Roman catholic going to an 'evangelical catholic' church

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mrdlau

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apologize in advance if this is not an intelligent question. I googled a bit and couldn’t find the answer.

I attend a roman catholic church. I recently relocated and after visiting the diocese office, I was given a list of churches near my area, with one that was ‘recommended’ since the receptionist knows the Father. I initially planned to go to this one also, since it is closest to my residence…but the only concern (if it is any), is that it is a ‘evangelical catholic,’ and not roman catholic

I’m still new to catholicism itself so I don’t know a lot about the 2. I know that there are fundamental differences, but at the end of the day, is the differences enough that roman catholic should stay in a roman catholic church, and evangelicals should stay in evangelical church? I,e, If I meet this priest for the first time and tell him my previous church was a roman catholic church, will I be judged, or will I be encouraged to change some ways of thinking?

More importantly, does everything I do in a roman catholic church ‘transfer over,’ and vice versa? (i,e baptism, and also if this new priest processes things like annulments for me, is it valid for the other types of catholics churches).

I know the last question seems a bit silly, but I’m just trying to get a grasp and big picture of it.
 
If you go to the diocesan web site, does it list the parish as part of the diocese? If so, then it’s a parish in good standing and you can attend. If it’s not listed with the diocese then it is probably not a Catholic parish and you should avoid it. (The exception to the above would be Eastern Catholic parishes but they wouldn’t be called “evangelical.”)

Unfortunately there are many churches that use some variation of Catholic in their names that aren’t really Catholic churches. I’ve never heard of an evangelical Catholic church though it’s entirely possible that I’ve simply missed them along the way. The diocesan web site will be a good resource for you. Or, if you are comfortable, give the name and location of the parish and people will be happy to guide you.
 
mrdlau said:
I recently relocated and after visiting the diocese office, I was given a list of churches near my area, with one that was ‘recommended’ since the receptionist knows the Father. I initially planned to go to this one also, since it is closest to my residence…but the only concern (if it is any), is that it is a ‘evangelical catholic,’ and not roman catholic
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If the Diocese gave it out, it very likely is a Roman Catholic church. Evangelical has an older meaning associated with spreading the Gospel. Evangelical as a type of Christian church is a more recent idea. My guess it this Catholic church is making a effort to reach out to people more than normal, this might be a more contemporary service for example.
mrdlau said:
More importantly, does everything I do in a roman catholic church ‘transfer over,’ and vice versa? (i,e baptism, and also if this new priest processes things like annulments for me, is it valid for the other types of catholics churches).
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Yes anything thing done officially at one Roman Catholic church transfers to another. The Roman Catholic church even recognizes baptisms in many other churches (Protestant included) as valid and vice versa.
 
“Evangelical Catholic” is not an identifier in general use in the Catholic Church. Could you identify it further? (If you got the list of parishes from the diocese office, I would assume that this is a Catholic Church.)
 
Don’t be fooled. Many Lutherans these days are calling themselves Evangelical Catholics, likely to distance themselves from the label “Protestant.” At any rate, I would steer clear of this church.
 
Hmmmm…I think you should check it out. As one person said, the term, “evangelical catholic” is something of a new word combination, but in reality, all Catholics are called to be evangelical in some fashion. To be evangelical is to be about the work of spreading the gospel, the revelation in Jesus Christ of God’s mercy to sinners. We can do this in a myriad of different ways, not just words, but by our prayers and actions. Would you be so kind as to mention the name of the church? I’m curious.

A good Roman Catholic is also an evangelical Catholic, it seems to me.

“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a bushel, but on a stand, that those who enter may see the light.”

Luke 11:33
 
Since the evangelical Catholic church was found on the diocesan website, it basically means it will have sometype of charismatic theme to form. I don’t know in what capacity because evangelical Catholic churches have various forms for example some will use contemporary christian music inside the mass to having big worship services similar to what you will see inside the mainstream evangelical Protestant churches. I haven’t attended this parish therefore everything I say is mere speculation since I’m studying charismatic Catholicism for my degree.

Try it out and let me know what you think. Furthermore if you post the church’s website, I will have a better idea of what to expect.
 
Thanks everyone. Here is the website:

www.saintmarknorman.org

Evangelist Norman, Oklahoma | St. Mark The Evangelist Catholic Church

If you are looking for an engaged, loving church family, you have come to the right place. Our mission at St. Mark is to give glory to God, inspire active participation in the mysteries and rituals of our faith, to grow as brothers and sisters in Christ, and to bring Good News to the larger...
www.saintmarknorman.org www.saintmarknorman.org
 
I think there’s been a misunderstanding. The term in the church’s title is “the Evangelist”, not “evangelical.”

The church’s (or parish’s) title is not “Evangelical Catholic Church.”

It’s “Saint Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church.” Another way of saying it would be to say “The Catholic Church of St. Mark the Evangelist.”

The word “Evangelist” in this context is modifying (describing) Saint Mark, not describing this parish as some kind of “evangelical” congregation.

