Anglican feeling called to become Catholic

[Olinguita]

Cradle Anglican here. I've been feeling increasingly drawn to Roman Catholicism for the past two years. For background, I was educated at a Roman Catholic convent and it's only recently that I've realized how deep an impression it left on me. I love the Virgin Mary, the sacraments, the liturgy, Ignatian spirituality and the sense of being part of a global church. I've been sneaking into Catholic churches for mass for the past two years and it has given me a sense of being in the presence of God in a way that I don't feel in my middle of the road Anglican church. I'm struggling with the blobbiness and lack of mystery and contemplation in the Anglican church, and I have had thid general sense of not quite fitting in for a long time, and I struggle to articulate why. Weirdly when I go into a Catholic church it just feels like home. I did an online course on Catholic Social Teaching last summer and it blew my mind - there was so much that I agreed with in terms of economic justice and I really enjoyed debating big, tricky social issues with the other participants.
Here's the kicker - I'm politically left(ish) and feminist, and a lot of my inner circle of friends are gay or bi, so if I really am being called to Catholicism it is kind of tricky/inconvenient...and would cause a lot of upset and division among my friends and family. My family are super devout Anglicans and I just baptised my son a few weeks back with a big family celebration. I struggle with the teaching on abortion in particular and it is obviously a hot button issue right now. I personally wouldn't get an abortion unless my life was in danger but I'm profoundly uncomfortable with the idea of it being illegal. I also have no interest in judging or condemning friends who have had terminations. I think they were doing the best they could at the time.
Any Catholics out there who can advise, of folks who have converted to Catholicism? I really feel that converting would bring me deep joy and purpose but also wondering if I should "stay in my lane" and try to make the best of being Anglican. Thanks for reading to the end!

@sleepyhoglet yes, sorry I name changed. I posted originally as summerycup. As far as I know the priest doesn't indulge in public demonstrations of being in an intimate relationship but has been verbally indiscreet.

I would personally go to the Bishop with this public hypocrisy. There could have been way more to this situation anyway. She wasn't Catholic when she received a divorce. Look at Boris! He has at least two divorces outside the church and married a Catholic. The pastoral care was definitely missing in this situation.

My partner is Catholic.

Women not being able to be priests, or the Pope for that matter, would (and does) bother me.

@Ravenclawdropout thank you. The horse has bolted now but I do wonder if she'd been in a different parish the outcome would have been different.

The church she attended which is local to her semi rural home is in the grounds of a former grand country home and was built by the lord of the manor in the 1900's. I think the priest is probably in a bit if a bubble.

It's a shame as she contributed to church life and found it to be an antidote to her job which is stressful and with an excessive workload (public sector).

I'm afraid I view "the church" as one body

@sleepyhoglet - theologically I’m quite low church. My preferred service is traditional but not high. But DH is high church and closer theologically to RC. Hehe - I used to be more anti-high church but I’m less uncomfortable with the prayers to saints/Mary (though I don’t do it myself) and have met some genuine, lovely high-church people.

@XSnoe bizarrely since becoming catholic I'm not keen on women priests. Couldn't even give you a logical reason why.

There is no logical reason. Or good reason.

A good reason is that when liturgical Churches introduce women priests the Church splinters and then the most Liberal which has women priests goes into to a sharp decline. The Episcopal Church here in the USA if it continues on its current trajectory will be dead by the middle of this century.

friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2021/07/07/the-episcopal-church-is-dying-should-we-be-upset-about-this/

Greetings from Lourdes. I'll light a candle for your discernment OP.

Thank you so much! I'm really touched ❤️

🥰

OP, it's such a wonderful place. Miracles really do happen. Walsingham doesn't even come close. And it will all be yours if you swim
The Tiber!

Following as it's something I'm considering. I grew up atheist (not baptised), decided to be baptised and confirmed as an adult in the Anglican church and then completely lost my faith.😳Over the last year or so, I have started praying again and sometimes accompany dh to Catholic mass. There is no Anglican community where I live. Confused!

