trying to convert

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TamM

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I am very interested in converting to Catholic. Where do I start? who do I approach to learn more? I went to Mass for the first time today, afterwards the priest was far too busy to approach.

Thanks
 
TamM said:
I am very interested in converting to Catholic. Where do I start? who do I approach to learn more? I went to Mass for the first time today, afterwards the priest was far too busy to approach.

Thanks
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Welcome! The easiest way is call the office at the parish close to you and tell them that you are interested in becoming Catholic and they will point you in the right direction. They may put you in contact with the priest or someone in charge of RCIA (the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults), but they will tell you exactly how things work at your parish and be able to answer any questions you have.
 
thanks…I’m just anxious and they office is officially closed until January fourth…I’ve read all I can find on the internet. If anyone knows where I can get more good information, maybe a book, that would be great.

I also posted this in a different thread that got deleted
Originally Posted by TamM View Post
I’m new here and have a question. First of all, God recently called me to the Catholic church and the pull is amazing. I am incredibly concerned though, as when I was 21 I married a man who after marriage verbally abused me and did illegal things that could of put us and our child in harms way. He was also a perpetual liar and addicted to pornography. I left him after less then one year and eventually divorced him and remarried a wonderful man, with whom I have a second child. My first husband and I were married in a United Church. How can I make my second marriage valid in the Catholic Church? (we married at city hall). will I still be able to convert? Sorry for the long question, this is really bothering me.

If anyone has insight I’d really appreciate it.

Thank you
 
I’m new here and have a question. First of all, God recently called me to the Catholic church and the pull is amazing. I am incredibly concerned though, as when I was 21 I married a man who after marriage verbally abused me and did illegal things that could of put us and our child in harms way. He was also a perpetual liar and addicted to pornography. I left him after less then one year and eventually divorced him and remarried a wonderful man, with whom I have a second child. My first husband and I were married in a United Church. How can I make my second marriage valid in the Catholic Church? (we married at city hall). will I still be able to convert? Sorry for the long question, this is really bothering me.
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First call the parish office and make an appointment with the priest. you have a lot of things to cover here. Being divorced, you can still convert to Catholicism, but be unable to receive communion until you are able to have your first marriage annulled, which will require some (name removed by moderator)ut by your ex. Also if your second husband has been married in the past, he will also need to seek an annulment. The Catholic church believes in a single marriage, so even with a civil divorce the church believes you to be married to your first husband, unless there are grounds to believe that your first marriage was invalid and there are various reasons for this. If you are granted an annulment, then you may have your current marriage convalidated, which in a nutshell is a second wedding in the church which validates your marriage.

Please do not let this discourage you. Please make an appointment with a priest as soon as you can in order to get the full information and to make a game plan. In the meantime you would be more than welcome to attend mass, but to forgo communion.

One book that I would also suggest for further information is: Catholics Experiencing Divorce: Grieving, Healing and Learning to Live Again. by Vicki Wells Bedard, William E Rabior it does not fully fit your current situation, but will help with some understanding of divorced Catholics.

God Bless and Welcome to this forum.
 
🙂 A good book to read is Catholicism for Dummies by Father John Trigilio. Also Catholicism and Christian by Alan Schreck. These books have helped me while I was in RCIA. For websites I recommend Catholic Answers and EWTN.com 🙂
 
don’t know what happened to your other thread
here is link to CA library Answer Sheet on
How to become Catholic
catholic.com/library/How_to_Become_a_Catholic.asp

on this forum, welcome by the way, check out the rules on “what forum should I post this on” post your question on one forum only. For RCIA (how to become CAtholic) the sub-forum is Evangelization. For specific questions about Sacraments, including matrimony, and the Mass, the forum is Liturgy and Sacraments

forum rules forbid giving specific advice on medical, psychological or spiritual problems to individuals. The standard answer therefore to a question on “what should I do about my personal spiritual-psychological-medical problem” is “see the appropriate professional for advice relevant to your own situation” – priest, shrink, MD, marriage counsellor, lawyer, whatever, and see them according to normally accepted practice, which is to call their office during posted hours to set up an appointment.

when somebody here tries to give specific advice about your situation, and the more personal the wose it gets, they are very likely to be wrong because they cannot possibly have all the facts, even if they are competent, in general, in that area.

