Wanting to join the church

[lovelychops]

Hello all was looking for some advice. I don't have a religious upbringing but for various reasons I would like to visit my local Catholic Church and hopefully speak to the priest. But I have no idea how this works ?!
Do I just turn up, or make an appointment? I'm so worried about saying the wrong thing or doing something wrong! I suppose in my head there's part of me that feels like i don't belong there... but I'm new to the area and am drawn to the religion. Although I don't know if I can call myself religious I know I would love to have faith.
I've read a bit about the church on the website and I love the idea of having a community around myself and children. I have also seen that the priest is the chaplain for the local children's hospital and this appeals very much. Like that's a sign (am I even allowed to say that?)
Sorry if this is very confusing I feel confused myself. I don't think I could just attend a service because I don't know what to do, should I introduce myself to the priest? Is that not done? See all these questions 🙄 thought MN would know, and I often look on the religion board as people always sound so nice. Thanks for reading

Due to COVID restrictions right now things might be a bit different. I don’t know if churches are running services at the moment. It might be harder right now than normal.
That would be the first thing I would do though if I wanted to join the community. Start going, introduce yourself, find out if the people are welcoming etc. Meet the priest and see if you like him. It might not be the right group for you.
Read about Catholicism. Does the ethos match with who you are as a person and your beliefs?

That sounds great @lovelychops! I hope this is the beginning of a very exciting journey for you. You can definitely just turn up at Mass and if you like, you could try and catch the priest afterwards for a chat. Or you could email the priest and explain you're interested in learning more, and take it from there. He will tell you when Mass is on etc and arrange to meet you.

It's absolutely fine to just turn up at a service. I'm Anglican rather than Catholic, but the Catholic services I've been to have been very similar. Most will have a welcomer and it is okay to say "I'm new, could you tell me where to sit." Don't worry about doing the right thing. The service sheet will tell you when to sit and stand, and beyond that don't worry. If you're not comfortable with things like making the sign of the cross until you know more about it, don't do it. I've never been to a Catholic church where I haven't felt welcome, even as a non-Catholic.

In pre covid times you would be invited for coffee at the end of the service but that can't happen at the moment. You may also need to book a place at the service online, so check their website.

Meet the priest. Find out about services on their website as well and attend one. Email or call up in advance. Learn about Catholicism prior to committing fully, it might not be for you. Best wishes. I would also see if you can find books on Catholicism first at your local bookshop or library.

Its worth mentioning lovelychops that at the moment due to Covid sometimes there won't be a service sheet especially if you go to a weekday Mass. A lot of churches are encouraging people to go during the week at the moment to make sure there is enough space for everyone to go to Mass. Just something to note as I know it could be a bit daunting turning up and not even having any order of mass.
I am a RC convert, personally I am quite shy and approached my parish priest by email first. Before I had even gone to one mass at that church. So if you'd rather do it that way that would be fine, especially during covid times when everything is a bit topsy-turvy. I am sure you probably already know, but the process of converting is RCIA usually done through a course at the parish. They usually start around September, with the idea of being recieved into the church at Easter. So your opener could be to express your interest in starting RCIA and ask whether it will be running? There's definitely no pressure to go through with anything and you can drop out anytime if you decide its not for you.
But to directly answer your questions no it wouldn't be weird to introduce yourself to the priest and yes you can go to Mass even if you have no idea what's going on. Just sit at the back and take it all in. Everyone has to start somewhere!

This is lovely. You could contact the priest and introduce yourself, say what you said here, if you like. He will invite you to attend mass. You can just go along if you want.

Call ahead and check if you can turn up or if you need to register. Bring a face mask.

Don't worry about not knowing what to do. It's all changed because of Covid. There's a real mix of people following the usual order of standing up and kneeling etc, and others just sat tight.

Your mask will hide whether or not you know the words so no reason to feel self conscious.

My church has been open throughout the pandemic. I know others are still shut.

When everyone goes up for communion go for a blessing. Fold or cross your hands rather than cupping them for a wafer (host). Then the priest or celebrant will hold up the host and say "may the Lord bless you and keep you" or similar. Then go back to your seat and kneel or sit to pray for a little or longer time. A blessing is especially nice and powerful if you are looking for guidance about faith. You can ask God to help you and guide you in your search for faith.

Catholics keep themselves to themselves a lot so you can be private if you like.

I think you might find mass a bit hard going at first. Just let it wash over you and dont worry!

Any questions ask here. Mumsnet is really helpful for chatting to others in a faith. You just have to ignore people who think its OK to insult the faith.