I went precisely the other way. Latin Mass going Catholic to Anglican. No matter how beautiful I found it - and it is beautiful, and I will admit my very boring Anglican parish isn't quite like it! - it was killing me and eating away at my insides. I was obsessed with whether or not I'd committed a mortal sin, having nightmares about purgatory and freaking myself out reading about saints who had visions where only 1% of people were saved. Protestant soteriology saved my sanity and I don't say that lightly. I also came to dislike the way in which Catholic doctrine on certain issues has blatantly changed but has to be retrofitted to fit the narrative of one unchanging church etc. Becoming Anglican caused tension in my family as well for cultural reasons since my family were very strongly RC.
For me life issues didn't come into it really when deciding to convert since I still hold the same stance on abortion and euthanasia. I suppose I'm more open to condoms now since I feel that some of the justification for why NFP is allowed but not artificial BC is slightly lacking, and I've seen it bear very bad fruits for lots of women for whom sex becomes terrifying.
Anglicanism does have sacraments, in terms of spiritual experiences I've had just as many receiving communion in the C of E as in Catholicism, and contemplation if you look for it, too. I don't know how much this will help and is probably not what you want to hear at all, but the swimming the Tiber narrative is very loud whereas in real life I know plenty of people who have quietly jumped ship from Rome to the C of E and I think this is an experience people don't tend to talk about so much.

@pucelleauxblanchesmains I know of a couple of people who went the other way. But as you say they are very much in a minority. But perhaps that's because there is no creeps out it. You just turn up. I most certainly disagree with church teaching on birth control. And am having a dilemma about assisting dying. But actually it doesn't actually matter in practice. No one bothered about what you believe.

You all might be interested to watch Dr Abigail Favale describe how after growing up Fundamental Evangelical she became an Anglician in college, becoming a Feminist Theologian and Professor before finally becoming Catholic.

• please excuse my typos!

@Toddlerteaplease Hmm, the parishes I was going to as a Catholic you would certainly be in a minority being pro assisted dying (I'm actually anti) - I was at the traditionalist sort where everyone had an average of five kids.

@pucelleauxblanchesmains you are probably right but we rarely discuss things like that. And I'm really conflicted about it. Completely against abortion, and I can't imagine priests asking if you are using contraception.

Hello, seeing as this was such an interesting and enjoyable thread I thought I would pop back and update you all. My discernment continues, and after attending a Mass on Sunday morning that moved me profoundly I think the time has come to contact the church that I sometimes go into and enquire about RICA/journey in faith.
It may be that some of the issues I have highlighted up thread about doctrinal issues I struggle with will be deal-breakers for me, but I will never know until I actually sit down with a catechist or even a priest and learn more.
I've been through a very challenging and exhausting patch in the past couple of years in my personal life and marriage which I won't go into here, as well as becoming a first time mum in the pandemic and there have been times when popping into Mass or reading letters and sermons by Pope Francis has given me the most profound sense of hope and joy. I remember going to a 5pm Mass with the baby over the summer during the heatwave primarily to escape a tense situation at home when I felt like I had nowhere else to go. Went in to church feeling like crap, came out feeling fortified, loved and ready to deal with whatever awaited me on my return home. The Lord works in mysterious ways and all that. I still can't believe I'm typing all this, never would have expected to feel this way as a card-carrying feminist with a cynical streak....

That's great. Really don't worry if you have doctrinal issues. They rarely come up in conversation. And at the end of the day, it's between you and God.

@Toddlerteaplease email sent! Thanks for all your words of encouragement.
As you can see from the other thread I put up about finding informal CofE worship difficult to connect with I've been doing a lot of thinking on the matter of church and where I fit it. Never could have imagined Mumsnet would be such a useful sounding board! (I can't help but feel like the Blessed Carlo Acutis, possible future patron saint of the internet, would approve!)

I commented on that thread. That's one think I about the RC church. You always know what you will get. The music may be a bit happy clappy. Etc, but at the end of the day, it's still mass. And that is never diluted.

I saw - thank you!
My local RC church has a folk band at certain Masses but as you say, it's still the Mass and the fundamental seriousness and reverence remains

Good folk bands are ok. Bad ones are awful!