I was raised in a basicly secular family, quite academic in orientation. My folks told me they didn’t teach me anything because they wanted me to choose for myself. When I began sniffing around the Catholic Church, due to the persuasive info in my friend’s Baltimore Catechism, they had a fit. They started taking my sisters to the Presb. church in the neighborhood, and I settled for the Episcopal church to keep the peace, sort of.
That worked for several years, until the Episcs started getting really goofy in the mid '70’s. By then I was married with children, and decided, along with my husband, that Catholic was the way to go. The problem there was that the program to get me into the Church was rather bizarre, but I thought that was just them. Not so. I managed to hang onto my faith until death, enemployment, and general faith confusion led me to “let go of the rope” so to speak. No one seemed to care, mass was celebrated with new variations all the time, and basic teachings were called into questlion constantly. I started going to the Presbys. just to be with my Dad. They were great friends and kept me from sinking out of Christianity altogether. After Dad’s death, I watched JPII’s funeral, and found myself Catholic all over again.
I appreciate the critical thinking of my youth, the gracefulness of the Anglicans, the fellowship of the Presbyterians. But I am so thankful to have been called back to the fullness of faith, the Eucharist, and the Sacrament of Penance. Catholics aren’t the most overly friendly, but I have found a parish that is quite orthodox, and at least somewhat friendly. I need that support and have also found the Immitation of Christ and the book on Providence by De Caussat (sp?) very helpful, not to mention these forums. I have no intention of wandering off again, and am also trying to keep myself grounded.
