Overwhelmed and not sure what to do

  • Thread starter Thread starter TwinMommy
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
crazzeto said:
It should be noted that so vital is the sacrament of batism in the eyes of the church, that it is actually one of the easiest to obtain. All that is required is water, proper form, the person being baptized, and another individual to perform the baptism (they need not be baptized themselves).

Water is either sprinkled on the forehead or the person is dunked, and the formula is “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”. If it was the desire of the person being baptized to to be baptized, and the other to perform baptism then it is absolutely valid.
Click to expand...
So you can be baptized before RICA is completed?
 
An unbaptized RCIA participant who actually plans to enter the Church will be baptized at the Easter Vigil, then confirmed, then receive Holy Communion, one right after the other at the same Mass 👍
 
I would start with prayer and meeting with an RCIA director at a parish near your new home. Like you, I converted from Protestant and was raised Southern Baptist. I was a worship leader in a non-denomination church for 8 years so there were a lot of questions running through my mind when I converted. RCIA classes will teach what the Catechism is and what the Catholic Church teaches and believes. I am more than happy to share my experiences in my conversion as well as explain a lot of the differences between Catholics and Protestants. I am praying for you and wish you the best in your journey. 🙂
TwinMommy said:
I am Protestant. I attend a non-denominational church. We are getting ready to move so I started the search for a new church. I have looked into many and just different red flags would come up. As I have proceeded along this journey I have felt God moving to Catholicism.Not what I expected but I am very open to it.
I have been reading up on this site and others and learning the things I thought were one way, have an amazing explanation and I don’t see how they could be wrong.

All of this is scary in a way because it is so different than Baptist and non-denominational, the two denominations I have been a part of. I am overwhelmed with all the information, with all the traditions, and on and on.

I don’t know where to go on from here. The idea of walking into Mass makes me uneasy because I wouldn’t know what to, I would probably end up looking like a fool.

Any suggestions? How do I figure out where I need to focus right now? I am use to contacting Protestant Pastors and asking questions about the church. I have no clue what to ask a Priest about the church, or is it parish? HELP!!!
Click to expand...
 
jatkins29 said:
I would start with prayer and meeting with an RCIA director at a parish near your new home. Like you, I converted from Protestant and was raised Southern Baptist. I was a worship leader in a non-denomination church for 8 years so there were a lot of questions running through my mind when I converted. RCIA classes will teach what the Catechism is and what the Catholic Church teaches and believes. I am more than happy to share my experiences in my conversion as well as explain a lot of the differences between Catholics and Protestants. I am praying for you and wish you the best in your journey. 🙂
Click to expand...
I would love to hear anything you wish to share. You can pm or email me. That goes for anyone. I love getting know people, sharing thoughts, praying for each other and enjoying this amazing journey that we are all on, no matter how far along we are.

Dianna
 
TwinMommy said:
So you can be baptized before RICA is completed?
Click to expand...
Yes, though it would be best to sit, wait and allow the church to handle what must be handled. The faithful are advised not to take matters into their own hands for a number of reasons. It’s also noteworthy that you can’t be baptized twice. So it’s best to let the church determine if you have a valid baptism.
 
crazzeto said:
It should be noted that so vital is the sacrament of batism in the eyes of the church, that it is actually one of the easiest to obtain. All that is required is water, proper form, the person being baptized, and another individual to perform the baptism (they need not be baptized themselves).

Water is either sprinkled on the forehead or the person is dunked, and the formula is “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”. If it was the desire of the person being baptized to to be baptized, and the other to perform baptism then it is absolutely valid.
Click to expand...
I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Just a couple of words missing. 🙂
 
crazzeto said:
Yes, though it would be best to sit, wait and allow the church to handle what must be handled. The faithful are advised not to take matters into their own hands for a number of reasons. It’s also noteworthy that you can’t be baptized twice. So it’s best to let the church determine if you have a valid baptism.
Click to expand...
I have been baptized twice. I was baptized as a baby in a Methodist church and I was baptized about 12 years ago in a Baptist church.
 
TwinMommy said:
I have been baptized twice. I was baptized as a baby in a Methodist church and I was baptized about 12 years ago in a Baptist church.
Click to expand...
Your first baptism is the one that counts. All the second baptism does for someone is get them wet. 😃

This only counts when the first baptism is correct which since it was in a Methodist church probably was. A Baptist baptism would also count in the CC.

It is baptisms of Mormons, Oneness Pentecostals and JWs and others who don’t believe in the Trinity that are not counted as fully correct in the CC. The would need to be baptized into the Church.
 
Miriam1947 said:
Your first baptism is the one that counts. All the second baptism does for someone is get them wet. 😃

This only counts when the first baptism is correct which since it was in a Methodist church probably was. A Baptist baptism would also count in the CC.

