Any Catholics here?

If you want to read through the liturgy of the word beforehand there are lots of sites that give a short discussion - I like this one https://www.agapebiblestudy.com/ - next Sunday the Gospel is Matthew's account of the Transfiguration, but the one after that has John's account of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. The reading often gets shortened for reading in church, but it's worth reading the whole thing. She is an extraordinary figure.

I think it was until recent decades, but things have liberalised a lot in a bid to keep people going.

Agree with others just to go and not worry. I went for the first time mid week and sat at the back. Didn’t go up for communion/blessing, I just took it all in. Our church is big/busy, but only has mass sheets on Sunday. You can get an ‘Order of Mass’ book on Amazon etc super cheap. As others said, some of the wording/responses have changed.

The priest is welcoming to anyone new. I hope you enjoy it, it’s been one of the best things to happen to me.

Yes it is. I stopped going to Mass for several years as I had concerns about the 'Catholic Guilt' and transferring it onto my DCs. I was amazed when I decided to go to Mass again & prior to that went to confession to tell the priest how I'd not been going to Mass & not brought my children up in the Faith (although all had been baptised. He asked me why I was so angry with the Church & we had a very fruitful discussion. I also tried to tell him about other transgressions & he said not to bother about them as I'd made the decision to come back into the Church & all was forgiven.

Just go to Mass :-)

Sit at the back perhaps, if you don't feel comfortable at first?

If you're not going to kneel, scooch yourself forward a bit in the pew when others are kneeling so the person behind d you can rest their arms on the back of your pew. I did this all the time when heavily pregnant.

You don't need to talk to the priest at all. The priest would be delighted to know you're interested in going to Mass again, but there's no requirement to introduce yourself.

This is a good time to start going - Lent has started and Easter is in early April.

Raised Catholic in Kerry and Dublin. Learned about what the church did to kids and that was me done.

Just coming in to say that as it’s Lent (second Sunday coming up), your church may be holding stations of the Cross in the evening. Also, there may be a program of discussion for deepening your faith, should you be interested in doing some thinking. Have a look on your local’s website or fb page.

@Recycledblonde
The about:blank Catechism of the Catholic Church is the official summary of beliefs of the about:blank Catholic Church. It was published in 1992 under about:blank Pope John Paul II.

It contains the core teachings of Catholic Christianity, organised into four main parts
Doesn’t sound like old byelaws to me

Lapsed Catholic here myself, got back into mass last year as child is going to local Catholic school next year. Just showed up at the parish, go to mass at least twice a month, got involved in some events and now genuinely am quite fond of my renewed faith.

Re the knees… a lot of faithful Catholics are very elderly! They are well used to poorly knees. You can sit out the kneeling with no worries.

the only thing I have found difficult in my parish is the relentless badgering for money. I am Irish and living in the UK and I’ve never known anything like it at home. The worst was when they sent out a handout with a rough estimate of how much of your income you should be contributing to the church and it was insane. So my advice would be go, get out of it what you need and don’t overthink it. I love having a faith and I am deeply spiritual so have enjoyed getting back to prayer and healing. However as a millennial mother I have my own issues with some of the church’s teachings and old ways. I take what I don’t like with a pinch of salt!

hi op, I returned to the Catholic Church last year after the death of my lovely dad. It’s one of the best things I’ve done to help me with my grief. I looked forward to mass and sitting listening for 45min. Don’t worry about kneeling. Just join in where you can. Welcome back 😊

It may be but doesn’t mean anyone, including the priests, take any notice of it. It’s a bit like old bylaws.

Just wanted to add OP, if it goes well and you want to move back towards receiving communion, a lot of parishes in our area do reconciliation services during lent, I find it a much easier way to go to confession as part of a crowd!

Yes Op get a mass book. I had a long time away from the church, and they've changed the apostolic creed and some other responses but my brain still keeps saying the ones I learnt when I was a child!

Yes I don't go to communion in the Catholics c church but if I go to my local C of E I will go to communion. I used to be against confession but I feel a bit of a draw back to it. I was going to go on Saturday but I had a cold!

The struggle is part of the faith journey IMO. I remember telling a priest I was lapsed and he said ‘aren’t we all in one way or another?’

🙄

It honestly won’t matter at all if you have forgotten responses or when to sit / stand etc.
As long as you are quiet and respectful no one will notice if you know the responses .
There will usually be Mass books at the back of the church - you can use these to follow the order of the Mass if you want. Or use the online link given earlier.
I hope the congregation is warm and gently ( not overpoweringly) welcoming .

Just turn up and stay seated when others kneel. Sometimes I kneel, if I have my toddler on my knee sometimes I don’t. Nobody will notice or care, trust me. Take an up to date missal if you need prompting, as the mass changed about 10 years ago so the responses have also changed slightly. I’m glad you’re returning to Christ.

@BlueJuniper94shouldn’t it be front and centre though if it’s that crucial? Im guessing it’s not because people would think it was ridiculous

Lapsed Catholic here, but have had to go back to church for various funerals etc so I know what it’s like to be out of practice. If it’s any reassurance it all comes back to you, like lyrics from when you were a teenager that you think are long forgotten until the music starts.

One big change from my youth though (which caught me out) - it’s no longer ‘and also with you’, it seems to be ‘and with your spirit’ which proper threw me when I was ‘and also with you’ing away. Definitely showed me up as the heathen! And I was in the front row too… in front of a bishop, with 3 rows of monks over the aisle 😳 No one mentioned a thing though, I think they were just pleased to see a full House. The priest will likely be glad to have you, the words may be out of practice but they generally seem to appreciate the sentiment,

Catholicism is pre-denominational

It shouldn't be confusing but people are poorly catechised

I grew up Catholic and rejected it as soon as I had the choice.

one thing I do know about Catholics is that you are supposed to be able to walk into a church anywhere in the world and be welcome. That was part of the argument for having the mass in Latin back in the day, so that it was the same everywhere. There was also gate keeping, but universal access was part of it.

you are always welcome and can just show up

Please don't worry about any of this.
If it's a while since you went to church, you may find things are less formal than when you were last in the habit of going.
I would just turn up to a convenient service and lurk on a pew towards the back so you can see what people do.
In my church, I would say only about half the congregation kneel, mostly because they are elderly, but some seem just to choose not to and remain seated
Rememebr, no one is particularly interested in watching you!.

I'm not Catholic but went to mass every now and then with my nana because she would bring me to the shop afterwards and buy me sweets. I went to mass recently for a friend's kids sacrement and was actually really surprised at how much the rituals had stayed in my brain. I'd say just go along and go with the flow and see what happens.

Jus go. You don’t need to meet with the priest beforehand. You can meet him on the way out at the end. I’m sure he’ll be delighted you’re there. People with dodgy knees at our church just sit with a bowed head.