Anyone converted to Catholicism?

[barkley]

i was baptised in the catholic church as an infant (a.k.a "cradle catholic") and did first communion and confirmation in the church. i left the church as an adult because it never felt right for me.

i think anyone that is interested in conversion should realy research it. the church is so much more than what it appears to be from an observers viewpoint. there are very major differences between the catholic faith and all other christian based faiths (2 biggies right off the top are the concept of transubstantiation, and that an intermediary is necessary for communication with christ).

i would support anyone who embarked on a spiritual journey to find the right house of worship for themselves but no matter what faith they were interested in pursuing i believe they should never make a half-hearted commitment to church or pick and choose what part of the churches dogma they will/will not adhere to.

 

[Rella Bella]

My son attends Catholic school and there are quite a few non-C families that attend. They are just as much a part as anyone else. So I'd check it out. Once you get one child in, it pretty much secures your entire family.

As for converting, my DH & I converted 5 years ago. He was a protestant minister... after years of study, and a bit of 'Jonah complex', we felt called to make the change. Believe it or not, it is not that unusual. Protestant ministers convert frequently, some even become priests... but I digress.

RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) was a wonderful process! Goofysmom covered this process beautifully! I will only add that, at least in our process there was never any 'we're the only true church' or forcing of beliefs. As was mentioned, the first several months were informal just to question and see if it was something we wanted to pursue. At our parish people were encouraged to attend even if they were just curious and had questions. There was no commitment to continue the process. In fact there were several retreats throughout the year, during which we were asked to stop and search our hearts to be sure we wanted to continue.

If you go this route, check out the RCIA process in several parishes in your area. I have many friends who have converted and each parish has a slightly different program. Some are for lack of a better word... boring. It can be 10 to 20 people or like ours about 60, or more. Some have great leaders and others don't. Some diocese are rigidly conservative about beliefs, others lean more liberal... it's definitly NOT the same everywhere you go. At our parish there was a good balance of why something is taught, what is practiced by some, and how that is really lived out. And it was very relational. We had a great time... great people... great interaction. Everyone's views were heard.

Barkley mentioned that the church believes an intermediary is necessary for communication with Christ... IMHO that is more myth than truth. I'm sure the idea came from somewhere, but since Vatican II the practices that established that idea are not emphasized. We ask Mary & the saints to pray FOR us... we pray TO God through Jesus Christ.

Some great books that were significant in our journey are "What Catholics Really Believe, 52 Answers To Common Misconceptions About The Catholic Church" by Karl Keating and "First Comes Love" by Scott Hahn, (in fact anything by Scott Hahn). You can get them from Amazon... or any Catholic or Christian bookstore. There are oh so many more... but I won't overwhelm you.

Don't hesitate to question... God moves in mysterious ways. Just keep moving toward the light, you never know where you might end up, but if you seek truth you are sure to find it.

 

[hokiefan33]

Currently a non church attending Methodist - thinking of converting for a couple of reasons. Mainly I'm attracted to the ritual and history and would love to have this basis and the education for my two boys (2 and 3). Also would love to have them go to Catholic School as I feel they would get a good education and we don't live in a good public school district.

Has anyone converted? Pros, cons? Hard to do?

Thanks
Jenny

Do you even think you're contemplating "conversion" for the right reasons? Sounds like your reasons are for the educational aspects, and not at all for the religious aspects. Also sounds like you don't even go to church now.

Do you think you should nail down your religious beliefs first, and then make sure you're in a church that supports those religious beliefs, which may (or may not) be a Catholic church?

Just a thought...

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Yes I am a convert--but technically, I wasn't since I was never baptized.

So I was baptized and confirmed in teh church as an adult.

Hard or easy--well, hard to say.

Usually you go to an inquiry session---this is where you can field your questions to members of the RCIA team...questions about the churhc and such..so that you have information to make a final decision to pursue becoming Catholic.

I attended RCIA classes/meetings for almost a year. AT my particular parish that I did this at, people can be brought in throughout the year to join RCIA...but at some point they "cut off" for that Easter Season, b/c then you wouldn't have had the full benefit of the classes and such.

We were dismissed prior to the consecration of the eucharist---and then at some point....a few months prior to Easter...the meetings continued after mass.

It was hard in terms of time commmitment--easy in terms of work. There are no tests or quizzes or anything of that sort.

We did one all day retreat for reflecting on our journey. We had individual interviews with the RCIA coordinator to determine readiness (more "are you ready" as opposed to what "they" think--if that makes sense). At some point we went and saw the Bishop. But honestly, I don't recall what for. I think that may have been when we became "the elect" or something. It's been a long while, so I apologize for that.

We got all our sacraments on Easter except Reconciliation for me as I hadn't been baptized.

Those who are baptized--I think do get a first reconciliation prior to Holy week.

Good luck on your journey!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Don't worry if you don't have someone in mind who you would feel comfortable asking to sponsor you. The parish can probably hook you up with someone willing to "sponsor" you, if you decide to go that route.

That was me!

I got assigned a sponsor.