What brought you to the Catholic Church?

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For me it wasn’t what brought me to the Catholic Church but rather who brought me .

My parents did when I was three weeks old . No , it was my dad who brought me . Mums were often absent from a child’s baptism in those days , especially if they hadn’t been churched .

Thinking about the title of the thread as I typed the above , I would say no “what” brought anyone to the Catholic Church , but i know what you mean .

It is the Holy Spirit who brings people to the Catholic Church .
 
Rob2 said:
. Mums were often absent from a child’s baptism in those days , especially if they hadn’t been churched .
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I’ve only encountered churching after birth in Eastern Christianity, and then with the child and mother together. Does it exist in the west, too?

hawk
 
In the TLM, at least:

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Funnily enough I decided to become a catholic after reading Angels & Demons by Dan Brown. I had already began reading the Bible and was beginning to develop a more nuanced view of Christianity, though the Lutheran religion of my country had failed to impress me.

Before reading Angels & Demons I thought Catholicism was an extinct denomination of Christianity that had disappeared in the Middle Ages, which is basically what we had learned in school. Therefore, even though that book grossly misrepresents Catholicism, the little bits of truth in there made me aware of Catholicism, and caused me to look into it until I converted.
 
dochawk said:
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Rob2:
. Mums were often absent from a child’s baptism in those days , especially if they hadn’t been churched .
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I’ve only encountered churching after birth in Eastern Christianity, and then with the child and mother together. Does it exist in the west, too?
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I can remember women being churched , but because of misunderstandings of what it’s all about priests became relunctant to do it , and I have never seen it for a very long time .

http://www.brin.ac.uk/2012/churching-of-women/
 
Great story Theban, and proof that God can use any means–even Dan Brown’s ludicrous plots and terrible writing–to accomplish His will!
I am a cradle Catholic, well trained and a pious little girl, who more or less fell away (or at least was very luke warm) until two things happened: 1) I studied in Europe and was amazed to be surrounded by Catholic beauty and things like street corner shrines to Mary. 2) I participated half-heartedly in RENEW and actually got renewed, despite that program’s extreme tepidity.
 
It was still in the books until the 60s. Whether an individual priest would do it or not was something else again, but the prayer ritual was not removed till the late 60s.
 
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It still exists in the Book of Blessings (the word “churching” is not used though), obviously in a revised form like everything else… It neither is nor was a precept, even in the middle ages, but a common custom. Often, the mother had to miss the Baptism and couldn’t go to Mass for a while because she was recovering from childbirth, so she could receive a special blessing instead when she was able to finally return to church. She was not forbidden from going to church or Mass, neither did it mean she was “unclean,” and it was not a required blessing–but the priest was required to give it if she asked for it.

Now, the blessing of the mother after childbirth is part of the baptismal rite (or should be) and the formal “Blessing of a Mother after Childbirth” is only to be given to a mother who couldn’t attend the baptism. The rite is here (it comes after the blessing before childbirth as you might expect):


The Catholic Encyclopedia (in 1908) gives a nice, short explanation. including the state of affairs back then:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03761a.htm

Another good article from a diocesan paper:

 
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Genesis315 said:
It still exists in the Book of Blessings (the word “churching” is not used though), obviously in a revised form like everything else…
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My understanding was that it was totally gone for a while before being put back into the Book of Blessings in the substantially revised form.

I personally think it should never have been done away with in its original form, but then again I come from a culture that didn’t regard women as sinful or dirty for having given birth, and didn’t have restrictions on stuff they could touch in the house, etc so it would have just been seen as a special blessing and a thanksgiving that mom survived the birth, since so many women didn’t back in the day. If people in Ireland were regarding women as sinful for having given birth, then that’s just another reason to thank God my ancestors left.
 
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I can credit medieval monks for bringing me to the Catholic Church. I have always had a fascination with my Scottish ancestry and own dozens of books of history on this topic. Among the greatest interests were the ruins of medieval castles, cathedrals and monasteries. I began to focus on these primarily, which led to a curiosity about what life would have been like for the monks of the Abbeys and Priories. This opened the door to an in depth study of the history of Catholicism which in turn led to my desiring to experience the Mass for myself.

It took years for me to work up the courage to do so, but I attended my first Mass 4 years ago next month. I have been to the liturgy as many as four times a week and never tire of it. I have taken many retreats to St. Peter’s Abbey not far from where I live, and have been published in a weekly Catholic newspaper several times. Why I am still not Catholic has been answered on other threads. 🙂
 
It was a few things, and it was from wanting to know the truth and the fear of Hell.
  1. Learning history / reading the early Church Fathers.
  2. Praying the Rosary.
  3. Listening to Fulton J. Sheen, Pope Benedict XVI, and different theologians.
  4. Apologetics.
There was a lot more and it was about a 4 year process. This is the simple answer.
 
My mom’s arms I expect 🙂 or my dad’s, I was a always a daddy’s girl.
I was baptised at 5 months old so I can’t say I remember.
What brings me there these days of ….ahem not 5months old. It’s my home, where else would I go? Sadly I can say I have tried going nowhere, I got lost and came home again. I am so glad to be home.
 
Two Words: Spaghetti Supper! 😉 😎

or was it the Pancake Breakfast or the Fish Fry on Friday?

On a more serious note, it was Corned Beef and Cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day.
 
AlbertDerGrosse said:
In the TLM, at least:
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OK, guess it was everywhere.
Tis_Bearself said:
It’s my understanding that “churching of women” went away after Vatican II.
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There’s a very practical, medical timing there . . . modern medicine and nutrition has made recovery from childbirth much faster . . . women were, of practical necessity, excused from the obligation to attend Sunday liturgy (those horseless carriages also made getting there less of a burden, too).
HolySpirit said:
or was it the Pancake Breakfast or the Fish Fry on Friday?
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Never underestimate the Fish Friar or the Chip Monk . . .

🤣

hawk
 
The right answer: the Holy Spirit

The complicated answer:
Skeptics/My Computer/Love

I was raised by well-meaning parents who took us to Mass every Sunday, but left it all there. We were poorly catechised and knew it. It was the source of much personal despair. We were also rarely allowed involved in anything that would have given us some faith filled friends.

As the only Catholic in my immediate friend group(the debate team) I was often challenged about our sometimes less than popular beliefs. Every time they attacked the church, I wanted to defend her. I found that even if they planted a seed of doubt in me, there were always soooo many resources to answer their objections in a way that was beautiful. I was always sneaking on the computer at night and often in the Ask an Apologist section here.

I was able to fill in a lot of my intellectual/catechetical gaps but the community/heart piece was still missing. My faith was me alone with my scruples for a long lonely while.

Then marriage/kids/my current parish dragged me into real community with believers. There was just so much love! I felt like I finally got it. I’m so happy my children won’t have to be brought up like me. They can be smack in the middle of a community.
 
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