Protestant teenager looking to convert to the Holy Roman Catholic Church

Jacqueline9423 · Aug 8, 2011

I am a 17 year old girl, due to be 18 next June, and am wondering how to go about converting to the Church? I cannot go to an actual Catholic Church until I am 18, because my parents won't allow it. But I own an Orthodox Bible (closest thing I could find to a Catholic one) and am looking into buying a rosary.

First, is it offensive if I pray the rosary as a non-Catholic? And second, how do I go about praying the rosary? I know it involves Hail Mary's, but other than that, I am clueless on how to pray it. God bless you all for your answers.

Incariol · Aug 8, 2011

I'm not Catholic, but I think I can give you the answers to a couple here.

Jacqueline9423 said:
First, is it offensive if I pray the rosary as a non-Catholic?

Not at all.

Jacqueline9423 said:
And second, how do I go about praying the rosary? I know it involves Hail Mary's, but other than that, I am clueless on how to pray it. God bless you all for your answers.

Helpful website: How to Pray the Rosary

Ave Maria · Aug 8, 2011

Jacqueline9423 said:
I am a 17 year old girl, due to be 18 next June, and am wondering how to go about converting to the Church? I cannot go to an actual Catholic Church until I am 18, because my parents won't allow it. But I own an Orthodox Bible (closest thing I could find to a Catholic one) and am looking into buying a rosary.

First, is it offensive if I pray the rosary as a non-Catholic? And second, how do I go about praying the rosary? I know it involves Hail Mary's, but other than that, I am clueless on how to pray it. God bless you all for your answers.

Hey there Jacqueline! :wave:

If you're wanting to convert to the Catholic Church, talk to a Catholic priest! He will probably get you enrolled in RCIA.

As for praying the Rosary, no, it is definitely not offensive to most Catholics for a non-Catholic to pray the Rosary. In fact, most Catholics would encourage non-Catholics to pray the Rosary and they should!

Here is a good site where you can learn to pray the Rosary by following along:

Come, Pray the Rosary | An online Rosary for participation in worldwide or individual prayer

Incariol · Aug 8, 2011

Ave Maria said:
Come, Pray the Rosary | An online Rosary for participation in worldwide or individual prayer

That website is so cool!

gabrielListens · Aug 8, 2011

Hi. Very glad to hear you want to convert. You can read the Douay-Rheims bible online here:

Douay Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA Bible) - Version Information - BibleGateway.com

It is the catholic bible. God bless.

Starlightsobright · Aug 8, 2011

It is great that you are converting to the Catholic Faith.

Dark_Lite · Aug 8, 2011

Jacqueline9423 said:
I am a 17 year old girl, due to be 18 next June, and am wondering how to go about converting to the Church? I cannot go to an actual Catholic Church until I am 18, because my parents won't allow it. But I own an Orthodox Bible (closest thing I could find to a Catholic one) and am looking into buying a rosary.

The Douay-Rheims was already suggested. But that's like the Catholic version of the KJV. If you prefer more contemporary language, the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) has the NAB (New American Bible) on their website. As for how to go about converting, just enroll in RCIA. It usually starts in September and ends on the Easter Vigil of the next year. So, you can do it in September after you turn 18 next year. In the meantime, I guess it really depends on how lenient your parents are. Are you allowed to go to Mass?

First, is it offensive if I pray the rosary as a non-Catholic? And second, how do I go about praying the rosary? I know it involves Hail Mary's, but other than that, I am clueless on how to pray it. God bless you all for your answers.

It's not offensive at all. There are some other denominations that have inherited the tradition of the rosary after they split from the Catholic Church. Just remember that the purpose of the rosary is to focus on Christ. Each set of mysteries is about a different part of Christ's life. The repetitive prayers are for establishing a rhythm.

MikeK · Aug 8, 2011

You questions have been answered and answered well, I just want to add "Welcome!"

Vendetta · Aug 8, 2011

With which religion do your parents identify?

Rhamiel · Aug 8, 2011

here is a link to the NAB bible online
USCCB - (NAB) - New American Bible

I like the Douay-Rheims myself but both are good
the Douay-Rheims and your Orthodox Bible have the same numbering on psalms and the NAB and protestant bibles have a slightly differant number system (like two are combined into one psalm and another long one is split into two)

it is great to hear that you want to pray the rosary!
yes yes yes please feel free to pray the rosary even though you are not Catholic yet
pray and meditate on the Mysteries, I will try to find what bible verses go with each mystery

if you have ANY other questions feel free to ask!
what denomination did you belong to? lol if you do not mind me asking

Jacqueline9423 · Aug 8, 2011

Thank you all very, very much for your kind answers!

