Seeking advice on possibly joining the church

  • Thread starter Thread starter phatrat1982
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
P

phatrat1982

Guest
I am not sure if this is the exact forum for this type of thread if it is not please feel free to move it. I am new here and there are so many topics to read through I just wanted to stop reading for a while and get my questions asked if that is ok.

I won’t go into details on who I am or how I got here, not at the moment anyways. But for the most part I have felt God leading me to at questions about the Catholic church where before I would have never even considered doing so. I was raised mostly baptist and the last church I attended regularly was very anti-catholic. So I have a history of being anti catholic myself. I have friends who “came out of” the catholic church and whose testimony even moved me to myself crusade for that very thing. I must admit I always felt it was wrong to condemn any Christian because of their churches fallacies and even before going to that church I was at, I always felt that Catholics were just as christian as I was, maybe even more so in some ways or at least was how I felt. Anyways I have so many questions but I also have genuine concerns over certain issues that I have yet to resolve.

I am not expecting anyone to have concrete answers on doctrines and the like, even I have questions about certain things and I have been reading the Bible since I was about 10 or so and well I am 30 now.

What I am here for is just to ask questions and seek advice. I would like to actually go to a church and meet with a priest or bishop or whatever it is whoever it is I would meet with in person but I have never been to a catholic church so I don’t know how it works. most churches I have gone to have certain hours someone is available and I can’t find anything in the local directories or online as to how to find out who to talk to and since I am new to this I felt like maybe I should take it one step at a time.

If I wanted to speak with a person of authority how easy is it to do so and what is the protocol, like do I need an appointment, should I just go down to the local church and walk in, is there a special place to go to ask questions, or how should I move forward?

Second and this is the big one, I come from such an anti catholic family just telling my mom that I was asking questions about the catholic church well nearly got me all worried I was going to start a holy war. My sisters were a little more understanding and she didn’t say anything out right against it well how can she, anyways she said she respected my finding what is right for me, but I mostly fear my dad would be less welcoming. I have not made any decisions yet I am still asking questions but I am also willing to be obedient to God even if it means causing a rift with my own family, unless that can be avoided.

I was always under the belief that all Christians who believed in the Blood of the Lamb and the Saving Grace who had faith would be saved. I also always felt that it didn’t matter where you went as long as you went to worship God and fellowship with other believers. I know God is powerful and I can do all things through Christ and my faith is as strong as ever, I am recently on a quest to get right with God and no matter what I do I can not feel right unless I am attending the right church and well so far I have not found that church and it occurred to me there was one church I was neglecting all along.
 
Hello and welcome.

I would suggest you make an appointment to talk to either the pastor or a deacon (if the local parish has a deacon). Making an appointment sounds very formal, but priests tend to be on the go a lot, with meetings, visits to the sick, etc. So, just dropping by might leave you disappointed if no one is there that can speak to you at that time.

Another option would be to talk to whoever in that parish coordinates RCIA. RCIA is the process by which one joins the Church. RCIA typically runs in a school year type fashion, Sept - May. But the person coordinating it should be able to talk to you any time. RCIA Is the right place to lean the fundamentals of what the Church teaches, how we live and worship as Catholics, and whether you want to enter a formal process to join the Church. The first part of RCIA is called “inquiry” and it is just that-- no obligation or pressure to join the church. I know one man who stayed in the inquiry phase for 3 years (he was a Hindu and had LOTS to learn and question before deciding he wanted to become a Christian).
 
Hi and welcome,

I’d suggest calling a local parish and telling them what you want to do, and see what they offer. Generally priests are too busy to just walk in on. There’s also this forum, of course, and the Coming Home forum as well.

As to your anti-Catholic family, boy do we see that a lot. Some of us even take it as evidence that the Catholic Church is the true Church. 🙂

You’re quite right that many Christians who say that salvation just requires belief and repentance, will add the caveat “and not being Catholic!” It’s a mystery. Read the lives of the Catholic saints and you will find people who loved God immensely, trusted him totally, and poured out their lives seeking to do his will. Hard to find any objective reason to deny they were Christians.

Most of all, seek the truth at all costs, and always walk in the footsteps of Christ. If your family cannot accept that, then that is their loss.
 
I guess it is taking that first step. Part of what makes me hesitant is not because my family might disown me or whatever, it is because since going back to school I have had to move back home, so it makes me nervous what they would do if I came out and said I stopped going to their church to talk to a catholic priest.

My next question is then how would I make said appointment? Do I need to go down to the church, call them on the phone or how does it work? I am new to this area so I don’t even know where their church is. I have never been to one but I can understand how the priests and deacons or whatever you call them would be busy, the church I was in for so long had my dad as a deacon and their primary purpose was to take the load off the pastors.

The reasons why I am unsure how to proceed is most churches I have been to if the pastor is busy they usually have office hours or a secretary on staff to talk to would a catholic church also have someone present if I went down in person to make an appointment? And how do I look up where the local church is located aside from driving around? I looked online but google had so many listings I was not sure where to start.
 
