I’M A Cradle Catholic And Proud Of It

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Why is being raised catholic a bad thing?
As someone who was baptized as an infant into the Catholic faith, I started reflecting: what does it really mean to be a ‘cradle' Catholic,’ [i]to me[/i]? And what [i]doesn’t [/i]it mean?
My parents introduced me to the faith, leading by example, but left faith up to me. a good thing, no?

I feel lucky to be a cradler
: )
how about you

[MarysLittleFlower]

I'm a convert, but I think either one is fine God brings us to the truth in different ways! It's good to be a cradle Catholic too because then you've always had the Sacraments and grace.

[AccountDeleted]

I think it's a great grace to be a cradle Catholic IF the parents are practising Catholics. Otherwise it is easier to slip away from the faith if one sees their parents not following it or treating its rules with disrespect. I am a convert and three of my sisters-in-law are cradle catholics who don't practise their faith. They still claim to be Catholic (as a socail identity I guess) but none of them go to Mass or confession or believe in Church teachings. They baptise their kids, and might even get them to their first Communion or Confirmation but that's all. And so far, none of their kids practise the faith either.

So yes, it is a very great Grace to be born into a Catholic family, but one that actually practises being a Catholic and isn't one in name only.

I think most converts have had to think long and hard about converting so they really appreciate the gift of faith and want to practise their faith in their daily lives. Not all of course because some convert for the wrong reasons, like one of my brother's who converted so he could get married in a Catholic church for his wife and her family (cafeteria cradel Catholics who don't practise except for Baptism, Weddings etc). Since she doesn't have a strong faith, he doesn't either. Their son was Baptised but now they are divorced and nobody practices the faith! It is very sad.

So yes, cherish your great grace and don't take it for granted, ever! I wish I had been born into a faithful Catholic family but God has called me through other means.

[sixpence]

Yes... I do feel a bit offended sometimes when the term "cradle Catholic" gets tossed around in a derogatory way around here sometimes! I understand that most of us had a less than amesome upbringing in the Faith... but not ALL of us

[Basilisa Marie]

Well, cradle Catholics and converts both have very different experiences. I know converts tend to be much more enthusiastic about Catholicism, but also tend to worry about it being obvious that they're a convert or something, or being seen as an outsider, plus there's the potential alienation of friends and family. Cradle Catholics have the benefit of always having been a part of our faith, but most need to go through some kind of conversion experience on their own and many non-Catholics assume cradle Catholics don't have that kind of conversion experience.

I've noticed that most vocal apologists in the US tend to be converts. But I think that's part of the special zeal for the faith they have. I think it's often harder for cradle Catholics to have that same kind of enthusiasm, because on some level Catholicism has always been a part of their lives so it's just a part of normalcy.

Granted, I'm speaking in HUGE generalizations in this post, and there are plenty of exceptions. This is just what my experience as a cradle Catholic and as a close friend and/or sponsor to a few converts has shown me.

Edited January 7, 2012 by Basilisa Marie

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='Basilisa Marie' timestamp='1325899101' post='2364217']
Well, cradle Catholics and converts both have very different experiences. I know converts tend to be much more enthusiastic about Catholicism, but also tend to worry about it being obvious that they're a convert or something, or being seen as an outsider, plus there's the potential alienation of friends and family. Cradle Catholics have the benefit of always having been a part of our faith, but most need to go through some kind of conversion experience on their own and many non-Catholics assume cradle Catholics don't have that kind of conversion experience.

I've noticed that most vocal apologists in the US tend to be converts. But I think that's part of the special zeal for the faith they have. I think it's often harder for cradle Catholics to have that same kind of enthusiasm, because on some level Catholicism has always been a part of their lives so it's just a part of normalcy.

Granted, I'm speaking in HUGE generalizations in this post, and there are plenty of exceptions. This is just what my experience as a cradle Catholic and as a close friend and/or sponsor to a few converts has shown me.
[/quote]

Actually, conversion experiences are sometimes things that need to be repeated. when I converted more than 30 years ago, I was a very lukewarm Catholic because my conversion was for the wrong reason really and my instruction was really lax. I became a cafeteria Catholic for man, many years, just as many of my in-laws were despite being cradle Catholics, we took what we wanted and let what we didn't.

It was only five years ago that I had another conversion experience that changed my life and my perspective on my faith. So now I do have a passion for Jesus and for His Church.

I have never felt the insider/outsider thing because when I converted it was just after Vat2 and people were leaving the Church, not coming into it! And I since I am more observant than all of my Catholic in-laws, I guess I have always felt like a 'real Catholic'. I have had problems since my second conversion though because now I try to encourage them to go to Mass or Confession and they don't want to hear it. And since most of my siblings are either agnostic or atheist, they all think I am a religious fanatic now. I lost my best friend over the abortion issue, and also alienated many of my family because of my strong stance against it now (I was pro-choice before my second conversion). I see things differently and feel differently and it sometimes causes problems for others who disagree.

