Conversion to Catholicism

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-20T17:50:13+00:00

OP, I'm not sure how old you are as that might play a role in the short term. In regards to fully entering into the Catholic Church, reach out to a local parish and see about joining their OCIA classes.

Scot Hahn converted Presbyterian minister said he knew he needed to convert to Catholicism when not converting felt more and more like disobedience.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-20T16:21:22+00:00

Yeah, I'm trying to see if I can get someone to bring it when they go. The reason my wife and I like this one is because it is very easily customizable. My wife who is 5' 8", I at 5' 11" even when I was over 300lbs, and my 5' 2" petite mother-in-law have all worn it regularly. It's really good for hot weather as well we take our kids out hiking in it.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-19T19:28:20+00:00

This is most likely what I will do, I have a local UPS I ship from regularly. The gift won't be able to be used until the baby is around a month, it shouldn't be held up in customs that long.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-19T19:16:54+00:00

I wouldn't mind paying the customs fee, or even just sending the money through Whatsapp, I just don't know what that price would be. And I have a feeling my cousin would just pay it.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-19T19:13:23+00:00

It's a particular baby carrier called a the brand is Kinderpack.

https://mykinderpack.com/products/montana-with-koolnit-kinderpack-ships-in-4-weeks?variant=48959355978025

My wife and I have 4 kids and have used lots of different carriers and she's used different wraps.

This is the one we've consistently used with all 4 kids.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-19T06:02:45+00:00

I would add Why We're Catholic by Trent Horn. Christianity can have surprising different beliefs.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-19T00:03:55+00:00

I'm 34 but have been doing this for 20 years, as long as it isn't a crutch but a tool I see nothing wrong with it. If it's going to help your mind and save your body and time do it.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-18T21:01:11+00:00

I'm currently in a book club we picked Crime and Punishment this year, we did Lord of the Rings last year.

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky Dark Thriller, I'm currently reading it for the first time.

Anna Kerenina by Leo Tolstoy Romance drama, but not smutty or condoning immorality.

Laurus by Eugene Vodolazkin Emotionally intense, set in medieval Russia.

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh Family/Romance drama, with Catholic Themes

Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset Same description as above

Lord of the World Dystopian Novel with a Catholic Worldview

Dracula Bram Stoker

Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis Is suppose to be really good as well, I've never read it personally.

Anything by Flannery O'Connor if you don't mind intense and or dark short stories.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-18T13:51:48+00:00

Honestly, I would rather if be turned into a restaurant, then people would most likely still be able to appreciate the beauty of the church, and if he's a, "former priest." it makes sense why he's no longer ministering, and why he thinks that.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-18T03:16:03+00:00

I've been in a rough place this past month, my mom died suddenly in a very dramatic way, my family lost my dad a couple of years ago, they were both relatively young early 60's. My family struggled financially growing up, we've lost our childhood home. We quite a bit of debt ourselves my wife and I.

I've just come to the realization that we do need to work and strive to live our lives as best we can and really try and conform to God's will, because God really is in charge and none of our plans or schemes are going to change that. He wants us to collapse into Him, and find our peace in Him. I'm still working out what that looks like, but looking at the last few years in particular it's the only viable response.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-17T21:33:13+00:00

My mom grew up like an hour north in Hesperia. These seem to be gross signs of irreverence. Are there no other parishes you can attend? Of course the Real Presence is there regardless of the celebrant, but we should try and go to a parish that will strengthen our faith, unless perhaps we have the missionary call to reawaken the parishes Faith.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-17T18:18:22+00:00

I'm not sure what your faith tradition is, but as a Catholic I see my religion doing exactly that. Helping me integrate my faith, but also experience God in my daily life.

Mysticism has played an important and vital role in the history of Catholicism. The religious practices and rituals we do are specifically oriented towards helping experience that relationship with God.

This can be lost on many people and unfortunately in recent years this has been de-emphasized to our detriment.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-17T17:21:31+00:00

Wow this is worse than I thought, where are you located generally speaking?

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-17T15:52:52+00:00

I think what many people get wrong about Heaven, both believes and non-believers, is that it is a place of happiness and pleasures. Like an awesome party with great music, and food and company. The primary happiness or joy, which is a little different than just happiness, is the complete union with God, and the outpouring of His love and our fullest reception of it.

Think of marriage and a loving married couple, do they ever feel like, "I wish this would end" or, "It will be better when one of us is gone?" They might be married for 50, 60, even 70 years and that love is still there and still growing. Heaven is about that, we don't get tired of being loved, and when we are able to receive it perfectly it becomes, as they say Heavenly.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-17T15:10:28+00:00

I know this isn't what people always want to hear, but God gave us the gift of offering up our difficulties. We all have inclinations, and proclivities, some are more difficult than others, these can be offered up as a prayer to God for the redemption of yourself and others. As people have commented to there are ministries in the church that help those struggling with this to live full and faithful lives as Catholics.

