Seeking advice on possibly joining the church

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phatrat1982 said:
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.
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I have felt pulled towards Christianity for ten years now. Ten years ago, I looked into Catholicism and found I disagreed with its doctrines. For ten years I’ve had ‘pulls’ at least once a year where I have been inspired to draw closer to God and to research Protestant denominations. This March, 2012, I gave in and became ‘saved’ according to the Protestant tradition (sinner’s prayer) but to me this didn’t feel enough, I felt I was missing something. The Protestant forum I hung out on was very anti-Catholic and I got curious about Catholics and joined this forum. From what I’ve learned here, and from what I’ve read elsewhere, I’ve found that for me, Catholicism gives me what I’ve been searching for during ten years, and I intend to be confirmed Catholic at Easter Vigil next year.

As you feel God led you to this website, maybe you have not yet found what you are seeking for.
phatrat1982 said:
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 wary 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.
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What are your suspicions and doubts? If you ask questions here honestly, you will get good replies.

And IMHO Catholicism is not an instrument of the Devil. Why should it be? Catholicism IS Christian.

Look at the Apostle’s Creed.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth;
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord;
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into Hell. On the third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into Heaven, where He is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty,
From there He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and in life everlasting.
Amen.

Those are Christian sentiments, right?
phatrat1982 said:
the Holy Spirit within each of us talks to us as individuals and leads us where he does for a purpose.
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Yes, so maybe you’ve been led to this website for a purpose?
phatrat1982 said:
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.
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Catholicism isn’t a ‘dark path’ as it follows Jesus. I’d say the lives of many in the West today follow a dark path: materialism, caring only for wealth with little regard for the lives of others [big business]; lack of respect for other people, especially in the young; the promotion of lust in the media, including advertising; abortion; lack of morals.
phatrat1982 said:
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.
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lol, you say you are open to what God wants you to do, and then say you’re finished with this website? I would say that deciding for yourself which religion you are led to follow IS important. I spend way too much time online reading these forums, but I don’t feel bad about it, because it helps me spiritually. You can’t be ‘entirely comfortable’ with your position, else you wouldn’t be on this site. And besides you said your questions hadn’t been answered.

Why not go down to your local Catholic church? You won’t find yourself to be a devil-worshipper by doing that. You said that you weren’t impressed by the Catholics you’ve met, but you will meet lukewarm people of all religions. Even talking to the priest isn’t dangerous, lol. If you talked to an imam in a mosque, you wouldn’t walk out a Muslim, so there is no reason why seeing a Catholic priest isn’t the same.

Good luck in your quest 🙂
 
zz912 said:
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!
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I am thinking of getting one of these RCIA manuals. That may be easier to go through than the Catechism book. I am hoping to be able to help out with RCIA this year and I have a feeling these books are full of information.

ltp.org/p-1804-rcia-catechists-manual-2nd-edition.aspx

ltp.org/p-1804-rcia-catechists-manual-2nd-edition.aspx
 
aicirt said:
I believe one of the authors was his student. And I think he has a new one out called THE MASS FOR DUMMIES.
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Maybe Fr. Kenneth Brighenti? Co-author Fr. John Trigilio is a little more, um, seasoned, shall we say. In any event, there are two PhDs and a ThD between the authors. Plus the book bears the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur.

Here’s an Amazon link to Catholicism for Dummies.
 
po18guy said:
Maybe Fr. Kenneth Brighenti? Co-author Fr. John Trigilio is a little more, um, seasoned, shall we say. In any event, there are two PhDs and a ThD between the authors. Plus the book bears the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur.

Here’s an Amazon link to Catholicism for Dummies.
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They both were interviewed regarding their latest on EWTN. I’m assuming it was Fr. Brighenti considering my priest is about the same vintage as Fr. Trigilio.
 
phatrat1982 said:
… 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.
…
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For you, I don’t think you are at the point where you should speak with a Priest. I think you have too many misgivings and are too unsure.

