 |
| Author | Post |
|---|
MissMusicTeacher
Member
| Joined: | Mon Jun 30th, 2008 |
| Location: | Silicon Valley, California USA |
| Posts: | 24 |
| First Name: | Laura | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | EVFree, Catholic seeker |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 1st, 2008 02:21 am |
|
Dear friends,
I am a Protestant (just became a member of an EVFree church) and I am seriously considering becoming Catholic. This is my journey thus far, and also a request for prayer as God leads me (maybe this belongs more in the Conversion Stories forum, though I am not yet Catholic and my purpose in writing my story is to give some context for my prayer request at the end).
I was born into a loving Christian family; my parents truly love God and it is because of their faithfulness that I am strong in my faith.
Well...strong in most ways. There are some doctrines I have started to doubt, mainly sola scriptura. I have realized that once I reject the doctrine of sola scriptura, I cannot in true faith call myself a Protestant. That will leave two options: the Catholic Faith or the Orthodox church.
My interest in the Catholic Faith began when I was around eight: I knew nothing about the Church, but for some reason it piqued my curiosity. Then, earlier this spring, I was browsing around on the Internet. I have a few Catholic friends from school, and I visited the web site of one of their Churches. From there, I read as much as I could about the Catholic faith and in particular, the life of religious. At this point, I had no interest in becoming Catholic; it was just something that I thought was interesting to read about, but I had too many problems with certain beliefs.
Around the same time, I felt a great yearning for peace, simplicity, and tradition. I have always been drawn to tradition, and at this time my life was especially hectic. I remembered hearing about the practice of Lent, so I googled it (isn't Google great?  ) and found SpiritHome.com, a non-Catholic site dedicated to preserving traditions such as Lent, Advent, the spiritual disciplines, etc. This was about a week ago. I devoured almost everything on that site and began searching for more information on Lent. That led me to sites like churchyear.net and ancient-future.net. It was here that I began to see the richness and fulness of the Catholic Faith. I still knew next to nothing about Catholic doctrine, but I still felt a deep attraction to the Church. For the last several days, I have read everything I can get my hands on and I am hungry for more. I'm currently reading the conversion stories on chnetwork.org, and they have been a great encouragement to me, as well as a good source of information and answers to some of my questions. I have begun to see the flaws in the Protestant doctrine of sola scriptura. I am still a Protestant, in name, but as I wrote earlier, if I reject this doctrine, then I have essentially rejected the Protestant faith, for how can I be Protestant without believing one of its core doctrines?
All this is to say, please pray for me! I have what seems like an infinite number of questions. I am not the sort of person who accepts things easily - I must think, pray, study, write, talk things over, and let the truth become part of who I am, let it absorb into my worldview. Only then can I truly say that I accept a particular belief. This will be a long road...I can truly see myself becoming Catholic someday, but now is not the right time. I'm not ready yet. I have too many doubts and questions. Right now I'm reading "Why Do Catholics Do That?" (hardly started, but I'm finishing school soon and then I'll have more time) and have requested "The New Handbook of the Christian Year" from the library (I don't think it's Catholic, but it should still be a good source of information about the Church Year, which fascinates me).
I have a few Catholic friends, one who is a youth leader at her Church. At some point I'd like to ask her if I can go to Mass with her. Probably the best way for me to decide if I want to be Catholic is to actually experience the Mass for myself.
All of this has happened in the last week...so quickly! I am afraid, yet so excited and thankful. I feel more at peace and more joyful than I have in a very long time, and I have a greater desire to read my Bible, pray, and go to church.
Please pray that God will guide me. God is the God of Truth and He is faithful, and in His perfect timing, He will reveal the truth to me about His Church.
Thank you, so much! God bless you.
In Christ,
Laura
____________________
out of town until August 2
|
|
|
Intercessor
Member
| Joined: | Tue Sep 25th, 2007 |
| Location: | Southcentral, Kentucky USA |
| Posts: | 1223 |
| First Name: | Becky | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Southern Baptist, Catholic |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 1st, 2008 02:45 am |
|
Hi, Laura! 
