Sojourner Posted April 12, 2004 Share Posted April 12, 2004 How did you tell families and friends about your journey toward the Catholic Church? How did they react? How have those relationships changed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolmom Posted April 12, 2004 Share Posted April 12, 2004 Great question. There are still a great many people whom we haven't told yet-- including my in laws... I know, I know... but they were in AZ for the winter and we didn't think this would make a very nice phone call, "Hi, we've pretty much done a 180 on our thoughts about Catholicism, so we converted... sorry to break your hearts." Thought that would be better done in person. All through Easter Vigil I though, 'honor your mother and your father.' Well, we didn't really do that, I guess... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader_4 Posted April 12, 2004 Share Posted April 12, 2004 Well I went down to the local CC and joined the choir (without telling my mom) that way i had an excuse to go. Then i enrolled in RCIA and at first she was rather hostile but she has since then accepted it with open arms. For the most part my family has been great about the conversion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaustinaVianney Posted April 12, 2004 Share Posted April 12, 2004 I just kinda blurted it out. I was so happy to become Catholic that it didn't bother me what others thought of it. My Gramma Helen wasn't too thrilled, but was able to accept it after my aunt talked to her. My other Gramma was happy that I go to a church and believe in Christ. My father and stepmother hated the idea and hate Catholics even though they have no idea what they believe. I have been Catholic for over a year now and they still refuse to accept that I am a Catholic. My parents do good to be in the same room as me. (I am working up telling them that a year after graduation I hope to enter a convent.) The rest of the fam doesn't really care because they think I'm weird anyway. Friends think I am crazy for loving Christ the way that I do, so we have all kinda distanced from one another because they are afraid they will offend me by saying the wrong thing, etc. Apparently I am 'preachy' even though I don't say anything... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sojourner Posted April 13, 2004 Author Share Posted April 13, 2004 (edited) Family: About a year ago, I broached the subject of converting to my parents. They knew I'd been thinking about it and studying it, but I don't believe they really thought I was seriously interested in it. So when I said I was, and that I was contemplating becoming Catholic, my dad [i]blew up[/i]. He went on for about an hour and a half about how under no circumstances would [i]he[/i] ever become Catholic, and how if I did, it would forever drive a wedge between me and my family, and on and on ... I left in tears that day, cried all the way home (an hour). Since that time, we've barely talked about it at all, and I've shared next to nothing of my journey with them. I've talked some to my siblings about it, but they don't really understand what's motivating me, and don't appear to really want to talk about it in any depth, so we don't. I thought long and hard about inviting them to Easter Vigil, but didn't. I don't know whether that was good or bad. It really bothers me that we can't have good conversations about this, and I wish I was brave enough to initiate those things. I'm a chicken, though, and I don't want to open up something I find deeply precious to ridicule, so I don't bring it up, and neither do they. Friends: I've gotten various reactions from friends; some have been really supportive, while others have told me that in joining the church I'm "moving away from the Gospel," or that in leaving the church I had been attending that I "jab and mutilate the Body Christ died for." I think the most encouraging thing has been learning who other Catholics are in my life who I previously didn't know were Catholics. I've discovered this group of people at work who have quiet but (mostly) serious faiths, and that's been really cool. One of them even put me in contact with his wife's cousins who also joined the church this Easter, so for the past several weeks we've been corresponding and sharing our journeys, which has been a real blessing during the times I've felt alone. Edited April 13, 2004 by Sojourner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessinoelw Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 We just told our family and they didn't really have too much of a problem. My husband's parents were bothered because they are (non-practicing) Jehovah's Witnsses. With our friends, I sent out a long e-mail (many of our friends are long distance). We had no Catholic friends at the time. Some friends debated with us for a while. Many of them no longer talk to us, though this was due in part to the long distance issue. One friend said we were committing "spiritual suicide." She no longer talks to us. One friend converted and another is looking like he will convert either to the Catholic Church or the Eastern Orthodox Church. --Jessica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yiannii Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 Hey if your friend who is looking into the Eastern Orthodox Church needs any advice about it, reffer him to this site. I was looking into the Greek Orthodox Church but in the end found out that the CC was the true one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marielapin Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 All of my friends in college already knew, since I made it no secret and had been attending Mass for three years prior. They supported me for the most part even though they knew next to nothing about the Catholic Church. I had to refute some of those nasty half-truths and flat out lies about the Church. My two other best friends (who didn't go to the same college) happened to be Catholic themselves, so they were pretty happy about it. My family...well they knew I had been attending Mass for a long time, so this shouldn't have been a shock. My Mom however thought (I never told her this - she came up with this thought on her own) that I was going to wait until after I got married to join the Church (which would have been in 2003)...I had already waited a year longer than I wanted, and I was ready to join at the Easter Vigil in 2001. My mom threw a fit, and even threatened not to come to my wedding cause she didn't want to see me as a Catholic (of course, she has since forgotten this). My grandmother told me that basically that I didn't know what I was doing (even though I had been studying Catholicism and Methodism and