Musings of a Catholic convert

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Isca

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I hope you won’t mind me sharing my thoughts on this blessed day.

I was received into the Church two years ago, at the age of 55. The church where I attended RCIA is the busiest parish in our town, with a wonderful, energetic, charismatic priest. For the first year, I continued to attend this church, got to know many people there and became involved in some of the charitable work they lead.

Then we moved to another part of the same town. There is another Catholic parish just a few minutes’ walk from our new house, so I decided to attend Mass there for a while, “just to see”. Interestingly, it’s a church I sometimes used to drop into when I was in my 20s and was first fascinated by Catholicism - although it took me another 30 years to make the move from the CofE.

The new parish isn’t anything like the first one. The priest is kind and friendly, but very different from the priest at my first parish. The services are not so well-attended, and folk aren’t so “well-heeled”. I mentioned to my first priest that I’d started to attend there, but I would probably return to my original church after a while.

Only I haven’t done that. Week after week, I have begun to love this church, with its less-polished ways and different feel. I resolved to attend the Triduum, and it’s been a wonderful experience for me - even if the church isn’t bursting at the seams.

Now the new church is “my” church, and although I’ve continued with my voluntary work at the old parish (and still go to confession there, because the priest really knows me well), I feel I belong at the other church.

We’ll soon be returning to Italy for a couple of months, where I attend yet another church with a completely different feel (and a different language)! But I don’t mind, because I’ve never felt so strongly that I’m a member of something which can bridge all times and all places.

Happy Easter to all here and thanks for your friendship. 🙂
 
That is a lovely truth and thanks for sharing it. A very blessed Easter to you, Isca!
 
It definitely sounds like you are being blessed by both parishes.
 
It’s funny, isn’t it? I moved with my wife and child to a small town of under 2,000 people in NW Minnesota, USA. There are plenty of people that drive 30+ miles to get to the newer bigger, more charismatic churches, but I’d never dream of leaving my small-town parish with its host of grandparent-age members and constant financial troubles.

Home is home!

Happy Easter!
 
Isca said:
I hope you won’t mind me sharing my thoughts on this blessed day.

I was received into the Church two years ago, at the age of 55. The church where I attended RCIA is the busiest parish in our town, with a wonderful, energetic, charismatic priest. For the first year, I continued to attend this church, got to know many people there and became involved in some of the charitable work they lead.

Then we moved to another part of the same town. There is another Catholic parish just a few minutes’ walk from our new house, so I decided to attend Mass there for a while, “just to see”. Interestingly, it’s a church I sometimes used to drop into when I was in my 20s and was first fascinated by Catholicism - although it took me another 30 years to make the move from the CofE.

The new parish isn’t anything like the first one. The priest is kind and friendly, but very different from the priest at my first parish. The services are not so well-attended, and folk aren’t so “well-heeled”. I mentioned to my first priest that I’d started to attend there, but I would probably return to my original church after a while.

Only I haven’t done that. Week after week, I have begun to love this church, with its less-polished ways and different feel. I resolved to attend the Triduum, and it’s been a wonderful experience for me - even if the church isn’t bursting at the seams.

Now the new church is “my” church, and although I’ve continued with my voluntary work at the old parish (and still go to confession there, because the priest really knows me well), I feel I belong at the other church.

We’ll soon be returning to Italy for a couple of months, where I attend yet another church with a completely different feel (and a different language)! But I don’t mind, because I’ve never felt so strongly that I’m a member of something which can bridge all times and all places.

Happy Easter to all here and thanks for your friendship. 🙂
Click to expand...
THANK YOU!

When We permit EASTER to happen in our lives, amazing things can and DO happen!

Many Esater Blessings be upon you!

Patrick
 
That’s fine. I attend three different parishes too. Happy Easter
 
TyburnTreeHuggr said:
It’s funny, isn’t it? I moved with my wife and child to a small town of under 2,000 people in NW Minnesota, USA. There are plenty of people that drive 30+ miles to get to the newer bigger, more charismatic churches, but I’d never dream of leaving my small-town parish with its host of grandparent-age members and constant financial troubles.

Home is home!

Happy Easter!
Click to expand...
I like a small community. When I read about some of the massive churches you have in the USA, I’m amazed. Of course, many of our church buildings are well over 100 years old and although they look big enough to me, they wouldn’t compare with a super-church. However, we have beautiful carvings in stone and marble and incredible stained glass, from the Victorian period.

Our village in Italy has a smaller population than your town, but the numerous churches there (hundreds of years old) are huge and remarkable.
 
I get where you’re coming from, having done the reverse moving from a very rural area straight into suburbia.

My old Parish did things simply. We had a Choir, although it disintegrated in short order (don’t ask). An iPad and Marilla Ness serve as our Choir these days 😉
There wasn’t much decoration, barely a living garden.
With only one Priest running two Parishes about 3.5hrs drive apart, we had to fend for ourselves. Those Catholics still attending are both friendly and tight-knit. The struggle to gain anything more than passing recognition from the Priests is well-known among Parishoners. Maybe thats what drove people away over the last two decades.
Overall, it a beautiful small community, but sadly there just isn’t much for converts like myself. Only through the internet, CA and a select few people in the community (and one from CA) and God’s Grace did I grow in my faith.