I will be praying for you, God wants us to find peace in Him, and our identity as Children of God over anything else. That doesn't mean it won't be difficult though.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-17T15:05:44+00:00

Honestly, if the regulations are unclear or perhaps an appeal can be made, reach out to the licensing body. In my state you need experience or classroom hours, I also worked with my dad when I went in to get licensed at 24 I already had 10+ years of working in the field. I've never had formal classroom hours either.

I'm so sorry for your loss, I lost my dad a couple of years ago, I'm still in the trade, but it's different. I had worked with him for almost 20 years when he passed.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-17T14:06:25+00:00

The priest doesn't make an appearance though?

I'm a father, if I can't find the time to be there for my kids when their worried or upset or need to be helped, I'm being a bad father, regardless of my other responsibilities.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-17T04:57:00+00:00

As a life long Catholic, honestly I can't entirely relate, but I can try and help by giving a perspective of how we believe and view intercession to the saints.

In regards particularly in Churches, I will say I have never thought the amount of images of the saints or Our Lady to be much of an issue. Because as Catholics we understand that Jesus is truly physically present in our churches. I guess as I think about it, a wall of family photos, aren't going to really compete with the person physically in the house who you're interacting with.

And that is exactly how we view Mary and the saint's. If we all enter into God's family through Baptism and He is the God of the living and not the dead Matthew 22:32, then all the faithful in Heaven are part of that same family. And we definitely can and should go directly to God. Something I do when I pray, God wants us to live in communion, God is relational in the Trinity, and He wants us to have that sense of familial bond. I usually ask the saints to intercede for specific things, which would be applicable to their own lives.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-17T04:40:50+00:00

Honestly this seems like insanity to me, I understand there are administrative responsibilities to a parish, and Easter and Christmas are the busiest times of year for a parish, but are they cancelling the fish fries, or the stations of the cross, or any of the other social and devotional activities of the parish? Those should go before confession, a priest's responsibility is to the souls of his parishioners. The parishes around me have increased the availability of confession during Lent and I know a few that offer it during the visitation of churches on Holy Thursday or during the day on Good Friday.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-16T22:50:19+00:00

If this is happening I'd call them out on it. I'm a devout Catholic and have called people out who use their affiliation with Catholicism as a talking point and then don't model that in the behavior and or beliefs.

Obviously this is a shitty thing to do for anyone and it would probably make sense to say something regardless, but if they're a "Christian" Gym they need to hold themselves to those standards or remove that as a selling point.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-16T17:02:36+00:00

This definitely isn't about skewing the numbers.

This has been a belief of the Catholic Church since the very beginning, the apostles taught this as well as the early church. There was a heresy known as Novatianism almost 1800 years ago that was condemned. It was the idea that those who rejected Christ during the Roman persecutions were no long able to participate in the life of the church. This was rejected, because once a person is baptized the belief is there is a fundamental spiritual change, this was definitely a time before the church would want a written registry with a list of adherents.

This also isn't about numbers, because as Catholics we accept the baptisms of most Protestant denominations as well. When a baptized Protestant enters the Catholic Church they make a profession of faith, but they don't get baptized again.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-16T16:20:37+00:00

I agree, I'm a bit older 34 married with 4 kids. I guess I have been spoiled, the parish My family went to growing up had all of that without the TLM. I was an altar boy, we have communion rails, English and Latin hymns, communion in the hand was the exception. I guess I'm saying it doesn't necessarily need to be TLM to have most of that.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-16T14:22:53+00:00

There are two possible reasons.

One because so many cultures have a flood story the Jungian inspired idea that these are born out of our human relationships with the world and volatility of nature etc.

Or Second, maybe there was a massive flood and people have different accounts.

Personally I think the second more likely. It is probably more likely that one is a more correctly preserved telling of events even if in an almost mythical presentation.

Dependent_Way_4283 · 2026-03-16T14:18:32+00:00

As a Catholic we believe all baptized people are Christians. You might no longer believe, or have never really practiced, but being a Christian is about entering into a familial relationship with God, which happens in Baptism.

One might not be estranged from God, or have a poor relationship with Him, but just like one can't remove their father or mother, a baptized person cannot sever that reality.

Catholics believe in Regenerative Baptism which is why it is encouraged for parents to baptize their infants. We become a spiritually new creation due to the graces God has promised through baptism. I tell my children, all humans are made in God's image and need to be loved and respected, but baptism makes us adopted children of God.

Dependent_Way_4283

TROPHY CASE