all other forms of Protestantism for the past three years) and my dad didn't seem to care. My sister pretty much accepted it even though she thought it was weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DancesforLove Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 That reaction sounds familiar. I started considering turning to the Catholic church about a year ago. I recently told my mom and my oldest sister and I got a 3 1/2 hour lecture about how I could not convert and that I was strictly doing it for my boyfriend (who is catholic). I could somewhat see their reasoning on that, but they refused to believe that I could possible be doing it for myself. I was raised German and Methodist and any religion besides Judaism and Methodist are not accepted in my family, so I'm in a bind. They refuse to let me attend Mass or go to Youth Group, I am trying to find some way to get my parents to change their minds since they still control where and what I do. If anyone has any suggestions that might help my situation I would greatly appreciate them! Thank you, this website has been so helpful, so has the forum! Chelsea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolmom Posted April 15, 2004 Share Posted April 15, 2004 Hi, Chelsea... I am sad to say that I GAVE the lecture on "you're only doing this for your boyfriend" so I can understand where your parents are coming from. My advice, as a parent, is to respect your parents, read as much as you can about Catholicism (and Phatmass as much as you are able . ) and PRAY for them. A year ago I was giving that lecture... last weekend I was received into the Church. Miracles happen... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DancesforLove Posted April 15, 2004 Share Posted April 15, 2004 (edited) LoL, I can't say that I wouldn't say the same thing to my child. The shocking part was what she was telling me that the church did and the reasons I shouldn't join the church were false. I continue researching it as much as possible and pray nightly and I know Christ is with me and I will find my way to the church in my time. I just wish I didn't have to endure the criticism and judgmental comments from my family because it is eternally my decision not theirs and it is up to me to find the church right for me. I didn't tell them that I was going to convert right then so I don't see why they refuse to let my attend mass or even go to Youth Night and experience it and learn for myself. Because if what she says is true, then I will see it and Christ will lead me to the appropriate church, right. I don't know, I guess I'm just going to have to continue to talk to them. Thanks! Chelsea BTW, I see your name is Homeschoolmom, thats awesome! My sisters and I are homeschooled, I've been homeschooled since the beginning. I love it and am happy to see more people doing it! Edited April 15, 2004 by DancesforLove Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolmom Posted April 15, 2004 Share Posted April 15, 2004 [quote name='DancesforLove' date='Apr 14 2004, 06:23 PM'] ...I don't see why they refuse to let my attend mass or even go to Youth Night and experience it and learn for myself. [/quote] They're afraid you're being lured into a cult-like situation... that you're doing it all for the love of your boyfriend... They're sure at some point, you'll be unable to think and discern for yourself... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theculturewarrior Posted April 15, 2004 Share Posted April 15, 2004 I come from a Catholic family, and even though I wasn't raised Catholic (or anything else, for that matter) my mother "reverted" around the same time as I decided to make the plunge. We started going to church together at the same time. Now we just need to get my father and siblings on the trolley. Maybe it is different for somebody in my situation...I still have my cross to bear, but my life improved DRAMATICALLY when I converted. I didn't feel like I was engaging in spiritual warfare for a good year or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marielapin Posted April 15, 2004 Share Posted April 15, 2004 [quote name='DancesforLove' date='Apr 14 2004, 07:23 PM'] LoL, I can't say that I wouldn't say the same thing to my child. The shocking part was what she was telling me that the church did and the reasons I shouldn't join the church were false. I continue researching it as much as possible and pray nightly and I know Christ is with me and I will find my way to the church in my time. I just wish I didn't have to endure the criticism and judgmental comments from my family because it is eternally my decision not theirs and it is up to me to find the church right for me. I didn't tell them that I was going to convert right then so I don't see why they refuse to let my attend mass or even go to Youth Night and experience it and learn for myself. Because if what she says is true, then I will see it and Christ will lead me to the appropriate church, right. I don't know, I guess I'm just going to have to continue to talk to them. Thanks! Chelsea BTW, I see your name is Homeschoolmom, thats awesome! My sisters and I are homeschooled, I've been homeschooled since the beginning. I love it and am happy to see more people doing it! [/quote] Don't give up hope Chelsea! My mom told me the same thing when I told her I was interested in the Church (that she only believed I was converting because of my husband - then boyfriend) every once in a while she still says this - it truly hurts me that she does not believe me when I tell her I would have converted even if I had not met Jared, it would have just taken longer to find my way here. She came around eventually and drove me to Mass on Sundays, etc (this was even after threatening not to come to my wedding). I couldn't believe it. From time to time she will come to Mass with me as well, so the impossible does happen - with God's help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeWeStCoNvErT Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 I told them as soon as I knew I wanted to be catholic. I dont have alot of friends except my boyfriends friends and the majorty of them are catholic.My friend Keyonna doesnt like catholicism but she didnt try to bring me down.I noticed though that we didnt talk as much as we used to barely at all now im trying but everytime I talk about religion its very general.Im trying to convert her its just hard because she is so stubborn and always right.So im having a hard time getting a long with her and Im tring to keep the friendship going. But im on mission to convert everyone I know Pax, Joyce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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