Vendetta said:
With which religion do your parents identify?

Rhamiel said:
what denomination did you belong to?

My parents are non-denominational, used to be Baptist. They raised me the same way in their beliefs. I don't have a real problem with their faith, but then again, I really don't like how "modern" our church has become. (I'm not trying to put my church down, but I will list some things that make me feel uncomfortable about it.)

1. They always say "come meet God!" and "free food after the service!", "BRING A FRIEND!" and all these things. I get that having people come to church is important, but it just feels silly to keep saying that there will be free food. And you can meet with God outside of church as well.

2. They make worship feel like a performance. Some people may like that, but I do not. I actually prefer hymns nowadays instead of protestant gospel music. Hymns feel like they're from the heart, and gospel music with guitars and drums feel like they're just for show.

3. The way people at church dress is just inappropriate. I've seen too many short skirts and tube tops in my days. They always say "we're not of the world", and yet they try and act like they're of it as much as possible. You're coming to the LORD's house, why not dress like it?

And lastly,
4. The preacher feels like he has to yell during the sermon to get his point across. And our church looks like a warehouse.

I'm very sorry if I feel like I'm coming across as a judgmental person, I'm just stating things that make me feel uncomfortable and silly. Thank you all for your suggestions! God bless.

Winter · Aug 8, 2011

Do you have the catholic cable station EWTN? They do a daily rosary that you can participate in while you are learning.

Vendetta · Aug 8, 2011

Jacqueline9423 said:
Thank you all very, very much for your kind answers!

My parents are non-denominational, used to be Baptist. They raised me the same way in their beliefs. I don't have a real problem with their faith, but then again, I really don't like how "modern" our church has become. (I'm not trying to put my church down, but I will list some things that make me feel uncomfortable about it.)

1. They always say "come meet God!" and "free food after the service!", "BRING A FRIEND!" and all these things. I get that having people come to church is important, but it just feels silly to keep saying that there will be free food. And you can meet with God outside of church as well.

2. They make worship feel like a performance. Some people may like that, but I do not. I actually prefer hymns nowadays instead of protestant gospel music. Hymns feel like they're from the heart, and gospel music with guitars and drums feel like they're just for show.

3. The way people at church dress is just inappropriate. I've seen too many short skirts and tube tops in my days. They always say "we're not of the world", and yet they try and act like they're of it as much as possible. You're coming to the LORD's house, why not dress like it?

And lastly,
4. The preacher feels like he has to yell during the sermon to get his point across. And our church looks like a warehouse.

I'm very sorry if I feel like I'm coming across as a judgmental person, I'm just stating things that make me feel uncomfortable and silly. Thank you all for your suggestions! God bless.

I come from a baptist/non-denom background myself. There are 1 billion people in communion with Rome worldwide. I promise you that you won't find all the people in the Catholic Church in lockstep. Be warned. Your 4th point could be fixed by going to a different Protestant church. Your first, second, and third points will all be seen in Catholic churches depending on how liberal the parish is. Just a heads up.

That said, the Catholic Church is the one set up by Christ, and has the fullness of the Truth. I encourage conversion, but don't want to blind you to realities.

servant of Merciful Love · Aug 8, 2011

Welcome

I will be praying for your spiritual journey.
God bless you :crossrc:

Rhamiel · Aug 8, 2011

Vendetta said:
I come from a baptist/non-denom background myself. There are 1 billion people in communion with Rome worldwide. I promise you that you won't find all the people in the Catholic Church in lockstep. Be warned. Your 4th point could be fixed by going to a different Protestant church. Your first, second, and third points will all be seen in Catholic churches depending on how liberal the parish is. Just a heads up.

That said, the Catholic Church is the one set up by Christ, and has the fullness of the Truth. I encourage conversion, but don't want to blind you to realities.

well said

waterlemona · Aug 9, 2011

Welcome

I'm glad to hear that you are converting to Catholicism. I'll be praying for you...

I know people have already posted great links on how to pray the rosary (I love Come, Pray the Rosary | An online Rosary for participation in worldwide or individual prayer which was posted) but I also wanted to share some other links that I like:
A Scriptural Rosary
‪mysaviormygod's Channel‬&rlm; - YouTube (not just the rosary, a lot of awesome videos)
http://catholicism.about.com/od/beliefsteachings/u/basics.htm

PS: We're practically the same age!