Welcome home, we will all be praying for you.
 
bpcatholic said:
🙂 A good book to read is Catholicism for Dummies by Father John Trigilio.)
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Hi Tam, and welcome! I will keep you in my prayers… as you begin your discernment of the Catholic faith.

I agree with “bp”. “Catholicism for Dummies” is a great book for anyone who is beginning. It has a lot of quick and easy to understand answers for anyone exploring the Catholic faith. You can find it, in just about any bookstore… in the “Religion” section. The next book, I would recommend… once you have delved into “Dummies”… is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is the official teaching of the Church, and while more complicated than “Dummies”… is still for the most part, easy to read and understand.

I too, think… that you should call the parish office of the church you attended. Someone can point you in the right direction. God bless you on your journey… and Happy New Year! :snowing:
 
TamM said:
thanks…I’m just anxious and they office is officially closed until January fourth…I’ve read all I can find on the internet. If anyone knows where I can get more good information, maybe a book, that would be great.

Thank you
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angelfire.com/ca3/rafaelmarie/ThePieta/athepieta.html
catholicfreeshipping.com/Products/cfs_gensym-154.html
catholicforum.com/churches/cathteach/divinemercy1.htm
our.homewithgod.com/divinemercy/
Here is some good Catholic spiritual Books to read.🙂

.
 
TamM said:
I’ve read all I can find on the internet.
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OH,… I don’t think so! 🙂 <chuckle. chuckle. chuckle!>

Have you checked out the Catechism?

How about the “easier to digest” version of the Catechism, the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church?

I also suggest: Handbook for Today’s Catholic.

And the Catholic Encyclopedia:
New Advent
CAF

Plus, the CAF Library.

…and if you’re into history, The Christendom Series by Warren H. Carroll.

…and of course, ask LOTS of questions here, and listen ONLY to me and those I approve of here (on CAF)!

(( Just kidding on that last bit! Though I would suggest that you ask many other “oldtimers” here [who are actually Catholic] about whom you should listen to. ))

Dia 's Muire dhuit! (God and Mary to you!)

:shamrock2:
 
TamM said:
I am very interested in converting to Catholic. Where do I start? who do I approach to learn more? I went to Mass for the first time today, afterwards the priest was far too busy to approach.

Thanks
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Make an appointment next week to see the priest in his office, and mention to him everything that you have told us. He’ll get you started. I know it seems like forever to wait until next week, but patience is part of the process. The conversion process itself can take a year or more, so don’t worry about a week or two here or there. 🙂

Welcome to the great adventure!! 👍
 
TamM said:
I am very interested in converting to Catholic. Where do I start? who do I approach to learn more? I went to Mass for the first time today, afterwards the priest was far too busy to approach.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Congratulations on accepting the faith in your heart! I offer some words of advice learned from my experience…
  1. You need patience if you’re going to be fully confirmed in the Catholic Faith. If you came from a Protestant and/or typically “American” culture of immediate gratification (like myself), you’re in for a shock. There is no quick profession of faith and then a dunking in water like Protestants and Muslims do with their initiates. Faith and full participation in the Body of Christ (i.e. Church) are two different issues. One can have enormous faith but still need to learn how to be a living, functioning member of the living, organic Church.
  2. Try to not see not being able to “fully participate” (e.g. at Mass) as not being fully Catholic. It can be difficult to go to Mass for sometimes over a year during the long RCIA (conversion) process that the Church follows. Depending on your unique spiritual and marital situation, it can take time to become fully baptized and confirmed. If you find yourself suffering from feelings of disconnect, TALK to your priest, RCIA director, etc. Ask for writings on “spiritual communion”. Try to spend time doing Eucharistic Adoration to overcome sadness at not being able to receive Him yet.
  3. Get involved in parish life. The more you are living a Catholic life among Catholic people, the less you will feel “not Catholic” during your time in RCIA.
Do not be like me and get discouraged. You will regret it.

I will be praying that the Holy Spirit remain by your side during your conversion process.
 
