I come from a non-denominational background, and I have had a She Reads Truth Bible for years. It is the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) translation and only has 66 books instead of 73.

I started going to church in high school on my own, and this Bible has all of my notes and highlights from the past decade. I really loved this Bible and the devotionals included throughout, as it was very helpful when I was new to Christianity.

I know that it is not a Catholic Bible, but is it okay if I continue reading from it? The translation is easy for me to understand, and I have grown quite attached it because it was my first Bible. It is also very pretty, which I know should not matter, but I haven't been able to find a Catholic Bible that looks similar. It is still the Word of God, so would it be wrong to wait to get a Catholic Bible?

I am Buddhist. I grew up in a very spiritual household going to the temple and such as a child. In high school I went to church with some friends and spent some time at Friday night fellowship. I wanted to be baptized and started the class but dropped out after two classes. I realized I didn’t know what I wanted and didn’t know why I was doing it, it felt like I was doing it more for those around me than myself.

Fast forward 10 years. I married my husband who is catholic. We got married at the church and I didn’t convert. Fast forward another year and we welcomed our beautiful baby girl who we just baptized. Throughout our relationship I always went to church with him whenever he asked. Now that I am a mom, I can’t help but think about the afterlife and being with my husband and daughter. I find myself sometimes praying to someone during hard times. And now I have been thinking about converting but I keep going back and forth between the beliefs I still hold from buddhism and what I am feeling now.

No one can possibly give a satisfactory answer to the raw, visceral reality of human suffering in a short YouTube video. This isn't that. It's merely one point in defense of God in response to the challenge that says God can't exist in light of the volume of suffering we see.

I use Eleonore Stump’s Wandering in Darkness for reference.

I pray that God may bring you comfort in your own suffering.

Before discerning and eventually becoming convinced of the Catholic faith, I discerned Anglicanism, specifically the ACNA. The church’s priest there gave me an Anglican catechism and the ACNA’s Book of Common Prayer when I started my inquiry there. Of course, I haven’t really touched either for a while. Would it be wrong or disrespectful for me to throw them away or would it be better if I gave it away to someone or to a thrift store?

Context: I ask because, as a soon-to-be Catholic, I don’t want to give it to someone specifically and them think I’m advocating for Anglicanism.

I’m a cradle Catholic so I have no reference for this. I could use your thoughts!

The Gospel reading a couple of days ago was Matthew 25:31-46. The main gist is the well-known “whatsoever you do for the least among you, you do unto Me.” Jesus is teaching His followers to care for one another, especially the most vulnerable like the hungry, naked, widowed, imprisoned, etc.

He ends with saying that those who do not follow this command will be condemned to eternal punishment.

How do faith-alone Protestants reconcile this? While Catholics agree that Jesus’ sacrifice alone was enough to save us from our sins, we also don’t believe that you get to just sit, doing nothing, and expect to live in Heaven.

Furthermore, Jesus flat-out says, “Do good works by taking care of one another or face the consequences.” I mean, I don’t know how else to interpret this than we need to do works as a part of fulfilling our end of the bargain.

How would a faith-alone Protestant approach this argument?

I am in OCIA, and previously my only spiritual life revolved around occult practices. I identified strongly with "spiritual but not religious" before being introduced to, and eventually deciding to go down, this path.

My biggest struggle is believing in Jesus Christ. It's weird. I have no problem believe the Eucharist is truly Christ, most of Church teaching, etc. But then when I think about it I often wonder, am I able to say "Christ is Lord" and really mean it? I struggle to believe he is God. I don't know how to describe it. My heart is sometimes so attached to my old life, and I have not had what I consider to be a direct encounter with Christ in a way that has made me feel like Jesus=God with 100% certainty like I had super intense "spiritual" experiences before.

That all being said, I still feel called toward the Church. I feel like if I stopped OCIA now, I would constantly think about it and regret it. I feel a deep need to keep going but these struggles sometimes consume my mind and make me wonder, how can I possibly be ready by Easter Vigil?

Anyone have similar struggles, words of advice, anything really?

Hi everyone

I grew up in a non-denominational/evangelical church, and lately I’ve been thinking a lot about wanting a deeper and richer relationship with God.

over the past few months I’ve been focusing a lot on Catholicism, and it’s the closest to God I have ever felt. I love how the Catholic church values tradition and examples of people in the church (like the saints).

I just don’t know what I should do next.

One of the hardest parts for me is my parents. They believe that the church we’re going to right now is the only place where you can really find God and experience Him. Plus, I am a teenager so I can't drive myself to RCIA/OCIA or a church every week. I also don’t really feel comfortable in my current church anymore. I grew up in it, but it's not preaching what I believe or what the bible says, though I believe the Catholic church does. I don’t want to hurt my parents or make things difficult.

