Lonely for authentic Catholic friendship

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redbaron162

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I was wondering if others are having the problem my wife and I are having or not being able to make or find any good couple friends or just good friends in general. Don’t get me wrong my wife and I are good friends but sometimes i know we both wish we had a close friend to talk to. Especially a good Catholic friend or couple to hang out with. We are both converts and no one in our family or social circles are Catholic.

I don’t think the problem is us and we have had some short term couple friends but they either just kinda drift away or move away. I didn’t even really have a best man at our wedding because I don’t really have any close friends. I also work shift work and we have several young children so getting out at all is a trial. Even going to Mass with the kids is a huge and exhausting endeavor. Before we started having kids I got involved in some ministry and got to know some people at the Parish but none that were really around my age and I had to drop out of all of it when the children came and my schedule changed again.

I really wish I had a Catholic friend my age that I could talk to and hang out with on a regular basis. I especially wish my wife had a good girl friend she could talk to. We of course talk to each other but you know sometimes we both wish we had someone else.

I have been praying that we find some good Catholic friends for some years now but nothing yet. This may sound weird but one of the things I am looking forward to most when I get to heaven (God willing) is getting to be with all the saints who I pray with and enjoying their friendship.
 
Your not alone. We have my wife’s family and some friends from her work we still keep in touch with, but I don’t have any friends or family nearby and her local family are not practicing Catholics. I try to make friends at church, but she’s not that social at church. It’s tough.
 
To make friends, be out there where other Catholic families are. Volunteer, get involved with Parish Life. Volunteer for Rel Ed, join the Knights of Columbus, go to the adult group while kids are in Rel Ed, sign up to help clean up after the parish dinners, Advent is coming, attend Posadas.
 
You are definitely not alone. I really think this is one of the biggest challenges for Catholics (at least in the U.S.) at present. There is a dearth of good, holy friendships. (There is a lack of genuine friendships in our culture in general for lots of reasons.)

As TheLittleLady said, getting involved is really the best way. That takes intentional effort on our part. Depending upon the demographics of our parish and our own personality and temperament, that can take more effort for some of us than for others. It may not always be easy for us, but it is worth the effort.
 
Maybe when your children are a little older it will be easier to meet people your age. I’m involved through my grandson with Cub Scouts and a committee at his school, as well as Bible Study once a week. also a couple of groups around my hobbies.
When I was working it was super hard, but I still got to be involved with the school and Bible Study was a welcome break.
If there’s no Bible study group in your parish, why not invite a few couples over for coffee and study? You might find people receptive. Early Saturdays and on Sundays seem to work for guys.
 
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