I'm new in here and trying to figure out to go Catholic or Episcopalian

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I grew up an aridly dry Presbyterian. After being super-involved in the church as a teen in the 70’s, I left over the fact I am gay. In the ensuing years I came to peace with God and the gay issue. I then in my 20’s dabbled in the Episcopal church mainly due to the influence of friends and how the church seemed more “accomodating”…it’s more conservative arm and African Anglicans notwithstanding. In the end though, I was put off by how so many of the members I came into contact with seemed caught up in the ritual and the “Englishness” of the whole thing. I becamse disinterested.
 
Heh, heh, heh. On a Catholic forum, what do you think the answers are going to look like? I’ll bet half of us are Converts and ridiculously happy in the Church. (I’m a former Anglican.)

Welcome. :tiphat: When do you enroll in RCIA?

Actually, that’s not a joke. If you want to know about the Catholic Church, talk to your local parish.

Get yourself a copy of The Catechism of the Catholic Church. And have yourself a ball!
 
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Swoffles:
I grew up an aridly dry Presbyterian. After being super-involved in the church as a teen in the 70’s, I left over the fact I am gay. In the ensuing years I came to peace with God and the gay issue. I then in my 20’s dabbled in the Episcopal church mainly due to the influence of friends and how the church seemed more “accomodating”…it’s more conservative arm and African Anglicans notwithstanding. In the end though, I was put off by how so many of the members I came into contact with seemed caught up in the ritual and the “Englishness” of the whole thing. I becamse disinterested.
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Find a Catholic Church where they have an Adoration Chapel and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. Guaranteed to work!
 
I entered this forum via my search engine. I was looking for “the differences between being catholic and episcopalian”. In the late 90’s I had a series of dreams involving the Virgin…and me, a Presbyterian boy? The sense of maternal love from Mary in my dreams overwhelmed me with warmth…something never felt in the Presbyterian nor the Episcopal churches. I subsequently went to a catholic church from time to time to pray. My whole life I had been turned off to the catholic church by the history of corruptions perpetrated by some of its members and clergy. Then one day it finally got through to me that the church is not corrupt…cannot be corrupt…but rather the corruption is the product of people. The church itself is no more than the simple faith one has between themselves and God. At the end of the day, all else is really inconsequential. I recently travelled to Rome and to the Vatican. I was humbled (profound lack of words here) upon entering St Peters and shivered wih the knowledge that a plumb bob dropped from the apex of Michaelangelo’s dome would pierce the center of the Bellini altar and wind smack dab in the middle of the box containing Peter’s bones and dust. It hit me that this was the church that Christ had founded…and that what gave it legitimacy was the unbroken line of St Peter. This, like it or not, was the church founded by God himself.
 
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Swoffles:
I entered this forum via my search engine. I was looking for “the differences between being catholic and episcopalian”. In the late 90’s I had a series of dreams involving the Virgin…and me, a Presbyterian boy? The sense of maternal love from Mary in my dreams overwhelmed me with warmth…something never felt in the Presbyterian nor the Episcopal churches. I subsequently went to a catholic church from time to time to pray. My …whole life I had been turned off to the catholic church by the history of corruptions perpetrated by some of its members and clergy. Then one day it finally got through to me that the church is not corrupt…cannot be corrupt…but rather the corruption is the product of people. The church itself is no more than the simple faith one has between themselves and God. At the end of the day, all else is really inconsequential. I recently travelled to Rome and to the Vatican. I was humbled (profound lack of words here) upon entering St Peters and shivered wih the knowledge that a plumb bob dropped from the apex of Michaelangelo’s dome would pierce the center of the Bellini altar and wind smack dab in the middle of the box containing Peter’s bones and dust. It hit me that this was the church that Christ had founded…and that what gave it legitimacy was the unbroken line of St Peter. This, like it or not, was the church founded by God himself.
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I think you’ve already found your answer. Join RCIA and Welcome home, my friend. :tiphat:
 
This all being said, I wonder how I will be welcomed in the Catholic church as a gay man. Would I be opening myself up to discrimination? I truly prefer a “high-church” ritual and have also been sort of turned off by the guitar-playing, t-shirt/short wearing atmosphere of some catholic churches I have been to. Any ideas? Some of my Catholic friends, snidely dismiss the Episcopal Church as the “church born between the legs of Ann Boleyn”…something that is not partiucularly historically accurate. Again, I am looking for direction. Thanks.
 
First of all, do you practice being gay? If you do not succumb to your temptations, then no one shall say a thing. (I don’t think, I know I won’t)

But, if you practice it, there may be problems. Talk to a priest about it, or as one of the Apologists here.
 