Thank you to everyone for your advice and direction and kind words and prayers. I can’t even begin to describe the feelings in my heart right now…but I suspect a few of you know exactly what I’m feeling. 🙂 I’ve called the priest closest to my home (left a message) and plan to get to a library or bookstore a.s.a.p. The internet links are fantastic, it’s like something woke up inside of me that I need to feed with knowledge of our Lord, and NOW ~ so I truly appreciate all of you taking the time to respond to my post.

Thanks again for the warm welcome,

God Bless
 
TamM said:
Thank you to everyone for your advice and direction and kind words and prayers. I can’t even begin to describe the feelings in my heart right now…but I suspect a few of you know exactly what I’m feeling. 🙂 I’ve called the priest closest to my home (left a message) and plan to get to a library or bookstore a.s.a.p. The internet links are fantastic, it’s like something woke up inside of me that I need to feed with knowledge of our Lord, and NOW ~ so I truly appreciate all of you taking the time to respond to my post.

Thanks again for the warm welcome,

God Bless
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You’re very welcome. And, feel free to private message me anytime.

❤️
 
TamM said:
Thank you to everyone for your advice and direction and kind words and prayers. I can’t even begin to describe the feelings in my heart right now…but I suspect a few of you know exactly what I’m feeling. 🙂 I’ve called the priest closest to my home (left a message) and plan to get to a library or bookstore a.s.a.p. The internet links are fantastic, it’s like something woke up inside of me that I need to feed with knowledge of our Lord, and NOW ~ so I truly appreciate all of you taking the time to respond to my post.

Thanks again for the warm welcome,

God Bless
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Yes, I know that feeling! If you can get hold of a St. Joseph Missal, it’s a great resource for getting to know the Mass. 🙂
 
TamM said:
Thank you to everyone for your advice and direction and kind words and prayers. I can’t even begin to describe the feelings in my heart right now…but I suspect a few of you know exactly what I’m feeling. 🙂 I’ve called the priest closest to my home (left a message) and plan to get to a library or bookstore a.s.a.p. The internet links are fantastic,** it’s like something woke up inside of me that I need to feed with knowledge of our Lord**, and NOW ~ so I truly appreciate all of you taking the time to respond to my post.

Thanks again for the warm welcome,

God Bless
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Yeah. I had that EXACT same experience when I discovered I was Catholic. My DESPERATE NEED to find out all the particulars of the (amazingly deep) deposit of faith within the Church (Catholic) FORCED me (the anti-devil made me do it!) into spending WAY too much money on books.

If you’re interested in also spending too much money on thoroughly worthwhile information, check out the Navarre Bible (which is actually 19 or 20 individual books). It has the most incredible commentary of veritably each line of the bible.

That was my most massive “single” purchase.

Also, do check out the Vatican website (vatican.va/) whenever possible, and the CAF and EWTN sites for free info. And ask here for references to whatever subject area you find fascinating at any particular moment. Those “moments” seem to come in “waves”, if you know what I mean, and I’m sure you do! 🙂

…and for a whimsical addition: AN CHÉAD LÉACHT, on the off chance that you’re interested in such arcanity. Moladh go deo le Dia!

:shamrock2:
 
CatsAndDogs said:
Yeah. I had that EXACT same experience when I discovered I was Catholic. My DESPERATE NEED to find out all the particulars of the (amazingly deep) deposit of faith within the Church (Catholic) FORCED me (the anti-devil made me do it!) into spending WAY too much money on books.

If you’re interested in also spending too much money on thoroughly worthwhile information, check out the Navarre Bible (which is actually 19 or 20 individual books). It has the most incredible commentary of veritably each line of the bible.

That was my most massive “single” purchase.

Also, do check out the Vatican website (vatican.va/) whenever possible, and the CAF and EWTN sites for free info. And ask here for references to whatever subject area you find fascinating at any particular moment. Those “moments” seem to come in “waves”, if you know what I mean, and I’m sure you do! 🙂

…and for a whimsical addition: AN CHÉAD LÉACHT, on the off chance that you’re interested in such arcanity. Moladh go deo le Dia.

:shamrock2:
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