It is baptisms of Mormons, Oneness Pentecostals and JWs and others who don’t believe in the Trinity that are not counted as fully correct in the CC. The would need to be baptized into the Church.
Click to expand...
My mom just sent me a few weeks ago some papers for me to keep and the certificate of baptism is in with the papers 🙂
 
TwinMommy said:
My mom just sent me a few weeks ago some papers for me to keep and the certificate of baptism is in with the papers 🙂
Click to expand...
You’re good to go. 🙂 The difference between you and me is that I was baptized into the CC which means that I was a saint and would go straight to Heaven if I had died after baptism and had no sin on my soul. I think I was good enough for about 20 minutes. 😃

Because you have been baptized you will go to confession sometime during RCIA. You will love it. It is a wonderful thing to know that you have been truly forgiven.
 
Miriam1947 said:
You’re good to go. 🙂 The difference between you and me is that I was baptized into the CC which means that I was a saint and would go straight to Heaven if I had died after baptism and had no sin on my soul. I think I was good enough for about 20 minutes. 😃

Because you have been baptized you will go to confession sometime during RCIA. You will love it. It is a wonderful thing to know that you have been truly forgiven.
Click to expand...
I listened to a great talk about confession last night on iCatholicRadio. I knew confession was important but this really hit it home.
 
I told my best friend last night that I was converting. Since my mom was here for a visit I had not told her. I had kept from her what was going for a bit until I knew for sure I was converting, till after I got to go to Mass for the first time(last Sunday). I was very nervous about telling her. Love her to pieces but she can be very judgmental. My husband was trying to talk me into not telling her till we moved in two weeks. I had to tell her. I felt I was lying by keeping all of this from her. I was shaking when it came time to tell her. I love her so much and was very worried about what this would do to our friendship.

Well, I was happily surprised that it went very well. I explained my feelings and how this is changing my life. She said she doesn’t agree with many things in the Catholic Church but she is happy that I am happy. She said everyone needs to worship the Lord in their own and that when it comes to prayer that she knows how important it is to me and is so glad my prayer life is getting so better. She did say that she could tell over the last few months that something wasn’t completely right when I was at church. I had been starting to feel like something was really off but didn’t know what it was till God lead me to the Church.

She was so supportive. I am really blessed.

I still need to telling my Pastor from the church I have been going to for about 2 years. That is not going to be easy either. I have been very involved and we are friends. Until I came to this church I would take any Pastor’s word regarding God. He taught me to always be praying, studying, searching God’s Word for the truth. It is the great love of God’s Word and studying His Word that helped me on the journey.

I can not wait till Mass on Sunday. I am planning on going to Monday morning Mass too as my boys will be back in pre-school.
 
I’m so glad all went well telling your friend, I hope your discussion with your pastor goes equally well.
 
Glad it went fine with your mother. Mothers are so tuned into their own children, no matter how old we are.

I will pray that some day she will come to see the truth about Catholicism.

There are many Protestant ministers coming into the Church through more open education and reflection. www.calledtocommunion.com. Here they share their growth and how their conversion came about.
 
So I emailed my Pastor about converting. Well he just called. Some of the “highlights” of the conversation:

Veneration of Mary and Saints is from the devil.
The Pope biblical. St. Peter wasn’t the first Pope.
Using vain repetition is unbiblical.
I am now in the heart of legalism.
Grace is not within the Catholic church.
The Catholic Church has committed more abominations than the nazies.
St. Patrick would be disgraced that the Catholics claims him.

He said I am not being led by God because God wouldn’t do this.
He said don’t get caught up in all the Mary stuff.
He said I am smart enough to study my way out of Catholicism.

Should be interesting to see what happens next. He said there are people within the church that need to know. Have a feeling my email is about to be flooded, alone with phone calls and text.

I barely got a word in and that is why I had emailed him letting him know. There wasn’t really anything I could say. He said he is disappointed.

Could have gone worse. At this moment this all feels very lonely. My best friend is supportive but I can’t really share with her all the wonderful things I am learning and how it is drawing me to God.
I think it feels extra lonely because I don’t have a parish. I am going to Mass tomorrow and hopefully some this week during the morning. I won’t have a parish till the beginning of the month, and I have to visit a few first to decide.
 
How sad. I suppose all you can do is pray for the pastor.

Hang in there. Your true friends will come to terms with your conversion and I’m sure you will make new friends when you move house, and they won’t all be Catholics.
 
Mariem2 said:
How sad. I suppose all you can do is pray for the pastor.

Hang in there. Your true friends will come to terms with your conversion and I’m sure you will make new friends when you move house, and they won’t all be Catholics.
Click to expand...
This is all happening at a great time, but that is how God works 😃

I have decided that I don’t have to explain myself to everyone in the church. I am not going to defend myself to those who don’t want to hear anything other than what they think. This actually is making me things even a bit more clearly. You know who you friends are when the friendship is put to a test.
 
TwinMommy said:
Veneration of Mary and Saints is from the devil.
The Pope biblical. St. Peter wasn’t the first Pope.
Using vain repetition is unbiblical.
I am now in the heart of legalism.
Grace is not within the Catholic church.
The Catholic Church has committed more abominations than the nazies.
St. Patrick would be disgraced that the Catholics claims him.

He said I am not being led by God because God wouldn’t do this.
He said don’t get caught up in all the Mary stuff.
He said I am smart enough to study my way out of Catholicism.
Click to expand...
Wow!!! I’m afraid of getting this said to me as well.
Good luck to you and keep praying. God knows what He is doing.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top