Question for converts: What's your story?

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Moen,

Thanks for your support! Yes, I have “snapped” a few times myself – once my son was screaming his head off in the grocery store because they moved the bread aisle (he was five or six at the time). You know how it is. This woman came up to me and asked, “Have you ever considered disciplining your child?” I came back with,“No. How do you do it? Are you a child psychologist? How lucky I came across an autism expert right here in Giant Eagle!” (Sarcasm has always been one of my weaknesses.) She turned red as a beet and disappeared. Then my son comes out with, “Strange lady. Strange lady.” about 15 times. It was hard to disagree!

However, God uses all of our trials for our good. Brian is the rarest blessing in our lives, because he constantly reminds us that God does not love us for our intellect or our social skills, but for our inner selves that He created. Plus, if not for him we might still be Protestant!

Brian and I have not chosen confirmation names – yet. I am having trouble deciding on one. Any suggestions? We are being confirmed this Easter. Brian is very confused by the concept and I might just forget about it for him. I’ve finally got him signing his name in cursive and I don’t want him starting to sign another one! Debbie
 
Convert 999,

**You wrote: ** Brian and I have not chosen confirmation names – yet. I am having trouble deciding on one. Any suggestions? We are being confirmed this Easter. Brian is very confused by the concept and I might just forget about it for him.

This is likely to be the only chance Brian ever has to choose a name for himself, one probably will be of legal standing, at that. Why not, as a sensible and appealing approach, discuss with him what are some male names that he likes, then search for information on saint(s) who had whichever name, and see if the match of nice name and particularly interesting saint makes for a good monicker for him?

Jerry Parker
 
convert999 said:
Moen,

Thanks for your support! Yes, I have “snapped” a few times myself – once my son was screaming his head off in the grocery store because they moved the bread aisle (he was five or six at the time). You know how it is. This woman came up to me and asked, “Have you ever considered disciplining your child?” I came back with,“No. How do you do it? Are you a child psychologist? How lucky I came across an autism expert right here in Giant Eagle!” (Sarcasm has always been one of my weaknesses.) She turned red as a beet and disappeared. Then my son comes out with, “Strange lady. Strange lady.” about 15 times. It was hard to disagree!

However, God uses all of our trials for our good. Brian is the rarest blessing in our lives, because he constantly reminds us that God does not love us for our intellect or our social skills, but for our inner selves that He created. Plus, if not for him we might still be Protestant!

ps. my son will have a BEAM study next week. Do you know what that is?

Brian and I have not chosen confirmation names – yet. I am having trouble deciding on one. Any suggestions? We are being confirmed this Easter. Brian is very confused by the concept and I might just forget about it for him. I’ve finally got him signing his name in cursive and I don’t want him starting to sign another one! Debbie
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Ouch! I would have loved to seen the skirmish in the grocery store…hee, hee! Suffice it to say, I know from whence you speak, Debbie;)

Regarding names, I only know for me that I know that I know what it will be, based on the signposts God has seemed to place over and over again throughout my lifetime. I have the sense of “Wow, I could’ve had a V-8” kind of recollection now that I look back on here and there God was setting this up for me.

Debbie, as maybe a helpful exercise you could look at your given name, your yearnings in terms of different Biblical personalities and/or saints, and look at their lives and what they gave their lives for…I"m speaking off the cuff here, but there ya go…that’s sort of what I’ve done. That said, my confirmation teacher didn’t even say anything about us picking a name yet…and I already have one!
 
Well, the main reason I am hesitating with Brian is that, due to his autism, he is a very literal thinker. He is afraid that if he has a “new name” he will be a different person, and that God will not know him anymore. He is already afraid that he will not go to Heaven because he was told in the evangelical church that if he didn’t “invite Jesus into his heart” he would go to Hell when he died and not see his parents anymore. (Yes, they actually told an autistic child this.) Our priest spent a long time reassuring him that he would be with Jesus and his parents forever, and he is afraid that if he “becomes a new person” God will not know who to “match him up with.” Nothing is ever simple with autism! Debbie
 
convert999 said:
Well, the main reason I am hesitating with Brian is that, due to his autism, he is a very literal thinker. He is afraid that if he has a “new name” he will be a different person, and that God will not know him anymore.
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AFAIK the tradition of choosing a confirmation name is a small-t tradition. It is not essential to the rite of confirmation. What is essential is the anointing by the bishop (or designated priest) and the words “Be sealed with the Holy Spirit.”

So it can just be a minimalist confirmation. 🙂
 
DavidCatechumen said:
AFAIK the tradition of choosing a confirmation name is a small-t tradition. It is not essential to the rite of confirmation. What is essential is the anointing by the bishop (or designated priest) and the words “Be sealed with the Holy Spirit.”