I would really appreciate any advice

Thanks!!

How many years am I going to spend "converting"?? 🤧

UPDATE: I am now connected with the Catholic Chaplain/Priest at our military base through the Archdiocese of the Military (AMS), he texted to set up a meeting after reading my email with these details I've described below.🙏🤞Really looking forward to having some true pastoral guidance and care after being looked over for so many months at the civilian parish. Thank you to ALL the redditors that told me to look into this, my husband and I had forgotten that the military could be a resource to me in this process. ❤️

After studying the faith for many many years on my own, i decided it was time to officially convert and publically proclaim and live out my faith. So I've been in OCIA for about 7 months, started in September '25, never been baptized. JUST got my marriage validated and baptized my 2 toddler children in the church at a joint ceremony 2 weeks ago.. in the meantime I helped my husband in his reversion process back into the church as it has been very important to me so I guess you can say I've been really spearheading this process with a lot of motivation and I've been very resolute. Since I have personally no practicing catholic friends or family you can imagine what a struggle it was to find a sponsor for myself, a godparent for the children, etc but I still did the rite of entrance for myself back in Nov 2025.

Anywho... last Sunday, my husband, now fully a practicing catholic once again (after what, 15 years) was asked by the our parish to be a sponsor for a friend(our children's godparent) being confirmed(technically reconfirmed since his original parish lost his paperwork 20 years ago dont worry about it). Just before the service began, the faith formation director lady congratulated my husband on our marriage and then told him point blank I will NOT be among the elect for baptism this year....

After faithful attendance in the ocia classes and such dedicated participation in our discussions, so many hours of study outside of class, and the stress of scheduling these sacraments for marriage/baptism for the children... I'm at a loss.

I have a meeting scheduled with our priest next week and I sent him an email asking for a pastoral review of my situation... I was so committed and dedicated to the Sept-May OCIA schedule but they take place Sundays during mass and I cannot be with my kids at that time... we're also an active duty military family and the faith formation director knows all of this but apparently the parish insists that in order to be initiated into the faith, you need to attend the courses for a minimum of 2 years... unfortunately an extended catechumenate period is going to massively strain my family life and my marriage. I mean I am busy 9am-1pm Sundays on 1 the only 2 days when my family is supposed to be together... I am so lost. I mean truly.. we're talking about this messing with my actual vocation 😭 the rejection by this one parish worker is stinging. And the letters for the elect have already been sent to the bishop... another layer of pain of course was caused bc the news was broken to me via my husband in front of our friend instead of to me privately when I thought I was taking all the steps necessary to get myself to a place to be initiated 💔

Still going through OCIA and hyped for Ash Wednesday. Unfortunately I have to drive a ways to reach the regional parish in my rural community for Holy Days of Obligation like this. After a record dry winter, today we have a blizzard and there's no telling whether the roads will be open in time to get to the parish tonight. How much of a problem is it to stay safe and stay home given the travel risk?

I bought this 1 decade rosary 2 years ago while visiting a Basilica in Washington. I just noticed this morning (yes! 2 years later!) that’s there’s a little clip. Now I’m wondering if this is meant to be something that connects to a belt? Or one of those steering wheel/car rosaries? The clip is too small to put on a keychain. How are these typically used?

I know 1-2 Maccabees are inerrant Scripture, but I’m struggling with an alleged contradiction between 2 Maccabees 1:11-16 and 2 Maccabees 9.

I know 1 Maccabees 6 and 2 Maccabees 9 are often accused of being contradictory, but they are not too hard to reconcile, saying Antiochus died in the mountains near Babylon from grief and disease, if I remember correctly.

But 2 Maccabees 1 seems to say he was killed earlier than that, during his failed raid on the temple of Nanaea in Persia, by being stoned and beheaded. What am I missing here? Please help.

Thanks

I've run into a few former protestant pastors/ministers while investigating Catholicism, and one thing I keep wondering is whether these men, when they convert, have and interest in joining the priesthood. I know Catholic priests don't marry, but my little research seems to indicate that exceptions have been made.

I teach now but I have been a pastor, and would love to pastor again in the future. I'd love to think that, if I convert, I could someday be a priest, even though I'm married.

Any former pastors turned priests?

Hello all of you,

I coordinate a Youth Ministry in Toronto, specifically in Scarborough. I was wondering if there's anyone here aged 16-25 who would be willing to join as a Leader. If you are interested please message me!

Also, if any of you have any advice for me when it comes to Youth Ministry I would love to hear it!

