I want to be catholic but my parents are protestant

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Cyclone14

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So I’m only 14 years old and I’m thinking about becoming catholic. It all started when my dad (who is protestant) took me to see the nearby cathedral just to look at it and say hi. But when I got there I was in awe (trying not to show it) and I almost had tears of joy . I kind of just brushed it off as nothing but I still had this feeling inside of me. So I did some research about what catholic people believe and a lot of it just made sense like it’s what god was calling me toward. My dad was catholic until he was about 15 or 16 years old and somehow the topic came up and my dad said that the reason that he’s not catholic anymore is because he had a hard time believing in the purgatory. So sometimes me dad makes jokes about Catholics and I get uncomfortable. But anyways I really want to go to mass and to talk to the father but I don’t even know how to bring it up. I know that if I do try to talk about it my dad will probably just brush it of and my mom will probably say “it’s just a phase” . So for now I’m just praying. I just need prayer and any advice anyone has please give it to me
 
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Wow, I’m impressed that you have such a devotion! Do you have any catholic friends or family (you say your dad used to be) so what about aunts or grandparents? Maybe your dad would be more own than you think? Have you tried talking to him or asking if he would take you to Mass? Could you go along one time by yourself?
Before you talk to him, pray to your guardian angel, and also ask your guardian angel to talk to his. I read that once recently, and I tried it just last week with a usually very difficult in. Could be a coincidence (I don’t believe in coincidences 🙂) but the situation was confusingly easy rather than the expected usual battle …

God bless, I’ll pray for you x
 
I would try talking to my parents, explaining it is something I really want to do and if they could take me. You might be surprised at their response 😊.
 
You can ask your parents about it. If they don’t want you going, you can begin going once you are 18.

Peace.
 
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Cyclone14 said:
So I’m only 14 years old and I’m thinking about becoming catholic. It all started when my dad (who is protestant) took me to see the nearby cathedral just to look at it and say hi. But when I got there I was in awe (trying not to show it) and I almost had tears of joy .
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Thank your father…
Tell him you said, “hi” … and you were filled with awe and joy.
And now you’re considering Converting to Catholicism…
Ask him, Why did you leave?

_
 
Just so you know , theres no such thing as 'used to be catholic ’ your dad is and will always be catholic. He is just in denial as many fallen catholics are. That means, God calls you to be catholic too, since you are his child and all catholics are bound to bring their children up catholic. So the fact that you feel such love for our faith is a call from God. Consider yourself highly blessed that you have heard it in this day and age.

If I were you, I’d proceed carefully as you are still young you don’t want to ignore God’s call (most important) nor show dishonour to your parents. So just like the others have said, try speaking to your dad, but do it gently, let God lead you, you’ll need patience and kindness with him. Get him to tell you about the pretty churches and happy things, beauty is always a good way in, he started that- perhaps suggest seeing another cathedral or asking about that one and parts of it, meanings of the altar etc. I also suggest reading more on the faith and learning to pray the rosary which is a lovely prayer and can be found on YouTube so you can listen along even without the beads. You can also listen to masses of you wish. God bless you.
 
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You are being called to become Catholic. Continue to pray. Ask for God’s help. 🙏 🙏 🙏
 
Pray, continue to learn about the faith, and respect your parents. You can tell them of your interest in the Church, don’t assume they will have certain reactions, you don’t know that they will react negatively. If they give you permission, you can pursue RCIA which will teach you about the Church and help you decide if you do want to become Catholic.

if they do not give you permission to pursue it.m now, when you are 18 you can pursue the religion of your choice.
 
Thank you all my grandma and her roommate are catholic but I hardly ever get to see her and even when I do see her I don’t get a moment alone with ether of them . So I guess I’ll just pray to not be anxious or nervous and then talk to my parents
 
I had a Catholic grandma and I think she prayed a lot for me and I came into the Church in my 20’s. I bet you have a praying grandma too.

Personally, I wouldn’t be asking my dad why he left. It’s a while back, and why dig up the negative feelings, especially since you want to attend.

You could tell your dad that the church you visited was really cool and you’d like to see what goes on during their prayer service. Could the 2 of you go? That keeps it in the present and positive. It allows you to ask questions, and on the way home you could talk about the scripture readings.

Many people pray for those who have been baptized in the church to return home. May those prayers bear fruit in your life, and maybe your dad’s heart will be touched as well. Be patient and know this will take time to grow.

Hope you’re back on Catholic Answers soon!
 
You know your dad better than we do, but you might try to tell your dad what you told us, that something touched you when you were there. After telling him how much you want to explore Catholicism, try asking him if he would take you to a mass and help you understand what is happening. He might be willing to help you get answers.

I have an aunt who had tried various Christian churches, but was very struck when she entered a Catholic church for the first time. Now she knows, it was the presence of Jesus there in the Eucharist.
 
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Cyclone14 said:
Thank you all my grandma and her roommate are catholic but I hardly ever get to see her and even when I do see her I don’t get a moment alone with ether of them . So I guess I’ll just pray to not be anxious or nervous and then talk to my parents
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actually I’m more concerned with why you’re afraid to bring this up with your parent or at least your father.