But just to answer your question…
The Catholic church building itself is often times open during the day for prayer and reflection, but Priests are not generally there except during Mass (which is celebrated each day)
The Church Office (rectory) typically has pretty standard business hours of M-F 8-5 and is staffed primarily by lay people and some volunteers.

Generally you call and make an appointment because Priests are spread pretty thin. Being a Priest is not an 8-5 job, but a 24/7 job. They can get called to a hospital to console or pray for a sick person at anytime day or night.
Some parishes only have 1 priest. Small communities may share a single Priest among multiple towns.
They are also at the beckon call of just about every Community Group, Organization and Charity within the Church.
So they typically work 60-80 hour work weeks with the occasional call to the Hospital at 2AM (for example)

Also… although they typically have several years of college and seminary… not ALL Priests are gifted at explaining the teaching the faith, or even answering questions from non-Catholics.

You might find the local Priest quite good at talking to you… or you might find him easily flustered and impatient… You can’t be sure. They are human, and as such… not all the same. – that’s my point.

If reading on the web is getting tiresome for you… try tuning into your local Catholic radio program on your AM dial.
Ave Maria radio has many stations throughout the U.S.
There is even an iPhone app (and I assume Android) for listening to Catholic Radio.
The best Catholic radio program is called “Catholic Answers LIVE” and they even have a day dedicated to non-Catholics to call in and ask questions.

Honestly… I’d start THERE.

Catholic.com also has a video section catholic.com/video
The head of Apologetics (defense of the faith) is an ex-evangelical anti-Catholic turned head of Apologetics at Catholic Answers - Tim Staples.

There is also the biblechristiansociety headed by John Martinogne who was an ex-Baptist turned Catholic. He has some MP3 sound files you can listen to. WARNING: He is an ‘in your face’ type of guy and can come off kinda abrasive I think.
There is also radio versions and a TV show for “The Journey Home” program ewtn.com/tv/live/journeyhome.asp which has interviews with those who were non-Catholic and converted.

I know you are not considering becoming Catholic at this point and I don’t list any of these to try and convince you. I list them because
A) they don’t involve more reading
B) they may contain answers to some of your questions/objections
C) they are easier to fast forward, skip, etc. then going to a Priest
D) they are less scary then ‘stepping into the lions den’ as you mentioned about going into a church.
 
phatrat1982 said:
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.
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Just make sure you join a Mainstream Denomination of Protestant if you do NOT decide to join the truine church (RCC). As a former Lutheran(Protestant) we preached faith and commandment keeping, as you cannot have one without the other. Grace saves us but we must define true faith, its and action on our part. I have been with the RCC for 16 years now and I know I am in the full light.

Good Luck
lulu
 
Good for you for having the courage to investigate The Church. I have found that Catholic Answers to be an excellent source of information. I am a lifelong Catholic and my own knowledge of Catholicism has grown by leaps and bounds just by reading and posting here.

Good luck to you, my friend!
 
phatrat1982 said:
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.
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After reading your statement, I think I may have had a change of heart as to why I have been Catholic most of my life. Stay a Christian my friend.

Read John 6:47.
 
lulu88 said:
Just make sure you join a Mainstream Denomination of Protestant if you do NOT decide to join the truine church (RCC). As a former Lutheran(Protestant) we preached faith and commandment keeping, as you cannot have one without the other. Grace saves us but we must define true faith, its and action on our part. I have been with the RCC for 16 years now and I know I am in the full light.

Good Luck
lulu
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What made you convert?
 
JohnHall said:
What made you convert?
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**I suppose it was a calling, however I studied the Saints, they have a lot
of answers when you are unsure of things. The RCC is the first truine church
of Christ, also as a Lutheran, we professed the Nicene Creed along with the apostolic teachings(succession) of Christ.

There is no other church that brings out the full light of Christ then the RCC.

Good luck.

Blessing

lulu**
 
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