Methodist considering Catholicism

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Here is an excerpt from the CDF that addresses even more specifically, the issues of U.R.quoted above.
Catholic ecumenism might seem, at first sight, somewhat paradoxical. The Second Vatican Council used the phrase " subsistit in " in order to try to harmonize two doctrinal affirmations: on the one hand, that despite all the divisions between Christians the Church of Christ continues to exist fully only in the Catholic Church, and on the other hand that numerous elements of sanctification and truth do exist without the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church whether in the particular churches or in the ecclesial communities that are not fully in communion with the Catholic Church.

For this reason, the same Decree of Vatican II on ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio introduced the term fullness (unitatis/catholicitatis) specifically to help better understand this somewhat paradoxical situation. Although the Catholic Church has the fullness of the means of salvation, nevertheless, the divisions among Christians prevent the Church from effecting the fullness of catholicity proper to her in those of her children who, though joined to her by baptism, are yet separated from full communion with her. The fullness of the Catholic Church, therefore, already exists, but still has to grow in the brethren who are not yet in full communion with it and also in its own members who are sinners until it happily arrives at the fullness of eternal glory in the heavenly Jerusalem. This progress in fullness is rooted in the ongoing process of dynamic union with Christ: Union with Christ is also union with all those to whom he gives himself. [A good reference to John 14:21 that I quoted.]
(Commentary on the Document: Responses to Some Questions)
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Nowhere have I stated that those united with us by baptism are in full communion. (Edited)

Let these folks reconcile what has been presented here with their own pastors and bishops. (Edited) The documents speak for themselves, but the understanding of them belongs to our rightful teachers who know the Mind of the Church.
 
Sirach2 said:
I fully expected that you would not understand that scripture. To cite another scripture to make me appear foolish, is the mark of an arrogant person.

Here is an excerpt from the CDF that addresses even more specifically, the issues of U.R.quoted above.

Nowhere have I stated that those united with us by baptism are in full communion. However, your failure to grasp the reality of the Holy Spirit bestowed on members of these communities in their baptism is the sticking point you will have to reconcile. Apparently, you believe your interpretation above that of the Church, and I cannot help you see the truth if you are closed in on your own perceptions.

Let these folks reconcile what has been presented here with their own pastors and bishops. It serves no good purpose for you and I to fight one another to determine who interprets Church teaching more correctly. The documents speak for themselves, but the understanding of them belongs to our rightful teachers who know the Mind of the Church.

You may have the floor, PP. My work is done.
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Good bye, Sirach. I’ll let you leave in a huff of righteous indignation, as is your wont.
 
(Sariejack, our apologies that your thread has gotten hijacked. As is true with most forums on the internet, and due to human weakness, that happens here too, at CAF. Just try to focus on those who are addressing your questions and concerns, and skip the rest. God’s blessings in your journey)
 
Marie5890 said:
(Sariejack, our apologies that your thread has gotten hijacked. As is true with most forums on the internet, and due to human weakness, that happens here too, at CAF. Just try to focus on those who are addressing your questions and concerns, and skip the rest. God’s blessings in your journey)
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My apologies to Sariejack for being apart of the hijacking of your thread. It is an unfortunate situation to have Catholic clergy advising people falsely that God might call them to remain outside of the Church. More than that, it is a dangerous heresy that needs corrected, in charity.

I offer you my prayers on your journey and hope you eventually find your way into the bosom of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. God bless.
 
sariejack said:
I will say that I have never found the profound peace I experienced at Mass in my Methodist church. That’s not to say anything bad about Methodism, only to point out how I am feeling and why I am starting this journey.
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And that in itself is the core of our Faith. The Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life, everything else pales by comparison. That is what you have experienced at Mass, and that is not present in a Protestant church, no matter how good the people are there, no matter how holy the pastor is, and no matter how good the sermon is. I would suspect that you are a lot further along your journey than you realise.👍
 
I’m not offended at all, and I really appreciate the time everyone’s taken to respond and the support everyone’s already shown a newbie like me. 🙂
 
sariejack said:
I’m not offended at all, and I really appreciate the time everyone’s taken to respond and the support everyone’s already shown a newbie like me. 🙂
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Glad to hear! 🙂

God’s blessings in your journey of faith. 👍
 
sariejack said:
Hi everyone,

I am new here and just posted my hello over at Meet and Greet. I come to these forums because I am a Methodist and am considering converting to Catholicism. I was baptized and confirmed in the Methodist church when I was a child but my church has always seemed to be lacking. Often it feels like a social club or networking group that just happens to mention God or Jesus now and then.

A few weeks ago, my husband, daughter, and I attended Mass at a tiny Catholic church near our new home. When we walked in, a man was leading his children in reciting the Rosary before the Mass began. We joined in. As I prayed, a feeling of deep peace filled my soul.

Since then we have attended Mass every Sunday and I pray the Rosary before work each morning. I feel such a profound feeling of peace when I am at Mass or reciting the Rosary. I can’t describe it, but I feel like I am finally finding the answers I have been seeking throughout my life.

I am considering RCIA classes and have come here for answers and prayers. Has anyone here converted from a Protestant faith, particularly Methodism? I would love to hear from you. I welcome prayers as I make this choice, too. Thank you.
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I was raised and confirmed in the Methodist Church as well, but at that time (the '60s-'70s), the Methodists were very much averse to theological conflict and were following the general drift of 20th century Protestant theology without much contribution from their Wesleyan origins – which, when I investigated them, I rather liked, but didn’t find sufficient.

As with any Protestant branch, there is really no DNA in the form taken by the congregations either individually or taken as a group – instead of being a source and an object of divine faith, ‘church’ is either a general designation or, as you say, a social club or networking organization. It is not the sacred Body of Christ transcending all time and joined to Him as His bride.