He took you to a Catholic church, and I’m sure it was more then just to say hi to the building, your grandmother is still Catholic, so he was raised Catholic… how you follow The Lord does not have to be the same way he does… you want to be Catholic, you want to worship Jesus, you want to serve the Lord, live by His will… its not like you want to join back pack across Europe, join a gang, drop out of school… what you want to do is a good, blessed and honorable thing. There’s nothing wrong with being Catholic.

I’m just worry as to why your parents would be against this especially since your grandmother is Catholic.

I’m Catholic, go to a Catholic church, Lutheran church and whenever I can join my friends for prayer in a non-denominational way… I go anywhere Jesus is present. I don’t understand why you’re parents would be against you wanting to serve Christ.

I’m sorry, I pray, I’m not wrong but if your parents love you, they love God, I think they’ll love and respect you for wanting to get closer to God… talk to them… I think you’ll be surprised.
 
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Cyclone14 said:
My dad was catholic until he was about 15 or 16 years old
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Once baptised Catholic always a Catholic. There are denomination that use the bible Scripture to explain their understanding of how to be a discipleship. The Roman Catholic church has its emphasis on the Mass.
 
I converted from the United Methodist church and believe me it wasn’t easy to tell my mother and father because I grew up in the protestant faith. But I also converted when I was 34 years old. In my parish the classes are 2yrs long but you could check with your parish when you get older. But for now ask your dad about this like others have said you might be surprised by how he might react.
Good luck be praying for you
😁☺️
 
I was in your shoes once. I joined the Church at 16, but I was already on the path a few years earlier. I was terrified of what my parents would say - they were both pretty devout Evangelicals. I was even being “groomed” for leadership in my church.

However, they did allow me to go to Mass with Catholic family members often, and they knew I had an interest (in fact, they knew much more than I ever gave them credit for!). When I was old enough to drive, I was going to daily Mass on my own, and I got bold enough to talk to the priest after one day. He called my mother, unbeknownst to me. 😁

My parents had questions, but they were reluctantly on board and attended my confirmation with me.

Have some faith; you may be surprised. You’ll be in my prayers.
 
You can phone or write to your grandma, if you prefer. Do it slowly.

You may appreciate to have a priviledge relation with her and to speak of these sort of “adult” topics such as faith!
 
I’m sure your parents will still love you no matter what. You should be honest and open with them and the sooner they understand you, the sooner you can be more open with how you feel.

If it helps, my family started off as Catholics but now they’re all Buddhist! (Our cultural traditions are actually similar to Buddhism) They left Catholicism when I was a kid so I didn’t care or never bothered to speak up then but overall it wasn’t for any bad reason, they just chose and believed more in Buddhism.

As I grew up I decided that I wanted to remain Catholic and I was so scared to tell them! But when I did it was the biggest relief! They understood my choice and they still have deep respect for Christians and still believed that God Jesus and Mary still exist etc.
 
annad347 said:
actually I’m more concerned with why you’re afraid to bring this up with your parent or at least your father.
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I think when you’re young you’re more afraid of letting your parents down in some / any way, and therefore may also be scared of how they may react.
It’s only natural to feel this way and it takes courage to speak up (even if it is the parents) to reveal what you feel deep inside
 
Since you don’t have to be Catholic to attend Catholic Mass, you don’t have to make any promises or changes or commit to anything at all just to attend. So asking your parents to drop you off at mass (or attend with you if they are interested) isn’t a commitment of any type. You can even go to mass as much as you want and not talk to the priest yet or make any decisions. A 14 year old at church solo isn’t a big deal so if you do go, don’t worry that there isn’t anyone with you. It’s all good!
 
Hi Cyclone14,

That’s amazing! I’ve heard of others who have gone into a Catholic Church and instantly felt overwhelmed with emotion and something that they just can’t describe. Many would say that is because Jesus is specially present in every Catholic Church in the Holy Eucharist. Having said that, it is a process and there are many things that you have to learn about what the Church teaches and that will take time.

Another thing that you have to remember is that many people do not really understand what the Catholic Church actually teaches. They may come to disagree with something but they never really take the time to learn about why the Church teaches that. For example, you mentioned purgatory—I was told by a Methodist pastor that the Catholic Church “invented” the concept of purgatory in the Middle Ages. I later learned that this was very wrong. The concept of a place where some people go after death to be further purified of their sins, before entering into heaven, was always believed in, even in the earliest days of the Church.

I am a convert to the Catholic Church. I came to learn that there are logical reasons for everything that the Catholic Church teaches, even the teachings that seem very difficult at first and go against the thinking of our culture. It just takes time and effort to study. (And prayer to open your eyes and heart to the often deeper truths to be found in Catholic teaching.) It is a good thing that you came to Catholic Answers because they believe and teach the fullness of the Catholic faith whereas many other Catholic websites do not believe in all the teachings of the faith. There are a number of good books, articles and podcasts, etc… to be found here. They will teach you so much.

The TV channel EWTN is another good source of solid Catholic information. In fact, there is a show on that network called The Journey Home each week where a convert to the Catholic faith talks about their conversion to the Catholic faith. You would learn a lot from that and many other programs there.

God Bless you in your journey!
 
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