The title “the Evangelist” is included along with St. Mark’s name so that we know for certain which St. Mark (out of the several that exist) the church is named for.

The designation “the Evangelist” for St. Mark tells us it is Mark, the Gospel writer (i.e., the Apostle Mark) as in “…the Holy Gospel According to St. Mark.” He is St. Mark the Evangelist.

He is one of the four Evangelists (the other three being Saints Matthew, Luke, and John).

In a similar circumstance, there is a church (parish) close to my home named St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church.

If it were simply called “St. Peter Catholic Church” it would not be obvious which of the many saints named Peter the church was named for.

By adding the designator “the Apostle” along with the name of Peter, it designates very specifically which “St. Peter” the church is named for. It is named for St. Peter the Apostle, i.e., the first Pope.

I hope this makes sense.

Having said all of the above, this appears to be a typical (Roman Catholic) parish church in the diocese. I believe the Original Poster merely misunderstood the parish’s name.
 
mrdlau said:
That makes sense. Thank you very much
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Just to add my thoughts, I looked at the web site you gave; this looks like a very young and vibrant parish. There are obviously many options for getting active and involve yourself in the life of the community.

Good luck to you and your family; welcome home!
 
Lapey said:
Just to add my thoughts, I looked at the web site you gave; this looks like a very young and vibrant parish. There are obviously many options for getting active and involve yourself in the life of the community.

Good luck to you and your family; welcome home!
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I agree–this sounds like a great parish. 🙂
 
BamaCatholic2 said:
I think there’s been a misunderstanding. The term in the church’s title is “the Evangelist”, not “evangelical.”

The church’s (or parish’s) title is not “Evangelical Catholic Church.”

It’s “Saint Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church.” Another way of saying it would be to say “The Catholic Church of St. Mark the Evangelist.”

The word “Evangelist” in this context is modifying (describing) Saint Mark, not describing this parish as some kind of “evangelical” congregation.

The title “the Evangelist” is included along with St. Mark’s name so that we know for certain which St. Mark (out of the several that exist) the church is named for.

The designation “the Evangelist” for St. Mark tells us it is Mark, the Gospel writer (i.e., the Apostle Mark) as in “…the Holy Gospel According to St. Mark.” He is St. Mark the Evangelist.

He is one of the four Evangelists (the other three being Saints Matthew, Luke, and John).

In a similar circumstance, there is a church (parish) close to my home named St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church.

If it were simply called “St. Peter Catholic Church” it would not be obvious which of the many saints named Peter the church was named for.

By adding the designator “the Apostle” along with the name of Peter, it designates very specifically which “St. Peter” the church is named for. It is named for St. Peter the Apostle, i.e., the first Pope.

I hope this makes sense.

Having said all of the above, this appears to be a typical (Roman Catholic) parish church in the diocese. I believe the Original Poster merely misunderstood the parish’s name.
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Thank goodness…I was concerned as their is a new “evangelical” Catholic Church starting up in the next diocese over and it is NOT Catholic. Many people are fooled who are following this priest over. Because a priest is forever…the “sacraments” are valid (some) but illicit…
 
Belshazzar said:
Don’t be fooled. Many Lutherans these days are calling themselves Evangelical Catholics, likely to distance themselves from the label “Protestant.” At any rate, I would steer clear of this church.
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As the OP was given the list by the diocesan office, I would be surprised in the extreme if it was anything but an authentic Catholic parish.
 
mrdlau said:
apologize in advance if this is not an intelligent question. I googled a bit and couldn’t find the answer.

I attend a roman catholic church. I recently relocated and after visiting the diocese office, I was given a list of churches near my area, with one that was ‘recommended’ since the receptionist knows the Father. I initially planned to go to this one also, since it is closest to my residence…but the only concern (if it is any), is that it is a ‘evangelical catholic,’ and not roman catholic

I’m still new to catholicism itself so I don’t know a lot about the 2. I know that there are fundamental differences, but at the end of the day, is the differences enough that roman catholic should stay in a roman catholic church, and evangelicals should stay in evangelical church? I,e, If I meet this priest for the first time and tell him my previous church was a roman catholic church, will I be judged, or will I be encouraged to change some ways of thinking?

More importantly, does everything I do in a roman catholic church ‘transfer over,’ and vice versa? (i,e baptism, and also if this new priest processes things like annulments for me, is it valid for the other types of catholics churches).

I know the last question seems a bit silly, but I’m just trying to get a grasp and big picture of it.
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Where did you relocate from? From a long time Midwesterner, make sure you know where the nearest basement/shelter is. 😉

Welcome to being Catholic, too, by the way! Now that you’re Catholic, you should attend Catholic Mass at a Catholic parish each and every Sunday (Saturday evening also works as you know). It’s good of you to make sure that the parish is Catholic before attending.

I am happy for the parish that it has some 5:30/after work Masses. I wish more parishes near me would do that as well.
 
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