What's it like being Catholic in the South?

[Cliff_Jumper]

“you’re the oddball out in an overwhelmingly Protestant culture”

I live in Greenville SC, home of Bob Jones University. It’s a great place to be Catholic. People take God seriously here, and will challenge your faith, which means Catholics must “be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence.”

Hey I’m in SC too and completely agree with you. Have you been to Our Lady of the Rosary Church? Great Church and Father Longenecker is a great authentic Catholic priest.

 

[johnnyc176]

“you’re the oddball out in an overwhelmingly Protestant culture”

I live in Greenville SC, home of Bob Jones University. It’s a great place to be Catholic. People take God seriously here, and will challenge your faith, which means Catholics must “be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence.”

Thanks for the heads up. I will be moving to the Greenville area soon. In visiting the area I noticed a very vibrant Catholic community. Many parishes to choose from and I notice many provide the Latin Mass.

 

[Grace2013]

:whackadoo: I was born and raised in New Orleans and I don’t say y’all…it’s you guys. I’ve lived in NE Louisiana for over 10 years and still won’t say fixin to… The green patch of grass between two opposing lanes of traffic is still the neutral ground.

LOL - as a NY’er now living in the South, “fixin to” still irritates me .

Instead of “y’all " and “you guys” it is " ‘youse’ guys” in my native " Brooklynese"

 

[maltmom]

LOL - as a NY’er now living in the South, “fixin to” still irritates me .

Instead of “y’all " and “you guys” it is " ‘youse’ guys” in my native " Brooklynese"

Welcome to the South and CAF!!!

 

[Servant31]

Hey nice Im in Lyman (close to Greer) SC. Now get this I moved here from SLC UTAH. Try defending yourself there…
Defence, Ive found, is best done by assertive example. Like I in Utah I was often subtly avoided, and you could totally tell when they were trying to convert you…
Its like ok Ill give you a B- for that attempt, you might want to go talk to that other guy his was better… But just stick to your guns, keep the discussion Christian and mature, and make sure you set a good example.
And honestly, just remember this, you dont NEED to defend anything to anyone. I love it when people decide YOU need to PROVE yourself to ME. People like that just want to argue and its never enough. There is a reason that in courts the burden of proof is on the accuser. The whole thing just wreaks of insecurity. You can even say that if you have to, “hey its FAITH, I believe it because I think its correct.”
“Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ”
“Jesus is at the core of everything we believe”
Apoltolic succesion is also a powerful argument if need be. If you need more just let me know ive got all sorts, but at the end its faith

 

[Cliff_Jumper]

So many SC people here cool! We need to start and SC catholics thread

 

[Jason_NC]

Reading some posts in this thread makes me seem like I’m having a little bit of a different experience in my state. I’m from Raleigh, NC which has a large amount of transplant residents, many of whom are Catholic, so the area is very welcoming to those of the Catholic faith. However, there are those who come from various parts of the state that live in Raleigh as well, and many bring there own views. When I tell certain people I’m in the RCIA to become a member of the Catholic Church, I basically get the same treatment I did when I used to tell people I was an Atheist, in many cases worse treatment. Those who are knowledgeable of the Church may treat me with hostility because they simply have a disdain towards the Vatican’s teachings, while those who know very little of the Church my treat me with hostility because they view the Church as “cult” like because of it’s structure or because I’m black and they expect me to be a Baptist. Don’t get me wrong, I love North Carolina and it’s people, but some of those encounters have left me angry with various Protestant’s views. I still remember telling a women once (before I found God) that my Mom was Catholic and my Dad was Baptist and she basically just dismissed by Mom in the way she glorified my Dad.

 

[Pedro_1987]

I’ve lived in Louisiana my whole life. Though I’ve only been Catholic for the past three years or so. Most people here are either Baptist or Catholic.

It’s hard for me to say how it is being Catholic in the South, partly because I’ve been atholic for a relatively short amount of time, but also because I’ve lived here all my life; have nothing to compare it to. From what I’ve heard from friends who travel though, the friendliness I take for granted doesn’t hold true in the north. Don’t now if that’s true, but people in general are quite nice here. We hold doors open for strangers, we’re pretty open to people, etc.

 

[Le_Cracquere]

I’ve spent my entire life in the South, and have been reared Protestant from birth. By and large, there’s actually less anti-Catholicism here than in Protestant enclaves in the North. To really be anti-X, you see, it’s necessary to actually be near X, and to have adequate firsthand experience of X. Catholicism isn’t totally absent from the South, but it’s so rare that your average Southerner hasn’t been reared to feel any particular way about it. You might encounter the occasional bigotry, but you’re far more likely to encounter the friendly ignorance and (unintentionally tactless) interest that one might offer a visitor from sub-Saharan Africa or deepest Siberia.

In other words, many of us don’t even know enough about Catholicism to feel ill will towards it. Occasionally, well-meaning locals might treat you like as fascinating piece of alien exotica; if you’re able to avoid taking it personally, all will be well.