Problem with Protestant family

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Hi everyone!

I have a bit of a family problem. Here’s my story:

A few months ago, I woke up with a weird impulse to make a rosary. I started looking on the internet for instructions on how to make a rosary, after a while I found some good instructions and I made my rosary, but I also came across a Catholic web site. I’m a naturally curious person and the articles looked interesting so I started to read. Growing up, my family never went to church (they still don’t) so I never really knew what made Protestantism different from Catholicism and etc. So I started to do some research. I took a few “what kind of Christian are you” quizzes and each time I got Roman Catholic. Reading that website it’s amazing how many times I said to myself, “Wow, that’s what I believe!”. Even though my family doesn’t go to church, they are Christians, but they tend to have Protestant beliefs. They look down upon Catholicism and this makes me nervous to express my beliefs. Another problem I have is that I am, for private reasons, physically unable to go to church. Let’s say that there isn’t one near where I live. Can anyone help me? I’m afraid that my family would reject me for being Catholic. My family means everything to me, I just couldn’t take that! I believe that how I became a Catholic was more than a mere coincidence, and I would appreciate your opinions on what I should do.

Thank you in advance.
 
Hello there. I understand that you are unable to get to a church, but you could speak to a priest by telephone. Have a look online for your nearest Catholic church and either email or call the priest. He will have some good advice, I’m sure and would hopefully be able to help you to find the right words to broach the subject with your family, if that’s what you want to do.

I do know what it’s like to have these concerns, as for years I lived with someone who was violently anti-Catholic (for no logical reason whatsoever, I might add). Now my life has changed and I have been able to start my journey towards becoming a member of the Catholic community.

To become a full member of the Catholic Church and to be able to receive the Eucharist, you need to be admitted following a course of instruction. In the case of adults, this is normally delivered in a group setting (the RCIA course) but can also be on a one-to-one basis with a priest, in some circumstances. Again, your parish priest will be able to help you. I’m doing the course myself at the moment (it usually starts in September/October time) and it’s been very rewarding for me. There are many people on this forum who have a great deal of experience in these matters, if you search around the threads!

Good luck to you and I hope you find a way to overcome your concerns and difficulties. Praying for help is a good way to begin, I have found!
 
You don’t have to tell anyone about your beliefs. It is your own business and until you are stronger in your belief systems it is best to keep this a secret of the heart. Family is very important to any Catholic and hurting the feelings of people close to us is entirely unnecessary at this stage.
You should use the internet to increase your knowledge of your religion and should be able to find a televised mass on cable or on the internet. Better than nothing.
God bless.
 
a couple of ideas and questions
How old are you? Right now you are just looking and reading on the internet so you do not have to discuss or share with your family at all at this time. If they are anti-Catholic for whatever reason and you are in the beginning of this, I would just keep reading and exploring.
If you have a kindle or nook, there are many books that you could download, some or free that you can continue to study and learn from and since you are more homebound would be available to you. I would also contact the nearest Catholic church by phone and ask for the DRE (director of religious education), state that you are interested in becoming Catholic but do not have access to driving and currently unable to get there. The problem of email is that it can be ignored, priests are pretty busy and an unknown email from someone can easily be ignored and I wouldn’t want you to get frustrated and discouraged. God bless
 
Thank you everybody! Your advice has been very helpful! I would love it if even more people would give their opinions too!

Isca,

Thank you for helping me! It’s nice to know that there are other people here who know how I feel. I wish I could become a full member of the church, but I don’t have a car and I obviously can’t ask a family member to bring me to a Catholic church, and I don’t have any human friends. Is there some way to take this RCIA course online? Or maybe something I could read?

Petaro,

I really appreciate you support! I’ve done a lot of internet research and I’ve found a catechism and a Bible. Where on the internet should I look to find a televised Mass?

robwar,

Thank you! I’m 22. I’ve made some changes to my profile so people can see my age. I still live with my parents and I don’t have a car or bike or any other way to get anywhere. I don’t have a kindle or a nook but I have a smartphone that I can read both kinds of ebooks on. What are some ebooks you recommend? I’ll try to find a number for a Catholic church but it’ll be hard because I live in a VERY Baptist area.

Thanks again everybody! Keep the advice coming! 👍

P.S. because I am not a full member of the church, does that mean I’m not considered a Catholic?
 
Is there any public transportation that will get you to a Catholic Church? If not, when you talk to a priest, explain that you would like to attend Mass and possibly get into an RCIA course but your lack of transportation is a challenge. It is possible he knows of a helpful parishioner who will give you a ride to and from the church, or he may ask someone in the RCIA ministry if they know of someone.

I take two buses to get to Mass because I don’t own a car. It takes me about an hour and a half, although it is a nice ride with a bit of a layover next to a store. It would take about 20 minutes by car via the freeway! I have been fortunate enough to have offers of rides home or to a more convenient place for me to catch a bus and do some shopping as well. Over the years, I have been blessed to know two people who have actually come up to me after Mass EVERY Sunday and asked if I need a ride home or to a store!

I would advise you to ride with only persons of the same gender, if possible, or with a married couple, so that no “relationship” develops.

I think it would be best not to lie or fib to your family about where you are going if you are able to arrange transportation, although it might be tempting to arrange a pick up spot. When being honest with your family tell them that as a young person you are “exploring yourself”, as most young people do.
 
CAROLOFTHEBELLS,

Thank You! Unfortunately, I live in the middle of nowhere with no way to get to a place with public transportation. Thank you for your advice though!
 
I have found the Catholic Mass on You Tube. But the EWTN website should be a better resource all around, I suppose. The Mass is televised on EWTN network, but not all cable and wireless services provide it. It is also televised on KD0C on Sunday mornings (I don’t know station that would be in your locale). I believe the listing is just “The Sunday Mass”. That particular Mass is not as inspiring as actually attending Mass, though, so may seem somewhat boring. I watch it when I am sick and can’t go.
 
1L0V390D said:
CAROLOFTHEBELLS,

Thank You! Unfortunately, I live in the middle of nowhere with no way to get to a place with public transportation. Thank you for your advice though!
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Please do consider that there will likely be a helpful person at the church who will be glad to get you there and back, even if it is just so you can experience what Mass is like.
 
Thank you so much CAROLOFTHEBELLS, for all your help! I am definitely going to check out EWTN.
 
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