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I'm officially a Pentecostal however I do feel
a blessed calling to the Catholic Church,
and maybe to the priesthood though I'm still
not sure about that.
I have studied the teachings
and beliefs of the Church for a long time
now and I feel I want to convert however I'm only 16 and my parents are divorced.
I live with my mom and step-dad who are dogmatic
Pentecostals and they freaked out when I said
that I might be considering converting to
Catholicism. When I am here, I am forced to
attend a Pentecostal church about 3-4 times
a week (two services on Sunday, one on Wednesday,
and one on Friday). At my dad's, I am allowed
to go to a Catholic Church, if I want to,
but I only go over there every other weekend.
I know I want to become Catholic, and I fully believe
in the Catholic Church.
I pray the Holy
Rosary
make the sign of the Cross:
before
I pray and
when I pass a Catholic parish,
etc.
so I know I could be a good Catholic
and follow Christ faithfully however, I don't
want to wait two weeks before going to Mass,
and I don't want to keep this a secret from
my mom and step-dad.
What should I do?
Should I just wait until I am an adult
in two years? or
Should I go ahead and start the RCIA program at my local Catholic parish?
Josh
{
What should I do if I'm
16, want to become Catholic, but my Protestant
parents are freaking out? }
Mike
replied:
Hi, Josh —
Thanks for the question.
I'd be interested in what my colleagues
think, but here are my two cents.
I would continue to pray the Rosary,
especially for your parents,
whether they are your biological father and mother
or step parents. Ask Our Lord and
Our Lady to convert their hearts
so they would be open to what the
Catholic faith believes and teaches.
Don't keep your enthusiasm a secret
from any of your parents.
Your excitement and enthusiasm will
be a strong witness, not only to
family members, but to
those at the other churches you are
being forced to attend. Don't be
ashamed to say:
Wow, being Catholic seems soo great!,
being Catholic seems soo cool!
Why?
This is what my studies have discovered:
We get the divine power of Jesus
Himself in all the sacraments
there to aid and nourish us.
We have holy helpers, close
friends of Jesus, we can call
on with the Lord.
and most of all we have the
Eucharist which helps us make
good, holy choices from Sunday
to Sunday!!
Make sure your biological and step
parents know that you want to become
Catholic then let the Holy Spirit work in them. Yes, it may bring out future questions about the faith but that will be very good for both you and them. (Questions about our faith not only make others more informed about what we believe but strengthen our faith too! They [questions] are the basis of the theological science we call, Catholic Apologetics.) You can share with them what you have learned and, for those stumper questions they ask, just say you don't know but will get back to them.
Ideally, you want to put faith first,
while maintaining family cohesion.
If this is possible, sure! . . . go ahead
and make an appointment at a local
Catholic parish
with priests who are faithful to
the Church.
If this is not possible, make the
appointment anyway and talk to the
priest or pastor about
what you can do until you turn 18.
Make sure you go to Mass with your
dad as often as you can. Even though
you won't be able
to receive Holy Communion, His
Real Presence is still there and
helps you.
Finally, continue to pray the Rosary.
Here's a little background on it:
It was in the year 1214 that the
Church received the Rosary in
its present form and according
to the method we use today. It
was given to the Church by St.
Dominic, who had received it from
the Blessed Virgin as a means
of converting the Albigensians
and other sinners. Saint Dominic,
seeing that the gravity of people's
sins was hindering the conversion
of the Albigensians, withdrew
into a forest near Toulouse, where
he prayed continuously for three
days and three nights. During
this time he did nothing but weep
and did harsh penances in order
to appease the anger of God. At this point our Lady appeared to
him, accompanied by three angels,
and she said,
"Dear Dominic, do you know which
weapon the Blessed Trinity
wants to use to reform the
world?"
"Oh, my Lady," answered
Saint Dominic, "you know
far better than I do, because
next to your Son Jesus Christ,
you have always been the chief
instrument of our salvation."
Then Our Lady replied, "I
want you to know that, in this kind
of warfare, the principal
weapon has always been the Angelic
Psalter (nowadays: the Rosary), which is the foundation-stone
of the New Testament. Therefore,
if you want to reach these hardened
souls and win them over to God,
preach my Psalter."
So he arose, comforted, and burning
with zeal for the conversion of
the people in that district, he
headed straight for the cathedral.
At once, unseen angels rang the
bells to gather the people together,
and Saint Dominic began to preach.
Finally, I would encourage both you and your parents to consider buying a cheap copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to learn everything we believe as Catholics.
Mike
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