Yes, call the nearest Catholic church and ask to make an appointment to talk with the Priest.

I wish more people were like you.

I wish more people who had questions about the Catholic faith took the time to inquire of a Catholic priest, rather than just taking the anti-Catholic rhetoric that goes around in other denominations. Good on ya for that.

As for rejection/disapproval from your family… well I would simply ask them to trust your judgment and respect your decision to inquire about the church. If you normally share things with your family, then I would do this, too: As you learn about the Catholic Church, namely the position on so many common points of attack, go home and say “Hey guess what I learned about the Pope, Mom…” and share it with her. “Did you know that confessing to a priest is in the Bible?”… You won’t come off as preaching, but just sharing what you’re discovering. If you google Catholic Apologetics, you’ll find a lot of good learning in advance for that sort of thing.

If it is true, you could also simply say that God has moved your heart to look into the Catholic Church. Who would argue with Him?

Good luck to you…and you will be in my prayers.
 
What makes it really especially hard for me was having been so anti catholic I had catholic friends I basically flat out told them they were going to hell. There is a danger I always felt in that because of the part where Jesus scolded the Pharisees for that same thing, calling the works of the holy spirit the works of the devil and he called that the one thing he would not forgive, so it was one of those things I wish I had been more careful of. I never called anyone in the church the devil or devil worshipers but I was always quick to jump on the great whore debate.
 
Howdy!

It would be easiest to call a local church and make an apt to speak with the priest/pastor. If you are uncomfortable with calling him Fr. Name, you can also go with Reverend Name. Some use their first name (Father/Rev Bob), and some their last (Father Smith). You can ask the receptionist what he goes by, or just wait for him to introduce himself 🙂

Continue to read your bible and pray to the Holy Spirit! All God asks is that we do our very best to follow where he leads us… but all is life-consuming. In the words of the Angel to Mary, Do Not Be Afraid!

and-

“There are not a hundred people in America who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions of people who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church — which is, of course, quite a different thing.” Fulton J. Sheen, who you can look up on Youtube, if you like!
 
ok last question for now, on this subject. Would there be someone there tomorrow, Sunday, or should I wait till Monday to make a call? It is getting late enough now I wouldn’t bother tonight.
 
I would think so, but perhaps only around the Mass times (since it’s Sunday)- look the parish up online, and they will probably have hours and phone numbers listed :). That definitely could vary from church to church!
 
Welcome!!!

Call several churches in your immediate area. You can also go to Mass and after Mass you can mention to the Priest and/or Deacon (if there is one) that you would like to make an appointment to discuss joining the church. Not all Priests stand at the door to great everyone. Some churches have ushers. Speak to them if the Priest nor the Deacon is available. They’ll be happy to help you.

Come back and let us know how it goes. We are here to pray for you, answer your questions and support you in anyway we can.
 
Go to mass tomorrow morning. Grab a bulletin and you fill find in there the phone numbers and office hours. If your priest is hard to find after mass or you aren’t able to figure out who the ushers are, at least you will have the bulletin to go by.
And your church’s website is usually easy to find on google if you want to check there. type in “your city and catholic church” and you should find it.

Good luck!
 
phatrat1982 said:
ok last question for now, on this subject. Would there be someone there tomorrow, Sunday, or should I wait till Monday to make a call? It is getting late enough now I wouldn’t bother tonight.
Click to expand...
Sunday’s a pretty busy day at any Catholic Church. Hang out with us for the weekend and make the call on Monday. 🙂
 
Hope I can be of some help, coming from a Baptist background myself (although we weren’t of the anti-Catholic variety).
  1. thecatholicdirectory.com/
This website should help you find parishes near you, plus lists Mass times, has bulletins, and contact information.
  1. Sundays are busy, they will probably have 3-4 Masses at least, and maybe some other activities. There may or may not be anyone in the office. You are welcome to attend a Mass and get a feel for the parish, and even introduce yourself to the Father if possible, although I doubt he would have more than a minute or two to chat, as all the other parishioners will be saying hello as well. I would strongly suggest calling the office on Monday and explaining to them who you are, your situation, and tell them you have questions/concerns. See about setting up a time to meet with a Deacon or Priest.
  2. If you do go to Mass, you can participate as much as you wish, except for one thing. The Catholic Church practices “closed” Communion, and only Catholics who are in a state of grace may recieve Communion (Eucharist). The reasons for this are several, one major one being where St. Paul warns against those who do not discern the Body and Blood could be eating and drinking judgement on themselves. The Church wants to protect you and others from doing this out of ignorance. If you do attend a Mass, when it comes time for Communion, just remain in the pew and let the others by.
  3. www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm
    This is a link to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This is the official teachings of the Church. It is helpful when trying to come to grips with different teachings and learning about the Church.
Feel free to throw out any questions you may have or concerns. This message board is a wealth of expertise and experience. Any question you may have has already been asked, and eveyrone is cheerful to answer honest and respectful questions.

God bless on your journey!
 
