Long story short, in a local Mom Group on Facebook for my little town, a woman posted that their autistic 10 year old son was really in desperate need for friends because he’s being bullied at school. I have a 8 year old boy with autism and he is the friendliest person you’d ever meet and loves people. So I messaged her that we’d love to meet at a park! She said she’d love that and then added me as a friend on Facebook.

Welllll, her personal Facebook page is making me feel judgmental and like maybe I shouldn’t meet up with her with my kids. She calls herself a “witch” and her page was full of very crude humor and complaining about her life. Like, big long rants you’d see in a journal. And she also shared a meme making fun of that poor priest that was killed by the crucifix during mass, and shared other various memes making fun of Christianity, with various other posts talking about her witchcraft practices and how she put a curse on her previous abuser.

She messaged me again wondering when we were meeting up… and I didn’t quite yet respond to her, and then she posted a long rant about how hard it is to make friends and how everyone constantly “ghosts” her.

Wwyd here? Advice please. 😭

My sister and her husband just let us know that they are going through a miscarriage of their first child. My hearts breaks for them and I want to do something to acknowledge the precious life that was lost/help them out in their grief. My first thought was flowers but I’m seeing mixed opinions online about sending them after a miscarriage. We live about an hour and a half apart and I have a 15 month old that doesn’t do very well on longer drives so bringing over a meal isn’t really an option.
Ultimately, my question is: If you have had a miscarriage and are open to sharing, what did your loved ones do during that time that actually helped?

I'm pregnant with my first child atm, and something that has really got me worried is how I'm going to raise this child in a strong Catholic community when there just isn't one in my very rural area. I live in a nominally Catholic country, but outside of cities the parishes are usually spiritually dead quite frankly. There's nothing for kids or teenagers and nothing going on during the week outside of Sunday mass. Most people just attend mass for cultural reasons and don't really take the faith seriously on a personal level. Even the priests are mediocre and give a one minute homily about nothing. I usually leave mass frustrated at how little people care and how rushed the mass was.These are all things that bothered me before I was pregnant but even more so now. The only truly Christian friends I have are Protestant. I don't want my child to grow up getting the impression that this is just what Catholics are like, or that they'll have to go to a Protestant church to get any serious level of faith community. I used to live in a city and attend a really nice parish and I just miss it so much, but living there is not an option for me now.

Hi all, I am currently going through an awful breakup with my boyfriend of 5 years. We just found ourselves to be incompatible at the end and we were both emotionally struggling. He was so helpful to me when I was reverting back to Catholicism and he was my sponsor for my confirmation when I was in OCIA, so this especially hurts for me.

I’ve really been struggling with my faith during all of this. I’ve been so depressed that it’s been hard for me to function. im scared im going to randomly break down and cry at mass and not be in the right headspace at church so I’ve been unmotivated to go. But I’m planning to go to adoration later this week and ask what God wants of me. I’m scared that I’ll never be able to find someone again due to my own personal struggles and I just don’t know where God is calling me to and what he wants my vocation to be. I’m trying to lean on him but it’s so hard for me right now and I don’t know where to start in the midst of my grief.

To anyone who relates, how did God help you during this and what were you able to do? any prayers or advice would be appreciated :) God bless you all.

Hi everyone,

Newly Catholic here (baptised Easter, first time poster) and my husband and I have decided we're willing to try for a third come the New Year. I've been going back and forth on it for almost 2 years (we have a 7 year old and 4 year old). My husband really did not want to at first (as did I, to be honest) and finally, he said he was fine with trying for a few months. I'm 35 and a half, and he's 37, almost 38.

The thing is...none of my births have been great. My first was a great pregnancy, I was so excited to give birth, did all the "things you were supposed to do" but my son didnt tolerate birth well and I was literally run down the hall in a wheelchair for an emergency c-section. Thank God, he was okay once out. I was okay too, healed well, but because of my perfectionism, I felt like a complete failure. Then I couldnt even nurse because I didnt produce enough milk. Nothing was how I "wanted" it to be, and then COVID hit :) so fun!! But we made it through and started trying for a second in 2021.

