Real Catholics?

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Almost_convert

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I am have been a Protestant my whole life but have become convinced of the truth and originality of the Catholic Church. I am planning to start RCIA classes in the fall to be confirm at next years Easter vigil.
My main concern is that the catholics I know, and as I have been told by many others the catholics they know all seem to be simply nominal catholics. I have spent time talking with my local priest and he shares the concern that many don’t practice their faith. I have met a couple of catholics who are devoted to following Christ but why do they seem had to come by?
Watching a lot of EWTN and coming on this forum would tell me that the church is full of dedicated catholics but why have I only ever met a couple?
Do others have this experience or do I just have to get inside the church to see?
I live in NY which isn’t exactly the spiritual Capitol of the world maybe that is part of it.
Any thought?
So excited to join the church either way
 
**I have one thing to say…

WELCOME HOME!!

May the HOLY SPIRIT and Our LORD JESUS Bless You and guide You Home to the beauty and wonder, that is HIS TRUE CHURCH, the HOLY, ROMAN, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH!!**
 
I know exactly what your talking about. I have heard a priest say that people think the holy water font is like a time clock-they punch in to be catholic then they punch out as they leave. Just try not to worry about how catholic everyone else is being and focus on how catholic you are. Otherwise you will continue to be frustrated. Welcome home!!!
 
I am a convert myself, and am so happy to read that you have discovered the truth of the Catholic church. I would not worry to much about your perceptions of other Catholics…or what other Protestants have to say about them. My own family tells me all sorts of tales about how the Catholics they know are just going through the motions. In reality, there are nominal Protestants too. And, it is not our place to judge. We should focus on our own relationship with the Lord.

I suggest you look into prayer groups at your parish. If you go that route, I am sure you will find others who are serious about the faith.

God bless you!
 
Almost_convert said:
I am have been a Protestant my whole life but have become convinced of the truth and originality of the Catholic Church. I am planning to start RCIA classes in the fall to be confirm at next years Easter vigil.
My main concern is that the catholics I know, and as I have been told by many others the catholics they know all seem to be simply nominal catholics. I have spent time talking with my local priest and he shares the concern that many don’t practice their faith. I have met a couple of catholics who are devoted to following Christ but why do they seem had to come by?
Watching a lot of EWTN and coming on this forum would tell me that the church is full of dedicated catholics but why have I only ever met a couple?
Do others have this experience or do I just have to get inside the church to see?
I live in NY which isn’t exactly the spiritual Capitol of the world maybe that is part of it.
Any thought?
So excited to join the church either way
Click to expand...
Get the book “Dynamic Catholic” by Matthew Kelley. It is free with a shipping payment. Here is the link. It will speak to where you are at.

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I agree.

You know what I’ve noticed ?

When you start getting involved and going to catholic functions (soup kitchens, bible studies, retreats, etc etc et c) … and you sit and fellowship with lots of these people that are being active by going to these things… you’ll sense and see some holiness!

You might not be dealing with highly catechised people…there’s a great lacking in peoples knowledge of the faith…but you will see and hear some amazing things about how they live the faith they have.
 
Welcome home

I used to be that Catholic, its a result of poor catechesis, which I think is slowly changing for the better. I do my part to educate my fellow Catholics in a loving way as often as possible, invite them to church, ministries, give/ recommend Catholic books and CD’s and inform them to tune into our local Catholic Radio station
 
Thank you so much for the warm replies and advice. I guess it just concerns me because being the true apostolic church, you would think that there would be more people excited about their faith. But I guess you also have to realize that a lot of evangelical Protestant churches work by the principle of supply and demand and that I may just have been in churches supplying something more exciting but not necessarily true practice of the faith. But to be fair I will actually be leaving a great church with great people who love The Lord. So I might be in for some culture shock but when God leads it is wise to follow. And I’m thrilled for the journey.
 
Almost_convert said:
Thank you so much for the warm replies and advice. I guess it just concerns me because being the true apostolic church, you would think that there would be more people excited about their faith. But I guess you also have to realize that a lot of evangelical Protestant churches work by the principle of supply and demand and that I may just have been in churches supplying something more exciting but not necessarily true practice of the faith. But to be fair I will actually be leaving a great church with great people who love The Lord. So I might be in for some culture shock but when God leads it is wise to follow. And I’m thrilled for the journey.
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You would be surprised to see how many Protestants we receive into RCIA at my parish (over the years) that don’t know very much about the Bible or their faith! It is a two way street. The Catholic Church is comprised of 1.2 billion souls, and with any group that size you are going to have more than a few people who don’t know their faith.
 
one last point Almost…

Jesus was a devout Jew. He loved the temple. Yet He looked at the people of that religion and always talked about their “hardness or heart” or their “little faith” …or seen many of them including their leaders as hypocrites…

And yet this was the very faith God Almighty established.

There was scandal at the very begining…Judas stole money from the poor bag and betrayed Christ, Peter the first pope denied he even knew Him, all the first bishops…the apostles ran like babies when Christ was put to the test on the cross.

