I am thinking about becoming a Catholic and I am not sure how to go about it.

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Jordann

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The Pastor at the Lutheran Church I use to attend was either unable or unwilling to answer deeper questions regarding the faith. For the first time in my life feel like I have not been told the whole truth.

I need to find a good Priest who can answer all my questions. What is the best way for me to find a good Priest who knows his religion and can answer my questions? I want to join a Church where the Priest is seeking the truth at all costs.

Should I just contact local priests by phone to find out what their Church is like or is it best I simply set up a meeting with them? I feel I should be attending Mass as soon as possible. Any help is appreciated in advance.
 
I’m in RCIA right now which is Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults,. It’s the long educational program you would have to attend before coming into the Church (usually that happens at Easter Vigil).

What type of information are you seeking at the moment? What do you need to be convinced of at the moment? What questions is your Lutheran pastor not answering sufficiently?

I think you’ll find if you continue on this journey that the journey has multiple levels or steps. Most people start out with desire for facts on Church history and Scripture. That’s where I started. Catholic Answers is an AWESOME place to search for those facts. In the internet age, you have tons of information at your fingertips. I’m not necessarily certain you need to speak to a priest about Church history, etc., but that’s just me. I can recommend a litany of books and resources if you’re interested that can really get you started because the rest (Catholic spirituality, etc.) really doesn’t matter if it’s not the truth, KWIM? 🤷

Usually after people are well grounded in the facts they start to go deeper into the spirituality part because *they are fairly certain of the underlying truth * that supports the spirituality. IMO, that’s where a good long talk with a priest would be ideal 🙂

Welcome to the journey!
 
I did start out with a desire for facts on Church history and Scripture. I do need to speak with a priest to be certain we are on the same page. I am not yet very familiar with Church Doctrine( I am learning more everyday), but, when I do get more familiar with Church doctrine, I am going to make sure the Priest I find doesn’t wonder like my Lutheran Pastor did.
 
You and I are pretty much in the same boat. I’m just about to start RCIA – which is the process in which you learn about the Catholic faith. Anyways, I started reading about church history and all that and came to the conclusion that the Catholic church is the one true church founded by Christ himself. (Check out Matthew 16:18-19)

I still have questions that need to be answered but RCIA is a lengthy process so I am sure it will all come out. Good luck on your journey. God loves you! Heck, I love you too!

Peace! 👍
 
Teach religious education! Ha ha j/k. Ok seriously, read the Bible daily and pray for God’s guidance : ) I learned a lot from watching the mass on EWTN (great homily thanks be to God), Catholic Answers and Catechism and Father John Riccardo and other shows are great. Attend mass as much as possible (the readings all relate and go in a particular order making it it’s own Bible study). Find a good priest to talk to about questions is a great idea although it may be hard to work with their schedule and be careful I have gotten some pretty poor responses from some priests while others I could sit and listen to for hours on end if they would spare me the time…so don’t judge just pray for the guidance to the right priest for you. Pray the rosary daily.

RCIA will be a good place to ask questions to and they will direct you to a mentor and a priest to talk to.

Lord have mercy and pray for me too please : )
 
Alex_H said:
You and I are pretty much in the same boat. I’m just about to start RCIA – which is the process in which you learn about the Catholic faith. Anyways, I started reading about church history and all that and came to the conclusion that the Catholic church is the one true church founded by Christ himself. (Check out Matthew 16:18-19)

I still have questions that need to be answered but RCIA is a lengthy process so I am sure it will all come out. Good luck on your journey. God loves you! Heck, I love you too!

Peace! 👍
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I think I have years of research ahead.
 
I think I have years of research ahead.
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I was born and raised Catholic but just came back to the Church after a 30 year absence. I basically had to learn everything all over again but since I came back it has been the happiest time of my life. Trust me on this, if you decide to become a part of the Catholic Church it will be the best decision you’ve ever made.

Every time I think about all those years I wasted when I was away from the Church, I just look around and say to myself, “what were you thinking”? When I read the parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1-7), it always brings tears to my eyes and I thank God for calling me back.
 
Jordann said:
I think I have years of research ahead.
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I studied several years before I finally converted and I am still studying!!
My favorite words of the Mass are - Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
 
tifischer said:
Find a good priest to talk to about questions is a great idea although it may be hard to work with their schedule and be careful I have gotten some pretty poor responses from some priests while others I could sit and listen to for hours on end if they would spare me the time…so don’t judge just pray for the guidance to the right priest for you.
Click to expand...
Search through the diocese website and find a smaller parish, the bigger parishes sometimes only have one priest. Around here they can have 6000, 4000, 2000+ families being ministered by one priest. That ratio is insane. I found a retreat center hosted by a monastery where one has better access to a priest. I belong to a small Eastern Catholic parish. May God bless you on your journey, welcome home.
 