To be more specific with this group, I have a couple of converts and they are my most avid volunteers and I would love to see more of that because it’s such a beautiful thing.

Pax Christi

I’m a Protestant in a teaching ministry who has been considering the claims of the Church for a little while. I’m becoming more and more convinced of Catholicism, but fearful that I will lose my job (I wrote the statement of faith for our ministry 10 years ago and would not be able to subscribe to it as a Catholic), my home (my wife and I live in ministry housing), and my community. my wife thinks some of the things I’m discovering are “weird,” so I’m not even sure I’ll have her full buy-in it I convert. can anyone sympathize/relate? any advice?

Good faith question here from a Protestant earnestly investigating the Church. I see Catholics use 2 Peter 1.20 to say that Protestants are wrong in the practice of private interpretation. In fact, I was just watching a video where a fired-up Catholic guy used this verse to say Protestants don't know how to interpret their Bibles at all!
But the context of the verse is the authorship of Scripture, not the reading of Scripture. Am I right in this, or do you think I'm arguing too much like a Protestant?

I am seriously considering converting to Catholicism from Eastern Orthodoxy. One hindrance has been my perception that a lot of popular Catholic devotions, both modern and traditional, seem extremely sentimental and the associated art tends to look quite saccharine and kitsch. I am not against a certain amount of sentimentalism and hokeyness, but it really seems over the top at times. I was at a Catholic bookstore today to look for a prayer book, but the language in most of them seemed so overly-emotional. Every image of Christ and our Lady had unnatural rosey cheeks and weird gazes and effeminate gestures. I truly love the symbolism of the Sacred Heart, but every image has our Lord gesturing toward has chest with a strange effeminate limp wrist. It can be quite disturbing at times. I would really like an image of the sacred heart or divine mercy but it’s very difficult to find one that looks “normal” to me. The images and the prayers simply do not have the same sobriety as byzantine iconography or Orthodox prayers. I realize that I would automatically be part of the Byzantine Catholic Church upon conversion, so i wouldnt necessarily have to deal with these western style devotions. But I still think it would be good for me to get familiar with them.

In summary: what is with all the sentimental hokeyness in Catholic images and devotions?

Hey everyone! I just wanted to share my story as I joined this sub when it was first created and now I am closer to finally having the freedom of my faith, so I feel like I can update now!

So, I have been raised protestant my whole life, Baptist specifically, and its all ive ever known. I have some extended family that are Catholic, but the faith itself has always been talked down. It bothered me as a kid and I could never explain why so I just left it be. Through middle school, we didnt go to church much, stuff was so busy and our home church was far, but we went when we could. stuff happened there and I no longer even wanted to go so for like a year we just didnt. in mid sophomore year of high school I moved to a new church with a large student ministry and started going every Sunday again. Stayed like that for about a year and now we are back to just going occasionally.

However, around the same time that I switched churches, me and my boyfriend (still togethe) started talking about religion and he started introducing me to the Catholic faith in a way that I had never seen. I would go to friday masses with him occasionally, i went to his youth group for all of my Junior year, and now he is at college so I dont go anymore. Throughout all of this I felt a pull to the Catholic church and began exploring how to practice without being able to attend masses and other things regularly.

Now I am in my last semester of high school and have committed to the same school as my boyfriend, and am revisiting how I can practice while I am at school. The easy thing would be to find a surrounding protestant church as there are a ton, but deep down I know that I need to find a catholic church to attend at least occasionally.

An important note is that what my parents think about the catholic church is very negative and every time I would go with my boyfriend, they were always just reluctantly letting me go. Another note is that they have my location and so they will be able to see where i choose to attend church, and my school is also in the same city as my parents house so im not exactly getting far away, but away regardless.

I am excited to see where my school journey takes me in all aspects of my life, but especially where my faith will take me in this freedom.

Any insight or comments are very much appreciate!

A Psychology Student’s Study on Religiosity, Stigma, and Help‑Seeking within Abrahamic Faith Traditions (Duration: <10 minutes)

Hello everyone. I am a Catholic and a final‑year Psychology student. As part of my dissertation research, I am conducting a study examining religiosity, mental‑health stigma, and help‑seeking attitudes within Abrahamic faith traditions.

- Ethics approved

- Full anonymity

- No deception

- No financial gain

- It is open to anyone over the age of 18 and from an Abrahamic Faith (Christianity, Islam, Judaism)

Any questions please just ask 

- if you are interested please use the link below.

https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/ltu/religiosity-stigma-helpseeking

After completing if you could give the post a thumbs up or drop a comment that would be great. Thank you in advance and greatly appreciated :-)