My new Parish in the city is well-known among many old friends from the country. Several friends in the city are well-aware of it.
It is perhaps one of the strongest and most vibrant communities in the city. One Priest is a young, confident man fresh from the Seminary who grew up in the Parish. The other (the Parish Priest) is a refugee from SE Asia, and carries a practical message, and practical experiences.
Despite my best intentions to “blend in,” it seems I draw a crowd and stick out like a sore thumb. One of the Altar servers introduced himself my first Sunday. Two ladies from the Choir have introduced, and asked if I’d join them, or assist with readings. Our younger, “fresh from the Seminary” Priest has heard the “diocesan whispers” about my potential vocation for the priesthood/religious life and is keeping a watchful eye.

Our cities Latin Mass Community is run (this really shocked me) by a Diocesan Priest ordained during the last 15-20yrs.
I don’t know whether they’re struggling, and I don’t think so. But they’ve worked hard to restore a small old Chapel in Belmont with a nice altar, restored organ, alter rails and the like.

Out of all three, what would I pick?
Each have their merits. To be fair, “small parish life” is great - you get to know everyone in Church and the Priest. But things can get too comfortable, and in such a small community, Church politics have at times been disheartening, in fact, down right D I S G U S T I N G ***for a young, impressionable person, going through RCIA. ***.
The actions of one or two people bent on controlling everyone, including the Priest(s) and winning their favor at the expense of other parishioners and unity is something I can definitely live without.

Living in the city with a strong community, and better support for young converts is preferable, in the end. I love my old community, but feel as though I’m maybe better off where I have the support of Priests if and or when I need it, instead of one or two days in a month.
 
Isca said:
I like a small community. When I read about some of the massive churches you have in the USA, I’m amazed. Of course, many of our church buildings are well over 100 years old and although they look big enough to me, they wouldn’t compare with a super-church. However, we have beautiful carvings in stone and marble and incredible stained glass, from the Victorian period.

Our village in Italy has a smaller population than your town, but the numerous churches there (hundreds of years old) are huge and remarkable.
Click to expand...
God BLESSES us each in our own way, according to our needs.🙂 Amen

Patrick
 
CuriousMike said:
I get where you’re coming from, having done the reverse moving from a very rural area straight into suburbia.

My old Parish did things simply. We had a Choir, although it disintegrated in short order (don’t ask). An iPad and Marilla Ness serve as our Choir these days 😉
There wasn’t much decoration, barely a living garden.
With only one Priest running two Parishes about 3.5hrs drive apart, we had to fend for ourselves. Those Catholics still attending are both friendly and tight-knit. The struggle to gain anything more than passing recognition from the Priests is well-known among Parishoners. Maybe thats what drove people away over the last two decades.
Overall, it a beautiful small community, but sadly there just isn’t much for converts like myself. Only through the internet, CA and a select few people in the community (and one from CA) and God’s Grace did I grow in my faith.

My new Parish in the city is well-known among many old friends from the country. Several friends in the city are well-aware of it.
It is perhaps one of the strongest and most vibrant communities in the city. One Priest is a young, confident man fresh from the Seminary who grew up in the Parish. The other (the Parish Priest) is a refugee from SE Asia, and carries a practical message, and practical experiences.
Despite my best intentions to “blend in,” it seems I draw a crowd and stick out like a sore thumb. One of the Altar servers introduced himself my first Sunday. Two ladies from the Choir have introduced, and asked if I’d join them, or assist with readings. Our younger, “fresh from the Seminary” Priest has heard the “diocesan whispers” about my potential vocation for the priesthood/religious life and is keeping a watchful eye.

Our cities Latin Mass Community is run (this really shocked me) by a Diocesan Priest ordained during the last 15-20yrs.
I don’t know whether they’re struggling, and I don’t think so. But they’ve worked hard to restore a small old Chapel in Belmont with a nice altar, restored organ, alter rails and the like.

Out of all three, what would I pick?
Each have their merits. To be fair, “small parish life” is great - you get to know everyone in Church and the Priest. But things can get too comfortable, and in such a small community, Church politics have at times been disheartening, in fact, down right D I S G U S T I N G ***for a young, impressionable person, going through RCIA. ***.
The actions of one or two people bent on controlling everyone, including the Priest(s) and winning their favor at the expense of other parishioners and unity is something I can definitely live without.

Living in the city with a strong community, and better support for young converts is preferable, in the end. I love my old community, but feel as though I’m maybe better off where I have the support of Priests if and or when I need it, instead of one or two days in a month.
Click to expand...
Consider each parish a different vineyard of our Blessed Lords’

Choose the one in which YOU have the greatest opportunity to ASSIST directly the fruit of that vineyard GROW & Spread:thumbsup:🙂

Easter Blessings,
Patrick
 
My wife and I searched for a Catholic church that we felt was reverent ever since I became a Catholic in 1970. Now here we are in 2016 and we finally found one. Its an FSSP parish. 🙂
 
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