I'm joining the Catholic Church next month. Advice/Books/Etc.?

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Hello fellow Freepers. I believe this is my first post on the Religion forum.

Over the past week or so, I put some thought into something I've been pondering for a while; my spiritual welfare. As it was, I had been part of the 'Sola Scriptua' school of thought (Evangelical Christian). By the Bible and only the Bible. Sounded good enough.

Well...what about before the Bible was put into word? It stuck in my head when reading an article earlier on FR concerning a deconstruction of Sola Scriptura and its inherent weaknesses as a foundation for one's faith.

This, combined with a genuine lack of churchgoing (as a family, we've been uncertain about going to various churches, given that top-down problems with Episcopal/Methodist/etc. churches and their increasing liberalization are a genuine problem for one's spiritual welfare), compelled me to make a decision.

I don't know if my family will follow me, persay, but I'm going to go ahead and take the plunge.

Next month, I'm going to the Church of St. Thomas the Apostle near my home, and I'm joining the Roman Catholic Church.

As is, I have a few volumes of the Magnificat pamphlet and the Catechism of the Catholic Church to read.

Any other pointers from other Catholic Freepers?

[antceecee]

One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church!

[antceecee]

My favorite... wonderful.

[antceecee]

“Learn to pray the Rosary other traditional devotions of the Church, about which you may not hear in RCIA:”

The Rosary... learned at my Grandmother’s knee... carried with me through my entire life.... thank you Memere.

[antceecee]

There you are sweetie...
I pinged you before reading through the thread!

; ~ )

[Running On Empty]

All that you have said in this post is not true. That’s a shame.

[incredulous joe]

Congrats and welcome!

I’m a 44 year old cradle Catholic, having in the past taught Religion, Science and Latin in an independent (traditional) Catholic school.

I’m actively a catechist in our parish to 5th graders.

During my college years I spent some time in apostasy, and interestingly enough found my way back into the Church after some interest in Judaism. I credit the Blessed Mother for my return. She has always watched over me.

Here is what works for me;

I don’t have a TV, but enjoy listening to podcasts of Fr. Benedict Groeschel and replays of Mother Angelica on the web. I learn something new from them every week, but mainly I enjoy the tone of their discussion particularly Fr. Groeschel. His voice is calming, steady and true.

Laura Ingraham is a national conservative talk show host. A recent and passionate convert to Catholicism. I enjoy her show when she talks religion and culture, less so when she does politics ~ www.lauraingraham.com

I enjoy the writing of Dr. Scott Hahn, a former Evangelical, particularly “The Lamb’s Supper”. I also recommend “The Lessons of St. Francis” by John Michael Talbot. I would also check out Amy Welborn at www.amywelborn.com. I would simply purchase her “The Loyola Kids’Book of Saints”. It’s great for adults, children and young people. It’s bridges Catholics and Christians and puts the lives of the saints into a context for our times.

Lite fair and Ecumenical; I have always enjoyed Max Lucado. At first, I was troubled and somewhat prejudicial about reading an Evangelical author. Max’s warm style and reverence for all of the things that I treasure, especially the Blessed Mother, quickly won me over. It’s easy reading. I give away copies of “The Applause of Heaven” to busy friends and family members. “God Came Near” is a pleasure to read, as well.

Learn the Angelus and teach your family. Pray it together every day: http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/2983/Angelus.html

The Catechism of the Catholic Church by JPII is available in book and online: http://www.christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/ccc.html

Unfortunately, there is also a great deal of wayward teaching out there, too. I would be wary of simply walking into any Catholic Church and assuming that they may be giving instruction correctly. I’ve actually heard some priests visiting my own congregation who are very “free and liberal” with their homilies ~ some do not follow proper liturgical practice and some have actually criticized the Magesterium from the pulpit. Fortunately, many of these 60’s styled priests are dying off.

My own pastor is very good, but if I had landed in the wrong church with the wrong pastor, who knows where I might be today?

Finally, if you have a chance, I would most highly recommend a trip to Washington, DC for the Life March. The Diocese of Washington sponsors a youth rally and Mass inside the Verizon Center every year and it is an incredibly positive experience. Attach yourself to a youth group as a chaperon in a parish that travels for the event (there seem to be many from Florida) and enjoy an amazing day that will change your life forever! Meet other Catholics, as well as our Christian brothers and sisters and have the best time that you could possibly imagine.

Hope it helps. Best of luck and Christ’s peace be with you.

[incredulous joe]

Oops, that’s the flag of Alabama on your profile, not Floridar!

I would still look for a group and make the trip to DC. You get extra gold stars in Heaven for the mileage. ;0)

[GOP Poet]

I am definitely going to check the book out. Thank you for the recommendation.

[incredulous joe]

Not familiar with that book by Hahn. But everything else that I’ve read by him is excellent.

