Z
ZiggysGal
Guest
For clarity, the history of the situation (feel free to skip this part):
My husband and I are on the path to join the Catholic Church. This shared journey began approximately 3 years ago following each of our experiences on ACTS retreats. Prior to that, the subject had come up because we have family history in the Church (my grandparents and his parents prior to his birth… among others) and my previous marriage included exploration of the faith.
Spring of 2012, we met with a priest at our local parish and picked up packets to begin our annulments. (He had been married once before. I had been married twice before but one ex is deceased.) It took approximately one year to complete and gather information and witnesses.
Feb 2013, we submitted our packets with an acceptance date of 3/13/13.
In anticipation of the full estimated one year process, we began RCIA that Fall. Sadly, Easter 2014 came and went and all of our fellow RCIA classmates were welcomed into the church and we ‘sat on the sidelines’ because we still had no response on the annulments.
It hurt to wait and wait and wait… but there was absolutely no way we could just give up, no matter how long it took.
March 4, 2015 we received the final word that both declarations of nullity had been granted. We have an appointment to meet with the priest on Monday after work. (I can’t tell you what a relief this is!)
(End of the history)
Upon receiving the notice of our annulment status, I shared this amazing blessing with many friends and family by word of mouth as well as social media. I had so much joy in my heart that I was bursting to share it!
Quite a few people have asked me questions about my conversion decision, but the one that strikes me as the most … frustrating?.. is this one.
***Why in the world would you want to become Catholic? ***
Of course, someone bold enough to question my faith decisions like this is neither going to understand nor accept any answer I am capable of giving… but worse than that is the follow up asking why I would hope that my adult children would follow suit. A coworker who was raised Catholic (claims to not attend Mass but does send her young children to CCD) actually posed this question and went so far as to leave me feeling ashamed for saying “I have faith one day it will all work out.” (in regards to my kids following suit)
Why do people see this as appropriate just now? In the past two years, no one has said a word about why we would wait so long for a church. Now that it’s very close to completion, though…
An old high school buddy sent me a message saying she wishes she could have a conversation with me about why Catholic before our final steps occur…
I get that some people view the Church as something to save people from, but man… I wish I could find words enough to share the healing I’ve found even in the early stages of my journey. A new definition to prayer and forgiveness and even a new perspective on the Passion of Christ. That feeling in Mass that must surely be the Real Presence. Finally having understanding of things that were unclear as I shifted from church to church seeking definition and authority.
The healing, though… I can’t tell you how powerful it is. I am an abuse survivor, enduring many unpleasant things in my youth that have made adult life challenging. Reaching a point where forgiving my abusers makes more sense than not… THAT is healing. I accomplished this as part of the past three years’ journey.
Anyways… very long post, sorry. Trying to understand why anyone would ask me these things… it’s not like I’ve ever heard anyone ask why any other religion… but maybe they do that too?
If you made it this far, thanks for reading. Keep us in your prayers as we prepare to finally complete this leg of the journey.
My husband and I are on the path to join the Catholic Church. This shared journey began approximately 3 years ago following each of our experiences on ACTS retreats. Prior to that, the subject had come up because we have family history in the Church (my grandparents and his parents prior to his birth… among others) and my previous marriage included exploration of the faith.
Spring of 2012, we met with a priest at our local parish and picked up packets to begin our annulments. (He had been married once before. I had been married twice before but one ex is deceased.) It took approximately one year to complete and gather information and witnesses.
Feb 2013, we submitted our packets with an acceptance date of 3/13/13.
In anticipation of the full estimated one year process, we began RCIA that Fall. Sadly, Easter 2014 came and went and all of our fellow RCIA classmates were welcomed into the church and we ‘sat on the sidelines’ because we still had no response on the annulments.
It hurt to wait and wait and wait… but there was absolutely no way we could just give up, no matter how long it took.
March 4, 2015 we received the final word that both declarations of nullity had been granted. We have an appointment to meet with the priest on Monday after work. (I can’t tell you what a relief this is!)
(End of the history)
Upon receiving the notice of our annulment status, I shared this amazing blessing with many friends and family by word of mouth as well as social media. I had so much joy in my heart that I was bursting to share it!
Quite a few people have asked me questions about my conversion decision, but the one that strikes me as the most … frustrating?.. is this one.
***Why in the world would you want to become Catholic? ***
Of course, someone bold enough to question my faith decisions like this is neither going to understand nor accept any answer I am capable of giving… but worse than that is the follow up asking why I would hope that my adult children would follow suit. A coworker who was raised Catholic (claims to not attend Mass but does send her young children to CCD) actually posed this question and went so far as to leave me feeling ashamed for saying “I have faith one day it will all work out.” (in regards to my kids following suit)
Why do people see this as appropriate just now? In the past two years, no one has said a word about why we would wait so long for a church. Now that it’s very close to completion, though…
An old high school buddy sent me a message saying she wishes she could have a conversation with me about why Catholic before our final steps occur…
I get that some people view the Church as something to save people from, but man… I wish I could find words enough to share the healing I’ve found even in the early stages of my journey. A new definition to prayer and forgiveness and even a new perspective on the Passion of Christ. That feeling in Mass that must surely be the Real Presence. Finally having understanding of things that were unclear as I shifted from church to church seeking definition and authority.
The healing, though… I can’t tell you how powerful it is. I am an abuse survivor, enduring many unpleasant things in my youth that have made adult life challenging. Reaching a point where forgiving my abusers makes more sense than not… THAT is healing. I accomplished this as part of the past three years’ journey.
Anyways… very long post, sorry. Trying to understand why anyone would ask me these things… it’s not like I’ve ever heard anyone ask why any other religion… but maybe they do that too?
If you made it this far, thanks for reading. Keep us in your prayers as we prepare to finally complete this leg of the journey.
as well as my brother and his wife, a former Catholic. Ultimately, I became a Catholic, as did my family and my brother’s family!! I now am an RCIA leader, and hear from a lot of people exploring the Catholic faith that the motivating factor that led them was the example of a good catholic friend or co-worker! So persist in your journey to join the church- and know that you are a witness leading others to the faith. Some of the more outspoken may also be experiencing a call that they are attempting to resist. Congratulations and welcome home. I will pray for you as you continue this journey!