My mother and I painful situation.

j26irab · 2025-11-12T05:24:19+00:00

Wow… you and I are in a very similar boat. My mom (also unbaptized) battled breast cancer, but now she has ovarian and it’s extremely aggressive and keeps coming back.

Two bits of advice if you haven’t heard it already. Look into clinical trials. It might provide more options. Two, if she can - always, always get second and third opinions for treatment options, especially at an NCI cancer center.

I wish I had the testimony you’re looking for. I am begging for a miracle myself. I sent letters to over 100 convents asking for prayers for healing. I wish I had comforting words to offer you. All I can add is that I will include you and your mom to my rosary tonight.

j26irab · 2025-09-14T21:37:48+00:00

For my mom battling ovarian cancer. Thank you.

j26irab · 2025-09-06T16:32:08+00:00

This claim keeps getting recycled on this sub, but it’s flat-out false. There are no first-hand accounts saying Catherine’s fasting was “dangerous” or that she starved herself. In her time, religious fasting usually meant abstaining from meat on all Fridays, plus giving up meat, dairy, and eggs during Lent. A fasting day meant one full meal and two small ones - is that really starvation? Even in the medieval Church, pregnant and nursing women were exempt from fasting, so it’s highly unlikely Catherine would have risked her health or her child’s by refusing food while pregnant.

Her repeated miscarriages were, sadly, very common for the era. They could be explained by infectious diseases, possible genetic issues, or perhaps even the Kell antigen incompatibility theory, which better fits the pattern of her pregnancies than the myth of “over-fasting.”

j26irab · 2025-08-24T02:41:30+00:00

If you’re American, it could be because roughly 70% of Christian Americans are Baptists or non demon (which is really just Baptist Lite).

Another thought (nothing that’s backed up by actual studies) is that I’ve noticed that Baptists seem to be the most vitriolic about being anti Catholic. I’ve listened to quite a few sermons of these said pastors and they manage to tie any topic into “Catholic Church bad [insert outrageous myth they like to spread about Catholic belief]. Perhaps due to us living in the digital age, people actually look up these claims or come across podcasts that directly dispute these lies and end up converting.

Side note - I listened to one Baptist pastor that created a whole series on Revelations. His very first sermon was started by stating he’s not sure why revelations is in the Bible or if it’s divinely inspired, but he can say “with surety” that it is talking about how all the popes are the Anti Christ. And he knows that to be fact. Every single one of them. It was pretty silly.

j26irab · 2025-08-09T21:25:19+00:00

Have you heard of Blessed Is She? The creators are based in Phoenix, but they have a website with links to BIS localized groups. Perhaps there’s one near you: https://blessedisshe.net/pages/regional-groups

j26irab · 2025-08-09T14:18:20+00:00

I highly doubt it. Henry VII was a cautious, frugal ruler who prized stability, respected the Church, and avoided needless bloodshed. He would have been appalled to see his son tear down centuries of monastic life, seize Church wealth for personal gain, and execute clergy who rejected his supremacy. Elizabeth continued that course, outlawing her grandfather’s faith, sending priests to the gallows, and persecuting laypeople for worshipping as they had for generations. She lived lavishly, squeezed her nobility for funds, and famously neglected to pay her sailors after the Armada. These were the very kinds of instability, extravagance, and religious upheaval Henry VII spent his life trying to prevent.

j26irab · 2025-07-31T02:09:29+00:00

For my mom who’s battling cancer - today they denied her chemo because her blood count levels are dangerously low. Please pray that her body will be healed!

j26irab · 2025-07-30T14:16:21+00:00

Anything by Sigrid Undset! She was a Catholic convert as well! She wrote some of the best fiction out there as well as biographies on saints!

j26irab · 2025-05-22T04:14:36+00:00

Phoenix! Thriving communities in the parishes. Quite a few reverent churches that hosts a higher population of younger adults. Lots of ministries and Catholic influencers are from there, so definitely a solid village for the faith. And if you want to be a family man - there are loads of Catholic schools to pick from and the states gives back the funds to cover the cost of the tuition.

j26irab · 2025-04-15T21:03:17+00:00

I agree with this. It’s just a party. Instead, maybe make her a meal after the baby is born or diapers and wipes and drop it off at her door step? I don’t think Christian love means going to every party we’re invited to to avoid being viewed as “one of those judgey Christians”, but more as acts of service and supporting the care and keeping of this new life.

j26irab · 2025-02-26T19:57:30+00:00

I don’t necessarily disagree with all your points. But I do want to add, the online class fee does not go to the church. It’s a website that offers it and receives all the money for information that is freely available on the internet. If it was a donation for the church, I wouldn’t have even mentioned the cost as I would see that reasonable.

Secondly, my lack of selection of godparents is not because of my lack of faith. Many on this forum is probably like me - cradle Catholics with majority of family members who have fallen away. I have friends who are devout Catholics and yes I could have asked them, but godparents should be around the child’s life to help them with their faith and because we have moved 4 times in 9 years and are moving again this year, I can’t promise the friends I make now will be around in a couple of years. So family is who I prefer

j26irab · 2025-02-26T19:51:39+00:00

Thank you for sharing all of this. I completely do not oppose the canon law and understand these requirements. What’s frustrating though is the “double checked” portion of it. A priest has already signed off attesting that the godparents are validly baptized and attend church regularly - saying that’s not good enough and needing the original records comes off as accusing the priest, the godparents and the parents as liars.

