Understanding The Catholic Church

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skyjoy00

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Hi, I’m a Baptist and I want to learn more about the Catholic Church. I’ve never been to a Catholic Church before but I was thinking about joining one to have a better understanding of the faith. Some things I’m particularly curious about is RICA courses and what they’re for, holy communion(no idea what it is), mass(is it similar to going to Baptist’s church on Sundays), rosaries, and why Catholics pray to saints as well as the emphasis on Mother Mary. Anything else about the Catholic Church or faith is up for discussion. The reason I’m interested is because I’ve noticed that there is some tension between Catholics and Baptists and I believe the cause of this is that we don’t understand what each other stands for. I would like to break the tradition by being more knowledgeable about both faiths. I want to be clear that I have no interest in converting, I just want to understand. If I seemed offensive at all, I’m supremely sorry, not here to judge. Thank you for listening. God Bless!
 
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skyjoy00 said:
RICA courses
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will teach you everything you’re asking about, The Eucharist (Holy Communion), the Sacraments, The Rosary, Baptize, the service, the mass, the roles of the people in the church (priest, pope, bishop), it will give you an introduction to the Catholic Catechism. It is very helpful classes who want to become Catholic.

it will also explain why Catholic pray to saints and Mary, but its not a requirement to pray to saint or Mary to be Catholic.
 
skyjoy00 said:
Hi, I’m a Baptist and I want to learn more about the Catholic Church. I’ve never been to a Catholic Church before but I was thinking about joining one to have a better understanding of the faith. Some things I’m particularly curious about is RICA courses and what they’re for, holy communion(no idea what it is), mass(is it similar to going to Baptist’s church on Sundays), rosaries, and why Catholics pray to saints as well as the emphasis on Mother Mary. Anything else about the Catholic Church or faith is up for discussion. The reason I’m interested is because I’ve noticed that there is some tension between Catholics and Baptists and I believe the cause of this is that we don’t understand what each other stands for. I would like to break the tradition by being more knowledgeable about both faiths. I want to be clear that I have no interest in converting, I just want to understand. If I seemed offensive at all, I’m supremely sorry, not here to judge. Thank you for listening. God Bless!
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If your really interested here ya go…

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM
 
skyjoy00 said:
I want to be clear that I have no interest in converting,
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Fair enough but know that what the Catholic Church teaches goes back to Apostolic tradition. It is what Christians have believed through the centuries. You are right that there is some tension between Catholics and Baptists, but in my experience Baptists want to brush off the history of Christianity and focus on the Bible alone. Well, sorry but Christ and the Apostles walked the earth in the 1st century while the Baptist Church dates to the 17th century.
 
A book that has a good basic synthesis of Catholic teaching would be a good place to start. Two good starting places:

Catholicism for Dummies
The US Adult Catechism

RCIA is a series of rites in an unbaptized adult’s journey to baptism in the Catholic Church. There are some rites that baptized people from other faith traditions receive on their way to joining the Church.

This process also includes classes to teach inquirers and those preparing to enter the Church what the Church teaches.
 
Thank you so much! I’m sorry if I offended you or your faith that is not my intention. I know it’s a very serious matter and I’m not in any way taking this lightly. I don’t want to covert like I said but I do want to make a change in my life and strengthen my faith and I thought by learning more about different aspects of Christianity it could help me on my search as well as breach the gap between Catholics and Baptists. I appreciate your help and feedback!
 
I took a Discovering Judaism class and had no intention of becoming Jewish.
I learned a lot. I don’t know if they would let the person sit in on a few classes.
There could be others who go through RCIA, but aren’t ready to convert yet.
I would have the OP contact the person in charge of RCIA.

Thre also i sva good book Catholicism for Dummies I would recommend and
the Catechism of the Catholic church.

@skyjoy00
 
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I agree with the above - contact your local Catholic Church about attending RCIA. Those classes are generally open to anyone with no obligation. Note that most (not all) follow the school year, so they would be at about the halfway point now.

I might also suggest that if you have more than one church in your area, visit them all before you settle on classes with one. We are a universal Church, but it’s not always uniform.

Finally, another book suggestion that is short and simple to read: Why We’re Catholic by Trent Horn. It hits the highlights in a way that’s good for anyone to follow.
 
I spent a number of my teenage years in a Baptist church because that was where my mother chose to go, so I understand what you mean by there being many misconceptions between the faiths.

If nobody has mentioned it yet, the book Why We’re Catholic has very good information in it.

There are some aspects of a Catholic mass which will seem at least somewhat similar to what you are likely familiar with. Reading of scripture, a homily and communion for example. But the experience is vastly different. Especially communion. Catholics do not believe that the Eucharist is only a symbolic gesture. You are of course welcome to attend mass any time you like, you would just be asked not to receive communion unless you did go through RCIA and decided to receive the sacraments.

Remember you are always welcome to attend mass even if you do not wish to convert at this time. All parishes will have mass on Sunday and many will have daily mass as well.
 
