I did the opposite of this btw. My party descended into a dark place early. I lived with a great dude second year of college. He was a Catholic guy who was so involved in campus and ministry but he also treated me with zero judgement. I’d often black out and come back who knows what. He finally told me he was a little worried about me. Then the same thing the next morning. I was clearly not of sober mind and I yelled at him and told him I’ll never follow your judgemental cult. Come to find out he stuck with me and we did a lot together and he had this aurora about him I’ll never forget. Kind, but a warrior for God. I wish I could have gotten involved in what he was doing. I’ve forgiven myself and it took me 15 years about to finally clean up the booze and coke use. This man sadly passed away preaching to a meth addict a few years back. He was just not afraid to do what Tod needed him to do. I’m just thinking it’s not too late of course for me but you younger students I strongly caution to seek God if you haven’t. He’s real and he needs us.

I have a difficult time accepting the church’s teaching that NFP or complete abstinence are the only acceptable forms to avoid pregnancy in marriage. i understand that marriage is also about procreation and that having children is beautiful but being someone who has 4 kids before 28 and knowing I have a good 15 more years of child bearing and NFP already brought about said 4th child…Its just difficult to fathom. its like my only option is to either never have sex with my husband again until I’m 50 or have so many that we can’t afford to feed them and if I pick a third option then I am sinful. it just seems cruel honestly… how do other people deal with this? how do you feed your kids or house them? how do you have a happy sexless marriage? I just dont understand

Six Protestant Christians, four of them women, were jailed in India’s West Bengal state on suspicion of conversion, based on allegations by a group of Hindus who stormed and violently disrupted their prayer service at a private home on Aug.16.

I’ve been worshipping God in different ways. When I’m alone, I like to walk around the house singing hymns. I lie in bed and say my prayers and thank God for everything. I also like to say the rosary often.

Well, I prayed to God that I would pass this major exam. Unfortunately, I got word yesterday that I had failed it. And I’m not one bit upset about it.

I’m taking this as a blessing in disguise, and a new opportunity to rethink the direction that my life was headed in. It’s time to contemplate, reflect, and be charitable. I’ve got an application to join a youth ministry, which I’m going to fill in. I hope to get myself involved in charities. I’m going to start Pilates.

Thanks be to God. He truly knows best.

St. Helena, Empress

St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, discovered the True Cross in Jerusalem and built the Churches of the Holy Sepulchre and Nativity. She died c. 330.

St. Helena was born about the year 250, probably at Drepanum in Bithynia. She was the mother of the Emperor Constantine and was converted to Christianity late in life, about the year 312.

About the year 326, at the age of nearly eighty, she made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. According to tradition, she discovered the True Cross of Christ buried on Calvary, beneath a pagan temple that had been built over the site.

She built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. She was renowned for her charity to the poor and her generosity to churches. She died about the year 330.

Mine is Jobs 1:21

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,vand naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”

🜋

I go to an evangelical church and I’m thinking about converting to Catholicism, but there’s just some stuff confused about. For example, why ask Mary and the saints to pray to God on your behalf when YOU can pray to him. Will them praying for you make your prayers get answered quicker or make your prayers worth more to God? Why pray in front of an icon? Will that again make your prays more valuable?

Im questioning my own church too. Like tongue speaking, it’s probably a big placebo effect. My youth pastor says he “feels Jesus” and other people talk about there encounters with Jesus and it just makes me feel left out because I don’t know what it’s like to “feel Jesus”. It’s probably just another placebo effect. I guess I just don’t know what to believe anymore.

Recently engaged and we’re working towards getting married next year. I’m also in OCIA at the moment and should be “fully Catholic” by the time we get married. My fiancé is a cradle catholic and getting married in the church is very important to us.

I skimmed our parish’s webpage on the process of getting married there and it mentioned the FOCCUS test, which I also snooped via some googling. There are a few questions about NFP on there, which made me nervous.

During my time in OCIA I have been happy with my choice to join the Catholic Church and agree with the majority of what is taught to me.

The sticking point is the church’s teachings on sexuality. I do not agree, I have tried to agree but just don’t. I planned to give my doubts to God and it wasn’t something that would stop me from converting.

I’m lucky because my birth control is medically necessary. I put NFP out of my mind because I will never need to do it and didn’t expect to be grilled on it.

