Raised Catholic..really want to go back there

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anna1983

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Im a 26 year old girl who was raised in a Catholic family, During my teen years I totally rejected my faith and stopped attending Mass, During my early 20’s I became interested in God again and began to seek him, I started to attend a “born again” Christian church, and have been going to these kind of churches for the past few years. I have been reading Gods word in the Bible alot in the past few years, but I recently have been feeling somewhat lead back towards my Catholic faith, I feel not totally comfortable in Non Denominational Christian Churches Im so confused I have so many questions about the Catholic faith and about where to even begin with finding God in the Catholic church, Is there anyone who would be willing to chat with me via email or personal message and help me with my questions and such as I seek to find God in the Catholic Church.

God bless you
 
Welcome back!🙂 To begin with, you are at the right spot to learn more about your faith. There are many people here who know A LOT about Catholicism and can help you with your questions. Also, there is a lot of information in the library here at CA, and you may want to start reading though some of those for any specific information you are looking for.
 
You can feel free to PM me here… or just feel free to ask questions right here on CAF! There are many people who have been down the same path as you and would jump at the opportunity to share!

Ask away here! 🙂 And also consider finding a local parish and making an appointment with a priest! You’ll be welcomed home with open arms!
 
Welcome Home!!!

If you feel comfortable telling us what city you live near we can help you find a good solid parish to go for RCIA. Not all parishes are created equal, so you would want to make sure you are going somewhere with a good solid program.

Also click on the link in my signature - there is some great info there.

And – you can listen to a ton of podcasts here on all topics of the Faith - these are really awesome!! : catholictelevision.org/index.php?nav=04&content=20

~Liza
 
I too fell away from the Church in my teens. I never rejected it per se, but didn’t attend except for the occasional Christmas and Easter. Only by the grace of God did I find a wonderful woman (who just became my wife a couple of weeks ago) that led me back to the Church. I’ve learned so much more in the last couple of years than I ever learned in my schooling.

I think I kinda know what you are going through. You want to come back and learn more, but you’re not sure where to start and it sheer volume of information available can be overwhelming. Just be patient and absorb what you can, when you can. I think you’ll find that there are some things you’ll pick up, but you’re not quite ready for them. But some time down the road, the light will go on and it’ll kick in.

Feel free to email or PM me.
 
and me too, anna-- both in congratulations and invitation to chat.

i’m a catechist, director of religious education, newly on the RCIA team anmd I’ve taught adults in family catechism many years. i also have adult kids whose conversations, explanations and reservations about the Faith have taught me so much. I’m glad to share any of that with you.

i believe: God has ALWAYS planned for this moment of your inquiries and heart yearnings, Anna. Your Loving Heavenly Father has always been ready to provide whatever you need for your journey. Be Happy for this. You are loved.
 
Catholics Come Home

from the website

…Thank you for accepting our invitation to learn more about Catholics Come Home and returning to your Catholic faith. God, our Father, created a big and loving family in His Church. Jesus prays that we are one (John 17:21-23), as He and His father in heaven are one. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we wish to invite you to learn more about our family in faith: a Church filled with beauty, miracles, heroes, history, love and peace.
Whether you are on a journey into the Catholic Church or returning to the Catholic Church, you have come to a good place. Our goal is to provide you with a very wide array of helpful and thought-provoking resources that will help you understand more clearly the Catholic Church and its teachings.
At Catholics Come Home, we promise to always give you the honest truth, with nothing held back. We won’t shy away from difficult subjects, nor will we refrain from pointing out the many beautiful, wonderful, and even miraculous aspects of the Catholic Church.
 
Hi Dear! I am a 25 year old girl and I have a similar journey to yours. The past year or so I have been drawn back to the faith (though I never left, just sort of neglected it), and it has been a time of wonder!
I never stopped being Catholic or rejected the faith consciously but I wasn’t exactly practicing.
I would love to have a Catholic “penpal” so to speak. Give me a PM and I can give you my email address. I don’t really have any Catholic friends my age, so it would actually be refreshing to have someone like that. I’ve also had some interesting experiences with non-denoms too 😉
Do you have a facebook? I can send you a link to mine.
I live in Connecticut btw.
 
Welcome Home!

As a long time Protestant who came home last Easter I would love to talk and be happy to answer any questions.

Just click on my name and send me a msg and I’ll shoot you my email.

In the meantime check out www.catholicbridge.org

It’s a great site for Protestants or people who don’t really know their Catholic faith!

Again, welcome home! Praise be to God!

