Coming home

[tampasteve]

Greetings! After years of searching and praying I am coming full circle in my head and in person to the Catholic Church. I still have personal issues due to my previous divorce and subsequent remarriage, but I can participate in the Mass and Catholic lifecycle events much as I did for nearly 10 years when I attended the RCC before crossing the Tiber. I may be able to iron out my marriage situation over time, but in the meantime this is about as good as I can do in that regard - and that's OK.

The election of Pope Leo XIV spurred this on after it being something that I have considered and prayed about for years. So, I no longer consider myself a lapsed Catholic, but rather a Catholic in an impaired situation. I know that there are many Catholics that ignore the teachings and just continue on in the church as if they were not in an impaired situation, but I don't want to do that.

So, as you will notice I have changed my faith tag to the appropriate one and am happy to be back.

 

[Michie]

Greetings! After years of searching and praying I am coming full circle in my head and in person to the Catholic Church. I still have personal issues due to my previous divorce and subsequent remarriage, but I can participate in the Mass and Catholic lifecycle events much as I did for nearly 10 years when I attended the RCC before crossing the Tiber. I may be able to iron out my marriage situation over time, but in the meantime this is about as good as I can do in that regard - and that's OK.

The election of Pope Leo XIV spurred this on after it being something that I have considered and prayed about for years. So, I no longer consider myself a lapsed Catholic, but rather a Catholic in an impaired situation. I know that there are many Catholics that ignore the teachings and just continue on in the church as if they were not in an impaired situation, but I don't want to do that.

So, as you will notice I have changed my faith tag to the appropriate one and am happy to be back.

Welcome back Steve!! I’m thrilled to have you. Yes you can work through your marital status within the Church and you can be assured of my prayers for you. What a great way to start out a Monday! God bless you and welcome home!

 

[St. Helens]

Greetings! After years of searching and praying I am coming full circle in my head and in person to the Catholic Church. I still have personal issues due to my previous divorce and subsequent remarriage, but I can participate in the Mass and Catholic lifecycle events much as I did for nearly 10 years when I attended the RCC before crossing the Tiber. I may be able to iron out my marriage situation over time, but in the meantime this is about as good as I can do in that regard - and that's OK.

The election of Pope Leo XIV spurred this on after it being something that I have considered and prayed about for years. So, I no longer consider myself a lapsed Catholic, but rather a Catholic in an impaired situation. I know that there are many Catholics that ignore the teachings and just continue on in the church as if they were not in an impaired situation, but I don't want to do that.

So, as you will notice I have changed my faith tag to the appropriate one and am happy to be back.

Congratulations on finding yourself at home. I am very happy for your church too about the selection of Pope Leo.

 

[Lady Bug]

So, I no longer consider myself a lapsed Catholic, but rather a Catholic in an impaired situation.

My gosh that describes ME, I was trying to think of how to describe myself, lol.

 

[Learning always]

Greetings! After years of searching and praying I am coming full circle in my head and in person to the Catholic Church. I still have personal issues due to my previous divorce and subsequent remarriage, but I can participate in the Mass and Catholic lifecycle events much as I did for nearly 10 years when I attended the RCC before crossing the Tiber. I may be able to iron out my marriage situation over time, but in the meantime this is about as good as I can do in that regard - and that's OK.

The election of Pope Leo XIV spurred this on after it being something that I have considered and prayed about for years. So, I no longer consider myself a lapsed Catholic, but rather a Catholic in an impaired situation. I know that there are many Catholics that ignore the teachings and just continue on in the church as if they were not in an impaired situation, but I don't want to do that.

So, as you will notice I have changed my faith tag to the appropriate one and am happy to be back.

Welcome !
Welcome home.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Greetings! After years of searching and praying I am coming full circle in my head and in person to the Catholic Church. I still have personal issues due to my previous divorce and subsequent remarriage, but I can participate in the Mass and Catholic lifecycle events much as I did for nearly 10 years when I attended the RCC before crossing the Tiber. I may be able to iron out my marriage situation over time, but in the meantime this is about as good as I can do in that regard - and that's OK.

The election of Pope Leo XIV spurred this on after it being something that I have considered and prayed about for years. So, I no longer consider myself a lapsed Catholic, but rather a Catholic in an impaired situation. I know that there are many Catholics that ignore the teachings and just continue on in the church as if they were not in an impaired situation, but I don't want to do that.

So, as you will notice I have changed my faith tag to the appropriate one and am happy to be back.

Welcome back. Persistent quiet prayers have been answered.

Pope Leo has already brought back some sedevacantists such as Taylor Marshall. I never went that far but I struggled mightily while Francis was pope. It does seem like a new day. Pope Leo doesn't have to be perfect to be a breath of fresh air for me. I am seriously taking on my duty to pray for him.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Welcome home!