Welcome to the forum. How exciting to hear of the Holy Spirit's work in your life.
Take a look at the various CHNI Forums. You should find plenty of helpful threads. When you have a specific question, be sure to post it. We enjoy answering questions from inquirers.
So glad you found us.
God bless,
Becky
____________________
"The perfection of a soul may be measured by the degree to which it does the will of God, and finds its happiness in doing it.... O my God,...the only thing necessary is Your holy will," Divine Intimacy, pp. 15-16 Father Gabriel, O.C.D.
|
|
|
David W. Emery
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 2072 |
| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
| Status: |
Online
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 1st, 2008 03:05 am |
|
Just a week into this adventure, Laura, and you are already thinking of becoming Catholic! It took me seven long years to move from Methodist to Catholic, and now, over 40 years later, I’m thankful it did because it meant I was absolutely sure that the step was one I had to take.
You’re going to find that just about every Catholic, such as those you will encounter on this forum, will tell you the same thing: Take your time, be sure of what you can accept. Test it all on both the theoretical and experiential levels.
We’ll be praying that you will be led by God, for as you say, he is the source of truth. And we’ll accompany you, answering your questions and holding your hand, for as long as you desire our company. Many of us are converts, some are on their way, and a few are still skeptical, so you will be able to see everything in perspective.
David
|
|
|
BodRod
Member
| Joined: | Mon Oct 2nd, 2006 |
| Location: | Apple Valley, California USA |
| Posts: | 812 |
| First Name: | Cliff | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Raised an SDA, then Generic Christian, finally at home with ... |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 1st, 2008 04:44 am |
|
MissMusicTeacher wrote: ..... All of this has happened in the last week...so quickly! I am afraid, yet so excited and thankful. I feel more at peace and more joyful than I have in a very long time, and I have a greater desire to read my Bible, pray, and go to church.
Hi Laura,
That is exactly how I felt when I started my Journey into the Catholic Church. I felt like part of me was dieing while, at the same time, a part of me, that I did not know existed, was coming to life. I too, have been more at peace than I have ever been in my life. I now enjoy helping out in several of the ministries of my parish and I look forward to Mass each week. I especially enjoy the Masses offered on Holy Days of Obligation. They always seem special.
____________________
Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro.
|
|
|
Ave_Girl
Moderator
| Joined: | Wed Nov 7th, 2007 |
| Location: | Ohio USA |
| Posts: | 172 |
| First Name: | Mary Clare | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Cradle Catholic |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 1st, 2008 12:49 pm |
|
Welcome Laura! It's exciting to have you on the forum. I look forward to reading your posts.
God bless you,
____________________
~Mary Clare Piecynski~
Coming Home Network Staff
740-450-1175 ext 105
maryp@chnetwork.org
|
|
|
Dave Armstrong
Network Apologist
| Joined: | Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 |
| Location: | Melvindale, Michigan USA |
| Posts: | 1627 |
| First Name: | Dave | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Evangelical (1977): Diverse Protestant Influences / Catholic in 1990 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 1st, 2008 06:35 pm |
|
Hi Laura,
Thanks for sharing, and I hope you find what you are looking for on this forum.
____________________
I'm happy to offer whatever theological & personal assistance I can. My blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, contains 2000+ papers & web pages (absolutely free) & 16 apologetic books (for sale):
http://www.biblicalcatholic.com/
|
|
|
MissMusicTeacher
Member
| Joined: | Mon Jun 30th, 2008 |
| Location: | Silicon Valley, California USA |
| Posts: | 24 |
| First Name: | Laura | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | EVFree, Catholic seeker |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 2nd, 2008 05:52 pm |
|
Thank you all for your kind welcome.  I appreciate your support and prayers and look forward to discussing the Catholic faith more.
Intercessor wrote:
Take a look at the various CHNI Forums. You should find plenty of helpful threads.
After I wrote my initial post, I browsed through the forum a bit. Wow!  This should keep me busy for awhile.
David W. Emery wrote:
Just a week into this adventure, Laura, and you are already thinking of becoming Catholic! It took me seven long years to move from Methodist to Catholic, and now, over 40 years later, I’m thankful it did because it meant I was absolutely sure that the step was one I had to take.
