Looking to start going to Church

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ted722

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I was baptised Catholic as a baby. My father attended church as a boy and went through the entire process of confirmation and communion. (sorry if I don’t know the exact terminology). However, growing up we only attended Church sparingly and I never went through the process of confirmation/communion.

I am now 39, have been married 8 years, have two beautiful daughters (5 and 2 and both baptised) and I am looking to start going to church on a regular basis.

I need to know what to do so I am in good standing to be able to receive communion (my wife already went through the process when she grew up). Sorry to be so un-informed, but I thought this would be a good place to start. Thank You.
 
Make an appointment to talk to your priest about getting some education and completing your Sacraments and also about going to Confession.

If you were not married in the Church also talk with him about having your marriage convalidated.

Look in the phone book for your nearest parish church.
 
Welcome!
I think the 1st thing you need to do is talk to someone at your church like the priest or someone in charge of RCIA. RCIA which stands for “Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults” is what you’d need to join. There you will learn about the church and go thru the process. 🙂
 
Yes, we were married in church. I am new to the area, but I will search for my local church. Thanks.
 
How great you want to return to the Church and get to know your faith! 👍

I’d start by contacting the priest at your local parish–set up a time to see him. He may recommend that you attend RCIA next fall to “catch up” on your faith. You may be able to receive communion after going to confession, but if it is to be your first communion, you might want to hold off until you understand just what it is you are receiving and the conditions under which you can receive in your individual situation. In any case, talk to your priest about it and let him direct you as to what you should do.
 
ted722 said:
Yes, we were married in Church.
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Your priest should have discussed you completing your Sacraments before your marriage. But, since he didn’t, there’s no time like the present to take care of it.

Just make an apointment and explain the situation to him. He’ll guide you on the process that your diocese/parish uses to help Catholics who did not receive religious education growing up and did not complete their Sacraments.
 
I just wanted to say Welcome! It is wonderful that you are taking care of this while your children are still young. How awesome and what a wonderful gift you could give them - raising them in the Catholic Faith!

God Bless your family,
CM
 
ted722 said:
I was baptised Catholic as a baby. My father attended church as a boy and went through the entire process of confirmation and communion. (sorry if I don’t know the exact terminology). However, growing up we only attended Church sparingly and I never went through the process of confirmation/communion.

I am now 39, have been married 8 years, have two beautiful daughters (5 and 2 and both baptised) and I am looking to start going to church on a regular basis.

I need to know what to do so I am in good standing to be able to receive communion (my wife already went through the process when she grew up). Sorry to be so un-informed, but I thought this would be a good place to start. Thank You.
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Hello. Have you been confirmed into the Faith? If not you need to get into RCIA, and it would probably be a good idea anyway since you have been away for so long. www.scripturecatholic.com is a good starting point. RCIA classes normally start in the Fall and go on till the Easter Vigil where you are Confirmed. RCIA is normally for non-Christians entering Catholicism but it is usually used as a vessel for fallen away Catholics and Protestants/Orthodox believers converting to the True Faith.

God Bless!

Please visit the resources available in my signature.
 
I am now 39, have been married 8 years, have two beautiful daughters (5 and 2 and both baptised) and I am looking to start going to church on a regular basis.
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👍 :clapping: :clapping: :clapping: 👍

I made such a awesome change in my life less than a year ago and my life became so much better!

:blessyou:
 
This is just an update. I took your great advice found a local parish, talked to the Priest and RCIA director.

I went through the entire RCIA process this past year and was confirmed during our Easter Vigil Mass! It was a wonderful process and I’m eager to practice the Catholic faith and spread the good news. Thanks again.

Peace and Grace,
Ted
 
ted722 said:
This is just an update. I took your great advice found a local parish, talked to the Priest and RCIA director.

I went through the entire RCIA process this past year and was confirmed during our Easter Vigil Mass! It was a wonderful process and I’m eager to practice the Catholic faith and spread the good news. Thanks again.

Peace and Grace,
Ted
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[SIGN]Welcome Home!![/SIGN]My husband and 3 kids were confirmed at Easter Vigil as well! 😃
 
Congratulations on your confirmation. That is wonderful news! I hope your wife was able to attend with you if she had not been previously confirmed.

Don’t be surprised if you still have questions about the faith. RCIA is great but it is only just a beginning. So, feel free to post any questions you have, there are a lot of very knowledgeable Catholics around here. However, be advised that the best source of info about the Faith is the Catholic Catechism and the other official writings of the Church. Laymen can and do make mistakes and it can lead to a lot of confusion. If you are interested in building up your faith, I suggest reading a bit of the Catechism every day along with the Bible.

There are so many opportunities now for you to love and serve the Lord. Not that you have asked for any more advice, but I just want to say that now it is more important than ever to keep strong in the faith. The enemy nearly always attacks newly baptized and confirmed Catholics. As a result many fall away within the first year. (Sadly, I know whereof I speak). Some things you can do to put on your spiritual armor is receive the Sacraments. So even though you might not think it is necessary, I would recommend frequent confession (at least once a month). Remember too that it is a grave sin to miss Mass on Sunday or a Holy Day of obligation without a good reason. So be sure to go and receive the Eucharist every Sunday. Our Lord will shower you with unimaginable grace. Also, I’ve found it is easier to stay on the path to holiness when you surround yourself with those who also strive to be holy. So, it is a good idea to get yourself and your family involved with the Church-- especially in serving the poor and needy, but also joining a Catholic Bible Study would be awesome.

May God bless you and your family!
 
Congratulations! My heart leapt for joy upon reading your update!

MW
 
Let me add my congratulations too!

Just tonight, those of us praying the Divine Mercy Novena prayed for those separated from the Church, either thru unknowing or deliberate action.

Now it’s *your *turn. Pray for those separated from Holy Mother Church, that they may receive the gift of Grace Our Lord has poured out for you!
 
Thanks all for the wonderful praise, encouragement, and advice. I look forward to getting more involved and have a plan exactly as Prayer Warrior describes (except I hadn’t factored in as frequent confessions!) 🙂

Blessings,
Ted
 
These are the best kinds of threads!! Congrats Ted, that is just awesome 🙂
 
ted722 said:
Thanks all for the wonderful praise, encouragement, and advice. I look forward to getting more involved and have a plan exactly as Prayer Warrior describes (except I hadn’t factored in as frequent confessions!) 🙂

Blessings,
Ted
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That’s great to hear. And I don’t mean to be pushy about frequent confessions, but I have found them to be enormously helpful in spritual growth. The prayer of the righteous man avails much (Jas 5:16). We become more righteous as we are reconciled to God. Even though venial sins are forgiven at the Mass, I have found that it is easier to overcome venial sin by frequently confessing. For example, if you have a particular sin you commit over and over (out of habit) and you don’t know how to stop yourself from doing it-- keep confessing it. The Lord will help you to conquer that sin, because you are turning it over to Him.

If you’re a reader, perhaps you can pick up Scott Hahn’s book, Lord, Have Mercy. It is an easy read that may help you realize some of the important elements of Reconcilliation and Penance that you haven’t yet recognized. Or, look to the writings of the Saints, I haven’t heard of a Saint yet that didn’t talk of the importance of confession.

(On a sidenote: Scott Hahn also wrote a book called The Lamb’s Supper which can be lifechanging because through it you will gain a deeper understanding of the Eucharist.)

:blessyou:
 
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