Emohawk

I don't want to give the impression that i don't speak at all to my family outside of my faith but the strain is there. They want to tell me about Sunday school lessons and I want to tell them about what we're plannig at school for feast days. It's all very much a mixed bag.

The problem in my family is that my father was training to be a Catholic priest for several years and he never spoke about it. Anyway whenever I spoke to people I got the usual instructions read, ponder and pray. It ended up I couldn't speak to my mother and became estranged from my family. I didn't invite them to the baptism and didn't tell them every time i tried to mention it was obviously too painful for them to talk about. Now we talk and they love my wife but it still feels strained.

In reply to both questions. I think it started earlier. I did the whole well if it's not J Smith it's the other side of the coin Peter's successor. I started speaking to priests when i was 17 and almost was received into the church but stopped after pressure from my father. However i resisted going on my mission until finsihing university and spent the next three years hanging out in the Catholic chaplaincy when free. I served a mission after years of talks with my bishops, stake presidents and other members as well as family. I know I shouldn't have gone, anyway in Montreal I struggled with gaining a testimony. I also was exposed to a lot of Catholic bashing from other missionaries in terms of the nature of the area we were serving. A lot of people were quite disrespectful of religious sites of the church now I'm not blaming them at all I mean it was mainly horseplay but it made me think. It made me curious but I worked hard and put it to the back of my mind. I returned home troubled. I'd had depression and was tired. I served in the church event taught seminary for one year. I was still struggling. Life was put on hold. I still wanted what everybody else wanted, a family but something was missing. I went to university to do a masters in my hometown of Manchester. I was feeling despondent and lost. I had no peace. Anyway I went to the chaplaincy of the Catholic church and asked ot speak to somebody. I spoke to a nun and it straetd from there. I began atteding mass whilst even helping missionaries (incredibly confusing but i was working on the principal you learn by doing). I read the catechism and started praying the rosary. I even read books on the trinity and felt that I understood it as best as a human could. I also began to feel the presence in the eucharist, although I couldn't take it. I began to make friends with a girl who was catholic and I really lliked her but at the same time I stopped learning because I didn't want to join a church because of someone else. Anyway the next school year I was doing a PGCE (teacher training) and I moved out into a student house. During that time I had an epiphany I felt very low and confused almost wanting to end everything and I walked endlessly all day in Manchester in the rain, feeling quite stupid and hopeless anyway I foud myself going past the chaplaincy again and I immediatley walked inside. I talked with priest for about 2 hours and just laid everything out. It helped me. I started going back to Catechism classes and I began to feel very strongly a need to join it. I understood the nature of saints for me it made sense. Especially Marianne devotion which was something which helped me. Anyway I was received on May 27th 2007 day of Pentecost. I was married in March 2008 and now we're expecting our first child.

Hello, i recently left the Church in July and I became a Catholic. My family are still members oviously and struggle to understand my choice. I'm sure others on here would too. So for everyone members and non-members advice.