You’re going to find that just about every Catholic, such as those you will encounter on this forum, will tell you the same thing: Take your time, be sure of what you can accept. Test it all on both the theoretical and experiential levels.
Thanks David. Although I feel drawn to the Catholic Church, I am trying to be careful. Just about the only thing I have done for the last several days is read whatever I can get my hands on, but now I'm feeling like I need to take things more slowly. I still plan on reading and studying a lot, but I also realize that I need to take my time. That is one thing I like about the Catholic Faith: potential converts are encouraged to take their time exploring the beliefs of the Church and all that being a Catholic involves, before making the final decision to become Catholic. In contrast, a lot of Protestant churches just want to get as many converts as possible, as quickly as possible, without making sure that they really know what they are getting themselves into. They give an "altar call," you say a little prayer and that's it. No instruction in doctrine or the Christian life. It's sad. 
Laura
____________________
out of town until August 2
|
|
|
Intercessor
Member
| Joined: | Tue Sep 25th, 2007 |
| Location: | Southcentral, Kentucky USA |
| Posts: | 1223 |
| First Name: | Becky | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Southern Baptist, Catholic |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 2nd, 2008 06:32 pm |
|
MissMusicTeacher wrote:
Thank you all for your kind welcome. I appreciate your support and prayers and look forward to discussing the Catholic faith more . . .
. . . In contrast, a lot of Protestant churches just want to get as many converts as possible, as quickly as possible, without making sure that they really know what they are getting themselves into. They give an "altar call," you say a little prayer and that's it. No instruction in doctrine or the Christian life. It's sad.
Laura
Laura, perhaps you will be pleased to learn that a Kentucky lady praying in a Marian shrine this morning called on the Blessed Mother and several other great saints by name to guide you in your journey.
I must offer my own experience as a former Baptist in response to your comments above. (All groups have good churches/parishes and those not so good.) In the Baptist churches to which I belonged for 58 years, new church members were pursued until they enrolled in a Sunday School class. The Sunday School teacher was responsible for shepherding the new member. In addition to 60-90 minutes of weekly Bible study, there were almost always monthly social gatherings offering further opportunity for the teacher and other class members to disciple the new member.
Further, various members of the church staff (senior adult pastor, youth pastor, children's director, music pastor, minister of education, senior pastor) plus an assigned deacon contacted and befriended new members. Efforts were made to involve them in some sort of ministry in addition to the training they received in Sunday School. Frequently, there is also a new members class conducted by a staff member, and all members (at some churches) have opportunities for Wednesday evening plus Sunday afternoon discipleship courses.
Becky
Last edited on Wed Jul 2nd, 2008 06:34 pm by Intercessor
____________________
"The perfection of a soul may be measured by the degree to which it does the will of God, and finds its happiness in doing it.... O my God,...the only thing necessary is Your holy will," Divine Intimacy, pp. 15-16 Father Gabriel, O.C.D.
|
|
|
left coast mystic
Member
| Joined: | Sat May 10th, 2008 |
| Location: | La Honda, California USA |
| Posts: | 131 |
| First Name: | Marcee | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | nondenominational charismatic, Presbyterian, long-time lover of the RCC |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 2nd, 2008 06:44 pm |
|
Laura -
Welcome to this wonderful CHNI community! I am also in Silicon Valley (over the hill, actually, in La Honda), as is rbo4u2 (Rich), who works at Stanford. All 3 of us seem to be in about the same place in our spiritual journey: seriously considering the Catholic Church.
This is a wonderful forum to ask questions, receive support, and learn about all aspects of the church (in the broadest sense, as well as specifically the Catholic church). It's a most wonderous journey.
I agree with you - the encouragement to go slow is so alien to me personally (I tend to jump into things), and so refreshing!