Unless you have a great deal of luck, you’re not going to find your ideal priest. For the most part they are too busy with administration and scheduled duties to deal with questions from a single person. To use an analogy, it would be like a Chinese immigrant wandering into the White House and looking for someone to explain the US political system. It’s not going to happen. Nor should you expect it to happen. It’s unrealistic.

Some people have suggested RCIA, which is the usual formal method for conversion. It’s a year-long course, different in every parish, that usually meets once a week. Although I have always been a practicing Catholic, I’m currently in an RCIA course just to see what goes on. I don’t want to say too many negative things, since I understand that each parish is different, but so far I have to say I’m appalled. There is virtually no content, and no attempt to connect where the potential converts (almost all Protestants) are coming from to Catholicism. An obvious question (that must be asked in every class) is why Protestants and Catholics recognize different numbers of books in the Bible. Of course there is an answer, both a simplified answer and a more detailed answer. Neither was offered in response to the question–some true things were said, but in a hit or miss manner. As a former teacher, I had to bite my tongue…

I believe you can skip the RCIA process if you talk to a priest and explain yourself. But again, the priest might respond different ways.

My personal advice would be this:
  1. If you have specific questions (Mary, transubstantiation, confession, whatever) you go to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (online) and the documents of Vatican II (also online). Look up the issue, read what the catechism and documents have to say, and if you’re happy with that, move on.
  2. If you’re not happy with what you read–it seems ambiguous or unclear or just unacceptable–come back to this web site and post a question. You will find that there are a lot of knowledgeable people here that will be happy to help with personal explanations and/or suggestions for further research or reading.
  3. Understand that being “Catholic” means acceptance of certain core doctrines. However, as you can see from everyday news stories, being “Catholic” does NOT mean that you are a robot or that all Catholics think alike. There are differences of opinion on almost every topic, and these differences of opinion extend to the cardinals themselves–read about the various debates during Vatican II. You can be a good Catholic and be a mystic; speak in tongues; be a Biblical scholar; be a contemplative monk who prays all day; be engaged in a somewhat sketchy occupation; etc. It’s a big tent.
You can even see in the few replies you have gotten here the variation in opinion: Some say to pray; some say to read and do research; some say to go to a priest; some say NOT to go to a priest; some say go to RCIA; some say NOT to go to RCIA.
 
I wrote a rather long reply, but it has disappeared, whether by accident or not, I don’t know. I’ll try again, but more briefly.

First, I think your expectations are unrealistic–both regarding your own Lutheran pastor and any priest you might approach. These people are engaged in a highly structured schedule of administrative and pastoral duties. They really don’t have time for a one-on-one Q&A session.

You seem to have specific issues you want explained. Here are my personal suggestions:
  1. Go to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the documents of Vatican II. Both are online and searchable. Keep in mind that both are summaries, not full explanations of anything. But they are a starting point, and they are official. If they satisfy you, great. If you still have questions…
  2. Come to these forums and ask your question. You will find a large number of knowledgeable people–all religions–who can suggest answers and/or give you suggestions for research or reading elsewhere.
  3. RCIA. It’s not for everyone. Possibly my previous post went “poof” because of various opinions I expressed about it. So let’s just say it’s not for everyone. It’s the standard way for converts to join the Catholic Church in the US, but it’s not the only way. You would need to go to a priest and explain why you would prefer an alternate route. Possibly you would have to attend a few RCIA sessions so you could provide reasons for wanting an alternative.
  4. “the answer” If you are looking for a definitive “answer” to something you may or may not find it in Catholicism. Yes, there is a core of doctrines that all Catholics must believe if they are considered Catholics. But this core is much smaller than most people (both Catholics and non-Catholics) believe. There is a lot of disagreement within the Catholic Church over a host of issues–just today there was a news article about a letter signed by 13 (?) cardinals to Pope Francis complaining about the procedures for the upcoming Synod on the Family. There is a library full of books about the various battles between cardinals at Vatican II. A wide variety of people are genuine Catholics–from mystics to evangelicals speaking in tongues to Socialist workers to Capitalist billionaires. The point is that a large variety of opinions on a large variety of topics can be held by orthodox Catholics. This is not a totalitarian religion, it’s a religion of common sense and logic. If that bothers you, it’s not for you.
There is rarely “one” answer to any question, but there may be several answers that are acceptable. You also have to distinguish between doctrines–which are religious truths that may be explained in new ways or developed over time, but which cannot be essentially changed–and church administrative laws, which can be changed at any time (eating meat on Friday, what days are holy days, rules for fasting and abstinence, etc.). It’s very much like St. Paul’s distinction in 1 Corinthians between moral laws and administrative laws (circumcision, not eating pork).
 
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