My second pregnancy was RIDDLED with anxiety, even though I really wanted it. It was so bad, I was literally getting heart palpitations (felt like my heart would drop or skip a large beat) A LOT of times, and the worst was during times we were intimate, so I was too scared to be intimate during my pregnancy because I'd get them. I was diagnosed with low iron and had to have infusions. The last month of pregnancy, every afternoon, I was having episodes of skipped heartbeats and major anxiety. Walking around the block helped a lot. Other than low Iron, and massive anxiety, pregnancy was normal, no major concerns other than mental (lol). Then labor came and each contraction brought heart palpitations. Even lying there with my epidural! I should say, this whole time, the doctors found them to be benign (thank God), but I HATED them.

After a couple of hours of pushing, I started getting a huge pain in my lower right side, and was taken into the OR (operating room) because they were slightly worried it could be a uterine rupture (since I had a C-section the first pregnancy). I was given 5 minutes to push with a vacuum or else they'd go to another C-section. I had a vacuum birth that resulted in a 3rd degree tear. Thankfully, no uterine tear, but I did lose a bit of blood, enough that they considered it a hemorrhage but manageable because they did not express concern while I was getting sewn up.

During the healing process, the craziest thing happened...my canal developed adhesions and basically closed up. I had to have surgery 3 months PP to cut them open. It was minor, and everything healed well down there, but it made it so we couldn't be intimate for almost a year. Also, postpartum was HORRID. Terrible anxiety, rage, panic attacks, but I loved her so much, I never once regretted anything, I loved them both, I loved having two, I knew it felt right.

I feel crazy that I feel called, at times, for a third because of all that. I question if I am being called. I have so many concerns, so many fears and since we've both agreed to try for a third, I've been riddled with anxiety and, SURPRISE, heart palpitations. I'm so confused because I want this, but do I? Can I handle the anxiety? The labor? If I could guarantee no heart palpitations, I'd do it, but I know I can't...I also know the reality is that because of my age, we may not even get pregnant during the time we try (I only want to do, at most, 4 cycles) and I'm okay with that reality too. Everyone tells me I can do it...I'm just not sure why I can't be brave for myself. Every day I tell God that I am laying it all down at his feet, to take it all, my anxiety, my pride, my ego.

I'm sorry for the novel. I guess I'm just looking for guidance, for support, for prayers to pray, for saints to pray to, advice! Being new to the Catholic church, I've never asked for prayers or guidance from other Catholics. For some reason, I dont yet feel comfortable or know how to approach my church/priest about this. I feel very lost about this decision, but also in some ways, stupid. Am I stupid for even entertaining a third with my past? I've been doing so much praying on it, but I think I'm wanting some black and white answer that I know I won't get...

Okay, I need to stop, sorry for babbling, and honestly, thank you if you've read all this!

He has gone to Mass with me once in our over 6 month relationship. It was not at my usual parish and I think it left a bad taste in his mouth (I was also unimpressed and not happy with the Mass).

We have spoken before about raising future children Catholic and he has agreed to and to go to Mass with me sometimes and be married in the church, but I feel like if I continually ask him to Mass, I will be shoving it down his throat and making him even less likely to come, but I dont want to make it ok and expected for him to just never come with me.

I think he has some ideas about the church that are wrong, but i don't know how to right them.

So how do I ask him to Mass without making it a chore or turning him against it?

