Please help me, I am new here!

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Josie_Mahfouz

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Where do the lessons for a Catholic come home begin? Although I go to Mass I remember very little…Please direct me.:o********
 
Josie_Mahfouz said:
Where do the lessons for a Catholic come home begin? Although I go to Mass I remember very little…Please direct me.:o********
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Hi Josie,

Welcome home first of all. I am sorry I do not think I am in a position to advise you to go and check out here and there to get “informed” about the Catholicism. But I know one thing that you must ask for knowledge from Holy spirit and remember to ask for understanding when you pray.

Also since I am very very far away from your place, I can only ask you to check with your Parish if they have Bible study classes, Catechism classes for “the new comers” etc.

Buy the book “Catechism of the Catholic church”.

And it won’t come easy in a day or two, its a slow process .But you will get there.

With prayers,
Joe
 
joeantony said:
Hi Josie,

Welcome home first of all. I am sorry I do not think I am in a position to advise you to go and check out here and there to get “informed” about the Catholicism. But I know one thing that you must ask for knowledge from Holy spirit and remember to ask for understanding when you pray.

Also since I am very very far away from your place, I can only ask you to check with your Parish if they have Bible study classes, Catechism classes for “the new comers” etc.

Buy the book “Catechism of the Catholic church”.

And it won’t come easy in a day or two, its a slow process .But you will get there.

With prayers,
Joe
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I agree with this. Also, RCIA may be offered by their parish too.
 
There is a book out there called Why the Mystics Matter Now that is a pretty easy read, and was recommended to me when I first came back to the Church.
 
First of all, [SIGN]Welcome home![/SIGN] :hug1: We are so glad to have you. There is a big celebration in Heaven every time one of God’s little ones returns to the faith 🙂

Don’t worry about what you’ve forgotten. You will pick it up again as you go along.

Let me tell you my story.

I was once in your position, after 15 or so years away from the practise of my faith (adolescence kicked in, as did my big fat useless ego!). When I returned I would sit at the back of the church opening and closing my mouth without any words coming out because I was embarrassed to be sitting there obviously mute.

One of the first things I did was take the opportunity to go to Confession. After 15 years this was a Big Step, especially because I still had the child’s view of confession: that of being called to the Headmaster’s Office to own up to the things I had done wrong. But after a while the weight of those things got too much for me and I realised I needed to lighten the load. My returning Confession was extraordinarily cathartic. Tears came. I freely admit that. A wonderful old priest in the church I chose (which was near to where I used to work) sat patiently as I spilled out all the things that burdened me. He didn’t care that I didn’t know the ‘right’ words to use. He just listened and then forgave me. It was one of the most grace filled experiences I’ve ever had. I was able to take Communion immediately afterwards and the sense of homecoming, of belonging, of being exactly where God wanted me to be was overpowering.

Soon afterwards I took the decision to ask my local parish priest to arrange for my Confirmation (I’d not been confirmed as a boy). I was confirmed the Sunday before Epiphany in 1999. Although my mother had passed away a couple of months earlier I’d told her what I was doing and she was very pleased and probably rather relieved about it.

For yourself, just go with the flow. Experience the Mass and enjoy it in your soul. Avail yourself of Confession and be reconciled with God. Receive Communion. Don’t worry if you fumble words or you have to keep an eye on your neighbours in the church to know when to stand up, sit down, kneel, etc. It’s amazing how quickly you get into the right habits.

Ask questions. Talk to your parish priest. Make an appointment to discuss your life journey with him and, if nothing else, simply to introduce yourself. It’s what he’s there for. If he’s any sort of a half decent priest, it’s what he was thinking of when he signed up! And talk to us on here too… we’re a rag-tag bunch of all shapes, sizes and opinions, but we’re fun 🙂

Oh, and if you’re thinking of buying a book of the Mass or a missal, probably it’s best to either wait or buy a second hand one. I only say this because if you’re in the English speaking world, we’re due to have the words used in the Mass very slightly altered so that they line up better with the standard form the Vatican wants us to use. You’ll notice only a few differences (in vocabulary, not the structure of the Mass), but it’s not worth buying a new book only to have to replace it in a year or so. Don’t worry about it though. You’re not going to suddenly find the whole thing changes out of all recognition! It’ll still be the Mass as you know it with all the same parts in the same places.

I hope you’re finding great happiness being back in the fold.

God bless.
 
I assume you mean the new “Catholics Come Home” initiative that is being used in many diocese in the US? I think it varies by location (I know the one for our diocese started last night with a prayer service). I would check your local diocese website. Just google your location with the word “Catholic” and you should be able to find it easily. If there isn’t anything listed on the diocese website, try calling either your local parish, or the Family Life Office for your diocese.

Welcome Home!
 
Josie_Mahfouz said:
Where do the lessons for a Catholic come home begin? Although I go to Mass I remember very little…Please direct me.:o********
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Josie, we’re all learning and we’re all coming home again…all the time. You’re just one more of us who are trying. I’ll go with those who have advised RCIA and talking to the priest and all. But (and this is just me, okay?) the big thing is to get back into a relationships with Jesus. Visit Him and talk to Him, and not just at Mass. You’ll pick up the rest of it, don’t worry about it.

A long time ago, when I was just a boy, one older nun told us a story (perhaps apocryphal) about a young boy who would go make visits and, upon arriving, say “Hello, Jesus, this is Jimmy”. Well, as nun stories sometimes went, Jimmy was killed in an accident or something and the first thing he heard was “Hello Jimmy, this is Jesus”.