And kind of in the same boat... I'm Catholic but my parents left the church... so I have to wait till I'm 18 too (or until I get a car) to go to church regularly.

Rhamiel said:
Vendetta said:

I promise you that you won't find all the people in the Catholic Church in lockstep. Be warned. Your 4th point could be fixed by going to a different Protestant church. Your first, second, and third points will all be seen in Catholic churches depending on how liberal the parish is. Just a heads up.

That said, the Catholic Church is the one set up by Christ, and has the fullness of the Truth. I encourage conversion, but don't want to blind you to realities.

Click to expand...

well said

I agree.

scraparcs · Aug 9, 2011

It also depends on your diocese. Where I live, the Catholic parishes tend to be fairly traditional, yet I still see a bit of the points 1-3 in some parishes. It's much less than in Protestant circles, but it's still there.

May God be with you.

Borromeo · Aug 9, 2011

Jacqueline9423 said:
1. They always say "come meet God!" and "free food after the service!", "BRING A FRIEND!" and all these things. I get that having people come to church is important, but it just feels silly to keep saying that there will be free food. And you can meet with God outside of church as well.

The agape meal/love feast is an important historical part of Christianity (and something which, unfortunately, the Roman rite in my experience has totally forgotten about).

3. The way people at church dress is just inappropriate. I've seen too many short skirts and tube tops in my days. They always say "we're not of the world", and yet they try and act like they're of it as much as possible. You're coming to the LORD's house, why not dress like it?

Unfortunately, the same thing happens in lots of Catholic churches.

And lastly,
4. The preacher feels like he has to yell during the sermon to get his point across. And our church looks like a warehouse.

Well.. Catholicism has some of the worst modernist churches you will ever find, though some of the most beautiful and inviting ones too (and things like the Sacred Architecture movement to keep it going). Some people either totally misunderstood Vatican II or used it as an excuse to gut churches and do some really horrible thing (and basically blasphemous, like taking out statues and smashing them to smithereens because people kept rescuing stuff out of the trash).

Not trying to discourage you, just be aware, while there is definitely an ideal for church that Catholicism has that most Protestants don't, it isn't always actually in practice.

LOCO · Aug 10, 2011

Jacqueline9423 said:
I am a 17 year old girl, due to be 18 next June, and am wondering how to go about converting to the Church? I cannot go to an actual Catholic Church until I am 18, because my parents won't allow it. But I own an Orthodox Bible (closest thing I could find to a Catholic one) and am looking into buying a rosary.

First, is it offensive if I pray the rosary as a non-Catholic? And second, how do I go about praying the rosary? I know it involves Hail Mary's, but other than that, I am clueless on how to pray it. God bless you all for your answers.

Welcome home Jacqueline,

The Vatican website is the best site to find out exactly what the Catholic Church of the Roman Rite teaches. If you are ever in doubt or if someone claims that something is a teaching of the Church, don't take it on face value. Research it, check there first, the buck stops with Rome.

Vatican: the Holy See

P.S. You can attend Mass, but cannot take the Eucharist until you are baptised/confirmed in the Church. If you were baptised in the Baptist Church that baptism is recognised and all you gotta do is the RCIA course.

:crossrc:

LOCO · Aug 10, 2011

godisthebestever said:
I am protestant if you want to call me that, but I rather call myself christian as the name was given to the first believers in Jesus. Read the new testament you will see that name given to follower of Jesus.

My question to the OP is do you read the bible for yourself? I am not talking about just reading one verse a day or a page.

I am talking about studying the bible hard, I am talking about not watching your favorite tv shows for months on end while you pour yourself into reading the bible.

Read the new testament over and over and over and over and over and never stop reading it. Read the old testament too.

Don't read the bible to affirm your own beliefs or notions, but read the bible to search for the truth.

Don't expect much out of any church, by only spending a few hours a week there. Go to bible studies, ask questions, don't just sit or stand at service and expect to receive all that you need or want.

Whether you are Protestant or Catholic don't expect much if all you do is listen to your Pastor or Priest and don't read the word.

Great advice, we should all be reading Sacred Scripture more. The only thing is the Church was created before the Bible. The Church has always interpreted the Bible and then taught the congregation. The Bible won't speak up and say 'no, that is not what Matthew meant' or 'you have completely got that out of context'.

It does not correct or teach anything. It is an inanimate object.
You need elders/priests/pastors to do the interpretation, teaching and correcting for you as Jesus did for the Apostles and they in turn did for their congregations.

Blessings :crossrc:

Protestant teenager looking to convert to the Holy Roman Catholic Church

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