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AggieCatholic
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | San Antonio, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 82 |
| First Name: | Lance | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | United Methodist to Roman Catholic (Anglican Use) |
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Posted: Tue Oct 10th, 2006 11:01 pm |
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I have heard many people describe how their relationships with friends and family have suffered after joining the Catholic church. As for myself I was in a unique position in that I converted in college and have very little contact with folks "back home."
Have there been specific instances in which anybody here has experienced adverse reactions from those closest to you concerning your decision to become Catholic?
____________________
What part of, "Hoc est enim Corpus meum" don't you understand?
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Esther
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Bronx, New York USA |
| Posts: | 157 |
| First Name: | Esther | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Southern Baptist to Roman Catholic 11/26/06 |
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Posted: Wed Oct 11th, 2006 12:31 am |
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I don't know what the "norm" is, but I know everyone else in my RCIA class, there families are fine with it. All of them are converting because they are married to or engaged to a Catholic (which is still great) with the exception of me. I have had some struggles with my family presently my parents are not speaking to me. But some of the people on this forum have suffered so much more, because their spouses do not support their move. In my mind that is by far a greater challenge, as they are in the same household. Jesus told us several times in the gospels the price to follow Him is high. But it will be worth it. I came for the authority, but I stayed for the Eucharist. 
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sewnsew
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | Arizona USA |
| Posts: | 905 |
| First Name: | Kim | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | cradle Anglican, Episcopal /Catholic-04/07/07 |
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Posted: Wed Oct 11th, 2006 01:45 am |
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| I am in the process of leaving the Anglican church to become Catholic- it will be a huge problem in my family once I "come out of the closet so to speak" My in-laws are Southern Baptist who after 16+ years of marriage have never accepted my cradle Anglicanism. Our children attend parochial school but they have close ties (as do I) with members of our current (episcopal) parish. My husband left his parent's church as soon as he turned 18, when we got married he agreed that our children would be raised Episcopal- he can't understand why I want to rock the boat. To his eyes the service is the same, many of the beliefs are the same so what is the big deal? I belong to a quilting group within the church and while they totally welcome women from other denominations somehow I don't think that my leaving our church to become rc will be seen as quite the same thing. One of my fellow quilters is helping me quilt a quilt on a frame at my home was here yesterday and we talked about the turmoil going on in the episcopal church right now and how it is affecting our parish. I mentioned that I was looking into Catholism she came unglued- spouting off all kinds of misconceptions such as "indulgences and worshiping Mary"
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Katy
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | DFW, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 78 |
| First Name: | Katy | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Non-denom/Bible churches, Catholic since Easter 2005 |
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Posted: Wed Oct 11th, 2006 08:15 pm |
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AggieCatholic wrote: I have heard many people describe how their relationships with friends and family have suffered after joining the Catholic church.... Have there been specific instances in which anybody here has experienced adverse reactions from those closest to you concerning your decision to become Catholic?
Yes, I have had many negative reactions to my conversion to Catholicism. My family (with the exception of my mom who is on this journey with me) is very anti-Catholic. Unfortunately, my dad and sisters have many misconceptions about what they think the Church teaches, and they do not seem interested in learning what the Catholic Church truly teaches.
It is very painful for my mom and I because we love the Church, yet we face so much opposition from our family. The family (devout Christians themselves) think that we have gotten involved in a cult, turned our back on relationship with Christ, and are basically on our way to hell! When in reality, we have really embraced the fullness of truth, have found so much joy in the Church and know that God has led us here.
Though it is difficult, I am very thankful Christ has led me to His Church!
Katy
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Lord, by Your cross and resurrection, You have set us free. You are the Savior of the World.
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susiedear
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| Joined: | Thu Oct 12th, 2006 |
| Location: | Twin Cities, Minnesota USA |
| Posts: | 186 |
| First Name: | Elizabeth | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Pentecostal / Evangelical / Catholic! |
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Posted: Thu Oct 12th, 2006 11:30 pm |
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When I told my mom that I was converting to the Catholic Church, she reminded me that my roots are Pentecostal and that joining any other church would condemn me to hell. She threw all the normal objections and refused to listen to anything I had to say. So, yes, my experience is similar to the many other conversion stories I have read. Would I turn back? Not a chance.
Here's a piece of grace that I truly believe God has ordained for me: the Easter Vigil, the date I will be officially received into the Church, is the same date as my birthday. What a birthday for me to look forward to!
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But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life. St. Augustine
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 2410 |
| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Thu Oct 12th, 2006 11:59 pm |
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Matthew 10:34–39 wrote:Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s foes will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.
“A man’s foes will be those of his own household.” We thus have Jesus’ word on it that this is not a rare occurrence. Every convert, every sincere Christian faces opposition, especially from those closest to him. However, he also says:
Matthew 5:10–12 wrote:Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Suffering in itself is an evil. Suffering in Christ is blessedness. Why? Because why we suffer is more important than what we suffer. Truth is always more important than personal well-being. Holiness and union with God are more precious by far than any human relationship.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.… Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” – Matthew 5:4, 8.