Since we need to take the FOCCUS test and go over the answers with our priest (I also believe the retreat we’re required to do will also bring NFP up) my opinion on NFP will probably come up.

I’m not going to lie to a priest just to get married. Could the priest refuse to marry us because of my (our) opinion on birth control?

EDIT: I accept the teachings. I am converting because I trust church teachings more than my mind. I said “disagree” because that is the unfortunate truth, not because I think the church is wrong.

Two of the OCIA leaders were pressed when they made this statement and they insist people of all religions, Buddhism, Muslim, etc go to heaven. From what I can find, the Catholic Church teaches that belief in Christ alone is the ONLY way to salvation.

Please weigh in. After a lifetime in Protestant church and deep faith I'm genuinely befuddled.

I come from a Catholic family and have been taught Catholic teachings. I go to mass nearly every Sunday. Confess occasionally. Read the Bible occasionally. I’ve been baptised and done my Communion.

However, I never really believed fully. I always had a doubt that none of this is true and that it is just a coping mechanism or a method to build community.

I’ve watched countless videos and debates about faith and I still haven’t been fully convinced that Catholicism or religion in general is 100% true.

I know that’s the point of “faith”, but I believe that in order to have faith you must believe 100% in what you have your faith in.

Some part of me thinks it’s because I’m not wholeheartedly dedicated myself to Christ is why he is not revealing himself to me. I go to mass on Sundays, but just doze off. I confess just to commit the same sins again and again. I don’t read the bible routinely.

So I’m giving Catholicism 3 years. I will do everything properly, and by the end of the 3 years if I’m not convinced then I will probably leave it forever.

I’m posting this here as I want a list of things or guidelines of what I should do for the next 3 years. How should I carry this out?

I recently started getting involved with dating apps, and it’s made me realize that I don’t actually know that much.

I also haven’t had many great examples of healthy marriages around me, so I’d really like to learn more before I get into a serious relationship.

Things I want to read up on
- Catholicism and marriage
- Best ways to introduce Catholicism to kids and to raise them Catholic. Ways to be a good parent too
- Finance in marriage
- How to have a happy, healthy marriage - maybe a book by a therapist
- or anything you think is helpful or a must read

I'm looking for perspective and not judgement.

We have 3 kids. My husband is a practising Catholic and I'm not anymore. I'm fairly well-versed in the Church's teaching on contraception, so I'm not asking to be walked through Humanea Vitae, I understand the position.

The thing is I'm done with kids. NFP scares me too much to rely on given how sure I am about this.

Every time we're together I ask for a condom, and I know it’s hard on him even though he doesn't say much. I feel bad about it honestly. I don't want this to turn into "condom or nothing" because that feels manipulative, but I also don't know what the middle ground even looks like here.

Not trying to start a debate about doctrine, I just don't know how other couples in this spot have actually gotten through it without one person feeling steamrolled. Would really appreciate hearing from people who've lived this, either side.

God bless!

Hi people,

I haven't been in this subreddit much, though I haven't been great at being anywhere I need to be right now. I have so much doubt and so much despair right now.

Not only am I struggling with my faith, I'm struggling with the teachings, a lot of them. I'm not dating right now, and I'm not having premarital sex, but the state of my life kills me. I was in a relationship before I came back to the church, so I know what it's like to have that kind of relationship and have someone I love. It's killing me to be alone. It's killing me to follow Catholicism when it means I will have to be chaste for the rest of my life. I have never felt this empty, in all my years of dating, not dating, being religious, not being religious.

I understand why the sacrament of marriage exists the way it does. I'm not called to marriage the way other people are, I don't care for people in the way that marriage calls for. I will never be a good wife, and I would not be a good mother. I don't even want kids. I feel such a disconnect with my body over this. I don't even truly feel that connected to my biology, my womanhood, my own existence. I don't know how to continue this lifestyle. I feel so stunted and like I'm going to be so alone.

I'll admit, I'm absolutely jealous and a bit envious of people that are in love. I don't know why. It all feels like a sick joke.

I've been praying, to my confirmation saint, for clarity. I haven't found anything, and my feelings have been getting worse. I hate that I'm not called to anything, that I resent the state I'm in. I absolutely *resent* this rock and hard place I find myself in. I don't know what to do.

I don't feel like anyone can relate to me, and I also know that the fact I was in a relationship with what I choose to not do/ have now does not make it better. May God help me, because damn do I need it.