Being Christ centered is what it means to be a person of faith, not just religion.

 

[tampasteve]

Welcome back. Persistent quiet prayers have been answered.

Pope Leo has already brought back some sedevacantists such as Taylor Marshall. I never went that far but I struggled mightily while Francis was pope. It does seem like a new day. Pope Leo doesn't have to be perfect to be a breath of fresh air for me. I am seriously taking on my duty to pray for him.

Thank you, I know that we had some conversations in the past, about issues with the church and hesitation to ever coming back, and honestly, this feels so good to be back. Pope Leo is such a breath of fresh air into the church that it is amazing to see. I know that, as Catholics, we are supposed to submit to the Pope, but in the case of Francis it was so hard. Having left the church it felt so difficult to want to be back inside it in an imperfect state without hope of just going to Reconciliation and being welcomed back.

 

[Gnarwhal]

Greetings! After years of searching and praying I am coming full circle in my head and in person to the Catholic Church. I still have personal issues due to my previous divorce and subsequent remarriage, but I can participate in the Mass and Catholic lifecycle events much as I did for nearly 10 years when I attended the RCC before crossing the Tiber. I may be able to iron out my marriage situation over time, but in the meantime this is about as good as I can do in that regard - and that's OK.

The election of Pope Leo XIV spurred this on after it being something that I have considered and prayed about for years. So, I no longer consider myself a lapsed Catholic, but rather a Catholic in an impaired situation. I know that there are many Catholics that ignore the teachings and just continue on in the church as if they were not in an impaired situation, but I don't want to do that.

So, as you will notice I have changed my faith tag to the appropriate one and am happy to be back.

This is exciting, welcome home Steve!

I guess you would've departed right around the time I was starting RCIA (though I've been a member on this site since 08 and we likely encountered each other on OBOB before, as well as other subs since your username is certainly familiar to me).

It's really compelling how many people have felt Pope Leo's election spur them to conversion or reversion. If it's not an impertinent, do you mind if I ask what your broader story is? You don't have to share if it's too private/personal. FTR, I was divorced before I started RCIA and went through an annulment during. Ended up meeting a nice Catholic woman about three years after my confirmation and we got married two years after that.

 

[tampasteve]

This is exciting, welcome home Steve!

I guess you would've departed right around the time I was starting RCIA (though I've been a member on this site since 08 and we likely encountered each other on OBOB before, as well as other subs since your username is certainly familiar to me).

It's really compelling how many people have felt Pope Leo's election spur them to conversion or reversion. If it's not an impertinent, do you mind if I ask what your broader story is? You don't have to share if it's too private/personal. FTR, I was divorced before I started RCIA and went through an annulment during. Ended up meeting a nice Catholic woman about three years after my confirmation and we got married two years after that.

I don't mind you asking at all.

The short version is that I was raised in a non-Denominational home with Baptist and Pentecostal leanings. In high school and college I went to a large UMC church. I was drawn to the Apostolic churches in those same years, investigating both the EO, RCC and the Coptic Church, but I never made any moves. I met a Catholic woman just out of college and attended Mass with her for 5 years before I was ready to go through RCIA. At that time I also investigated the EO church, but found the ethnic issues to high a bar to clear. The Latin church and Western liturgy is a much better fit for me, and honestly for most Westerners.

Five further years later I found out that my wife was having an affair, and had been having them since around when we got married. During that tumultuous time I left the RCC, quitting the faith entirely for around a year or two. Eventually I found my way to Judaism, converted and then found my way to Messianic Judaism. Around that time I re-married a Christian woman in the Lutheran church. That was a comfortable place as the Lutheran Divine Service is very similar to the NO Mass.

However, that was not meant to be in the long term. The church was (is) dying and made a lurch to the Left, so we had to go. We bounced around between different Lutheran, Presbyterian and eventually back to the same UMC that I was baptized at in college.

I investigated an annulment a few years ago, but we both need annulments from our prevous marriages. The process is byzantine and my wife (who is also previously divorced) had a very tough time trying to face those previous issues when she does not actually desire to be a Catholic. I still don't know how I will ever reconcile with the RCC fully, an annulment seems impossibly difficult at this time since we both need one and she struggles so much.

 

[Michie]

I don't mind you asking at all.

The short version is that I was raised in a non-Denominational home with Baptist and Pentecostal leanings. In high school and college I went to a large UMC church. I was drawn to the Apostolic churches in those same years, investigating both the EO, RCC and the Coptic Church, but I never made any moves. I met a Catholic woman just out of college and attended Mass with her for 5 years before I was ready to go through RCIA. At that time I also investigated the EO church, but found the ethnic issues to high a bar to clear. The Latin church and Western liturgy is a much better fit for me, and honestly for most Westerners.

