Joining Catholic Church

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peterpan

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Hi my friends.

I am a member of the United Methodist Church and have been a Christian all my life, active since 1973. Through a Spirit led process I am now at a point where I very much want to join the Catholic Church.
I have been going to mass for two Saturdays now (without participating).
The priest’s homily is a blessing to me. I told him I wanted to talk to him and he said contact him after the holidays. Today I made an appointment with him for Jan 10. He seems like he is very busy. He knows I want to join. I asked if anyone else could help means he said no the main pastor is too busy.
I need encouragement from you.
I might add I went to a Catholic chatroom and was respectfully chatting. The moderator was cold to me and later banned me from the room.
I realize I will face obstacles along the way.
Thanks in advance.
 
Welcome home.
Don’t let like 4 days separate you from the Truth.
 
peterpan said:
have been going to mass for two Saturdays now (without participating)
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You still participate in the Mass without receiving Communion. It is a myth that you must receive Communion to “participate” in Mass. (The Church Militant and Penitent anyways. The Church Triumphant are Saints in Glory.)

Welcome, and don’t be discouraged if some are less than polite to you. We are a Church of sinners trying to become saints, not impeccable saints.
 
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Yes welcome!!

Please understand that most priests these days are very busy. I’m sure he will welcome you.

Blessings
 
Did you read what I posted? 4 days is not in that. I’m thinking of going to a different parish. But thanks.
 
Of course, I’m well familiar with sin and sinners. I just thought you want converts?
 
I wish you the best on your path. 🙂

You might look into an RCIA class in your area, if one is offered at that parish. Basically, it’s a gathering of people who are considering Catholicism for prayer, formation, instruction, and discernment. It usually takes about 8-12 months to go through, although it can take longer. My Dad was an RCIA fixture for ages (10+ years?)— he enjoyed the classes and the people, but has some obstacles to get over before he can convert. 🙂

People on the internet are always going to be… people on the internet. 🙂 Good luck with that part of things, too. 🙂

That’s awesome that you’ve been to Mass for two Saturdays now. Participation, like has been mentioned, isn’t just the Communion line… that’s why we take the Sunday obligation so seriously. In pagan times, for example, the priestly class would take care of all the temple sacrifices off in their own temples, behind walls and far away from the ordinary people. Often, ordinary people’s interaction with the temples was limited to festivals and the occasional petition. But we also believe in the priesthood of the laity, by virtue of our Baptism. The ordained priesthood is critical and of massive importance— but the common priesthood of all the baptized faithful allows the rest of us to participate in Christ’s priesthood as well.
 
Yes, inquire at the parish about when the next RCIA class begins.
Yes, priests schedules can be extremely busy since we don’t have enough of them.

Yes, the evil one will put obstacles in your path, but Christ will see you through.

I’m a convert too, from about 7 years ago. And while there are challenges, I’ve never looked back, and am forever grateful that Jesus opened my eyes to the Truth of his Church and called me to His altar.

“Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lord”.

Praise God!

I’m praying for you on your journey home to Christ’s Church.

God bless you, Peter.
 
Thanks Nigel. I just wanted to hear it from you. I know what I have to do. And I aim to do it.
 
The father said possibly he could expedite things for me. I told him I don’t want to wait a year!
 
I missed maybe 3-4 months worth of RCIA classes & they still let me in anyway it’s a big decision. It’s not to be taken lightly after all there’s plenty of people to test you & challenge you. It’s a lifelong commitment with up & down roller coaster ride.
 
It’s pretty usual for the Church to welcome new catechumens at the Easter Vigil Mass as full members of the Church. This year, Easter falls on April 1, so the Easter Vigil would be March 30. Classes and instruction, however, may continue on until Pentecost (May 20th this year) depending on how your parish structures its schedule.

So it may be possible for him to not make you wait until Easter 2019 (April 21), but depending on where you are on your path, it might be unfair to you to accelerate that kind of commitment and try and compress all that prayer/discernment/instruction into less than three months to catch things this Easter.
 
Hi. I am a convert. I first started inquiring at a Catholic church around 1997. I sort of got the run around and got discouraged thinking they didn’t really care. Ten years later I inquired at a different parish and they couldn’t have done enough to help me. It was a compete turn around. I was raised in an Episcopal church and had studied about the
Catholic faith for many years so I had a headstart. Most finish the RCIA program in the spring and are received in the church at Easter. They worked out something for me
and I was able to join in July. So don’t give up and wait 10 years like I did. If you feel
you want to inquire at another parish go ahead or give this priest another chance.
The Christmas season officially end this Sunday and the priest has just completed Advent and Christmas and a special Mass on January 1, so he has had a busy schedule
the past 5-6 weeks.
 
I would begin going to the local library or Catholic bookstore and finding books about
Catholicism. Catholicism for Dummies is a good one. Pick up a book on the saints or about the Rosary. You can start learning right away. Good luck.
 
Thank you 7. I’m going to keep praying about it and see what the priest says to
me next week. Thanks for your testimony. I get someone being busy or even maybe your not their ethnicity. In that case another parish could be better.
But my decision is made - no one will stop me. 😃 Thanks for the advice.
 
Glad to hear you will persevere. I regret everyday of my life that I was not Catholic.
I converted at 56 and was first interested at 16. It took 40 years. Don’t delay! 🙂
 
May the Lord bless you on your journey. Don’t let your heart be troubled, don’t be discouraged and be clear on your goal. The Holy Spirit will help you.
 
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