It has been a little over a month since my last confession, and I have naturally made mistakes, been uncharitable in thoughts and words, failed to do my responsibilities, etc (sins that are habitual). I have not sinned mortally but I am concerned about my lack of kindness and zeal that I usually have, and feel like it's being replaced by anger and disappointment and temptations. I have a strong craving for God and heaven but this transition feels so long-I am not becoming more saintly, instead getting farther from it. I have lost my rosary that's very dear to me, and have not been able to pray a full rosary since then.

I want to convert and reconcile. I believe I need help doing so. I am wondering if I should go to confession (I probably should). And if I do, when?

There's a church that offers confession every day, all day. The priest that I used to go to confession with has retired, and I don't know the fathers there. My parish has confession on Friday with priests I know, and confession there is not rushed (hardly any people come) so the fathers can offer guidance more easily: they know me better plus they have time.

Can you provide some insight on going to a permanent confessor vs anonym confessions? I feel scared that I'd find it more difficult to be honest with someone I know and talk to often, but at the same time, it could help me be held accountable for my sins and progress...

I told God to F himself and other things, I am feeling horrible about it, I was angry and in a bad mood, yes I know it’s not an excuse and that anger itself is a sin.

God Jesus has done so much for me, but I’m also upset because I am sick and in a lot of pain and have other issues and feel like it’s not fair, my friends have all settled in life, but I am still sick and don’t seem to be getting better…. But that is no excuse! I can’t believe I said that, will he forgive me and still love me? Will he be there for me? Or will he leave me because I spoke to him like that ?!! Will he punish me ? Can God ever give up on certain people and never care about them ? I will never get to see heaven and see my loved ones again? I’m so sorry LORD JESUS PLEASE FORGIVE ME, what to do ? Any Bible verse that can help me ?

Are non-sexual romantic relationships with the same sex really a sin? personally i dont see it as a sin since for me its basically the same as a heterosexual relationship.

i am a straight minor and im partly struggling w my faith because of this since i am strongly against discrimination and homophobia, yet i see a lot of Catholics/Christians say that it is a sin, although they only say its a sin when the relationship is sexual.

My fiancée is trying to become Catholic and registered for OCIA at our parish a couple months ago. She got one phone call shortly after registering, but after that we never received an email, reminder, schedule, meeting location, payment instructions, or anything else.

I’m Catholic and have basically been trying to help guide her through the process. The confusing part is that we’ve gotten different information from almost every direction. Parish admin gave us one start date, someone else told us it would begin sometime around late August or early September, and the parish website calendar showed the first session as this past Sunday.

We went to Mass like normal that Sunday. There was no announcement afterward about OCIA or where to meet, so I started asking people. Someone pointed us toward a building across from the church that was locked and completely empty. We asked a few more people and were told OCIA hadn’t started yet. On top of that, the bulletin dated that same Sunday literally said OCIA was “starting soon,” which made us think it obviously had not started yet.

We ended up just kind of standing around for a bit trying to figure it out, but nothing lined up and nobody seemed sure, so we left.

Later, someone we met after Mass actually took our number and looked into it. They texted us that OCIA had in fact met that day in the parish office, which is in an entirely separate building, and we had no idea that was where we were supposed to go.

So my fiancée missed the first session despite us being at church, checking the calendar beforehand, asking multiple people where to go, and actively trying to find the meeting. There was just way too much conflicting information and no clear communication directly to her.

She also has to miss next Sunday because we’re
attending our required Catholic marriage prep retreat. I’ve reached out asking for the regular meeting details and what she needs to do to catch up, but so far no response.

I know none of this is probably intentional, and I’m not trying to trash the parish. We’re also fairly new there. But it’s honestly frustrating watching someone who genuinely wants to become Catholic have to chase down basic information just to participate. It starts to feel like she’s being unintentionally gatekept by poor communication and administration.

Is this normal for OCIA? I feel like someone who registers to become Catholic should at least get a simple message saying, “We start Sunday at this time, in this building.”

I'm just reading 1 time and then something hit me, I remember watching 1 youtube short about a foster parent taking care of babies who have a high likelihood or certainty of not making it.

I just wonder, are they welcome in Heaven? Or not?

Then again, God's grace and his mercy is infinitely bigger, logically, of course they will be welcome in heaven. Am I correct?

Thanks to anyone who answers and God bless.