Anyway, I don't think that God looks at converts or cradle Catholics as any different. People used to be baptised as adults and I was baptised as an adult - seems the same to me. Even Jesus was baptised as an adult. I guess a true convert is one who was raised practising another faith. I was born into an agnostic family and wasn't even baptised as a child. I was a 'nothing'.

And the first disciplies were all converts (they were Jewish before), and St Paul is one of the most well known converts! I guess one could even say that Apostles were converts too once they stopped obeying Jewish law. The only difference to me is that those who have been born into the faith have been given a gift that the converts don't get until later in life. And of course the best gift would be if one was born to faithful Catholic parents who can encourage and support the growth of faith in their children!

Edited January 7, 2012 by nunsense

[Ice_nine]

Who uses the term as a pejorative?

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[quote name='Ice_nine' timestamp='1325942007' post='2364406']
Who uses the term as a pejorative?
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Many people speak of "Cradle Catholics." The use of that phrase often comes from Protestant to Catholic converts, and the phrase rarely ever comes across well. Frankly, the use of that phrase often sounds condescending and a bit arrogant with many converts acting as if they are somehow "better" Catholics then those born into the faith.

[CatherineM]

I'm proud too. Here I am with my Godparents.
[img]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7153/6494188911_e585d1b2ee_m.jpg[/img]

[Papist]

I am thankful my parents were Catholic and raised me in the Church, especially thankful b/c I didn't have to go through the process of finding the Church of Jesus Christ.

Thank you mom and dad!

Edited January 7, 2012 by Papist

[Amppax]

<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>[quote name=&#39;Basilisa Marie&#39; timestamp=&#39;1325899101&#39; post=&#39;2364217&#39;]<br />
Well, cradle Catholics and converts both have very different experiences. I know converts tend to be much more enthusiastic about Catholicism, but also tend to worry about it being obvious that they&#39;re a convert or something, or being seen as an outsider, plus there&#39;s the potential alienation of friends and family.&nbsp;&nbsp;Cradle Catholics have the benefit of always having been a part of our faith, but most need to go through some kind of conversion experience on their own and many non-Catholics assume cradle Catholics don&#39;t have that kind of conversion experience.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
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I&#39;ve noticed that most vocal apologists in the US tend to be converts.&nbsp;&nbsp;But I think that&#39;s part of the special zeal for the faith they have.&nbsp;&nbsp;I think it&#39;s often harder for cradle Catholics to have that same kind of enthusiasm, because on some level Catholicism has always been a part of their lives so it&#39;s just a part of normalcy.<br />
<br />
Granted, I&#39;m speaking in HUGE generalizations in this post, and there are plenty of exceptions.&nbsp;&nbsp;This is just what my experience as a cradle Catholic and as a close friend and/or sponsor to a few converts has shown me.<br />
[/quote]</p>
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<p>This. Completely. As a cradle Catholic, with one parent whose very faithful, another whose not (I wouldn&#39;t qualify my father as a Catholic, he doesn&#39;t practice, and is very secular). I was raised by my mother (the faithful one), who shared her faith with us as much as possible. I went through a Catholic grade school where I was blessed to have teachers that were orthodox and, compared to most schools I&#39;ve encountered, they did a very good job of teaching the Catholic Faith (Yay Dominican Sisters from Nashville!). With all that, I still wasn&#39;t a very faithful Catholic (going so far as spending a few years where I would say I didn&#39;t really even believe in God), I had to discover and take ownership of my faith for myself.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>And that is what I think the danger of being a cradle Catholic is. Having parent(s) that raise you in the faith makes it very easy to see it as your parent&#39;s faith, and not your own. Although it is an incredible blessing, it also has its negatives. And that&#39;s what I think a lot of converts (or reverts such as myself) see, and where they might use the term in a derogatory way. Obviously its a huge generalization, but unfortunately (at least in my experience) its not very far off at all. Converts had to take ownership and discover the faith. Too many cradle Catholics I&#39;ve known don&#39;t think that they have to do this, and that&#39;s where I see the difference. It definitely stems the faith becoming ordinary, much like Basilisa Marie said.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>However, they are two very different experience, and ultimately, no one&#39;s experience is the same. We&#39;re all journeying to the exact same place, but each road has its bumpy parts and its smooth parts. I&#39;m just glad to be on the road personally. &nbsp;</p>
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[FutureSister2009]

I am thrilled to be a cradle Catholic, especially since my dad's not Catholic and he actually agreed to let me be Catholic! That's the best thing he ever did for me.