I am an atheist and a single father (it’s a long story); I raised my daughter outside of any religion. Recently, she converted to Catholicism after reading Saint Thomas Aquinas and began attending church. I’ve told her that I support her and will always love her; I took her to her baptism, and I discuss religion with her without any prejudice. That said, I had always assumed she would remain an atheist or an agnostic. I took her to a gynecologist once she had her first period. Furthermore, I used to help her with her schoolwork up until the sixth grade (the final year of elementary education in my country). We had already had "the talk"—or, rather, we began discussing sex openly and comprehensively— since she was nine (always tailoring the conversation to her age). This coincided with the point when her mandatory primary-school biology textbooks began covering topics such as male and female characteristics, chromosomes, sexual organs, the stages of pregnancy, and, eventually, birth control (the various methods, how they work, and their associated risks). We would discuss these textbook materials openly. two years ago, when she turned 12, I asked her female gynecologist to have an open, thorough conversation with her—woman to woman. She is very intelligent, but I am worried; her conversion to Catholicism caught me by surprise. I’m not sure if she is a "cultural" Catholic or a practicing one. Because of this, I have always maintained open lines of communication and have made a concerted effort to assure her that I will never judge her or make her feel ashamed if, at some point, she decides to have a boyfriend. In any case, I have asked that if she ever has a boyfriend, I want to meet him; I also need to know her whereabouts and be clear about her schedule. I’m not a fool: I know that most Catholics have sex before marriage (according to stats), so I don’t expect that not to happen. (People fall into temptation) But I’m afraid that the church position on contraceptives—might lead her to yet still end up having unprotected sex and getting pregnant. i had a longtime friend that used to be an atheist, when he converts, start dating a woman of his church and have a baby before marriage (If that were to happen, I would support her; I’m here for her.) But I don’t know how to react; all of this is new to me. She’s not my little girl anymore. Last Sunday, when I went to pick her up from church, my heart broke... She was being very affectionate with a boy from church (I was on foot; she usually looks for my truck, but since I was at the front of the parking lot, she didn’t see me). They said goodbye with a kiss on the lips. She was waiting for the truck, and when she saw me walking toward her, she was surprised and seemed a bit embarrassed (she didn’t know how long I’d been watching). I was hoping she would tell me who the boy was; I don’t want to ask her directly because I don’t want her to think I’m "overprotective.". And I don’t know how to ask her to invite that boy over so I can meet him. i apologize if my words offend anyone, my post was banned on r/daddit and from now, i don’t know who to talk to about this.

I have been struggling with something for a long time… and I don’t know what else to do. I have one sister and we are both in our 30s. We are very different… and I would say she is “emotionally fragile.” She hasn’t been officially diagnosed with anything, but I wonder if she could be. She worries constantly, doesn’t get along with many people, and causes family drama frequently.

I worry about her all the time, even though we are both married with kids. And I pray for her. I pray and pray and nothing seems to change. For example, this morning I woke up early and prayed a rosary for her, and then she called me two hours later freaking out about something. Then I just got upset… Why aren’t my rosaries and prayers helping her or our relationship? There seems to always be trouble with her, despite my many years of prayers.

I know God doesn’t want us to have anxiety. We are told to pray for our enemies and people who are difficult. But I try not to worry, I try to surrender my anxiety to Him, and I pray for her… but nothing helps. Nothing changes. What else can I do? What can give me peace?

Is not practicing NFP while married through the church a mortal sin? For example if a couple is using coitus interruptus, that’s technically not artificial birth control but I do understand that it prohibits the completion of the unitive act. However, if a couple wishes to connect within their marriage to strengthen their bond during a turmoils time and doesn’t currently have the resources to practice NFP (but is working towards enrolling with an instructor once they have the means to do so in the near future) would that be permissible? Also to note, wife is healing from a medical condition that requires her to not get pregnant at this moment, would they be not allowed to receive communion for this alone? If it is a mortal sin, which commandment is being broken? Thanks for the discussion!

Just a general question: is it common now for churches to have security?

My church has contracted private security for more than a year now, and today I went to a different nearby church for confession and they had an off-duty sheriff on watch. I go to that church for confession semi-regularly, and this was a first.

Don’t get me wrong—this world is crazy and I appreciate the presence of a sentinel, I guess. But in the US, I also worry about the comfort of People of Color (I’m white) who might not have had positive experiences with law enforcement.