David
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SBC2RCC
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | York, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 136 |
| First Name: | Monte | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | was Southern Baptist Minister, now Roman Catholic |
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Posted: Fri Oct 13th, 2006 07:59 pm |
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Thanks for this opportunity to share. For me, there was alot of complaints and even hostility. This has come almost entirely from family. Some have declared that all my opinions are void since becoming catholic. It has been said that I am NOT ENTITLED to an opinion! (What's up with that?)
My cousin saw me on the Journey Home program last year. He is Baptist, as ALL of my family is, loaded with preachers, sunday school teachers and deacons. I wanted to know what he was doing watching EWTN. An aunt at the family reunion stated that "he was a Baptist, and he ought to stay a Baptist, that's all I have to say."
But God had other plans. Interesting, the Lord used the series we studied at our Southern Baptist Church, "Experiencing God," by Henry Blackaby.
In this study, Blackaby encourages people to look for wheere God is working, and get involved. I was struck by how much God has used the saints and even many people in the Catholic Church today. (now, as a Catholic, I see this as an odd statement, of course God works in the saints!!!)
I was especially struck by the noon mass I began attending, where businessmen sat next to hard hat workers, African Americans next to vietnamese, all focused upon the Lord Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament.
When I prayed and sought the Lord's will, (as Dr. Blackaby taught), and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, well, I was lead to join the Roman Catholic Church, the Church the Jesus Christ founded, AMEN!
An easy conversion, not at all, but worth all the sacrifices, absolutely!
In Christ,
Monte
____________________
In Christ,
Monte W
(Formerly on CHN Forum as "Pilgrim Paul"
Minima Maxima Sunt
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alaskafox
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | Palmer, Alaska USA |
| Posts: | 14 |
| First Name: | Debi | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Evangelical for 25 years,Catholic since Easter 2006 |
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Posted: Sun Oct 15th, 2006 02:56 am |
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I see some familiar "faces" here who helped me in my own journey into the Church. For those of you who are new and searching, keep coming back here to this forum--until I got anchored into a local parish and an RCIA program, this forum was my sanity touchpoint for quite some time. There is sound advice here--I was well-prepared through this forum to discern orthodoxy and reasoned faith when I began exploring the faith in person.
I entered the church at Easter this year and have not looked back at all. I am married, with two young adult children, one of whom is attending a very well known charismatic/pentecostal leadership college overseas. When I first started attending mass, my daughter could not even look at me without bursting into tears--faith in and love of Jesus Christ has always been primary in our household. My husband thought I had lost my mind. My son stopped attending church services altogether. We went, in a span of one year, from a family that worshipped together in an evangelical church, to this. I do not regret it although it appears from the outside that we had a flimsy, less than solid faith. To me, everyone took responsibility for his/her own spirituality and I am more at peace than I have ever been about my placement in the Body. I truly believe God brought me here and I pray that my family find the same fullness that I have found. I believe, as well, that they will only find it here, but I am just called to be faithful to Him, not to
pressure them.
It's hard. But, at Christmas last year, my daugher gave me a rosary. And she has become a staunch defender of Catholicism in her school. My husband respects my decision and we're actually closer in many ways than we ever were before. He "owns" his spirituality and faith now in a new way. Christ unifies, He truly does. He is faithful to those who follow Him and He can make all kinds of beauty out what seems to be utter ruin.
Debi
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MitchyMitch
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Snellville, Georgia USA |
| Posts: | 103 |
| First Name: | Mitch | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Independent Baptist and Southern Baptist...Now Catholic |
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Posted: Sun Oct 15th, 2006 02:13 pm |
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While I have had some limited negative reactions from one or two members of my family, it never affected my conversion. In some instances, God used it to strengthened my resolve.
What is more important that what family thinks is that you know what you are doing is right.
When my mother brings it up - she is a strict independent baptist - I merely share with her that much of what I learned in the Baptists Church I still carry with me, as both are expressions of Christianity. I try to stay away from "I'm right, you're wrong" arguments, as it serves to highlight differences.
As Catholics, we are to evangelize and bring a reconciliation to the churches. A willingness to hear their arguments, while not arguing back, is a show of love. Playing "gotcha" with Bible verses doesn't do much to attract others to the faith - I know from many debates with Jehovah's witnesses.
The best way to answer arguements or protests from family members could be to ask questions about their topic. For instance, someone could ask you why you call a priest "father" though the Bible says not to do so. Ask when it is appropriate to call a person "father". Your own father, a best friend's father, founding fathers of the United States, fathers of the faith. Ask if they think their preacher is a good teacher of the word - there is a similar restriction against calling spiritual leaders "teachers" - in the same verse! This approach can be done with every argument they throw at you. It is one of the best examples Christ gives when encountering religious people who wished to trap Him - ask questions, and be prepared to give answers.
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Pax,
Mitch
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AggieCatholic
Member
| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | San Antonio, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 82 |
| First Name: | Lance | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | United Methodist to Roman Catholic (Anglican Use) |
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Posted: Mon Oct 16th, 2006 12:09 am |
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Since I created this thread I had a "sit-down" with my aunt who is Southern Baptist to the core (her son, my cousin, graduated from Baylor University and is in Baptist seminary). She expressed her concerns with me joining the Catholic Church. She tried to be polite but it was clear she did not approve of my decision. She went so far as to say that some of her best friends were Catholic, but she did not believe what they taught. I politely explained many different aspects of the church and she was genuinely appreciative.