Five further years later I found out that my wife was having an affair, and had been having them since around when we got married. During that tumultuous time I left the RCC, quitting the faith entirely for around a year or two. Eventually I found my way to Judaism, converted and then found my way to Messianic Judaism. Around that time I re-married a Christian woman in the Lutheran church. That was a comfortable place as the Lutheran Divine Service is very similar to the NO Mass.

However, that was not meant to be in the long term. The church was (is) dying and made a lurch to the Left, so we had to go. We bounced around between different Lutheran, Presbyterian and eventually back to the same UMC that I was baptized at in college.

I investigated an annulment a few years ago, but we both need annulments from our prevous marriages. The process is byzantine and my wife (who is also previously divorced) had a very tough time trying to face those previous issues when she does not actually desire to be a Catholic. I still don't know how I will ever reconcile with the RCC fully, an annulment seems impossibly difficult at this time since we both need one and she struggles so much.

Prayers for your intentions. I don’t think the annulment will be nearly as difficult as you think. There was a lady in my RCIA class that had to get several. She hung in there and all were granted and she entered the Church soon after.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I don't mind you asking at all.

The short version is that I was raised in a non-Denominational home with Baptist and Pentecostal leanings. In high school and college I went to a large UMC church. I was drawn to the Apostolic churches in those same years, investigating both the EO, RCC and the Coptic Church, but I never made any moves. I met a Catholic woman just out of college and attended Mass with her for 5 years before I was ready to go through RCIA. At that time I also investigated the EO church, but found the ethnic issues to high a bar to clear. The Latin church and Western liturgy is a much better fit for me, and honestly for most Westerners.

Five further years later I found out that my wife was having an affair, and had been having them since around when we got married. During that tumultuous time I left the RCC, quitting the faith entirely for around a year or two. Eventually I found my way to Judaism, converted and then found my way to Messianic Judaism. Around that time I re-married a Christian woman in the Lutheran church. That was a comfortable place as the Lutheran Divine Service is very similar to the NO Mass.

However, that was not meant to be in the long term. The church was (is) dying and made a lurch to the Left, so we had to go. We bounced around between different Lutheran, Presbyterian and eventually back to the same UMC that I was baptized at in college.

I investigated an annulment a few years ago, but we both need annulments from our prevous marriages. The process is byzantine and my wife (who is also previously divorced) had a very tough time trying to face those previous issues when she does not actually desire to be a Catholic. I still don't know how I will ever reconcile with the RCC fully, an annulment seems impossibly difficult at this time since we both need one and she struggles so much.

The tedium of pursuing an annulment can open up old wounds. But it can drain the pus that needs to be drained too. So it can be an opportunity for healing and not just a bureaucratic hassle. I hope and pray it works for you. In your case it sounds like your first wife may not have made the necessary commitment to settle on one man. I ain't no canon lawyer, but I think you have a good case.

 

[RileyG]

Glory to God! Welcome home!

 

[Wolseley]

Welcome home, Steve. I will pray for your situation.

 

[Gnarwhal]

Our stories sound relatively similar.

As far as the annulment goes, maybe I missed something but why does it have to be byzantine? Hopefully there's a way through that for both you and your wife and she's willing to at least do that much even if she's not ready to convert to the faith. Have you linked up with an advocate who can help sort through these kinds of things? Mine was super helpful.

 

[RileyG]

Welcome back. Persistent quiet prayers have been answered.

Pope Leo has already brought back some sedevacantists such as Taylor Marshall. I never went that far but I struggled mightily while Francis was pope. It does seem like a new day. Pope Leo doesn't have to be perfect to be a breath of fresh air for me. I am seriously taking on my duty to pray for him.

Err....respectfully, I don't think Taylor Marshall was ever officially sedevacantists. He just attended SSPX during the pandemic....which got him in trouble with his former friend, Timothy Gordon....

In all seriousness....pray. That's much needed.

God bless

 

[RileyG]

Greetings! After years of searching and praying I am coming full circle in my head and in person to the Catholic Church. I still have personal issues due to my previous divorce and subsequent remarriage, but I can participate in the Mass and Catholic lifecycle events much as I did for nearly 10 years when I attended the RCC before crossing the Tiber. I may be able to iron out my marriage situation over time, but in the meantime this is about as good as I can do in that regard - and that's OK.

The election of Pope Leo XIV spurred this on after it being something that I have considered and prayed about for years. So, I no longer consider myself a lapsed Catholic, but rather a Catholic in an impaired situation. I know that there are many Catholics that ignore the teachings and just continue on in the church as if they were not in an impaired situation, but I don't want to do that.

So, as you will notice I have changed my faith tag to the appropriate one and am happy to be back.

I pray Anglicans, Episcopalians, Methodists, and even some Lutherans will come home to Rome!

Come back to the Church Christ founded!

We welcome you with open arms!

All is forgiven!

Glory to God in all things!