Joe
 
Hi there, thank you all for your responses, Im actually from Ireland, Ireland is primarily a Catholic country but most people here especially of my age generation are not practicing and as a result alot of the Catholic churches here don’t have alot going on for this age group, Id love to get more connected with Catholics in my age group but there are not many here.

Ive been attending a Non Denominational Christian Church for the past few years and its been told to me during this time that Catholics are not real Christians and are not saved, but God has really opened my eyes to this recently and Im realising Catholics are real Christians.

I have been reading the Bible the past few years, but Ive also been told that Catholics dont believe they should read the Bible, that a priest should only interpretate it, Can someone help me understand?

Also regarding Honouring Mary, Can someone explain the context of this in the Catholic church? Once again Ive been told that the Catholic church doesnt put Jesus first, and prays to Saints and Mary instead of worshipping Jesus, Ive also realised that this is a false thing that is said about Catholics, but can someone explain more to me about this? These are just some of the basic questions I have,

Does anyone know of anyways I could connect with more Catholics in my age group, perhaps through an online way? or some other way
 
anna1983 said:
Hi there, thank you all for your responses, Im actually from Ireland, Ireland is primarily a Catholic country but most people here especially of my age generation are not practicing and as a result alot of the Catholic churches here don’t have alot going on for this age group, Id love to get more connected with Catholics in my age group but there are not many here.

Ive been attending a Non Denominational Christian Church for the past few years and its been told to me during this time that Catholics are not real Christians and are not saved, but God has really opened my eyes to this recently and Im realising Catholics are real Christians.

I have been reading the Bible the past few years, but Ive also been told that Catholics dont believe they should read the Bible, that a priest should only interpretate it, Can someone help me understand?

Also regarding Honouring Mary, Can someone explain the context of this in the Catholic church? Once again Ive been told that the Catholic church doesnt put Jesus first, and prays to Saints and Mary instead of worshipping Jesus, Ive also realised that this is a false thing that is said about Catholics, but can someone explain more to me about this? These are just some of the basic questions I have,

Does anyone know of anyways I could connect with more Catholics in my age group, perhaps through an online way? or some other way
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No, you should definitely be reading scripture! If you are having a difficult time interpreting the teachings of the faith (yes, some things can be interpreted in different ways) then you can turn to the church to explain the teachings.

A very good resource is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It’s a concise definition of the faith that references scripture and will help answer your questions.
Here is the link to the Catechism, but having a hard copy of the book may be useful for you as well!
Also, check out the main page of Catholic Answers… catholic.com/… it has LOTS of great basic information on the faith (along the top toolbar is the “Library” menu… check out the “faith tracts”)…

Also… just use these wonderful forums! Search through all the posts, you may find many of your questions answered right here!

Hope that helps! 🙂
 
Thank you so much for your response. And for the link too, One other question that puzzles me alot…are there extra books in the Catholic Bible that are not in other Bibles?
 
anna1983 said:
Thank you so much for your response. And for the link too, One other question that puzzles me alot…are there extra books in the Catholic Bible that are not in other Bibles?
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That is correct. 7 books were removed at the reformation by the protesters. If you can get your hands on an original King James you will see they are all there.
 
anna1983 said:
Thank you so much for your response. And for the link too, One other question that puzzles me alot…are there extra books in the Catholic Bible that are not in other Bibles?
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Actually, those “extra” books (called deuterocanonical books) were *originally *there and protestants chose to *remove *them.

On that link where I mentioned looking at the faith tracts… specifically go to the one called “scripture and tradition”… that may help a bit. Also, do some searches here on catholic.com for “deuterocanonical”…

HTH! 🙂
 
Anna, people like you strengthen our faith so much. I hope you continue on your journey.

Catholics are not forbidden from reading the Bible. However, the Bible is not for private interpretation and authoritative interpretation is made by the Church. This is not unbiblical and in fact, 2 Peter 1:20 says the same.

As for the veneration of saints, we do not worship them. Worship is reserved to God and the saints, including the Blessed Virgin, receive veneration (in case of the Blessed Virgin, this veneration is special and greater than in the case of other saints, but it is not worship). When we pray, we pray for intercession and assistance, we do not pray the same as if those saints were God. Intercessory prayers may be said by living people as well and already in the Old Testament people were told to ask holy men to pray for them. There is nothing pagan or unbiblical in the veneration of saints properly understood.

