Catholic Conversion

[OnTheOutskirtsOfTheLight]

I want to become a Catholic. I have name changed for this as I don't want to out myself. I work in a cry Catholic environment which includes writing mass and leading worship yet I myself am not Catholic. I have a deep longing. My family are atheist and I think I may come up against some very staunch opposition. For those of you have converted as an adult, what is involved? Tell me your experiences. For those of you who have other views to add either pro or anti, I'd like to hear these too. I am aching from needing to be closer to God and I feel this will help.

[OnTheOutskirtsOfTheLight]

*very
iPhone being helpful!

[CadenceRoastingByAnOpenFire]

A family member converted to Catholicism as an adult. They went to weekly meetings with a priest leading up to their baptism and then were baptised. If this is what you want to do your family should support you, regardless of their own faith (or non faith). I can't see why anyone would be pro or anti this, it's your life. Could you talk it over with your local priest?

[Stargazing25]

Watching this with interest

[QofF]

You should go and speak to a priest as a starting point. They can explain the initiation classes you will have to take. After these classes you would then receive the 3 sacraments of baptism, holy communion and confirmation in one go. have you started going to mass? Good luck with it all.

[llhj]

Welcome. How lovely. If you go to your local church or even check out the newsletter online, there may be information sessions etc. I know my church has regular sessions.

[Clickncollect]

I became a Catholic as an adult a couple of years ago. I called my local church and they asked me to enrol on the RCIA course held in the church hall (right of christian initiative for adults). This was a small informal group every week run by one of the ladies in the church and the priest came along most weeks. Each week was a different topic regarding all things religion i.e. one week was about Guardian Angels, other weeks were about different sacraments, different roles in the church, a tour of the Church and really interactive, no homework or anything like that!
We were presented to the Church in a Rite of Welcome one Sunday in November, followed by a Rite of Election up at our nearest Cathedral attended by all adults becoming Catholics in the diocese where we were welcomed by the Bishop in March.
Then, we were baptised, took first holy communion and were confirmed in a ceremony on Easter Saturday in April 2014.

[allegretto]

I have thought about this as I often go to mass as dh and ds are Catholic and I can't take communion unless I convert but I am not sure if I could. Re: family - my family are all atheist and I already got a few strange comments from them when I started going to church - just ignore!

[SpotOn]

What Clickncollect said.

And I don't think you have to tell your family....it's not like you're going to bump into them at mass.

[Cetti]

Go for it! As Clickncollect says there's a standard course called the Rite of Christian Initiation which you take over six months or so, culminating in your baptism, first communion and confirmation at Easter (following the custom of the early church). And allegretto, anyone can convert - if you're already baptised then you skip that bit. You will get flak as I activated my faith as an adult and have Dawkinsite friends who still can't quite cope! You just have to be polite, grit your teeth and carry on. Being a Christian of any kind is deeply unfashionable in Britain and being a Catholic probably the worst of the lot. You should definitely explore further - I love my faith; I love the deep joy it brings me, the depth and meaning in my life and all the fun that the social side of things brings. (Currently into Lent fundraisers). Much better than the grumpy Marxist I used to be;)

[Dumbledoresgirl]

I converted as a late teenager. It was over 30 years ago now so I don't know what might have changed in that time but I started off by approaching the parish priest ( already went to Mass with RC friends). We met up for chats which were pretty informal really but were quite frequent and extensive as all RC doctrine had to be explained to me. I was already baptised in the Anglican church which meant I did not need RC baptism. I was received and confirmed during one Saturday morning Mass - very low key, the way I would have chosen it. Shortly after I was received, the parish started doing proper conversion courses for groups of people, and they were always received in special Masses, usually t Easter. That wouldn't be my preference.

After being received, life felt great. I felt I had come home. I was pretty devout for some years, but gradually my faith faded. I am not practicing now, but I still relate to the Catholic church and it is only to the Catholic church that I would return if my faith returned. I certainly have never regreted converting.

Go for it. I would recommend attending Mass for a while if you haven't already, make sure you feel comfortable in the church, then approach whichever priest you feel comfortable talking to.

[Dumbledoresgirl]

Oh, and although I was only 18 - 19 at the time, I definitely did not tell my family. They found out shortly after I had been received and were,I think, a bit hurt that I had not told them what I was doing, but it wasn't something I wanted to talk to them about and I never really have.