Marcee
____________________
Godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Tim. 6:6)
In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength. (Isa. 30:15)
|
|
|
MissMusicTeacher
Member
| Joined: | Mon Jun 30th, 2008 |
| Location: | Silicon Valley, California USA |
| Posts: | 24 |
| First Name: | Laura | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | EVFree, Catholic seeker |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 3rd, 2008 08:15 pm |
|
Intercessor wrote: Laura, perhaps you will be pleased to learn that a Kentucky lady praying in a Marian shrine this morning called on the Blessed Mother and several other great saints by name to guide you in your journey.
Thank you, Becky. I deeply appreciate your prayers.
Intercessor wrote: I must offer my own experience as a former Baptist in response to your comments above. (All groups have good churches/parishes and those not so good.) In the Baptist churches to which I belonged for 58 years, new church members were pursued until they enrolled in a Sunday School class. The Sunday School teacher was responsible for shepherding the new member. In addition to 60-90 minutes of weekly Bible study, there were almost always monthly social gatherings offering further opportunity for the teacher and other class members to disciple the new member.
Further, various members of the church staff (senior adult pastor, youth pastor, children's director, music pastor, minister of education, senior pastor) plus an assigned deacon contacted and befriended new members. Efforts were made to involve them in some sort of ministry in addition to the training they received in Sunday School. Frequently, there is also a new members class conducted by a staff member, and all members (at some churches) have opportunities for Wednesday evening plus Sunday afternoon discipleship courses.
I am glad to hear of your former church's commitment to discipling new believers. I'm sorry if my post implied that no churches discipled believers, or even that mine did not disciple believers (because there is some discipling) - that was not at all what I meant. But perhaps this thread will help clarify my thought: http://www.chnetwork.org/forums/forum9/654.html (third paragraph of the first post)
I am excited because I just finished my last college class until the fall - more time to study the Catholic faith and seek to understand the doctrines of the Church!
Hello from over the hill, Marcee!
Laura
____________________
out of town until August 2
|
|
|
Intercessor
Member
| Joined: | Tue Sep 25th, 2007 |
| Location: | Southcentral, Kentucky USA |
| Posts: | 1223 |
| First Name: | Becky | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Southern Baptist, Catholic |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 3rd, 2008 10:49 pm |
|
MissMusicTeacher wrote:
I am excited because I just finished my last college class until the fall - more time to study the Catholic faith and seek to understand the doctrines of the Church!
Laura
Oh, my! I remember that fabulous feeling after the last exam of the semester. 
Laura, enjoy the freedom to study what you really want to study.
If you haven't yet discovered it, check out the Recommended Resources forum.
Grace and peace,
Becky
____________________
"The perfection of a soul may be measured by the degree to which it does the will of God, and finds its happiness in doing it.... O my God,...the only thing necessary is Your holy will," Divine Intimacy, pp. 15-16 Father Gabriel, O.C.D.
|
|
|
cyanheaven
Member
| Joined: | Tue Apr 8th, 2008 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 71 |
| First Name: | Callie | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Baptist/ Bapticostal/ Baptist/ "BaptoCatholic" |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 7th, 2008 04:03 pm |
|
MissMusicTeacher wrote: I am excited because I just finished my last college class until the fall - more time to study the Catholic faith and seek to understand the doctrines of the Church!
I know exactly what you mean, Laura! I just graduated about a year ago and the freedom to study has been such a wonderful thing!
I am glad to hear that you are not discouraged by your taking your time at this point in your walk. I personally find myself diving into research in spurts, (generally as my work allows). I find I need to emerse myself in the Catholic thought and in seeking my answers at times and others simply sitting in his presence and being absorbed with my quesions no more. To be still before the Lord, especially in his sanctuary, is one of greatest things I have found (whlie not yet able to take the Eucarist).
Btw, welcome to the forum.
Callie
|
|
|
Pani Rose
Member
| Joined: | Fri Oct 5th, 2007 |
| Location: | Irondale, Alabama USA |
| Posts: | 544 |
| First Name: | Rose | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Ruthenian Byzantine in a Melkite Greek Catholic Parish, raised ... |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 26th, 2008 02:58 am |
|
Lord of the Powers be with us, for in times of distress we have no other help but You.
Lord of the Powers, have mercy on Laura.
|
|
|
Current time is 12:37 am | |
|
|
|
|
|