The real trouble of Anglicanism is the quite spectacular diversity in belief. You can go to an Anglo Catholic parish for mass, all bells and smells then to a middle of the road Broad Church parish which would combine broadly protestant beliefs with some ritual through to an out and out evangelical parish that sees its bishop as nothing more than an administrator and would only believe in two sacraments.

E.G.
osp.org.uk/
stjohns-edinburgh.org.uk/
stmungos.org/

I know these three churches, they illustrate my point well.

I suppose it’s a question of where you believe the truth is…
 
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Swoffles:
I truly prefer a “high-church” ritual and have also been sort of turned off by the guitar-playing, t-shirt/short wearing atmosphere of some catholic churches I have been to. .
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The Catholic Church is more than liturgy although there have been some wrong turns by some parishes admitedly. Most parishes I have been to do have good liturgy… I moved to where I live now because of the parish and part of that was the liturgy. Unless you live very rurally or in a part of the world with few Catholic Churches you should be able to find a good parish.

You will find more variety in Anglicanism frankly (see my post above)
 
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Swoffles:
Some of my Catholic friends, snidely dismiss the Episcopal Church as the “church born between the legs of Ann Boleyn”…something that is not partiucularly historically accurate. Again, I am looking for direction. Thanks.
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They should read this article…

Those who are privileged to share in the fullness of the Church’s riches of revealed wisdom, sacramental power, divinely assured guidance, and blessings of community life cannot pride themselves on having deserved what they possess. Rather they should humbly recognize their chosen position and gratefully live up to the covenant to which they have been called. Otherwise what began as a sign of God’s special favor on earth may end as a witness to his justice in the life to come.

Fr John Hardon SJ
ic.net/~erasmus/RAZ315.HTM
 
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Pro-Life_Teen:
First of all, do you practice being gay? If you do not succumb to your temptations, then no one shall say a thing. (I don’t think, I know I won’t)

But, if you practice it, there may be problems. Talk to a priest about it, or as one of the Apologists here.
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Thanks for your candor. I wonder if I were a straight man practicing birth control with my wife (and talking about at church) if that would open me to discriminiation as well. Or if I were a Catholic and anti-abortion, yet pro-choice, would this belief of mine lead to discriminiation among parishioners? Or is it simply something between myself and God?
 
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Swoffles:
Thanks for your candor. I wonder if I were a straight man practicing birth control with my wife (and talking about at church) if that would open me to discriminiation as well. Or if I were a Catholic and anti-abortion, yet pro-choice, would this belief of mine lead to discriminiation among parishioners? Or is it simply something between myself and God?
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Unfortunatly, these things are all sins. Once you realize this, you would have to (to be alright with the Church) go to Confession about it, and try your best to change your ways, Confessing when you fail. You are gay, but that doesn’t mean we shall push you aside, Jesus died for us all. If you live a chaste and pure life, as all of us unmarried, then you have nothing to fear. You cannot be condemed for temptation alone, was it not that Jesus was tempted as well? 🙂 I’ll pray for you.
 
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Swoffles:
This all being said, I wonder how I will be welcomed in the Catholic church as a gay man. .
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The CCC
2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

So you should be welcomed with open arms by any parish. It does not say being gay is a sin. It does not say being hetrosexual is a sin. It is what we do with our sexuality that may be a sin.
 
Forgive my naivety, but it would seem that one’s sins would be solely a concern of themselves and God. Other people would have their own sins to worry about I would think. What I am beginning to glean here is that some Catholics “ride herd” on their brother’s sins… Am I off-track here or not?
 
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Swoffles:
Forgive my naivety, but it would seem that one’s sins would be solely a concern of themselves and God. Other people would have their own sins to worry about I would think. What I am beginning to glean here is that some Catholics “ride herd” on their brother’s sins… Am I off-track here or not?
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Your spot on, remove the plank from your own eye and all that. However you will find people in all denominations who will regretably cast the first stone when they are not qualified to do so…
 
We all sin, I have done a few things that I don’t find myself proud of. A true Catholic shall not throw you aside or cast a stone at you. I see no reason why you cannot become Catholic if you so wish it.
 
Thank you all for your time and thoughts about my quest. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!
 
Swoffles: The Church is a Communion. We are one. St. Paul says that the actions of one effect the entire body, whether for good or for bad.

Your sins are not just between you and God, in Catholic theology, because you are not a spiritual lone ranger, but a brother among many sons and daughters of God. We are mystically united, especially be our mutual sharing of the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ in the Eucharist. Grave sins must be confessed to God through the ministry of priest, because mortal sins separate us from both Christ and His body the Church.
1 Cor. 6:15
Rom. 12
1 Cor. 12
 
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