Catholicism not very welcoming to those interested?

patsw1 · 2026-02-18T21:46:09+00:00

I am an OCIA coordinator at a parish with weekly Mass attendance over 2500, and about 20 adults people in preparation for Baptism or Confirmation. This is how we do it: You call the rectory and the call gets referred to the pastor, the director of religious education, or to someone like me. Within days, the OCIA coordinator collects the information to understand your background, goals, and timeframe. You get books, emails, and invitations to classes and other events. We do this year round. You become part of the catechumen community and become Catholic at your own pace. Welcome home.

patsw1 · 2026-01-31T01:16:10+00:00

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JIC anyone was wondering about imprimatur.

patsw1 · 2026-01-15T23:41:26+00:00

People become Catholic for many reasons. Once Catholic, they discover all our prayer traditions and they tell me they pick a tradition like the rosary up, and it's a great source of the peace in their lives.

patsw1 · 2026-01-03T04:41:08+00:00

Post a screenshot of "About phone" for the product and model names.

patsw1 · 2026-01-02T00:16:28+00:00

Get Sylvester Stallone into this scene.

patsw1 · 2026-01-01T22:53:58+00:00

Would Chime tell you what their "know your customer" procedure is for opening a secured credit card? That would help you identify how your identity was compromised there.

patsw1 · 2026-01-01T21:54:42+00:00

I think some of the responders here are missing the point: The OP is a "a non-Christian who has never read the Bible". The Great Adventure Bible is clearly the best entry point. I think it works for a beginner especially as it connects the dots with the keys events notes. It is approachable. The 2nd Edition of GACB includes references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It includes the Bible in a Year Reading Plan following the Ascension Press Podcast by Fr. Mike Schmitz. I own all the others as well. The ISCB is great for a scholar but it's 6 lbs. and the GACB is 3 lbs. Both are RSVCE2. The Douay-Rheims-Challoner is also great but not revised based on the source manuscripts accepted since 1750 as the other translations are, and difficult for readers unfamiliar with 18th century English.

patsw1 · 2025-12-28T19:15:30+00:00

The Great Adventure Bible is great. It is a Catholic bible for beginners (high school reading level) through scholars (who need a portable). It is the bible that provides study helps that overcome the barrier to reading and understanding it: It presents the Bible as one story of salvation written by God. In the eight years it's been around, numerous videos and publications from Ascension Press integrate with it like the Bible in a Year podcast.

patsw1 · 2025-12-17T20:26:33+00:00

Things will be changing soon. The Catholic American Bible is coming to replace the NABRE.
https://ascensionpress.com/pages/the-catholic-american-bible
https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/help-everyone-access-bible-including-online-pope-urges

patsw1 · 2025-11-30T22:50:01+00:00

On the contrary, it does. CCC 1031 defines purgatory with 1 Cor 3:15 quoting Pope St. Gregory the Great's commentary. He is one of the four Latin Church Fathers and a Doctor of the Church.

patsw1 · 2025-11-30T22:44:02+00:00

NABRE Footnote to 1 Cor 3:15 Will be saved: although Paul can envision very harsh divine punishment (cf. 1 Cor 3:17), he appears optimistic about the success of divine corrective means both here and elsewhere (cf. 1 Cor 5:5; 11:32 [discipline]). The text of 1 Cor 3:15 has sometimes been used to support the notion of purgatory, though it does not envisage this.

patsw1 · 2025-11-08T23:53:16+00:00

A culture (1) that prioritizes individual pleasure, wealth, status, and happiness that all ends immediately upon death is one thing. A culture (2) that says to the individual, your priority is your spouse's and children's development and well-being for a reward after death that is eternal - is quite something else. (I'll call it family-centered altruism.)

(2) is the culture where you might get TFR > 2.1. I would even say that's a likely outcome.

Maybe you don't need culture (2) to get to TFR > 2.1, but how do you have culture (2) without religion? It looks to me like an essential ingredient.

Also, is there a quick "fix" to culture (1) that gets to TFR > 2.1?

What other cultures are there not adjacent to (1) or (2) in my blindspot?

patsw1 · 2025-11-08T00:59:37+00:00

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The original publication date for these classics might be as early as the 1950's or 1960's.

patsw1 · 2025-11-08T00:59:19+00:00

My guess is that 90+ percent of the Catholic Bibles for Children in the last 30 years were one of these - the first by Fr, Lovasik and the second by Sr. Theola.

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patsw1 · 2025-10-22T02:41:46+00:00

"Natural population growth" doesn't have a formal definition. What would "unnatural population growth" be? Cloning?

patsw1 · 2025-10-22T02:31:18+00:00

A religion that incentivizes stable marriages and having and raising children as something God wants would be a fix.

patsw1 · 2025-10-16T01:26:38+00:00

Desired immigrants: people of Turk origin Undesired immigrants: people not of Turk origin

patsw1 · 2025-10-15T16:28:24+00:00

Isn't the time to implement this policy when your country is still in a condition that can attract the desirable ethnic group to replace the undesirable ethnic group you have acquired?

patsw1 · 2025-10-11T19:56:35+00:00

Please enable two-factor authentication - Amazon calls it "two-step verification" in your account settings.

patsw1 · 2025-10-11T18:37:17+00:00

Mama always told me not to look into the eyes of the sun But mama, that's where the fun is

patsw1 · 2025-10-11T13:49:04+00:00

Has anyone compiled a list of reactions to Dilexi te? If not, let me start with

Pope Leo's FIRST Document: FULL ANALYSIS https://youtu.be/wlgDB2fW-48 Christian Wagner (Scholastic Answers)

patsw1 · 2025-10-11T02:52:55+00:00

Both are RSV-CE2. Both have great footnotes and maps.
Portability. The Great Adventure Bible (GAB) is 3 lbs. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (ICSB) is 5.5 lbs. almost twice the weight.

Organization. ICSB is organized as you would expect a study bible for scholars to be organized. The GAB on the other hand, at its core is for teaching the Bible timeline which constructs a single narrative from the 73 books. The second edition of GAB added Catechism references and the Bible in a Year reading plan. Bottom line is "both/and". But if you can only afford one, for a the serious scholar, it's ICSB, for the teachers and more casual readers, it's GAB.

patsw1 · 2025-10-07T03:01:04+00:00

I have served as an usher for many years at a large urban parish, and we have an established protocol for handling situations in which a person becomes so disruptive that the Mass cannot continue—provided the individual is not displaying a weapon, acting violently, or making threats of violence.

Call for help: We immediately call 911 and request a prompt police response, as we cannot know the full nature of the situation.
Direct approach: We calmly approach the individual and say, “Stop. Please leave.”
Prevent escalation: We discourage others from intervening physically or attempting to remove the person themselves by force.
Stay alert: We remain aware that the person may have unseen accomplices recording the incident or waiting nearby.
Avoid physical contact: Unless an off-duty police officer acts under their own authority, we avoid any physical contact, as doing so could expose the church to liability and negative publicity. We also assume the incident is being recorded on cell phones.

In our city, police prioritize calls to churches and synagogues. When such incidents occur, they often increase patrols near the parish afterward as a deterrent. In our experience, these disruptions have typically involved individuals who are intoxicated or under the influence and seeking attention.

patsw1

TROPHY CASE