Sorry for not finishing my question before submitting it.. Question: How is your community with other Catholics in your area compared to the community you felt in your protestant community?

caffeinatedcatholic:

My protestant community was honestly really big bc of my family being missionaries and being surrounded by other Baptist missionaries. It was big but not always supportive. There was always a huge divide and a ton of judgement about various things, everything from raising your children to “personal” theology. There was always someone pressing their agenda on you and your family. And then of course anyone NOT southern Baptist was going straight to hell. You could never just be friends with someone of a different denomination, you were a witness and expected to evangelize the heck out of them.

It wasnt all bad, there were a lot of really great people who were really godly and supportive and helped my faith to grow. But you couldn’t always go as deep with people unless you knew for sure that your theology matched up…and parents were always really vocal about other families that had “weird ideas about God.” You were always just looking over your shoulder and putting up a wall and safe guarding your personal relationship with God and in case anyone thought you werent Baptist enough.

My Catholic community is so so so different. Nosy and judgemental people are everywhere, but I never have to worry that talking about my love for Mary or my relationship with saints and especially my very personal relationship with Jesus/Eucharist is going to rub someone wrong. And if you do feel differently about something, you always have Sacred Tradition, Mystagogy and the Sacred Scriptures to fall back on to work through something. Debates are healthy and respectful, I never feel like I’m trying to defend my journey with God or that someone feels superior to me bc their personal theology is better or more well formed than mine.

And aside from that? A MUCH healthier view of our brothers and sisters in Christ who arent Catholic. I’ve never met less tolerant people than Baptists about other Christians, and I’ve never felt more loving and united with other Christians than I do as a Catholic. It’s not us against them.

I’ve never met a Catholic unwilling to pray for my protestant family or help me work through that pain or a Catholic who discouraged me flat out from associating with anyone but Catholics, and yet my parents make it so clear every chance they get that they arent sure anymore that I’m going to heaven anymore (lol but what about that “once saved always saved” theology??) and that they’re praying for me to abandon this path.

That’s been my experience with the Catholic community as a whole, but as for my local one: so active. Give your number to just one FOCUS missionary and you are set up in Bible studies, Adoremus events and retreats for life. The girls I hang out with are so strong and have welcomed me so fast. Need a ride or a prayer? Done. Need someone to help you get to a confession? We’ll all go. I’ve never felt more supported and encouraged to pursue Jesus than with the people I have here; and at my parish, I’m STILL hanging out with people from RCIA, my priests know and pray for me, I’ve got a ring of Catholic grannies I meet at Adoration for a rosary every week who love gabbing about the spiritual readings they’ve been digging into, praying over me and my baby and go into Mama Bear Mode whenever I show up to Adoration in tears over the war between Catholics and protestants in my family.

I’m a little nervous about moving to Texas just bc of starting over, but I know Jesus is going to take care of me and meet all my needs there. He’s not going anywhere, and this Church is universal. I cant wait to see what He has waiting for us there.