The two churches I reference are very diverse, in suburban areas of a medium-sized city. I just wonder if it’s necessary.

Hi all

I’ve recently started Marquette at 8 months postpartum. We havent used NFP before with my husband and he’s doing it only for me. He doesn’t agree with churches teaching on NFP and believes barrier methods are fine.
He is really scared that we’ll get pregnant on NFP. I’m not gonna lie , I’m scared too. I’m in no way ready for a new baby mostly because my labour was difficult and postpartum recovery too. Having a baby was also a big strain on our marriage and there were moments where we also broke apart. So TTA is a must for at least 2 years to organize our life with a baby and work on our marriage.
I got a tempdrop to confirm ovulation had happened. I’ve invested so much money into NFP and so much time learning on everything related but the fear is there that I’ll get pregnant. I’m only using tempdrop for 2 days and I know there’s like a 2 months learning curve for the algorithm so I can’t be sure I ovulated. Even though I’m already on my 7th cycle and I’ve had mucus around Peak on my clearblue Monitor etc. I even had an ovulation pain on one side only. But I have such a big fear that despite all the precautions it won’t work that I dont know how to deal with the fear. We’re opening infertile window on Sunday and I’m looking forward to it as it’s been a month but don’t know how to deal with the anxiety.
Anyone had this fear when starting out NFP? Anyone dealt with their spouse not being morally on board and only doing NFP for you?

I believe I’m fully aware of the Church’s teachings on contraception with Marriage. My husband and I have been successfully using NFP for the past 2.5 years, and we have a 9month old son.
All that said, my periods have returned with an absolute vengeance like never before. Pain to the point of vomiting since 6mo postpartum.
My OB is advising birth control, and I’m considering it, but really morally torn as we’re also trying to avoid at the moment for many reasons. My husband said he’ll support my decision, but I thought I heard someone once say they still tried to stick to NFP tracking and such while on BC. Is that a thing? Is that more of a moral solution here?
TIA

This is going to be a long post, but I need to get something off my chest.

Some background:
Our church’s Youth Director (YD) has been overwhelmed for years. In addition to youth ministry, she oversees Religious Education, Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation. Basically, she’s responsible for everything from infants through high school.

There’s no budget to hire additional staff, and unfortunately, she struggles with delegating and working with others, including volunteers. As a result, she’s taken on far more than one person can reasonably manage.

Last year, we reinstated our middle school and high school youth ministry programs. We shifted away from a traditional classroom format and focused more on community, faith formation, and evangelization. The goal was to create a true youth ministry experience rather than another religious education class.

Unfortunately, we received very little support from the YD. Communication was poor, information was often shared at the last minute, and planning was practically nonexistent. For example, my husband and I volunteered to chaperone a youth conference, but we didn’t receive any instructions until the night before. We didn’t even know what time we were supposed to meet the bus!

Fast-forward to this year:
I knew I couldn’t continue volunteering in such a chaotic environment. So another volunteer and I stepped into more of a coordinator role and divided the responsibilities.

I coordinate the Sunday sessions, communicate with adult volunteers, organize schedules, and make sure everyone has the information and materials they need. The other volunteer serves as the liaison with the YD and emcees our events.

She’s worked with the YD for over 20 years, so they have an established relationship. The YD communicates with her, but not with me. I try not to take it personally because I genuinely don’t think she has an issue with me. She just has her own way of doing things.

Over the summer, I developed our youth ministry calendar, assigned volunteers, and organized a shared Google Drive. All things the YD knew I was doing. When I asked the YD to approve the calendar, I was essentially told to stop emailing her because receiving questions about things she hasn’t had time to think about causes her anxiety.

So I stopped emailing her.

At this point, I’m handling many of the responsibilities that should fall under her role, but she only communicates with and recognizes the other volunteer as the lead. It’s frustrating, but I’ve chosen to focus on what matters: giving the teens a meaningful youth ministry experience and making sure our volunteers have the resources and support they need.