I’ll try (and probably fail) to be brief.
  1. RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) is how you learn the basics of the Christian faith.
  2. Holy Communion is bread and wine which has been consecrated to God (think Last Supper) and becomes the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, exactly as He said in the bible.
  3. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is what Jesus commanded us to do until He comes again. At the Mass, we offer Christ to the Father in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. Since we are members of Christ’s Body, we also include ourselves in that offering. He used sacrificial language at that Last Supper, indicating that it is indeed a sacrifice - but NOT a “re-sacrifice” that is a) impossible and b) not true and c) is a claim made by those who do not know the Church.
  4. The Rosary is a contemplative prayer in which we contemplate the mysteries of Christ’s life. We also ponder Mary’s assumption into heaven and her coronation (Revelation 12). What it is NOT: It is NOT “vain” repetition - if such were prohibited, the Psalms would have to be ripped out of the bible. The Psalms are very repetitive. Look at Psalm 136 for example.
  5. Catholics pray to Saints because it is biblical. You have to look for it, but check Revelation 5:8 and 2 Maccabees 12 (in Catholic and Orthodox*** bibles).
  6. We honor Mary because God in Christ honored her first. She brought Him to us and now leads us (like pastor does) to Him.
The charitable Catholic view of Baptists is that they lack the fullness of the Christian faith. Many aspects of Christian belief and practice were discarded in the reformation and thereafter. Practices which had been held to since day one. This is sad, as it makes things look like the Catholic Church “added” things. Not true.

A copy of Catholicism for Dummies is a simply excellent idea.

*** The Eastern Orthodox Church is 95+% identical to the Catholic, having common apostolic origins. Have you ever heard anyone badmouth the Orthodox? Why not? That is food for thought.
 
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po18guy said:
The charitable Catholic view of Baptists is that they lack the fullness of the Christian faith. Many aspects of Christian belief and practice were discarded in the reformation and thereafter. Practices which had been held to since day one. This is sad, as it makes things look like the Catholic Church “added” things. Not true.
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The more I learn about the Catholic faith, the more I see this to be true. I always devoted myself to God personally but I sometimes felt something was missing. This was very helpful, thank you!
 
I also took no offense to your words, no worries. I should have been more sincere in my topic so I understand why you responded that way. Also, I feel the same way about my faith which is why I’m searching for more ways to serve my Heavenly Father. Thank you for your explanation on your beliefs, I deeply appreciate it.
 
skyjoy00 said:
mass(is it similar to going to Baptist’s church on Sundays)
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This is an important distinction. The word Mass is derived from the Latin ‘Missa’ which denote the Mission that we have been nourished for by what we have just done. So important is this aspect of ‘mission’ that that is why the remembrance is referred to as Mass. We have been nourished by the Word of God, by the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist but they are not for nothing. When the Priest says “the Mass is ended. Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord”, we experience that commission profoundly. We leave the Church building renewed for the work of being witness to Christs love and mercy, calling others Home by Gods grace.
 
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I was raised Lutheran as a child, in college attended nondenominational, Church of the Nazarene and occasionally a Catholic Church with friends. I went to an American Baptist church for a few years, then went back to the Nazarene church. I married a Catholic and after sixteen years decided to learn more about her faith. I had no intention of converting, and attended RCIA classes to learn. I also watched many RCIA videos on YouTube and read a few books. I found the truth of the Catholic Faith and chose to convert three years ago at age sixty. I haven’t regretted it.
All I’m saying is keep an open mind with what you learn. Find out WHY we believe what we do. The history of the church is amazing. God Bless.
 
@(name removed by moderator) @skyjoy00 @7_Sorrows
Reading the interaction here between you three made me think of something else I often tell non-Catholics in person: we don’t speak the same language! 😁 This often leads to unintended misunderstandings (or worse!), so I’m glad you all got that cleared up.

OP, as a convert myself (long story, but the Baptist Church is part of it), learning how Catholics talk about things vs the standard Evangelical Protestant language - same words, different meanings, etc. - was part of my conversion and “inculturation” to the Church. Don’t be afraid to ask what we mean when we say certain things, and I hope you’ll overlook some of the awkward responses you may get from Catholics from time to time due to being “lost in translation”.
 
Can you elaborate on this a little more, I don’t completely understand? Also, “An Ordained Priest receives special Graces and abilities by his Ordination. Because of this He can Consecrate the bread and wine into the actual Body Blood Soul Divinity of Jesus Christ at Mass. He is following in the footsteps of the Apostles that Jesus gave this authority to at the Last Supper.” Why do you do this at Mass and is it at every Mass or every Sunday, because I’ve read that most Catholic Churches have daily Mass and is there a difference in having Mass on Sundays than on any other day of the week?
 
I heartily recommend you attend a Mass. you do not need to kneel or cross yourself (unless you want to) and just remain seated when the congregation goes up for the Eucharist…you probably won’t be the only one remaining in your seat!

To fully understand what is going on, there is much information online that will explain every part of the Mass. Most RCC churches perform the Ordinary Form (OF) which is in English. If you attend a TLM (traditional Latin Mass) it will be in Latin except for the homily (sermon). I’m not a Christian and I have attended a few Masses now to learn and see Catholics in practice. It’s a wonderful experience…try it.

If your interest is still perked and you would like to learn more, RCIA classes are the way to learn about of Catholic practice with no obligation to join. Unlike Protestant churches in general, you can’t just decide to be Catholic and join in the church. It is a process but guests are always welcome!
 
skyjoy00 said:
Why do you do this at Mass and is it at every Mass or every Sunday, because I’ve read that most Catholic Churches have daily Mass and is there a difference in having Mass on Sundays than on any other day of the week?
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A Mass is a Mass is a Mass. It’s the same Mass whether you go Sunday, Tuesday, or Christmas Day. It’s the same Mass whether we’re using the Ordinary Form or the Extraordinary Form.
On Good Friday we do not have Mass because of Jesus dying on that day. We have a different liturgical service instead. That is the only day all year we don’t have Mass.

There are some parishes currently that do not have enough priests to have a Mass every day, and they may have some other service like a Communion Service or Vespers on the day when a priest can’t be there to say Mass, but there will be other parishes that have a priest saying Mass there on that day. Priests are supposed to say Mass every day. If the priest is someplace where he can’t say Mass in a church he will say it in his hotel room or wherever he happens to be.
 
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