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PerpetualJourney
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| Joined: | Thu Jul 3rd, 2008 |
| Location: | USA |
| Posts: | 15 |
| First Name: | PJ | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Presbyterian, Methodist, Church of Christ |
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Posted: Fri Jul 4th, 2008 05:48 pm |
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Would it be appropriate for me to e-mail the local parish priest to introduce myself? I don't think I can begin RCIA classes any time soon or even attend mass, but I'd like someone local to know of my deep-down desire to become Catholic. Would I just be wasting his time?
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"Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." -St. Francis of Assisi
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Coach America
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| Joined: | Sun Jun 22nd, 2008 |
| Location: | St. Johns, Michigan USA |
| Posts: | 37 |
| First Name: | Art | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | [churches of Christ /Christian Churches] Catholic |
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Posted: Fri Jul 4th, 2008 06:53 pm |
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PerpetualJourney wrote: Would it be appropriate for me to e-mail the local parish priest to introduce myself? I don't think I can begin RCIA classes any time soon or even attend mass, but I'd like someone local to know of my deep-down desire to become Catholic. Would I just be wasting his time?
It would always be appropriate to contact the local parish priest, but to start with let me suggest something better.
I noticed that you are attending a Church of Christ.. I was a member of the Church of Christ for about 50 yrs and served in many areas, missions, ministry, etc . I simply suggest that each day for the next week you secretly go to that local parish and spend an hour with our Lord .Let Him know how you feel, fears and all. You will find that you can do more than you think. Jesus is the best local contact that you could ever have.
God Bless You!! You are almost home..
Coach..
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Lets coach our kids,coach our community,and coach America in the teachings of our Lord.
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PerpetualJourney
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| Joined: | Thu Jul 3rd, 2008 |
| Location: | USA |
| Posts: | 15 |
| First Name: | PJ | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Presbyterian, Methodist, Church of Christ |
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Posted: Fri Jul 4th, 2008 07:10 pm |
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Thank you, coach. It is nice to talk to someone who knows where I am coming from. My husband is a coc minister.
So, the parish should always be open to the public, I'm assuming?
____________________
"Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." -St. Francis of Assisi
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Coach America
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| Joined: | Sun Jun 22nd, 2008 |
| Location: | St. Johns, Michigan USA |
| Posts: | 37 |
| First Name: | Art | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | [churches of Christ /Christian Churches] Catholic |
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Posted: Fri Jul 4th, 2008 07:21 pm |
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Depending on the size of the parish the doors are usually open during the day. Check online for their weekly schedule. The doors are generally open way before and after mass. And yes I DO know where you are coming from. I also know that time before the blessed sacrament will be powerful for you. Our Native American brothers and sisters might say "Heap Big Medicine".
Coach..
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Lets coach our kids,coach our community,and coach America in the teachings of our Lord.
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Intercessor
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| Joined: | Tue Sep 25th, 2007 |
| Location: | Southcentral, Kentucky USA |
| Posts: | 1328 |
| First Name: | Becky | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Southern Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Fri Jul 4th, 2008 07:25 pm |
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PerpetualJourney wrote:
Would it be appropriate for me to e-mail the local parish priest to introduce myself? I don't think I can begin RCIA classes any time soon or even attend mass, but I'd like someone local to know of my deep-down desire to become Catholic. Would I just be wasting his time?
No, indeed, you would most certainly not be wasting his time, PJ.
Coach's idea about spending private time in front of the Blessed Sacrament
(adoration) or just sitting in front of the tabernacle at the church is a good one.
I would encourage you to go ahead and make an appointment with the priest, though. Perhaps you could set it up for a few days from now and use those few days in the interim for praying in the church there.
Keep us posted.
I'm praying.
Becky
____________________
"He who will persevere unto the end is not he who will never fall, but he who after every fall will humble himself and rise again, relying on the infinite strength of God." Divine Intimacy, p. 885 Father Gabriel, O.C.D.
