The difference between Churches?

[Mercury53]

I have a question about different Catholic churches in my area. I am a Catholic that has not been to Church on a weekly basis for nearly 10 years, and now I am back in Church and praying my rosary daily. I am just overwhelmed by the amount of things to know about the faith and feel very lost about my next step in choosing which Church in my area will be my Church. We have two Catholic Churches in a reasonably small area, one is St. Paul the Apostle Chapel, the other is St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. The first is a mile from me, the second is about 7 miles. No big deal on distance for either, we are regularly in town near St. John’s so we love the drive. The problem I am having is that my wife is not Catholic, and she wants to convert. She likes St. Paul’s, but there is no RCIA program there and the Building itself is a little run down and has not been updated since it’s construction over 30 years ago. Not a huge deal but the atmosphere of this Chapel is a little bit of a downer compared to the Church of St. Agnes that I was baptized in. I am used to a bright, beautiful setting that is a testament to the beauty of the faith. I have not been to St. Johns, but the building’s exterior is beautiful and it has an RCIA program so my wife and I could attend the classes so I can refresh and she can convert. I guess my question is, is there a difference between the two Churches? And am I sinning with my objections to the former? Also, we have a 2 year old son and we want to baptize him but we have no Catholic friends that we would consider for godparents. What do we do there?

 

[Heliotropium]

I have a question about different Catholic churches in my area. I am a Catholic that has not been to Church on a weekly basis for nearly 10 years, and now I am back in Church and praying my rosary daily. I am just overwhelmed by the amount of things to know about the faith and feel very lost about my next step in choosing which Church in my area will be my Church. We have two Catholic Churches in a reasonably small area, one is St. Paul the Apostle Chapel, the other is St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. The first is a mile from me, the second is about 7 miles. No big deal on distance for either, we are regularly in town near St. John’s so we love the drive. The problem I am having is that my wife is not Catholic, and she wants to convert. She likes St. Paul’s, but there is no RCIA program there and the Building itself is a little run down and has not been updated since it’s construction over 30 years ago. Not a huge deal but the atmosphere of this Chapel is a little bit of a downer compared to the Church of St. Agnes that I was baptized in. I am used to a bright, beautiful setting that is a testament to the beauty of the faith. I have not been to St. Johns, but the building’s exterior is beautiful and it has an RCIA program so my wife and I could attend the classes so I can refresh and she can convert. I guess my question is, is there a difference between the two Churches? And am I sinning with my objections to the former? Also, we have a 2 year old son and we want to baptize him but we have no Catholic friends that we would consider for godparents. What do we do there?

Hello and congrats on the great news of your wifes conversion and your return to practicing your faith. Always awesome to hear this. Your not committing any sin by choosing one Church over the other. I would attend RCIA classes at St. Johns and then if your wife feels comfortable going to St. Pauls then she can do so. I think though you should just take it one day at a time and not worry about things so far into the future. Just start going to the RCIA classes and when thats done God will guide you to the next step. You might meet some nice couple that is in the RCIA class that would make great God parents for your son. I have found reverts and converts have such an amazing love for the gift of faith they now have. Sometimes sadly this flame is dim or burnt out in many seasoned Catholics. We humans tend to take things for granted. The Lord will provide my friend.

God Bless

 

[MarkThompson]

I’m assuming that these are both Roman Catholic establishments in good standing with the Church. In that case, as a Catholic you are free to attend Mass at any church you want. Many people do not go to the church nearest their house, for all kinds of reasons including just liking one better.

For adult initiation and the sacraments like baptism, you are generally bound to have these done in the parish you reside in. Parishes cover geographical areas, just like counties, and although your parish church is often the closest church to your house, this is not always the case. (“Registration” helps the parish keep records, but you “belong” to a parish on the basis of where you live regardless of whether or where you’ve registered.) What you should do is call the parish office at St. Paul’s during business hours and say “Hi, I’ve got some questions about baptism for my child, but I’m actually not sure if I technically live in the parish. Could you help me make sure?” You can also ask about RCIA for your wife. Parish secretaries are used to getting these questions, and you should be able to get all the information you need.

There are also lots of people who move around and do not know anybody nearby who can serve as godparents, so once you are further along the process of figuring things out, you can ask your priest for advice about what to do in such a case.

Welcome back to the Church! Best of luck and blessings to you.

 

[Mercury53]

Thanks for the great replies! I will contact St. Johns and see what we need to do next. I have already brought up baptizing my son at St. Paul’s, so we will probably do it there.

 

[floresco]

If you tell your priest that you do not know any suitable godparents, he might suggest someone from the parish.