Raised Methodist and considering Catholicism

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eliinu

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My father was Methodist, and my mother Church of Christ. As a child we attended my mother’s church, but since neither of my parents were very religious, that didn’t last long. I then attended church with my paternal grandparents, so methodist services.
Again, my family was never super religious, I haven’t attended church for more than an handful of times since I became a teenager. I’m engaged to a man who was raised very, very Catholic (he was raised in the Philippines, so they’re quite strict. Now that I am about to go to college, and marry into a Catholic family, I’d really like to convert, but I don’t really know where to begin.
Once I move for college, I plan on starting RCIA classes, but that won’t be until July or August.
What could I do now to help the process? Again, I don’t really know where to begin aside from RCIA classes.
 
You could keep up with Pope Francis’ homilies on the Vatican website. Read his exhortations. Amoris laetitia is easy to read and understand, and has a lot of good writing about the family and concerns of raising children today.

There is also the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which is a bit long and maybe tough to read for some. But it’s good for reference and just looking things up. It’s online also at the Vatican website.
 
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you could find a local parish and start attending mass, unles maybe you already doing that with your husband?

there are also many good catholic authors you can check out, Scott Hahn, Matthew Kelly, just to name a couple.
 
also try to find a newman center or Focus group at your school when you start
 
I was raised in the United Methodist Church. I joined the Catholic Church when I was seventeen. (Which was a long time ago.)

I also suggest you read The Catechism of the Catholic Church. You would not have to read it straight through: you could check the table of contents or the indexes to see what attracts your interest first.

If you would like to explore the faith by other avenues that involve reading, you might try a biography of Cardinal Newman, who was an inspiration for me when I converted, or some other biography. Also, you might try Karl Adam’s Spirit of Catholicism, which, it seems to me, shows the influence of Newman’s thought, though the style of the translation from German is a bit old-fashioned now, I think.

If you have been baptized, you should not need to go through RCIA, which is really for adults who are not already Christians. Talk to a priest about it, perhaps a chaplain at whatever college you will be attending.

God bless you.
 
I was never baptized. My parents didn’t want to baptize me as a child, though they both had been.
 
No, my fiancé is in the military, so I haven’t been able to attend mass with him since we live quite far from each other for the time being.
 
Speak to a Catholic priest, go to Mass as often as possible (there is Daily Mass), go to the Good Friday service if possible, speak to a Catholic priest, read the Bible, Catechism, and other books, pray (including the Rosary).

Start small and grow!
 
eliinu said:
I was never baptized. My parents didn’t want to baptize me as a child, though they both had been.
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I forgot to mention something else to read: J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. A profoundly Catholic work by a devout Catholic who had been brought up in the environs of Birmingham where there were many people still living in Tolkien’s childhood who would have known Cardinal Newman personally.
 
All of the above are great suggestions. I would also recommend that you watch/listen to Catholic radio and EWTN if you have that available. I learned so much from listening and watching. The Coming Home Network with Marcus Grodi has a tv program which features a guest and their conversion story. It’s called the Journey Home. Journey Home
 
I was literally going to suggest everything Dlee just posted. Coming Home Network is a great website for converts by converts. ❤️
Edit: EWTN Radio is also available online everywhere in the world. Free of charge of course.
 
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Don’t forget to tell your parents. They have a right to know, doncha think?

Have you been to Catholic Masses and other services? Why do you want to become one? I think it’s awesome, but you have to take classes, etc., and unless you’re really sure about it you might not see it through.
 
my parents do know! they’re fine with it so long as it’s what i want 🙂
I attended before with my fiance before he left for the air force, and i’ve been to many historic cathedrals with his family. the biggest thing drawing me to converting is the way i feel in a catholic cathedral, both historic and new. the overwhelming calm and calling i feel to be there is something i’ve never felt in a church or service before, which is part of the reason i didn’t attend church regularly when i was young, i just didn’t feel that feeling. at a catholic mass, it just feels so different, like i’m supposed to be there.
 
eliinu said:
the biggest thing drawing me to converting is the way i feel in a catholic cathedral, both historic and new. the overwhelming calm and calling i feel to be there is something i’ve never felt in a church or service before,
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In that case I recommend finding about your nearest Catholic Church’s Adoration schedule. This is when the Eucharist is displayed for people to come, meditate, pray or just be in awe of the Sacrament.
 
My local church’s next Adoration is this Thursday, after mass. I’ve never attended a mass without someone who is Catholic. Would it be okay for me to attend alone and stay for adoration by myself, not being a member of the church, especially since it is the Holy Week? I’m a little nervous about it, am I just overthinking it?
 
Bless your heart! There is nothing like unity in a marriage and family! I will limit my response to reading material to help you on your journey. I highly recommend Catholicism for Dummies. It is written by two very well educated Priests. It describes the beliefs of the Church and perhaps even more important, the reasons for those beliefs. It is arranged in easily read and digested chapters.
 
Absolutely! The doors are open for anyone to attend. Don’t be surprised if no one talks to you before or after. Catholics tend to be very private inside their churches and when they are there for prayer. We’re a contemplative bunch! Blessings.
 
eliinu said:
the overwhelming calm and calling i feel to be there is something i’ve never felt in a church or service before, which is part of the reason i didn’t attend church regularly when i was young, i just didn’t feel that feeling. at a catholic mass, it just feels so different, like i’m supposed to be there.
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The Lord Himself is there — body, blood, soul, and divinity — in the Blessed Sacrament. That’s what is missing in Protestant churches.
 
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