[MithLuin]

The first people I heard use the phrase 'cradle Catholics'....were cradle Catholics (and not reverts, either). So, I think it is quite possible to use this as a description of what it meant to grow up in the faith....without necessarily having any bad connotations.

The reality is that many people describe their experience as 'I was raised Catholic, but...' they aren't practicing as adults and don't really believe what the Church teaches. After you've heard 'I was raised Catholic' enough times with that outcome, you can easily conclude that being 'raised Catholic' doesn't mean much of anything except that someone tried to make you feel guilty as a kid.

And then you meet someone who was raised in a very Catholic family, who had a beautiful experience of the faith and has mass at family get-togethers and...it's easy to be a bit jealous if your experience was you had to fight and explain to family and friends what you were doing when you wanted to convert or marry a Catholic or join a religious order. So, perhaps sometimes converts think that cradle Catholics have it too easy.

I'm a cradle Catholic. I share my faith with my extended family on both sides for countless generations (Irish and Bavarian background). My great-great uncle was a Redemptorist priest (and exorcist). Two of my great-great aunts were School Sisters of Notre Dame (one lived to 98, so I knew her growing up). My mother offered to take me out of school to see Mother Teresa when she was in our local city, and my parents took me to the papal mass when JPII was there. My father is a deacon, and he baptized my nephew. My cousin is a Nashville Dominican - she had a ton of family in town for her first profession and final vows (incl me). I've gone to high school retreats, World Youth Day, and a pilgrimage to Rome...with my sisters.

This doesn't mean there are no drawbacks. I have brothers who are not practicing Catholics. It can be very easy to be a bit rebellious when your entire immediate family is really gung-ho about the faith. Reciting the rosary with my family always seemed a bit like a chore, so I've always struggled with that. (No, my Mom did not say 'Take out the garbage! Clean the bathroom! Say the rosary! Do the dishes!') Complacency can set in; just because my entire extended family receives communion at weddings doesn't mean we're all practicing Catholics. Even for the ones who attend mass regularly....why? It would be easy to find fault if one wanted to. You know your own family very well, and are unlikely to have a rosy, idealized view of Catholics when you know so many with very human failings! And yes, people will tell me in any sort of religious debate, 'Well, you're only Catholic because your parents raised you that way and you've never known anything else.' No detail I share is likely to change that impression...because I [i]was[/i] raised in my faith, and I've never left it. Yes, I've had conversion experiences that have made the faith my own (and not simply a family inheritance)...but that's not the same thing.

I think that we each have a unique journey to come to faith in Jesus Christ, and whether that journey began in a Catholic family or not, it can and will lead us to be with Jesus in heaven. It's easy to envy others their circumstances at times, but convert/revert/cradle Catholic....we call ourselves Catholic and have the same opportunity to grow in our faith.

[Amppax]

[quote name='Amppax' timestamp='1325963797' post='2364536']
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<p>This. Completely. As a cradle Catholic, with one parent whose very faithful, another whose not (I wouldn&#39;t qualify my father as a Catholic, he doesn&#39;t practice, and is very secular). I was raised by my mother (the faithful one), who shared her faith with us as much as possible. I went through a Catholic grade school where I was blessed to have teachers that were orthodox and, compared to most schools I&#39;ve encountered, they did a very good job of teaching the Catholic Faith (Yay Dominican Sisters from Nashville!). With all that, I still wasn&#39;t a very faithful Catholic (going so far as spending a few years where I would say I didn&#39;t really even believe in God), I had to discover and take ownership of my faith for myself.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>And that is what I think the danger of being a cradle Catholic is. Having parent(s) that raise you in the faith makes it very easy to see it as your parent&#39;s faith, and not your own. Although it is an incredible blessing, it also has its negatives. And that&#39;s what I think a lot of converts (or reverts such as myself) see, and where they might use the term in a derogatory way. Obviously its a huge generalization, but unfortunately (at least in my experience) its not very far off at all. Converts had to take ownership and discover the faith. Too many cradle Catholics I&#39;ve known don&#39;t think that they have to do this, and that&#39;s where I see the difference. It definitely stems the faith becoming ordinary, much like Basilisa Marie said.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>However, they are two very different experience, and ultimately, no one&#39;s experience is the same. We&#39;re all journeying to the exact same place, but each road has its bumpy parts and its smooth parts. I&#39;m just glad to be on the road personally. &nbsp;</p>
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Not sure what happened with this post? Sorry about that.

[AccountDeleted]

It must be a matter of perspective because I've always seen the term cradle Catholic as one of honour because of the great grace involved, and felt the word convert was as the one that was seen as somehow less. I use the word cradle because I don't know what other word to use to describe someone baptised at birth as opposed to someone who was either baptised or confirmed later as a Catholic.

Funny how we all see things.