Nuns back then had a lot of those stories, and maybe they were pious inventions, but they all had a point to them. “Hello Jesus, this is Josie” is not the worst thing to start saying when you drop by His Presence sometime. We’re all His children, really, and it’s not the worst thing in the world to humbly be that way.
 
Hey Josie

Welcome back!

If you are regularly attending a Church where you are comfortable, take a look at the bulletin. They may have a paper one as well as online. There might be a ministry in your Church that has something to do with welcoming back Catholics who have been away for a bit.

If you’re like me, you might be a bit shy and not willing to reach out too much. But if you think you might be able to do it, try visiting your Church office and tell the secretary your situation. Or maybe your Church has an email where you can do this all online.

Praise God you are making the effort to come back to the Church and become reacquainted with the Mass and the practice of our Faith. Please keep coming back with whatever questions you may have and someone here will definitely try to help.

By the way…your first try may not have worked only because it was in a place where not too many people look often. If you have a prayer request - like, you would like some really good folks to pray for you as you make your way back to the Faith - then try the Prayer Intentions thread. You will get a LOT of responses!
 
Ridgerunner said:
A long time ago, when I was just a boy, one older nun told us a story (perhaps apocryphal) about a young boy who would go make visits and, upon arriving, say “Hello, Jesus, this is Jimmy”. Well, as nun stories sometimes went, Jimmy was killed in an accident or something and the first thing he heard was “Hello Jimmy, this is Jesus”.

Nuns back then had a lot of those stories, and maybe they were pious inventions, but they all had a point to them. “Hello Jesus, this is Josie” is not the worst thing to start saying when you drop by His Presence sometime. We’re all His children, really, and it’s not the worst thing in the world to humbly be that way.
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Oh man I remember that story and when I was about 7 or 8, I used to get goosebumps when my grandmother would tell that story. In the story I heard, “Jimmy” was a paperboy who would stop into Church every day before his route. He would bless himself with Holy Water and say “Hello, Jesus” before he went on his bike to deliver papers. One day, Jimmy was hit by a car and as he passed away on the street, the people gathered around him heard a voice say “Hello Jimmy!”

And when I told my own daughter that story when she was about 7 or 8, her eyes got wide as saucers and she went “Wowwww!”
 
I’ll admit, I am unfamiliar with our host organization, Catholic Answers. However I can’t help but think that they have some relevant information online. Perhaps a moderator can weigh in, or maybe move this thread to a forum which will attract the interest of knowledgeable persons?
 
azchurch said:
Oh man I remember that story and when I was about 7 or 8, I used to get goosebumps when my grandmother would tell that story. In the story I heard, “Jimmy” was a paperboy who would stop into Church every day before his route. He would bless himself with Holy Water and say “Hello, Jesus” before he went on his bike to deliver papers. One day, Jimmy was hit by a car and as he passed away on the street, the people gathered around him heard a voice say “Hello Jimmy!”

And when I told my own daughter that story when she was about 7 or 8, her eyes got wide as saucers and she went “Wowwww!”
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Ah! You’re right! You remembered the story better than I did. Still, it’s a pretty story, and the moral of it is worth remembering.
 
Welcome home! Where you confirmed before you left the church? How many years have you been gone? If you have only been gone a few years, you may only have to go to confession before recieving the Eucharist. But of course it is good for anyone to go through RCIA (Right of Christian Initiation for Adults)

Here is a great examination of conscience before going to confession.
fatima.org/essentials/requests/examconc.asp

If you need to learn some basics here is a link for you. This link has all the scriptures and quotes from the early church fathers about subjects like Mary, Church Authority, Purgatory and more.
scripturecatholic.com/

Here is a link to the Catechism usccb.org/catechism/text/entiretoc1.shtml
 
Yes the Catechism link mentioned above came to my mind also.

There is weath of information out here now on-line.

Recite the Rosary daily when humanly possible. I don’t know that there is any one specific practice in the Catholic Faith, that you can do, that would better direct you to God/Jesus Christ. With the Rosary you can’t miss God. Its impossible.

Heres a link for “The Secret of Mary” its author is Saint Louis de Montfort.

ewtn.com/library/Montfort/secret.htm

Heres a link for the Rosary

theholyrosary.org/

Welcome home, I’m sure you’ll find the comfort and light in Jesus Christ and the Blessed Mother that you seek. In these days and times, anything else is simply a gamble with your Soul and foolish. This is the way to God. Great to see you back.That alone is a Blessing from God. Cherish it and don’t lose it.

God Bless, GT

Listen if you are stuck on something or just want to talk, don’t understand? Send me a PM, and while I may not respond immediatly, I’ll definatly get back to you within a 12hr period. There are many very good people here also. And this sight could be very helpfull.

“Never will anyone who says the Rosary daily ever be lead astray. This is a statement I would gladly sign in my blood.” Saint Louis de Montfort
 
:extrahappy:
Josie_Mahfouz said:
Where do the lessons for a Catholic come home begin? Although I go to Mass I remember very little…Please direct me.:o********
Click to expand...
I hope I’m doing this right…because I’m new too…Go to Salvation History.com…excellent source of study :thumbsup:and there’s no charge…please let me know how it faired with you…Welcome Home:dancing:
 
If you want to connect with the Catholics Come Home Organization, visit 🙂
catholicscomehome.org/connect-parishioner.php or the home page at catholicscomehome.org/

Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, attend Mass, pray the Holy Rosary (the Mysteries of the Rosary can be found on the Web), and also visit the website of your local diocese and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)…

Welcome Home :grouphug:

PS Remember the hymn, “We are One in the Spirit…We are One in Our Lord…and They’ll Know We are Christians by our Love”
 
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