The church is full of weakness and sinners…but that’s why it’s sooo beautiful! It’s Christs church whom He Himself nourishes and supports. From our weaknesses we’ve changed the world! We’ve blessed kings and queens , we’ve compiled the bible, we’ve brought forth the hospital and the university as we know them today, we’ve guarded society down through the centuries with our stances on Godliness, marriage, and morality and we are by farrrrrrrrrrr…the largest and useful charitable organization in the world! I heard what the catholic church does in one day in charitable contributes STILL outmatches what the the other religious and secular charities do in a day combined.

With all our short comings and failings and scandals…we should have broke apart centuries ago. We keep growing and growing and growing!

Keep your eyes fixed on Christ…not on the obvious weaknesses around you (and in yourself) . If you don’t …you could sink like a stone as Peter did when he tried to walk on water to meet Christ.

God bless
 
Welcome home!

It is true, there are many “nominal Catholics.” There are plenty of “nominal Protestants,” too, especially in the more liturgy-oriented denominations. I think this is because a religion with a strong identity, culture, and history gives people more ability to just don the cultural identity without following all the beliefs. That doesn’t mean having a culture is bad; it is just one of the temptations that religious adherents are subject to because of our fallen nature. i.e. we tend to seek the easiest way of doing things. Evangelicals have a different problem; they try to have religion without religion. Wanting to have a dynamic personal relationship with Christ is right on, but they do not seem to see that this relationship necessarily entails the practice of religion, with all that entails; and that our Lord imparted to us a very specific one, with a Church which can determine certain details of how this religion is to be lived out.
 
Excellent point about Jesus and the Jewish faith MichaelHowling!
 
Almost_convert said:
I am have been a Protestant my whole life but have become convinced of the truth and originality of the Catholic Church. I am planning to start RCIA classes in the fall to be confirm at next years Easter vigil.
My main concern is that the catholics I know, and as I have been told by many others the catholics they know all seem to be simply nominal catholics. I have spent time talking with my local priest and he shares the concern that many don’t practice their faith. I have met a couple of catholics who are devoted to following Christ but why do they seem had to come by?
Watching a lot of EWTN and coming on this forum would tell me that the church is full of dedicated catholics but why have I only ever met a couple?
Do others have this experience or do I just have to get inside the church to see?
I live in NY which isn’t exactly the spiritual Capitol of the world maybe that is part of it.
Any thought?
So excited to join the church either way
Click to expand...
Hello. I am a convert from Protestantism myself. Yes, I have had a hard time meeting Catholics who are as dedicated and informed about their faith as I have become (by the grace of God). I don’t know why it is hard to be honest except for that you will find lukewarm people in all Christian denominations. Praise God that you are thinking of coming into the Church. You can be a light to others.
 
God bless all of you - you are all affirmations of Gods true church - pray that I meet people like you where I live as I journey into the church.
 
Welcome to CAF and welcome HOME!!!

I’m a convert as well.

Learn, Pray and Grow!!!
 
Is it possible you’re using the Protestant understanding of “dedicated” to judge Catholics? Just because people don’t act “born-again” doesn’t mean they don’t love Jesus. Catholicism isn’t like Protestantism where the more enthusiastic/healthy/wealthy/Bible-thumping you are the more faithful you are.
 
If you want to meet dedicated Catholics, you have to look for them and above all else be one of them 😉 Be involved in your Parish and you will get to eventually meet those who are truly devout (they tend to attract themselves). This is especially visible when you get involved into the things that require sacrifice.

Besides the groups of the local Parishes, in New York there are a few communities worth looking into:
 
latingirl said:
Hello. I am a convert from Protestantism myself. Yes, I have had a hard time meeting Catholics who are as dedicated and informed about their faith as I have become (by the grace of God). I don’t know why it is hard to be honest except for that you will find lukewarm people in all Christian denominations. Praise God that you are thinking of coming into the Church. You can be a light to others.
Click to expand...
If your church has a Legion of Mary, you may find some dedicated and informed Catholics there. The Lay Carmelite Order is another possibility. Also, Third Order of Saint Francis members.
 
MichaelHowling said:
one last point Almost…

Jesus was a devout Jew. He loved the temple. Yet He looked at the people of that religion and always talked about their “hardness or heart” or their “little faith” …or seen many of them including their leaders as hypocrites…

And yet this was the very faith God Almighty established.

There was scandal at the very begining…Judas stole money from the poor bag and betrayed Christ, Peter the first pope denied he even knew Him, all the first bishops…the apostles ran like babies when Christ was put to the test on the cross.

The church is full of weakness and sinners…but that’s why it’s sooo beautiful! It’s Christs church whom He Himself nourishes and supports. From our weaknesses we’ve changed the world! We’ve blessed kings and queens , we’ve compiled the bible, we’ve brought forth the hospital and the university as we know them today, we’ve guarded society down through the centuries with our stances on Godliness, marriage, and morality and we are by farrrrrrrrrrr…the largest and useful charitable organization in the world! I heard what the catholic church does in one day in charitable contributes STILL outmatches what the the other religious and secular charities do in a day combined.

With all our short comings and failings and scandals…we should have broke apart centuries ago. We keep growing and growing and growing!

Keep your eyes fixed on Christ…not on the obvious weaknesses around you (and in yourself) . If you don’t …you could sink like a stone as Peter did when he tried to walk on water to meet Christ.

God bless
Click to expand...
Well said!!
 
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