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tedjenczewski
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| Joined: | Thu May 10th, 2007 |
| Location: | Richmond, Virginia USA |
| Posts: | 306 |
| First Name: | Ted | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Presbyterian, revert Catholic |
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Posted: Fri Jul 4th, 2008 09:40 pm |
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| I detect you are hesitating on the edge of that first big step. You might just go ahead and show up for daily mass, or near the end of daily mass and speak directly to the preist about your concerns. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR and every hope to to see all your anxiety driven away. May God bless you and sustain you.
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"...the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth." 1Tim 3, 15
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PerpetualJourney
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| Joined: | Thu Jul 3rd, 2008 |
| Location: | USA |
| Posts: | 15 |
| First Name: | PJ | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Presbyterian, Methodist, Church of Christ |
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Posted: Sun Jul 6th, 2008 08:26 pm |
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I sent the priest an email on Friday. Still no response. I imagine he is busy.
The calendar on the website is confusing. Probably because I am unfamiliar with Catholic terms. There is a time listed for confession on Saturday, but no mass listed. Then on Sunday, it says, "Reason to Believe" from 9:15 - 10:30...I assume that's just the name of the mass? There appears to be a daily mass during the week at 11:30, but then there was "Totus Tuus" listed, too, and I have no idea what that means. I googled it, but I really didn't come up with any explanation of what it would mean on a calendar. The definition of the phrase is, "totally yours." Y'all probably already know that, though.
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"Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." -St. Francis of Assisi
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Intercessor
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| Joined: | Tue Sep 25th, 2007 |
| Location: | Southcentral, Kentucky USA |
| Posts: | 1328 |
| First Name: | Becky | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Southern Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Sun Jul 6th, 2008 09:02 pm |
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PerpetualJourney wrote:
I sent the priest an email on Friday. Still no response. I imagine he is busy.
The calendar on the website is confusing. Probably because I am unfamiliar with Catholic terms. There is a time listed for confession on Saturday, but no mass listed. Then on Sunday, it says, "Reason to Believe" from 9:15 - 10:30...I assume that's just the name of the mass? There appears to be a daily mass during the week at 11:30, but then there was "Totus Tuus" listed, too, and I have no idea what that means. I googled it, but I really didn't come up with any explanation of what it would mean on a calendar. The definition of the phrase is, "totally yours." Y'all probably already know that, though.
Hi, PJ,
If what you want is a chance to sit down, in private, with the priest and chat for a half hour or longer, I would suggest that you make an appointment by phone. Perhaps you will be able to schedule the appointment by talking with the parish secretary or office manager.
There are a few priests who frequently check their email and promptly respond. However, I suspect they are a minority. Most priests are too busy to check email several times daily. On a weekend, the email may not be checked at all. It is not at all surprising, and certainly should not be taken personally, that you do not yet (on a Sunday afternoon) have an email response to your Friday email.
Try using the telephone, and be patient even with that. The world of a parish priest is quite different from the world of a Protestant pastor. (My father and father-in-law were ordained ministers.) Most priests carry a brutal workload and have nothing like the support staff many Protestant pastors have. Nor do they have wives to be the sort of team member that you are. :^)
Totus Tuus is apparently used for several different sorts of activities (youth camps, day camps, retreats); so it's hard to know exactly what sort of ministry is referred to in that particular parish. My guess would be that Reason to Believe is some sort of catechetical class or Bible class.
Perhaps you can think of seeing a priest as something to be scheduled as soon as you can reach one by phone and, in the meantime, can continue your studies at home (books, the Internet, perhaps EWTN). Only you know whether visiting a Catholic parish for silent prayer (adoration) is an option. We have no way of knowing how likely you are to be recognized. Some members have driven to other towns to reduce the likelihood of being spotted by friends or relatives.
I am clear that you have no intention of hiding anything from your husband; but if his job is at stake, you may wish to take a few such precautions in the beginning or until he has other employment opportunities.
Grace and peace,
Becky
Last edited on Sun Jul 6th, 2008 09:11 pm by Intercessor
____________________
"He who will persevere unto the end is not he who will never fall, but he who after every fall will humble himself and rise again, relying on the infinite strength of God." Divine Intimacy, p. 885 Father Gabriel, O.C.D.