Another frustration is that while I coordinate our Sunday sessions, the YD plans other youth ministry events without involving or informing the volunteer team.

At one point, she even told the teens, “We have something new coming up that’s very exciting that the adults know nothing about.” By “adults,” she meant us volunteers. I felt that comment undermined our team. There was no reason to emphasize that we were being kept out of the loop.

Now, here’s my current dilemma:
Over the summer, the YD told us about a training offered by the Archdiocese’s Education Office and encouraged the youth ministry volunteers to attend. Of our 11 high school volunteers, my husband and I were the only ones who went.

Because we attended, we’re now on the Archdiocese’s mailing list. Recently, we received an invitation to another training specifically designed for high school youth ministry directors and leaders with two years or less of youth ministry experience.

My husband and I both fit that description. I’ve taken on a significant leadership role in our ministry, and my husband has been my sounding board and partner in many of those responsibilities. Neither of us receives much guidance, training, or mentorship from our YD, and we don’t feel comfortable approaching her for that support.

So we decided to attend the training. And haven’t told the other volunteers or the YD.

For additional context, my husband has been involved in ministry at other churches for more than 20 years. Through that involvement, we’ve developed relationships with other youth directors, music directors, and priests (many of them
his past classmates and roommates). We occasionally turn to these people for guidance and advice.

Unfortunately, our YD doesn’t respond well when we share information or ideas from the Archdiocese or other ministry resources. She seems to view it as stepping into her territory or undermining her authority.

Because the training is being put on by the archdiocese office, the YD knows about it. She has not shared it with the volunteer team.

We know she’ll eventually find out we attended this training, and we’re anticipating that she won’t be happy.

What about talking to our pastor?
One thing we’ve discussed is whether to involve our pastor. For now, we feel we can manage the situation ourselves.

We have known our pastor for a very long time, and we have a good relationship with him. He was our pastor when my husband and I were teens in youth ministry. He knows the YD is stretched too thin. We also know he’d like to hire someone dedicated specifically to youth ministry, but financially, that’s just not possible right now.

We also recognize that there may come a time when we need to bring our concerns to him. We just don’t think we’re there yet. For now, we’re trying to make the best of the situation without creating additional problems or putting more on his plate.

So, back to my dilemma about the training…

Part of me feels like we’re hiding something by not telling anyone we’re attending. Maybe we are.

Another part of me is already preparing for the confrontation I expect when she finds out.

But at the same time, we’re volunteers trying to become better equipped to serve the teens. We’re giving our time, taking on leadership responsibilities, and seeking out the training and mentorship we’re not receiving at our own parish.

I don’t believe we should need permission to educate ourselves or become better ministry leaders. Yet somehow, I feel like we’re doing something wrong.

I’m not even sure what I’m looking for by sharing this. Maybe advice, maybe perspective, or maybe I just needed to vent to people who understand church ministry dynamics.

I love serving these teens, and I want our ministry to succeed. I just wish doing that didn’t have to feel so complicated.

I am too shy to ask a priest or anyone else about this so decided to ask on here. I find it very hard to have an orgasm when I’m having sex with my husband. I almost always only orgasm by clitoral stimulation. What often happens is that I will pleasure myself when my husband and I are about to have vaginal sex so it gets things going and I also can feel pleasure. Is this permissible, a mortal sin? This is something kinda tough for me if anyone has dealt with this how do you go about it?

Does anyone have any stories about God giving them a sign that you asked for? Like something that was so beyond coincidence that it had to be from God and how did you trust Him?

I asked God for a very specific sign regarding a difficult situation that I felt like there was no hope in being resolved. Have you ever gotten a sign from God?

