I want to "come home"..where do I start?

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Seeker1961

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I was a Catholic for most of my life, but haven’t been to Mass in a few years. I don’t have a good excuse, so I won’t try and give any. I have rationalizations, but we all know how useless those are. I haven’t drifted into some dramatic life of sin, I’ve been going to a non-denominational church and reading my Bible. I’ve been living a celibate life, no abuse of alcohol or drugs.

Do I find a priest and set up a meeting for a formal confession or just go? Do I confess going to the non-denominational church, was that a sin? Is there anything I should be doing on my own to get started?

Any help you can give me would be appreciated.
 
Welcome Home!

First off… YES, if you formally denounced your Catholicism or considered yourself non-Catholic - then you left the truth and therefore sinned. However,… if this was mortal or not can not be answered as we can not know if you truly understood WHAT you were leaving and understood your own faith perfectly or not. Therefore, it may not have been mortal in your case, since you had some misunderstandings.

Only God knows that. What is important is that you wish to come home into the embrace of Christ’s church. And to that end… the church would NEVER turn you away.

I’d personally start here: catholicscomehome.com Watch the intro videos… especially “Epic” and “Movie” they are inspirational.

Go to normal confession, whenever your Parish offers it.

Be honest and tell him how long it has been (to the best of your recollection) and that you’d like to make a “complete confession” – that term isn’t necessary but simply tells him that what your goal is. – That is to account for everything up until the present.

That’s is ALL that is necessary… and the website is optional… so really just a good honest confession.

When you are in the confessional… take your time, and when you are ready… just start talking. Christ will help you to find the words. The priest doesn’t need to see you… just hear the sincerity in your voice.
If you forget something… it doesn’t matter. You are reconciled back to God. - ALL is forgiven. (so long as you don’t purposely hold back out of pride or embarrassment)

Remember that the Priest has heard it all. He is not there to judge, He is there to help you be reconciled back to God… and that is all he cares about. He is acting “in persona Christi” or " in the personhood of Christ" aka ‘in the name of’ – The forgiveness flows from Christ. You are therefore confessing TO Christ… THROUGH him.
You are reconciled TO Christ and because the Catholic church is Christ’s church you are also reconciled back to the entire Church and the Saints in heaven.
If it helps… don’t even think about him being there…just think of confessing to Christ. It can be a one on one dialog with God. When he forgives you… it is not by HIS power…but “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” the same when you were baptized.

It had been 10 years since my last confession, when I told the priest this… he said “God bless you child for having the faith to come back” - He praised me, he wasn’t shocked.
He then said: “Take your time, when you are ready… Christ will help you to find the words”
I immediately broke down and cried.
It was the best experience of my life.

After a good confession… go to Mass and receive the Eucharist. You are fully Catholic as if you never left.

But this is where your journey Starts. I’d then use the internet to learn MORE about your Catholic faith. You can never learn it all…but focus on areas that you have misunderstanding or what led you away to begin with.
Often times the strongest Catholics are those who converted (or reverted back) later in their lives. Those who strayed and came back are often times the most steadfast and ardent defenders of truth.

So I mean this sincerely…
God Bless you and thank you for having the courage to begin and the faith to return.
“You are Catholic… welcome home!”
 
It’s funny, because in all this time away, I still considered myself a Catholic. I had gone to Catholic school and university, spent years going to Mass every week and I guess I felt that all that just didn’t go away. I stil, felt very protective of Catholicism and defended it when people disparaged it.

I could blame my avoidance of it on a few things, but I think the over-emphasis on politics at the parish I was attending really turned me off. The draw of the non-denominational church service was that all that happened was we read a passages of the Bible and the pastor talked about how it applied to our everyday lives and relationship with God, I found that attractive and similar to the parishes I had grown up in. I guess my job now is to find a parish that is more like the one I grew up in down here in FL.
 
God bless you friend. By living a celibate life free from alcohol and drug abuse you are already living a holier life than many. But there is more to life than just that! Come back to the one true faith and embrace it with all your heart. I am a convert who wished that I had been raised in the Catholic faith although I know that God has a plan for each of us. Anyway, I will pray for your transition back to where you have always belonged.
 
If there is a seminary in your diocese, you might want to contact them to see if they offer any coursework in Bible study for adult lay people, especially if you’ve had experience at the level of parish discussion groups and are looking for something more intensive. Our diocesan seminary has such a two-semester course, which confers college credit and is transferrable to any of the colleges in my area, including the state university, at the graduate school level. Sure, it’s a tuition course. But I’ve been looking at the course description and rubbing my hands in anticipation as I save up my nickels and dimes to take it next year!

Just an idea. I’m sure its more scriptural meat and potatoes than I’ve ever had before!
 
