Telling People... Is Like A Constant Break Up

[annabelle87]

"That's the risk you take if you change: that people you've been involved with won't like the new you. But other people who do will come along."
- Lisa Alther

[Lil Red]

[quote name='Ellenita' date='Aug 11 2004, 07:07 PM'] I'm going to stay with people this weekend who will think I've completely lost my mind - they are very liberal intellectuals so it'll be one long argument! I'm not looking forward to it, but it won't be as emotionally difficult as what you're going through....

I'm already praying the Memorare! [/quote]
how did the weekend go, Ellenita?

[marielapin]

I am soo sorry HSmom. I'll be praying for you and your family.

My family was very anti-Catholic. My grandmother refused to let my mom date catholic guys in highschool. My extended family and my grandmother's family all went to Free Will Baptist and tiny Methodist churches in the country (like your husbands family). But when they got an invitation to my wedding, they showed up.

One of the most joyful things about my wedding was that I was able to evangelize my family by just their very presence there. It was the first time they had even entered a Catholic Church, much less witnessed a Mass. And I had the full one and half hour long wedding Mass. I think a lot of them softened towards Catholicism, by what they saw and what they didn't see (ie us worshipping Mary, us dancing around with horns on our head, etc). My grandmother, the same one who forbade my mom to date Catholics, was present at my wedding and then again at Dominic's baptism. She hasn't made any comments to me about my faith, but when she was visiting a month ago I noticed her looking at the crucifixes on the wall and the pictures of the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts, and the small state of Mary at Fatima. I was wondering what she was thinking. The Divine Mercy played a huge role in my conversion and my mother and sister share the love that I have of this Image. So they both have large 8x10s of that picture on their bedroom walls that I gave them. My mom told me that the Image of Divine Mercy is the first thing she looks at every morning. For Dominic's baptism she actually went to a few Catholic bookstores to find a gift. She looked through some children's Saints books and found that Saint Dominic was a proponent of the Rosary, so she bought him not only that book but a children's Rosary! This gives me so much hope, because just four or five years ago she was saying the most hurtful things about me becoming Catholic!!!

So don't give up praying. I know how much it hurts...it cuts down to the core of your very soul. But its amazing how over a period of time your loved ones will soften and become more receptive to hearing about your faith. My greatest prayer is for my family to convert. Its gonna take a pretty large miracle though, but I see it happening little by little. Saint Jude, pray for our families!

[homeschoolmom]

My father in law comes from a large family (he has 10 siblings) and various ones of his nieces and nephews have married Catholics. They are rather nominal Catholics though and don't help stop the anti-Catholicism. I think my FIL thinks that we have given up our faith and are going to turn secular and that HS_Dad is NOT doing a good job of being the spiritual leader of our home. He sees it as a huge failure on HS_Dad's part...

[marielapin]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' date='Aug 19 2004, 10:29 AM'] My father in law comes from a large family (he has 10 siblings) and various ones of his nieces and nephews have married Catholics. They are rather nominal Catholics though and don't help stop the anti-Catholicism. I think my FIL thinks that we have given up our faith and are going to turn secular and that HS_Dad is NOT doing a good job of being the spiritual leader of our home. He sees it as a huge failure on HS_Dad's part... [/quote]
Give it time....he will be able to tell your family and faith is truly alive by your example.


I know this probably sounds horrible, but it will probably take about two years for them to realize the joy that you and your family have found. Don't give up hope. Saint Jude is a very powerful and helpful saint in these situations, I have found.

[Sojourner]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' date='Aug 19 2004, 09:29 AM'] My father in law comes from a large family (he has 10 siblings) and various ones of his nieces and nephews have married Catholics. They are rather nominal Catholics though and don't help stop the anti-Catholicism. I think my FIL thinks that we have given up our faith and are going to turn secular and that HS_Dad is NOT doing a good job of being the spiritual leader of our home. He sees it as a huge failure on HS_Dad's part... [/quote]
I got a lot of that from people I knew when I was first thinking about converting. One of my friends is from New Jersey and only knew cultural Catholics, no one who really exhibited a vibrant faith.

I think marielapin is right, though ... give it time, and live your faith.

[homeschoolmom]

I went to a meeting at our old church last night (homeschool meeting-- our co-op meets there)... it was weird. I hadn't set foot in there since May. And we practically lived there. I was avoiding people who I just don't want to talk to. There is one person in particular who is very anti-Catholic... Just don't want to deal with it anymore. Happily, I am gaining some more support from a couple of friends.

[ICTHUS]

[color=red][edit: this is not the Debate Table. Please take you nasty comments elsewhere-- thank you][/color]

Edited August 22, 2004 by homeschoolmom

[Crusader_4]

look Icthus there is a line and you have crossed it if you want to share your opinnon on the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church i suggest you do it in the debate table where you can await debate not in the Convert section where it is not only rude but inconsiderate as well.

-Will