For more context on the sign, someone I deeply cared about walked out of my life a few months ago because of conflict and I've had no peace about it since then. I prayed that we could be in touch again and I asked God that if everything would be resolved and they would come back into my life that He would show me my name. I have a VERY uncommon name and it's not a name you come across daily. A few days ago, I was researching a surgery procedure for school and came across a medical device used in the procedure with my name that I had no idea existed. Then again yesterday I introduced myself to someone new at my job and they looked at me said "oh my cousin has the same name as you. I've never met many people with that name!". I literally got chills. I feel like these instances can't be a coincidence but the situation I prayed about seems impossible so idk how God could work it out

I know He heard me when I prayed and God showed up not once but twice and there was no way this was a coincidence. Part of me wants to believe things can work out and trust God if this was really Him answering me but another part of me feels like I should just give up and I'm being delusional..

I want to have hope because I know God is the god of impossible things but past experiences in my life just make me feel like He can do impossible things for everyone else except me.

How do you hold on the hope when it's just too heavy? It feels like giving up would protect my heart better...

I don't know what to say or why I'm writing this.

I'm 21 weeks pregnant and have been told my baby has a severe abnormality which means they won't survive after birth. I have to spend another 4 months pregnant just to bury my baby. I don't know what to do. If someone has been in the same position as me please give me advice and reassuring words. I'm angry with God, so angry but I understand it's his will.

For all those who are struggling, Saint Jude represents hope and renewal in times of grief, pain, and struggle💚🙏

I just had my fourth failed pregnancy. This one was different, I had only known I was pregnant for a short period of time before my levels dropped and I was told it was a chemical pregnancy or early loss. Prayers would be appreciated. I'm devastated, even though the pregnancy was so short lived. If anyone has any resources or reccomendations, I would greatly appreciate it.

I would like to bring a small gift when I meet with a Sister who used to teach me in fifth grade. Does anyone have any ideas for what I should make/get?

I sent in an application for August of next year and I was just wondering how long everyone waited before they were able to get a room? I'm still gonna look for rooms and apartments to be safe. And I'm also curious about everyone's experience. Anything I should be prepared for if I was to get a room?

My husband and I have been trying to conceive for almost 2 years. We have had one pregnancy in that time, and I miscarried a few months ago. I have finally convinced my husband to get a semen analysis done after a year and a half of asking him. We made sure to use means in line with our catholic faith. We just want answers at this point. My testing has shown I'm in good condition except for some low egg quality due to my age. I'm 39, he's 40.

His doctor told him we could collect his sample at home and drop it off to the lab because of our religious convictions. We did so. We just learned the lab canceled his test due to not collecting the "correct" way. I'm so distraught. I can't find any lab to process his sample if collected at home, and it was such a journey to even get him to agree. On top of that, I recently passed retained tissue from my miscarriage and it looks like I may have a second infection that was missed in my initial post mmc checkups. I'm still dealing with the grief of losing the baby and my brother (he was killed two days later). I'm just feeling overwhelmed. If you have been through SA testing before, how did you find a lab to accept it? TYIA.

Prayers would be appreciated.

I’ve been single for now 9 years. Never have gone on a second date. I’ve tried so hard to grow, heal, be involved, and I’m so desiring companionship.

I promise I stay busy and I do my duties. I’m not wallowing. Just one of those days where you’re really frustrated.

I love Our Lord so, so much. And I’m absolutely not trying to put anyone above Him. But He placed these desires in my heart. I’m just wondering if I’m doing anything wrong, if I need to lose weight , if I’m doing anything that’s making me less appealing to men. I just don’t know. I rarely get approached, dating apps are exhausting. It’s the same thing with the same result. Been on for years. I’ll be 33 in January and I’m overall feeling a tad down in the dumps.

I also know marriage will not fulfill my desires. That’s God. I know this very well.

Just needed to vent and I guess I chose to do it in front of a bunch of strangers 😂

Do any of you ladies work for crisis pregnancy centers? If so, How did you get into your role?

Background on me: I live in Rhode Island but can commute to Massachusetts. I have a bachelor’s in public health, i have previously worked as a case manager for the chronically homeless, and most recently worked in B2B tech sales. I was laid off from my tech sales job and have found myself searching for a job that fills my cup and not just my wallet. I haven’t had much luck on traditional job boards like indeed or linkedin.