Welcome! You will end up where the Lord desires you to be, since you have begun your journey with the only necessary piece of equipment: an open heart.

I would suggest that you do a little reading on the faith. A great introduction, and not bad to follow up with, is Catholicism for Dummies. I learn something each time I read my copy.

Here is a website that offers information and other resources.

As well, we are always here as a resource.
 
I will check out those websites because I have already looked online to find the local church, I found a listing with a picture of the church and a phone number no mention of times or location but I will figure it out.
 
I am no closer to joining now than I was a year ago, maybe I should have been more clear on my stance and where I am at and coming from. I have so far only dealt with my Catholic friends, nothing official from the church leaders, and of course what my fellow non-Catholics have had to say on the matter. Other than that all I have to go by is endless reading of articles on the internet, which quite frankly get tiresome and often go in circles anyways.

I have read the Catchism, I do not fully understand it or at least certain parts of it. I understand the most essential elements of the Bible pertaining to salvation and serving the Lord and just because I have stopped going to church does not mean I am any less faithful, I am on a quest to get closer to the Lord, by any means he reveals to me. I prayed about a certain thing, God lead me to do a google search and that led me to this website. I have had questions I wanted to ask directly to faithful catholics who would be versed in the teachings of their church. Mostly because those I am familiar with are the type you see on TV, the sunday morning kind who are drug dealers and pimps by week but holymen on Sunday. That is the catholic I have experience with.

I should have worded my original posts better, last night I may have led some of you to believe I was considering joining the church or converting, that is not exactly the case. I mostly want to settle some internal issues I have with the church, if i discover God is telling me it is where he wants me then I will continue. But I want to learn if the things I have heard are true or if they are false. So far I have not affirmed any of my suspicions but I have not settled any of my doubts either. I am weary to just go down to the church because if the church is corrupt and an instrument of the devil, I am not saying it is I am being cautious here, but if it is I do not want to go into the lions den. I would prefer to learn from a safe distance and then if my doubts and fears are settled then I will continue.

I was new to the forum last night, well ok still am. so I was cautious not to say anything divisive or offensive. I have had conversations with a couple of you in private that have been helpful to some extent but my fears have not been entirely addressed and taking the scape goat of this is what the church teaches does not help much because from where I stand you still need scripture to back it up. I am not a scripture only person I believe the Bible is the Living Word of God and the Holy Spirit within each of us talks to us as individuals and leads us where he does for a purpose.

I am not going to argue points of logic or debate issues using mans logic, the bible says Gods ways are not our ways, and he says we is the potter we are the clay but he also says you do not need men to teach you for you have the Holy Spirit. There are those who are called to teach, true, and there are those who are called to lead, they are not always the same but not everyone is called to teach and not everyone is called to be taught. Some or given the gift of faith, some the gift of teaching, others the gift of love, so on and so on. I believe my Gift is Faith, in all my life I have never doubted the Lord not once since becoming his child. I have given my life to him I am dedicated to him and my faith is as strong now as ever. Last night I was having questions the more I spoke with people the more it made me want to open my Bible and check was whats being tossed my way. I decided to sleep on it, pray on it and woke up this morning moved to say that I am not any closer to joining the church if anything I am reaffirming my own faith and deciding that maybe God brought me here to settle the issue once and for all not to lead me down a dark path.

I do not think catholics are sinners going to Hell exactly, I think we are ALL sinners going to hell. But I do not think that only a catholic can interpret scripture I think that only the Holy Spirit can do that and I believe in all my heart He lives in me as the bible teaches and is leading me to a different conclusion. I am glad I came here to settle the issue but I can safely say I am not compatible with the Catholic church so thank you all for your time. I wish nobody harm or ill feelings, I will not be returning to discuss this matter further I believe one of my vices is spending too much time on the internet and I have made a promise to God I would spend less time arguing with people over things that are not that important and so my quest continues to get closer to God, I am not seeking him I found salvation when I was 12 years old, I was baptized and I worship the Lord quite faithfully and I feel entirely comfortable with my position thank you all so very much.
 
Friend,

You are welcome to ask questions. Trust us. There are individuals here VERY knowledgeable about the Catholic Church.

God bless you!
 
phatrat1982 said:
I will check out those websites because I have already looked online to find the local church, I found a listing with a picture of the church and a phone number no mention of times or location but I will figure it out.
Click to expand...
Check the catholicdirectory website, or the parishes website for recent bulletins. The bulletin will have updated Mass times and contact information. God bless and keep visiting the site!
 
The True Church bears four marks: It is One (united), Holy (set apart from the world), Catholic (universal over all the earth) and Apostolic (contains successors to the Apostles, with their abilities). There is also a fifth mark: Just as it is with truth, the True Church is hard to embrace and easy to leave.

There are innumerable false prophets and false teachers. Most of their assemblies are easy to join and difficult to leave. Look for the one which requires you to deny yourself, take up your cross, then follow.
 
Phatrat 1982…I cannot reply to you because your mailbox is too full and it is not accepting any additional mail.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top