Hi there, love your blog! I’ve been interested in Catholicism for a while and was wondering how does one get involved or try Catholicism? I know I can go to mass, but I come from a baptist-y background, so what do ppl tend to do in Catholic Churches to connect (are there singles groups and small groups and stuff?) I’m sorry that my question sounds so ignorant, in no way do I mean to imply that we are not all brothers, I just generally am unfamiliar! No pressure but any tips or thoughts?
Hey there! Sorry for taking so long to respond! (I was asleep when you sent this ask, and when I saw it this morning I didn’t have enough time to write a response before work).First, don’t worry about implying anything bad; curiosity is good, and should never be discouraged even if it’s expressed in an awkward way (which, for the record, you didn’t; I’m just saying this because you seem kinda nervous, haha). Attacking people unfamiliar with something for expressing their curiosity ‘badly’ isn’t helpful to anyone, you know?I’m going to be honest with you; growing up, I always kinda felt that Catholic churches were always kinda bad at community-building, unless you were sending your kids to the Catholic school attached to the church. And to a large extent I think that’s still broadly true, but if you actively look (which I wasn’t), I’m sure you could find stuff.First, I recommend looking at the news bulletins at your local Catholic Church; usually they list events that the parish or school is hosting in the upcoming weeks. Not all of them are particularly religious - one of the schools in my area hosted a Wrestling Night with local semi-professional wrestlers in the school gymnasium- but it puts you in a social event with other Catholics. And that’s a start.If you’re looking for something a bit more religious (which I imagine you are, if you’re ‘interested’ in it :P ), you could try going on religious retreats. While usually catered to Catholics and meant to provide a spirituality based off of the Catholic worldview, many of these retreats are open to non-Catholics. I went on one retreat where my group included a Greek Orthodox guy and a Jewish boy. It was nonetheless a insightful experience for both, and the latter guy actually still pops up at the followup meetings every once and a while (more often than I do, in fact).That particular retreat was four days long, but there are also retreats where you go for the majority of one day, and other faith-sharing events that might just be a few hours long (I’m from New York City, and a lot of parishes in my area got involved in the Arise program, for example). Some cities also have what’s called Catholic Underground, a program for young Catholics that starts with Confession and Vespers and then highlights some work by Catholic artists (usually musicians), hosted by the Franciscans of Renewal. You could see if your city hosts it; in New York City, it usually happens one Saturday each month.I’m not sure how old you are, but if you’re in college, you may want to see if your campus has a Newman Center. These are Catholic organizations created to minister to the Catholic communities in secular college campuses. The one at my college has a priest who celebrates Mass three times a week, and hosts events of cultural and catechesal nature.If you have any questions, friend, let me know. In the meantime, know that I’m in your prayers, wherever your relationship with God takes you.
