Waaaah, nobody wants me :-/

[hiddenhome]

My bid to rejoin the Catholic church is just coming up against dead ends.

My PP is ill and no longer able to do his instruction evenings
I emailed the PP in my parish and he said he'd get back to me - he hasn't
I emailed a church to do a course, but nobody ever got back to me
My ds1's school chaplain said she'd organise some instruction for him - she hasn't
I'm going on retreat this weekend - I'll probably make a fool of myself
What am I doing wrong, or is it supposed to be difficult?

I'm just feeling sad because I don't know how to move this forward.

Go on retreat and enjoy it. Don't worry about making a fool of yourself, as it can be a very emotional time. People are generally very understanding. I cried all the way through one service whilst on retreat .

Try the church again re: the course and the PP reminding him he hasn't got back to you. Also try the chaplain again. As a minister myself, most of the time I get it right, but sometimes things get hectic and I need a kick up the bum to remind myself to contact everyone I'd promised I'd contact. A second call usually does it .

Its not meant to be difficult, no, but as humans, sometimes we get it wrong.

Failing all that, try the C of E , a whole different denomination of people who make mistakes :o

Ha ha, I've just escaped defected from the CofE

e-mail isn't the most reliable means of communication in our parish - could you try phoning your PP? (sorry if you've done so already, I've just spent ages trying to sort out a communication break down where some people were fluent in e-mail and others only checked it once a week...I'm sure they do want you )

oh dear. I was going to give you loads of sympathy, but you say you've defected from the CofE!!

it's fine, it'll all work out.
oooorrrrr maybe it's God's way of telling you to come back to us.

but definitely go on your retreat and enjoy it - you'll probably find the right path for you while you're there. :)

ROFLMAO Nickel!

Its OK, I defected FROM the RCC! It makes for interesting Christian Unity I think, when we swap and swap about :)

Yes agree go on your retreat, you'll be fine, people are just sometimes over busy and don't get to do everything they mean to, it's not malicious or not wanting you it's merely human madness. It is annoying tho esp as you are new to it and keen to learn etc. All the best for the retreat :)

Ta everyone. I shall try and enjoy the retreat

Oh no, hiddenhome, I am sorry that this is proving so difficult.

I would second the idea of ringing the PP. I know that, when I am really busy at work (as at present), it's really easy to ignore an email... not on purpose, but because if it drops off the bottom of my inbox then I can just miss it. Whereas if someone phones me they have my immediate attention unless I've had enough and turned my phone off.

Have to laugh at competitive denomination-swapping.

Enjoy the retreat, hiddenhome. I could do with something like that at the moment. I seem to have no 'head-space' at all. At the moment, the closest I get to a 'retreat' is hiding in the big walk-in cupboard in my office at work with all the filing cabinets and pretending I am out...!

ha, ha, @ hiding in the cupboard

hiddenhome, you say re-join the catholic church? Were you catholic to begin with?

I was baptised Catholic, but not subsequently raised in the Catholic faith due to being in care.

So can't you go to Mass, then? Or do you have to receive instruction before you take communion? I was raised Catholic but all the instruction was done in school so I don't know what is required for adults.

yo ucan go to Mass, just not take the sacrament.
maybe if they saw you were taking it seriously, they might talk to you
(oh, god, that sounded wrong! Obiously, you are serious, but they need to see "evidence" that you are willing to get stuck in)

Have you looked at RCIA, hiddenhome?

www.ecatholic2000.com/rcia/rcia.shtml

Yes, the PP told me that I didn't need to do the RICA course because I was baptised Catholic and came from the CofE, so have been a Christian for a few years now.

I've been reading The Catechism and Catholic Bible etc., so I'm learning the theory by myself, but still don't know things and need instruction really.

I went with a friend to s RCIA

Sorry. 'some of her RCIA even

Sorry. 'some of her RCIA sessions' and found them really interesting even though I always went to catholic schools etc. So even if you don't 'need' to do RCIA, might it be worth speaking to the person who runs it? From what I remember, there were people awaiting baptism, others who had been baptised in a variety of churches being prepared for Confirmation, and a few who were being prepared for 'full reception' (I think this was First Holy Communion for adults but at this stage I forgot to ask as I was a bit too confused by all the complex theological questions they were discussing )

In terms of your worries about still not knowing things, I expect you're well ahead of most of the 'cradle' Catholics already.