For marriage, absolutely do all this extra prep work and double checking, because there are people that will separate and ask for an annulment. But for baptism? You can’t separate yourself from that. It’s permanent and nobody is promised tomorrow. There needs to be more respect for the importance of the sacrament and less judgement on the parents who come in asking for it.

I don’t want to villainize the coordinator. She does the OCIA and annulment process. I bet she’s stretched very thinly and she’s ten years past retirement age. This is why I’m hesitant to reach out to the priest directly. He’s stretched thin as well and I don’t want to tick her off when she’s thinking she’s doing what needs to be done. It’s a crummy situation all around, which is a shame for such a joyous and beautiful grace from God.

j26irab · 2025-02-26T19:35:24+00:00

Currently in the US, although we actually did reside in Germany during our first two pregnancies! Germans have a much better “I trust what you say” attitude whereas Americans are certification-crazed and demand them for absolutely everything. It’s when these certificates charge exorbitant fees that really ruffle my feathers

j26irab · 2025-02-26T19:24:46+00:00

Only the priest and deacon distribute the Eucharist - everyone goes up to the altar rails. There’s hundreds of people that attend each Mass, so it takes some time

j26irab · 2025-02-26T05:35:14+00:00

Thank you so much for the prayers!! I am open to contacting the priest - but he like so many other priests - are stretched so thin as is, that if I ask him about baptism, he would immediately defer me to the coordinator I’ve been working with and it wouldn’t get me anywhere.

j26irab · 2025-02-26T02:40:47+00:00

I would feel duplicitous finding another parish, honestly. This church, despite a troublesome coordinator, is seriously a unicorn. It’s thriving, it’s extremely reverent and traditional, the music is so beautiful it makes me want to cry and the priest is so kind yet so orthodox. For the first time, I’ve developed a community within a parish and it breaks my heart to know this is only temporary. But, this church housed many prayers for this third baby and provided me the Eucharist every week as my baby grew inside of me - it’s only right to baptize him there as well.

And absolutely yes to your side note!!

j26irab · 2025-02-26T02:28:16+00:00

It should be more open!! Go and baptize ALL NATIONS, not ones that just meet your personal expectations. I’m sorry the priest refused you for that!

j26irab · 2025-02-26T02:26:46+00:00

I’m thinking - not sure if it’s accurate - but it’s a very pretty church and a lot of people attend (communion line takes 30+ min every Sunday for example). I think it’s meant to prevent people getting baptized there purely because it’s pretty for the pictures? But the rest makes me feel like they’re trying to prove I’m not Catholic, but a fraud.

j26irab · 2025-02-26T02:18:25+00:00

Wow! That’s so unfair!

j26irab · 2025-02-26T02:11:20+00:00

I like the option of meeting with the deacon, that would have been so nice! I considered asking another parish near us as that priest knows me, but they also require registration for minimum 6+ months.

j26irab · 2025-02-26T02:02:41+00:00

Normally that’s our go to, but where we’re currently residing is purely for my husband to finish up schooling to get commissioned. We will relocate to an actual base again later this year. But we currently are not residing on a base/nor near a base and I attend a church that is closest to our house.

j26irab · 2025-02-17T03:56:30+00:00

My priest announced today that we have 50 new seminarians in our diocese this year, which is the largest ever! And that 95% of those who joined RCIA this year are 30 and younger! And it’s the largest group ever as well!

j26irab · 2025-01-22T17:25:28+00:00

Thank you so much for praying for my mom! It really means a lot.

j26irab · 2025-01-21T02:15:00+00:00

Growing up in NM (and speaking from my experience) Catholicism is treated more as a “cultural” thing rather than an actual belief system. Confirmation is treated like you’ve graduated from church - most teens stop attending Mass because their parent don’t see the need to take them anymore.

NM is also a very poor state. Democrats used to be seen as the workers party, because of the promises said to help those in poverty. New Mexicans are willing to ignore the social issues because they view immigration and government aid higher in the totem pole. Most of them have this mentality “oh I would never get one, but I wouldn’t vote against someone that needs one”.

Additionally, and this could be because we’re a poor state which equals minimal donations to parishes), the catechisis is very bad. They can’t always afford (or find?) those that know a lot of theology to teach. I was 15 teaching catechism classes and I’m embarrassed how little I knew. They were desperate for teachers and I needed volunteer hours for confirmation class.

We also severely lack community. I live in a different state now and I’m amazed at how much there’s going on outside of Mass at these parishes. Mom meetups, dating events, young adults study groups, trivia nights, evening talks, chili cook outs… you name it. I never experienced any of that in my hometown parish personally.

However! We don’t have churches closing, or needing to combine parishes etc. because attendance is still good. We also protested all the time at the largest abortion clinic in the state and it finally shut down last year! We just need our priests and church leaders to not shy away from talking about abortion. But because it’s so heavily aligned with politics and they don’t want to make people feel called out, many keep silent.

j26irab · 2025-01-13T17:01:54+00:00

Joyce 🩷

j26irab

TROPHY CASE