“There is more rejoicing in Heaven overone who repents than a hundred who had no need of repentence.” Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, forever and ever! AMEN!
 
jschutzm said:
It had been 10 years since my last confession, when I told the priest this… he said “God bless you child for having the faith to come back” - He praised me, he wasn’t shocked.
He then said: “Take your time, when you are ready… Christ will help you to find the words”
I immediately broke down and cried.
It was the best experience of my life.
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That is WONDERFUL!! 🙂
 
Seeker1961 said:
I was a Catholic for most of my life, but haven’t been to Mass in a few years. I don’t have a good excuse, so I won’t try and give any. I have rationalizations, but we all know how useless those are. I haven’t drifted into some dramatic life of sin, I’ve been going to a non-denominational church and reading my Bible. I’ve been living a celibate life, no abuse of alcohol or drugs.

Do I find a priest and set up a meeting for a formal confession or just go? Do I confess going to the non-denominational church, was that a sin? Is there anything I should be doing on my own to get started?

Any help you can give me would be appreciated.
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I rejoice that you want to come home, that is the Holy Spirit leading you!

There is nothing in the entire world like the Lord’s Presence in the Eucharist.

Welcome back!
 
Be careful where you go. There are varying degrees of faithfullness to the magisterium of the church especially in the USA. I recommend asking around and see what people in your area recommend. Ask people that know their faith. Some will seem active but are actually practicing dissent. Choose very carefully.

Second, go to www.masstimes.org and see what parishes are in your zip code. Print a list of a good number of churches and mark the ones that have eucharistic adoration and confession more than once per week. A weekly rosary is a great bonus.

Check the online bulletins to see what is going on at the parish. If the parish has devotions and a good spiritual life going - fine. If the parish seems to be focused on social justice matters with little devotion - be wary.

Finally, go to the parish on the fist saturday of the month, if they have saturday confession. See how many are waiting in line for the priest. This is a clear indication of whether the parish is living the faith. If there is a line at all, then good. If no one is awaiting the Sacrament of Penance - beware.

I pray God guides you, because there are a lot of places to avoid.
 
Sometimes you have to find out what you’re not, to find what you are.

How wonderful for you!!
 
I’m so happy to read your post! Shortly after my baptism several years ago, I committed a sin that I was so distraught about that I couldn’t bring myself to confession. I actually made up all sorts of reasons as to why we shouldn’t have to confess. I fell away from the Church completely. I, too, took the non-denominational route for a while, but was never satisfied. It felt so empty without Jesus in the Eucharist. It felt so random and disorganized (it was one of those mega Churches). Finally, I had an experience with God that was so profound I have been changed for life. I knew without a doubt two things 1) God exists and 2) I belong in the Catholic Church. Minutes after that experience, I found myself walking through the doors of the closest Catholic Church. In tears (sobs, really) I asked if I could see a priest to see about coming back to the Church. He took me into his office without an appointment, asked a few questions, determined that I just needed a good confession, and took that confession on the spot. I have never looked back and have undergone, by God’s grace, a radical transformation.

Although you just need a standard confession, you may want to consider making an appointment with a priest. I say this only because sometimes you feel rushed if you have a line waiting for confession behind you. Do whatever the Lord leads you to do, of course, but I would make an appointment so that you can take your time. The priest is only required to absolve you upon a good confession, however, if time permits, he may gave you some counsel to help you enter back into the Church. He could help you to see where you got off track or suggest a group for you to get involved with. Just a suggestion…

Welcome home!

PS. We Catholics firmly believe that we have an enemy who is called satan. Some Catholics are less inclined to worry about the spiritual battles we face, but believe me, there are spiritual battles out there and the Scriptures tell us all about it. Be advised that now that you are reconciling to the Church, the enemy is going to throw temptations at you right and left. Stay strong, pray, read the Scriptures, go to Mass at least every Sunday and I would recommend prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament. It would also be good to read the Catechism to learn more about the faith. Also, I would recommend praying the St. Michael prayer daily and if inclined, I would recommend the Rosary. The Blessed Mother is a powerful ally for us.
 
It’s hard to add anything to the above advice, but I just wanted to remind you that Our Lord is waiting to meet you at Mass in a way that you can’t find Him at the non-denominational place: in the Blessed Sacrament, where through the hands of the priest He will offer Himself to the Father as a perfect sacrifice, renewing on the altar His work on the Cross, and then He’ll allow you to receive Him in Holy Communion (after your confession, in this case).

Remember that that’s what the Mass is all about: the Holy Sacrifice, and Holy Communion.
 