If you get mired down in any of these texts pick them up on cassette or DVD and listen to them when you commute. Sometimes I have trouble staying focused on books and follow the tread of audio a little more easily.

If you’re listening in a car you can also welcome your guests to tune into the message, as well

[GOP Poet]

Yes! Please tell your story and as often as possible when the spirit moves you :-D. You never know who you impact and sometimes it is many more than we ever know. Even just one remembered line can cause someone to turn toward God in a time of need rather than away--even though it may be years from the time you wrote it. God is so very awesome that way.

Sure there will at times be the snide chastisers and the haters. This is the story of Jesus and testifying. I would love to hear your story.

[GOP Poet]

Great idea! Thanks.

[incredulous joe]

“Authors such as Sr. Joan Chittister , Garry Willis, and others who dissent from official teaching.”

Include Thomas Cahill of “How the Irish Saved Civilization” in this lot, “Desire of the Everlasting Hills” is a diatribe against Christianity and his biography of John XXIII is unreadble, though I forced myself to the bitter ~ and I mean BITTER ~ end.

[incredulous joe]

Hahn’s a good read, but I can put audio on my computer and just kind of let it hum in the background while I work.

Wow, this is the happy thread! Night all!

[dan1123]

See, when you say “Welcome home,” you’re confirming what many of us Evangelicals believe, that you see us as non-Christians, as apostate, as heretical, as anathema.

I got the same vibe from this thread. Makes me think less of Catholics.

[Ultra Sonic 007]

I got the same vibe from this thread. Makes me think less of Catholics.

Why? The Catholic Church is the very first Church. Of course Catholics would treat a Christian coming into the fold as a homecoming of sorts. Why get all hung up about it?

To everyone else, thank you for the suggestions.

[markomalley]

And you are SERIOUSLY telling any of us that you would not be happy if a Catholic decided to start going to a ______(fill in the blank — where you attend church)___?

Give me a break.

[markomalley]

Congratulations on your decision.

Books:

• Catholicism for Dummies by Fr. John Trigilio.
• People have already recommended the Catechism of the Catholic Church. But as useful is the Companion to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. When you get the Catechism, you will find that there are a HUGE number of footnotes to obscure documents. The Companion has the texts that correspond to those footnotes -- thus, it is a very useful reference.
• People have recommended Ludwig Ott's book, the one that goes with it is Denzinger's Sources of Catholic Dogma. Ott looks at the doctrine from a topical organization, while Denzinger looks at it from a chronological point of view. Both are very useful, but: they are theological textbooks. Thus they are EXTREMELY dry to read. I'm not saying "don't get them." I am saying, "bring toothpicks."
• I would also recommend The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. (I know there are people reading this asking "WHY????") The reason I recommend this is that there are a lot of good parishes out there, but there are also a lot of parishes that will seem politically very liberal. In the process of discernment, it is very important to know what the Church actually teaches as her social doctrine, rather than what some interpret to be her social doctrine. As a candidate/neophyte, the tendency is to believe everything you hear at face value. Chances are, down in the South, it's not going to be as bad as it is here in the Northeast, but, you never can tell (I hear there are a lot of carpetbaggers that have moved down South in recent years).

Websites:

• Universalis. This site primarily contains a resource known as the "Liturgy of the Hours," the Church's "official" prayer throughout the day. Instructions for how to pray this are here. Essentially, it is a collection of the psalms, along with other readings, prayers directly from the scriptures, short readings from the early Church fathers, and intercessory prayers. It's benefit to you is that it provides a structure whereby you can consecrate your entire day to the Lord through prayer. (There are "hours" for when you wake, for the early morning, mid-morning, noontime, afternoon, evening, and night-time)
• Catholic Culture online. This site has a good collection of reviews of Catholic websites and a good library of articles covering a variety of subjects theological.
• New Advent. This well-known site has the 1911 Catholic Encyclopedia online, a Douay Rheims Bible (as well as the Vulgate), St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica, and a decent collection of the writings of the Church Fathers.
• Mass Times. If you travel, this is a useful site to find out where the nearest Catholic church is, or to find out when Masses are in the local area. In addition, if there are several parishes in the area, you might want to think about which one you'd feel the most comfortable in. (Editorial note: back "in the day," all Catholics would go to the church that was within their parish borders. It would be EXTREMELY rare to find a family who went to another church -- even considered scandalous in some areas. While "church-hopping" is not generally done, you may well wish to check out any different options that are available to you prior to actually settling into a place)

Of course, if you have questions, don't hesitate to either post a thread of FReepmail one of the regular Catholic posters here.

[Biggirl]

Please leave this thread. Thank-you.

[Biggirl]

Congrats and WELCOME HOME!

[John Leland 1789]

I recommend the following two web sites.

www.mtc.org

www.exorthodoxforchrist.com