#thepapists

[thepapists]

My husband and I were both raised Protestant and baptized as children. When we married, neither of us was religious so we had a civil ceremony at the justice of the peace, and not a church wedding. I have been attending Mass at a Catholic church for a while and am considering starting RCIA and joining the church next year. If I do, will we need to have our marriage convalidated to make it valid?

If you are both baptized, you both are attached to the Church’s economy of grace, (albeit imperfectly, unless and until both of you finish RCIA and come into full communion with the Catholic Church,) therefore, presuming that there are no other mitigating circumstances, your marriage is sacramental.  The Canon is clear on this, a valid marriage cannot exist between two baptized people without it being necessarily sacramental. 

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P3V.HTM

Thus, it does not seem that you would have to get your marriage convalidated or take any other steps.  The only thing that changes once you fully enter the Catholic Church, is that you have a right and obligation to provide a Christian education in accordance with the teachings of the Church to any children you two have.  Does this help?

God bless!

[thepapists]

What can I do when I feel hopeless and desperate and separated from God? I have no idea what he wants from me.

Immerse yourself in regular prayer, Mass, Adoration, Confession, and keep your family and friends close. That is what will carry you through your hopelessness. 

Godspeed, Anon.

Your friend,

Olivier

[thepapists]

If I, an atheist, were to want to convert to Catholicism, where should I begin? What should I begin learning?

Hello anon! 

Sorry for the long wait. I hope I can answer your question well.

My first piece of advice would be to open the Bible and learn about Jesus. Plain and simple. Why? Because the whole of reality and the whole of humanity revolves around Him. I’d start with the Gospel of Mark, as it’s the shortest and most action-packed. You might want to try Luke or Matthew next (and if you read Luke, continue on to Acts of the Apostles, as it was written by the same person). It would also be good to read some letters of Saint Paul, perhaps after you read Acts of the Apostles. Acts is a history book that describes the apostles’ actions in the early Church after Christ returned to the Father and it really focuses on the power of the Holy Spirit. 

The New Testament is the best place to start, I think. If you want to read the Old Testament, you should start with the Psalms. They are short and easy to read, and we can all relate to many of them in one way or another. 

Scripture seems to me the one of the best places to begin in general. If you’re interested in other books, a few that come to mind are Confessions by Saint Augustine and The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton. They are both conversion stories! 

Also, do you have any Catholic friends? Perhaps this is the most important bit: become friends with a Catholic and see how God is working in their lives. Ask them if they can answer any questions you have about the Catholic faith. Ask them if they can take you to a Catholic church to see what it is like!

Anon, if I’m reading you correctly, I’m so excited that you’re interested in learning more about Catholicism! My prayers will be with you. I hope I’ve given you enough to dig into. If anyone else can contribute, please do!

Your friend,

Olivier

[thepapists]

Would it be mean of me to complain about a cantor to my pastor or someone who could do something about it? She is just such an awful awful singer and she takes away from the Mass.

Only if you take over for her.

Your friend,

Olivier

[thepapists]

The anon about the capitalization of 'catholic', that helped a lot but just one thing, is it 'I'm Catholic' or 'I'm catholic'?

Anon,

If you profess the faith that the Church of Rome preaches, then you’re Catholic. Although, I wouldn’t worry too much about it.

Your friend,

Olivier

[thepapists]

What does it mean when the Catechism asks us to, when possible, "publicly to make reparation for a wrong" we have committed against someone?

Hi there! Thanks for your question.

CCC #2487 says this:

Every offense committed against justice and truth entails the duty of reparation, even if its author has been forgiven. When it is impossible publicly to make reparation for a wrong, it must be made secretly. If someone who has suffered harm cannot be directly compensated, he must be given moral satisfaction in the name of charity. This duty of reparation also concerns offenses against another’s reputation. This reparation, moral and sometimes material, must be evaluated in terms of the extent of the damage inflicted. It obliges in conscience.

So the Catechism is clear that public reparation is the general way of dealing with an offense. 

In French, reparer simply means to fix. Simply put, we’re called to fix things after committing an offense against someone. 

The first thing that comes to my mind is to simply say sorry and ask for forgiveness in front of the person. You tell them, “I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?” and then it’s on them to forgive you. If you did something that hurt them or damaged their property, you should offer to pay the medical bill or mechanic’s bill or contracter’s bill (or replace whatever you broke or damaged). Financial compensation is a good way to make public reparation for a wrong. Another way that comes to mind is to give of your time—your service to that person. If you, say, trampled your neighbour’s rose bushes because you walked outside and were angry, then you could offer to give an hour of your day during the summer helping your neighbour in their garden. 

On a more serious note, public reparation could mean serving a jail sentence or paying a severe fine. Pleading guilty and accepting your jail time would be a good way to make public reparation. Remember, once you commit a wrong and you realize it is wrong, it is up to you to “make up for it” as best you can. 

I hope I was able to answer your question. Take care!

Your friend,

Olivier

[thepapists]

PSA: Tumblr ate that last ask regarding confession, mortal sin, and pre-marital sex.

Send it again, perhaps?