Since I had the day off, I headed over to the Basilica in Orlando. They have confessions all day, so I was able to receive the sacrament and go to the noon Mass there! It’s cliche I know, but it really did feel like I was home. I knew I had done the right thing, I knew I had “made God smile” as a friend of mine once said.

Now, I have to find a parish. As Samuel said earlier, and from my own experience that’s not going to be easy. I don’t want to end up attending “the Church of What’s Happening Now”. My Catholic school was one of the last ones to give up the Latin Mass and my history tends to the more conservative in worship preference. . In the South, so far I’ve found a lot of liturgical behavior that is more like the local Protestant services-holding hands, raised hands, shaking hands before Mass starts, clapping to music…etc. I know people like that, but it’s not for me. It doesn’t feel like Mass to me.

So I’m going to spend the next few days looking at bulletins and trying to find a parish. Any suggestions of what I need to look for? Samuel said devotions, and I will look at those.
 
I am glad you are home.

I found this announcement perhaps it is what you need.
Diocese of Orlando Approves Tridentine Latin Mass
The Diocese of Orlando has announced that the Traditional Latin Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal will be celebrated regularly at All Souls Catholic Church in Sanford, Florida with the permission of His Excellency Thomas Wenski.
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The first Mass will be offered on Sunday, June 5th at 5 p.m. The schedule for future Masses will be announced at that time.
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The address of All Souls Church is: 301 W. 8th St. Sanford, FL 32771
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Online at:
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All Souls Church
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Diocese of Orlando
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I also found this
Lake Wales/Nalcrest St. Leo the Great Mission of Holy Spirit Church Last Sunday: 11:00 AM
Code: 
  Ocala  Our Lady Queen of Peace Church  W  Sunday: 6:00 PM
starting every Sunday, 1 Feb 09
Code: 
  Sanford  All Souls Church  W  Sunday: 2:00 PM New Time
as of April, 2012
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hope this helps
 
Seeker1961 said:
Since I had the day off, I headed over to the Basilica in Orlando. They have confessions all day, so I was able to receive the sacrament and go to the noon Mass there! It’s cliche I know, but it really did feel like I was home. I knew I had done the right thing, I knew I had “made God smile” as a friend of mine once said.

Now, I have to find a parish. As Samuel said earlier, and from my own experience that’s not going to be easy. I don’t want to end up attending “the Church of What’s Happening Now”. My Catholic school was one of the last ones to give up the Latin Mass and my history tends to the more conservative in worship preference. . In the South, so far I’ve found a lot of liturgical behavior that is more like the local Protestant services-holding hands, raised hands, shaking hands before Mass starts, clapping to music…etc. I know people like that, but it’s not for me. It doesn’t feel like Mass to me.

So I’m going to spend the next few days looking at bulletins and trying to find a parish. Any suggestions of what I need to look for? Samuel said devotions, and I will look at those.
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AND ALL OF HEAVEN REJOICED TODAY!
Luke 15:7
I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent
 
Welcome home! :extrahappy:

I second the suggestion to make an appointment with a local priest, preferably a pastor. You want to be able to take your time so you can make a good confession and come out with a clean conscience. If you know any Catholics in your area, ask them if they can recommend a good confessor.

I’d fallen away from the Church for over 15 years, and I found this page to be very helpful as I was preparing to come back and make that first confession: A Guide for Confession. I can’t tell you how good it felt to come home. God bless you!
 
bearer said:
Welcome home! :extrahappy:

I second the suggestion to make an appointment with a local priest, preferably a pastor. You want to be able to take your time so you can make a good confession and come out with a clean conscience. If you know any Catholics in your area, ask them if they can recommend a good confessor.

I’d fallen away from the Church for over 15 years, and I found this page to be very helpful as I was preparing to come back and make that first confession: A Guide for Confession. I can’t tell you how good it felt to come home. God bless you!
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I’m going to do that when I find a parish. Today was just about coming home and doing it at the first available opportunity. I didn’t want to wait another day without Confession or Mass.

The priest at the Basilica was great. He was welcoming and patient and when confession was over he said “see, just like riding a bike! It all comes back”
 
Seeker1961 said:
I’m going to do that when I find a parish. Today was just about coming home and doing it at the first available opportunity. I didn’t want to wait another day without Confession or Mass.

The priest at the Basilica was great. He was welcoming and patient and when confession was over he said “see, just like riding a bike! It all comes back”
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😃
 
Seeker1961 said:
I’m going to do that when I find a parish. Today was just about coming home and doing it at the first available opportunity. I didn’t want to wait another day without Confession or Mass.

The priest at the Basilica was great. He was welcoming and patient and when confession was over he said “see, just like riding a bike! It all comes back”
Click to expand...
And no skinned knees either!

🙂
 
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