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PerpetualJourney
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| Joined: | Thu Jul 3rd, 2008 |
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| Posts: | 15 |
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Posted: Tue Jul 8th, 2008 09:21 pm |
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I received a return email. He was very nice and answered all my questions. He also said he would like to meet me any time I'd like to and welcomed me to attend any of the daily masses.
____________________
"Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." -St. Francis of Assisi
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David W. Emery
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Posted: Tue Jul 8th, 2008 09:29 pm |
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| Wonderful, PJ! Now all you need to do is decide when you can go and talk person to person.
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Intercessor
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| Joined: | Tue Sep 25th, 2007 |
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Posted: Tue Jul 8th, 2008 09:53 pm |
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PerpetualJourney wrote:
I received a return email. He was very nice and answered all my questions. He also said he would like to meet me any time I'd like to and welcomed me to attend any of the daily masses.
I'm delighted, PJ. That's great. 
Let us know how it goes. I'll be praying.
Becky
____________________
"He who will persevere unto the end is not he who will never fall, but he who after every fall will humble himself and rise again, relying on the infinite strength of God." Divine Intimacy, p. 885 Father Gabriel, O.C.D.
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PerpetualJourney
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Posted: Sat Jul 26th, 2008 04:24 pm |
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I'm going to my first mass today. My teenage son wants to go with me! :-) Perhaps my husband will go too, if nothing else, out of curiosity. I'm at least going to ask him.
____________________
"Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." -St. Francis of Assisi
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cyanheaven
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Posted: Sat Jul 26th, 2008 04:46 pm |
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Congratulations!
I will be in prayer for you today that you find grace and peace before the Father.
Callie
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Intercessor
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Posted: Sat Jul 26th, 2008 07:18 pm |
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PerpetualJourney wrote:
I'm going to my first mass today. My teenage son wants to go with me! :-) Perhaps my husband will go too, if nothing else, out of curiosity. I'm at least going to ask him.
PJ, what exciting news!
Let us know how it went and what your impressions were, OK?
Many prayers going up for you and your family,
Becky
____________________
"He who will persevere unto the end is not he who will never fall, but he who after every fall will humble himself and rise again, relying on the infinite strength of God." Divine Intimacy, p. 885 Father Gabriel, O.C.D.
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PerpetualJourney
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| Joined: | Thu Jul 3rd, 2008 |
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Posted: Sun Jul 27th, 2008 12:47 am |
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I guess our progress has not been what I thought it was. When I asked DH to go to mass with us, he said "absolutely not." He would have been upset if I went without him, too, so I didn't go.
Baby steps and prayers. That's all I can do right now.
____________________
"Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." -St. Francis of Assisi
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Intercessor
Member
| Joined: | Tue Sep 25th, 2007 |
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Posted: Sun Jul 27th, 2008 01:30 am |
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PerpetualJourney wrote:
I guess our progress has not been what I thought it was. When I asked DH to go to mass with us, he said "absolutely not." He would have been upset if I went without him, too, so I didn't go.
Baby steps and prayers. That's all I can do right now.
PJ, I defer to the wisdom of Dave, David, and Rick should they disagree with what I suggest here.
Probably it would be wiser to plan your session with the priest for a time that you go alone, anyway. At some point (if you move toward the Catholic Church) you will need the guidance of a priest about your responsibilities to your husband and your responsibilities about entering the Church.
I understand a wife's reluctance to provoke a husband's displeasure. It will be easier, PJ, to navigate these waters if you have the guidance and support of a good priest. Don't be too hard on yourself. Pray about it. Remember all the suggestions you received earlier to spend time alone in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
I continue to pray for you.
Becky
____________________
"He who will persevere unto the end is not he who will never fall, but he who after every fall will humble himself and rise again, relying on the infinite strength of God." Divine Intimacy, p. 885 Father Gabriel, O.C.D.
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