will start up again and you can go and learn more about the Church and decide if it is for you. :rolleyes:
 
I was raised Baptist and understand. Luckily, my Mother was raised going to both Baptist and Catholic churches (don’t ask) 🙂 , but with portions of my family having been Catholic this made my transition a little easier. I had attended a Christmas mass years ago and visited with my Mother briefly to speak with a family friend who is a priest, but that was years ago too.

I had felt pulled to the Catholic Church since my early teens, but when I decided to go I initially felt anxious. The idea of my first visit being to mass made me nervous as I just wanted to attend , but didn’t want to stick out as a clueless visitor…

So, I began by visiting during "off " times. Sometimes during the day and many times the church doors are open after five for other things. I walked around and acclimated myself. Prayed in the chapel. I met some very kind people quite casually during these times. One, was kind and even casually introduced me to the priest. The smaller chapel is so beautiful and serene. I kept going back as it just felt like home. Many times I was the only one there and I simply felt at peace.

I don’t know if this would help you or not, but it certainly worked for me! 🙂

God Bless
~Bix
 
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