Alas, I think I failed in properly defending the faith. When I asked if she had told my cousin about my conversion she replaied that she had and that she explained to him that it was OK, I wasn't like "most Catholics."
____________________
What part of, "Hoc est enim Corpus meum" don't you understand?
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mrsbmoo
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Virginia USA |
| Posts: | 344 |
| First Name: | Becky | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | former Methodist. RCA, Presbyterian, Holiness, Wesleyan... Catholic as of June ... |
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Posted: Mon Oct 16th, 2006 12:21 am |
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| I would say you hadn't failed if she said you weren't like most Catholics. That means her view has shifted ever so slightly.
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Becky
Wife of Michael(called Moo) and stay at home mom to 5 daughters between 13 months and 17
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Saint Wanna Be
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| Joined: | Thu Oct 26th, 2006 |
| Location: | Oxford, Mississippi USA |
| Posts: | 17 |
| First Name: | | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Roman Catholic |
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Posted: Thu Oct 26th, 2006 07:59 pm |
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I came into the Church last Easter after 3 years of seeking and running. I would seek for a while and then run. I would run because I never dreamed I would be Catholic. Being from the south, Catholics are not seen in a very positive light. To answer your question about negative experiences, I have had a few. Mostly from family, but a few from my protestant brothers. The hardest thing for me is that none of them want to talk about it. They don't ask me anything. They ignore the joy and peace in my life. Their silence is the most disturbing thing. I would rather them confront me and try to talk me out of it. I know why though, they are concerned that they will have to look at being Catholic through my real and seriuos experience. This scares them.
St. WB
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St.W.B.
In the Eucharist We find Emmanuel
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Steven Barrett
Member
| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | Hadley, Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 1398 |
| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Thu Jan 4th, 2007 01:45 pm |
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After reading the past three postings, it appears as if my suspicions about the "protestant" version of ecumenical relations are pretty much on firm ground:
Ecumenical relations, mixed marriages, and the like, are all hokey-dokey so long as their kept to the "protestant side" of the range.
____________________
James Michael Curley to a young Thomas “Tip” O’Neill -- “Son, it’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”
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GoFisher
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| Joined: | Mon Dec 18th, 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 111 |
| First Name: | Kathy | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Mth Cng Prs UM sang@RC Ep UM (MDiv) Word-Faith Charismatic-RC |
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Posted: Wed Feb 7th, 2007 08:18 pm |
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I had to "secretly" take RCIA, and nearly attended confirmation alone. I experienced discrimination at work and at home.
Will include more in my conversion story that I am still editing for the conversion forum.
Last edited on Thu Feb 8th, 2007 11:32 pm by GoFisher
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Love, hear + obey God: go fish! (me)
+ The Word became flesh... (St. John 1:14)
Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. (St. Jerome)
+ Follow Me... fishers of men. (St. Matthew quotes The Lord Jesus)
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AggieCatholic
Member
| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | San Antonio, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 82 |
| First Name: | Lance | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | United Methodist to Roman Catholic (Anglican Use) |
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Posted: Wed Feb 7th, 2007 11:57 pm |
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I guess an appropriate question at this time would be, "What exactly brought you to your first RCIA session?" I was a student at a school with a very large and amazingly active Catholic student ministry. I had been to a few masses and was utterly amazed at the different weekly programs offered; Theology of the Body, Theology on Tap, Nun Run (discerning women visiting various convents), Project Andrew (discerning men meeting with the bishop about seminary and priestly life), Knights of Columbus, a Catholic sorority, Pro-Life committee, prison ministry, the Awakening retreat each semester, etc, etc. I thought that since I wasn't Catholic yet, I better restrict myself to the one program that seemed like the right place to be: RCIA.
I showed up that Wednesday night out of nowhere. Neither my girlfriend nor my family knew I was even considering converting. A frequent question asked at my RCIA was, "Are you engaged to a Catholic?" I was fairly sure I would eventually become Catholic during my first meeting. But, I approached the process in the manner of a student. I had to leave any pre-conceived notions at the door and enter into the discussion with an open mind. By my second meeting I was sold. I NEEDED to become Catholic.
____________________
What part of, "Hoc est enim Corpus meum" don't you understand?
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GoFisher
Member
| Joined: | Mon Dec 18th, 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 111 |
| First Name: | Kathy | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Mth Cng Prs UM sang@RC Ep UM (MDiv) Word-Faith Charismatic-RC |
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Posted: Thu Feb 8th, 2007 04:41 am |
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To save space, and to try to make my story more concise, I'm editing my response to your question, and putting it as a conversion story in its own room of this conversion forum.
Bless you!
Last edited on Thu Feb 8th, 2007 11:30 pm by GoFisher
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Love, hear + obey God: go fish! (me)
+ The Word became flesh... (St. John 1:14)
Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. (St. Jerome)
+ Follow Me... fishers of men. (St. Matthew quotes The Lord Jesus)
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