How about signing up with an RCIA? And the Catechism is a good start. I believe it has most of the difficult questions answered in an understandable way. For example (and please concentrate on this, not on what I said):
**956 **The intercession of the saints. "Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness… They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus… So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped."493
Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life.494 I want to spend my heaven in doing good on earth.495
**957 **Communion with the saints. "It is not merely by the title of example that we cherish the memory of those in heaven; we seek, rather, that by this devotion to the exercise of fraternal charity the union of the whole Church in the Spirit may be strengthened. Exactly as Christian communion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom as from its fountain and head issues all grace, and the life of the People of God itself"496:
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The heritage of faith entrusted to the whole of the Church
[84](javascript:openWindow(‘cr/84.htm’)😉 The apostles entrusted the “Sacred deposit” of the faith (the depositum fidei),45 contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, to the whole of the Church. "By adhering to [this heritage] the entire holy people, united to its pastors, remains always faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. So, in maintaining, practicing and professing the faith that has been handed on, there should be a remarkable harmony between the bishops and the faithful."46
The Magisterium of the Church
[85](javascript:openWindow(‘cr/85.htm’)😉 "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ."47 This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.
[86](javascript:openWindow(‘cr/86.htm’)😉 "Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from this single deposit of faith."48
[87](javascript:openWindow(‘cr/87.htm’)😉 Mindful of Christ’s words to his apostles: “He who hears you, hears me”,49 the faithful receive with docility the teachings and directives that their pastors give them in different forms.
The dogmas of the faith
[88](javascript:openWindow(‘cr/88.htm’)😉 The Church’s Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes, in a form obliging the Christian people to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these.
[89](javascript:openWindow(‘cr/89.htm’)😉 There is an organic connection between our spiritual life and the dogmas. Dogmas are lights along the path of faith; they illuminate it and make it secure. Conversely, if our life is upright, our intellect and heart will be open to welcome the light shed by the dogmas of faith.50 [90](javascript:openWindow(‘cr/90.htm’)😉 The mutual connections between dogmas, and their coherence, can be found in the whole of the Revelation of the mystery of Christ.51 "In Catholic doctrine there exists an order or hierarchy of truths, since they vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian faith."52
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You can easily access the Catechism in English on the Vatican’s homepage:

vatican.va/archive/catechism/p1s1c2a2.htm#III
 
The thing about “no private interpretation” just means “Don’t make stuff up for yourself about what the Bible means, without checking back with the Church”. If you think to yourself, “Why has nobody else seen the deep significance of llama symbolism to the Bible?”, it’s probably a good time to check back. 😉

Anna, you’re so lucky to be living in a land that’s been Christian so long – since the days of the early Christians. You’ve got a deep, deep heritage. Did you know that folks like St. Columba actually are far enough back in time that they count as Fathers of the Church? It’s true!
 
Thank you all for your replies, and for the many links you have given me, Its hard right now because Im still attending my Non-Denominational Church, but I have this desire in my heart to really embrace and explore my Catholic faith that I have left behind, So many of my friends from my Non-Denominational Church I attend are so Anti-Catholic, and Im having a hard time with many negative responses from them, I feel like right now Id really like the support of some Catholic friends and a good church /parish to be part of, but its hard to find this where I live,
 
anna1983 said:
Thank you all for your replies, and for the many links you have given me, Its hard right now because Im still attending my Non-Denominational Church, but I have this desire in my heart to really embrace and explore my Catholic faith that I have left behind, So many of my friends from my Non-Denominational Church I attend are so Anti-Catholic, and Im having a hard time with many negative responses from them, I feel like right now Id really like the support of some Catholic friends and a good church /parish to be part of, but its hard to find this where I live,
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You are in my prayers. 🙂 Who knows? Maybe on your journey to Catholicism, you’ll eventually lead some of your non denom friends with you?
 
That is wonderful, and I went through a similiar journey. I “tried out” many other christian faiths and read about other religions to gain understanding before I returned completely renewed to the Catholic Church. I will be 33 in a couple months, so it wasn’t too long ago…ahem.

Here are some wonderful resources that I have just been discovering myself!:

-Lighthouse Catholic Media: Wonderful cd’s of powerful and entertaining preachings and ideas.

-www.matthewkelly.org : Books, CD’s of live inspirational speaking in relation to modern life as a catholic. He is really awesome and funny at the same time. (the 7 levels of Intimacy live presentation is a must:)

-Navarre Bible: Use it in conjunction with scripture. It is a translation of sorts that helps us understand the bible and is fully recognized and more by the Catholic Church.

-“Why Catholic” program= check with your church to see if they offer this.

-Groups- at your parish. Young singles (if you are), young women’s group. Hey, if there isn’t one, think about starting one!

-PM me any time. I really need to set up a facebook page and get off of myspace. (though my page is private, it just seems there is a lot of skeezy stuff on the site itself).
 
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