hi!! ive been recently feeling a call to christianity, specifically catholicism (or anglicanism). ive been doing a lot of research and reading and im coming across a few things that are really putting me off so to speak and wanted to ask you a few questions from your own personal experience. the first is that from a practice related stand-point i feel more connected to christian witchcraft/christopaganism than more mainline forms of practice, which leads me to two questions; how have you found going to mass has been? how honest are you with your preist? the second is while i am able to reconcile most of my fundamental qualms and disagreements with the catholic church, im really struggling with their pro-life stance and stance on reproductive healthcare. it would bother me less if there was less of a focus on it in catholic charities/volunteering but im finding its a big focal point (at least for churches in my area). do you have any advice about navigating this? from a spiritual lens or practical lens!! thank you so much for running this blog, its been very helpful while ive been exploring my religion!!!
first of all, thank you for asking! Asks like these always make my day.
I’ve always had a complicated relationship with church and mass. I prayed very, very hard for God to show me a queer friendly church and I got blessed so hard with my lovely, very tiny Old Catholic community. I used Gaychurch.org to find Churches around me that supported gay marriage. This may seem unrelated, but if they support the LGBTQ, they’re bound to be supportive of women, immigrants, and those on a new religious journey!
this may help you find some pro-choice churches to check out <3
you absolutely do not have to agree with everything your church stands for. I get how difficult it is to find somewhere you 100% align with politically, but remember, you can always have conversations with the leaders about these topics! And if you feel unheard and unsupported, that’s a sign they’re not right for you.
When I first reconnected with God, I felt like I had to go to church every single Sunday or I was a bad Christian. Do not let this mentality consume you!!! Stuff comes up, and for many Christian witches church isn’t a huge priority. This is completely up to you and where your practice leads. Some people only go on specific feast days, or once a month, or just whenever they can. Spending time with God isn’t always about sitting down and listening to someone else interpret the Word.
sometimes time with God means sitting outside on a Sunday morning, drinking tea and rambling about anything that comes to mind.
sometimes it’s baking or cooking for your neighbors.
sometimes it’s planting something new in your garden!
God will always meet you where you’re at.
as far as being honest with priests and pastors go, trust me my sibling in Christ they have heard everything. If you feel judged by a pastor, that’s a sign that the church isn’t for you. Eventually you’ll find somewhere you feel comfortable, with a community you trust to guide you. Whether that’s in a church or a coven or a book club or an online support group.
take your time. God has a very special path awaiting you and God will be there to hold your hand the whole time <3
Good luck and do update me if you find somewhere you like!!!