So it can just be a minimalist confirmation. 🙂
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Could you explain to him that his new name would be very special between him and God and that GOD will love his new name too. or Many people use their baptismal name again so it is possible he wouldn’t need a “new” name if he did that. Just a thought. God Bless, Memaw
 
Convert999,

Your sons patron saint is Blessed Brian O’Carolan, one of the Irish martyrs. He died March 24, 1606. His feast day is March 24.
 
To update those who remember: my son with Autism is scheduled for the BEAM study. The only doctor in the world who does this procedure (who originated it) is at Boston Children’s hospital, and people come from all over the world to go there. It can take a LONG time to get an appt. I HAD TO WAIT A WHOLE 4 DAYS!
THank you for the prayers…I:D am amazed!
 
moen said:
To update those who remember: my son with Autism is scheduled for the BEAM study. The only doctor in the world who does this procedure (who originated it) is at Boston Children’s hospital, and people come from all over the world to go there. It can take a LONG time to get an appt. I HAD TO WAIT A WHOLE 4 DAYS!
THank you for the prayers…I:D am amazed!
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I don’t know what the Beam study is, but I thank God you were able to get in so quickly. and I will pray for all success with this. God Bless, Memaw.
 
Reminder #2:

The topic of this thread is "Question for converts: What’s your story?"

Please let’s keep this thread on-topic for conversion stories.

For those of you who were engaging in a very informative and helpful side discussion I highly recommend one of you start up a Group for Converts in the new Catholic Answers Group feature. It does not appear one has been started up yet so you can be the first to host a place where you can continue sharing your experiences post-conversion.
 
Madam Tate,

This sounds like a good idea to me, to start a side discussion, but being such an inept oaf, as a lot of us older guys are, in manipulating the computer I do not really know how to do that!

Anyway, this sounds like a good idea, at any rate!

Jerry Parker
 
Angela_Tate said:
Reminder #2:

For those of you who were engaging in a very informative and helpful side discussion I highly recommend one of you start up a Group for Converts in the new Catholic Answers Group feature. It does not appear one has been started up yet so you can be the first to host a place where you can continue sharing your experiences post-conversion.
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I think I actually did it (almost unbelievable, since I am very low-tech). It’s called “Recent Converts Group” and it is in the “groups” section. I hope to meet there many of the wonderful people who have posted on this thread.

God bless and keep you,

Luminous Hope
 
Luminous Hope and Angela Tate,

You wrote: MRS. TATE:* For those of you who were engaging in a very informative and helpful side discussion I highly recommend one of you start up a Group for Converts in the new Catholic Answers Group feature. It does not appear one has been started up yet so you can be the first to host a place where you can continue sharing your experiences post-conversion. * – LUMINOUS HOPE: I think I actually did it (almost unbelievable, since I am very low-tech). It’s called “Recent Converts Group” and it is in the “groups” section. I hope to meet there many of the wonderful people who have posted on this thread.

Thanks, Luminous, for that reassurance. I thought that you, Madam Tate, were suggesting that I set up something; rather, the suggestion was to use an aspect of C.A. that already exists! Something like that would have been good, for example, for the reply to the recently posted testy contribution by Dayton and the ensuing interchange in the forum on the Authorised “King James” Bible.

Jerry Parker
 
luminoushope said:
I think I actually did it (almost unbelievable, since I am very low-tech). It’s called “Recent Converts Group” and it is in the “groups” section. I hope to meet there many of the wonderful people who have posted on this thread.

God bless and keep you,

Luminous Hope
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Jerry_Parker said:
Thanks, Luminous, for that reassurance. I thought that you, Madam Tate, were suggesting that I set up something; rather, the suggestion was to use an aspect of C.A. that already exists! Something like that would have been good, for example, for the reply to the recently posted testy contribution by Dayton and the ensuing interchange in the forum on the Authorised “King James” Bible.

Jerry Parker
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I was suggesting that someone here (not necessarily you) create a social group for converts and Luminous successfully did so. For those interested, you can access the Recent Converts’ Group here:
forums.catholic-questions.org/group.php?groupid=53
 
Madam Tate,

**You wrote: ** *I was suggesting that someone here (not necessarily you) create a social group for converts and Luminous successfully did so. For those interested, you can access the Recent Recent Converts’ Group here: *forums.catholic-questions.org/group.php?groupid=53

Thanks, Madam Tate, and please excuse my blunder in making my first contribution to this Group using the “Report” feature, which I realised, too late, was not for replies! I am a real cyber-clutz, the original Bad Habit Rabbit, but I’ll try to use that Group correctly the next time! And, hey, those out there in C.A. converts forum, that discussion feature really is worth exploring! Thanks for the link (or, as the Blunder Bunny that my ageing self is, I probably would not have found it!).

Jerry Parker
 
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