If you come across a volume of Christian Prayer, used for saying the daily office, you will find a number of Charles Wesley’s hymns among the musical selections, as Holy Church has acknowledged the deep spirit of Christian piety in them.
 
Dear Sariejack,

It is good to listen to the Church to which you aspire to be joined one day. Be assured from the Vatican Council II’s document, Lumen Gentium, 14:3, that "Catechumens who, moved by the Holy Spirit, seek with explicit intention to be incorporated into the Church are by that very intention joined with her. With love and solicitude Mother Church already embraces them as her own."

So, you see, by your intention to seek instruction, and “moved by the Holy Spirit,” you are already embraced as the Church’s own. I pray this will give you much comfort. We find this teaching echoed again in our Catechism, #1249, which restates the teaching mentioned above. Two important documents, both giving solemn instruction for the faithful. 🙂
 
Sariejack, you might be interested in books that tell of the various journeys to the Church. One that I read recently is Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism by Scott and Kimberly Hahn–very interesting and details the difficulty of dealing with their feelings, since they both started as strong anti-Catholics.
 
sariejack said:
Hi everyone,

I am new here and just posted my hello over at Meet and Greet. I come to these forums because I am a Methodist and am considering converting to Catholicism. I was baptized and confirmed in the Methodist church when I was a child but my church has always seemed to be lacking. Often it feels like a social club or networking group that just happens to mention God or Jesus now and then.

A few weeks ago, my husband, daughter, and I attended Mass at a tiny Catholic church near our new home. When we walked in, a man was leading his children in reciting the Rosary before the Mass began. We joined in. As I prayed, a feeling of deep peace filled my soul.

Since then we have attended Mass every Sunday and I pray the Rosary before work each morning. I feel such a profound feeling of peace when I am at Mass or reciting the Rosary. I can’t describe it, but I feel like I am finally finding the answers I have been seeking throughout my life.

I am considering RCIA classes and have come here for answers and prayers. Has anyone here converted from a Protestant faith, particularly Methodism? I would love to hear from you. I welcome prayers as I make this choice, too. Thank you.
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Hi and Welcome!!

I was baptized Catholic as a baby, but, was not raised in the faith. This was partly due to the fact that neither of my parents were “practicing Catholics”. My dad was Catholic, and my mom was Methodist. Her adoptive father was a Presbyterian minister. (Long story there…LOL)

Anyway, I tried the Methodist Church, Baptist, Nazarene, Assemblies of God, non-denominational, and even went to a Mormon Sunday service. There were a few more in there, but, you get the idea.

Ultimately, I thought, what the heck, I’m baptized Catholic, why not try out a Mass or two.

It was the most profound thing I have ever encountered. One that truly cannot be explained in simple words.

It was truly “coming home”. I knew this was where God was calling me to be.

Long story short, I went through RCIA, served as a volunteer for RCIA for several years, and ultimately became the Lay RCIA director of our parish.

When the Good Lord saw me coming through that door for Mass, he wasn’t letting go. 😃

I will keep you in my prayers that God leads you to where HE wants you to be.

God Bless!!!

ETA: Converting from one faith tradition to another can take it’s toll not only on you, but family members as well. Some family members may not understand while others support you. Some even look at it like you’re leaving your family roots by converting. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
 
sariejack said:
Hi everyone,

I am new here and just posted my hello over at Meet and Greet. I come to these forums because I am a Methodist and am considering converting to Catholicism. I was baptized and confirmed in the Methodist church when I was a child but my church has always seemed to be lacking. Often it feels like a social club or networking group that just happens to mention God or Jesus now and then.

A few weeks ago, my husband, daughter, and I attended Mass at a tiny Catholic church near our new home. When we walked in, a man was leading his children in reciting the Rosary before the Mass began. We joined in. As I prayed, a feeling of deep peace filled my soul.

Since then we have attended Mass every Sunday and I pray the Rosary before work each morning. I feel such a profound feeling of peace when I am at Mass or reciting the Rosary. I can’t describe it, but I feel like I am finally finding the answers I have been seeking throughout my life.

I am considering RCIA classes and have come here for answers and prayers. Has anyone here converted from a Protestant faith, particularly Methodism? I would love to hear from you. I welcome prayers as I make this choice, too. Thank you.
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Welcome!

I was baptized in the Methodist Church as an infant, and I converted to Catholic in college.

Let me know if you have any specific questions.
 
Thanks everyone for your responses.

On Sunday we attended Mass and then followed it with a service at a local Methodist church. I felt absolutely unmoved in the Methodist service, whereas I felt profoundly at peace in the Mass. I thought perhaps that by attending both, one right after the other, I’d be able to tell a difference. It was pretty obvious to me that the Catholic service and prayers struck a deep chord.
 
That’s wonderful!

Was there anything in particular that touched your heart, or just the overall experience of it?
 
I should clarify that it was a SCAP–the church is very small and only has Mass every other Sunday.

The Deacon spoke beautifully and gave a message about the Pentecost that I found very comforting–how we need to transcend all earthly boundaries to become one people under Christ. In Methodism this would be called a sermon, I am not sure if it’s a different term for a SCAP.

The prayers in the Catholic service are very soothing. I have always found the prayers during my Methodist services to be rather shallow. I don’t mean to say anything against Methodists (my whole family is Methodist so I must be careful not to be offensive), but nothing that was said in the Methodist service really touched me.
 
Catholics call it a homily or sometimes a sermon. And if you have a gifted preacher it can be a great blessing. I also heard a homily yesterday that touched me. He focused a lot on the first reading and the disciples being in a locked room and talked about what keeps us “locked up” so that we’re unable to bring the gospel out to the world.
 
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