An atheist guy asked me (19F) out recently, and I think he’s a really good guy and like him a lot. We connect well in certain ways, but I would rather be with someone of the same faith who has values that are more similar to mine, so I (kindly) rejected him explaining that to him. 

I don’t understand how a romantic relationship between a non Catholic and Catholic could work well ultimately. And even though he‘s okay with me being Catholic (or okay with this for now at least), I think we would’ve clashed on some major things ultimately (for example, I’m waiting until marriage and he’s an atheist who doesn’t have these beliefs and most likely wouldn’t be okay with waiting even if he is rn).

So I feel like I probably made the right decision but I am a little sad about it because I do like everything else about him, and if he was Catholic I would date him.. but he’s not. How important do you think dating another Catholic as a Catholic is? Would you only date a Catholic?

I was raised in a traditional High-Church Anglican family. I have always considered myself Anglican and have been part of the Anglican communion since I was 13. I attend services weekly and my Anglican faith is very important to me.

However, recently I have come to question if I, after going to Catholic school, have crossed the line between High-Church Anglicanism into Roman Catholicism.

I recite the Ava Maria, pray to Mary and other saints for intercession, use the rosary, fast meatless on Fridays, believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and affirm all 7 sacraments.

However, I also do not subscribe to immaculate conception, papal infallibility or papal supremacy, clerical celibacy, and only venerate Anglican saints.

Some people have told me to convert to Roman Catholicism. I don’t know whether I could sustain my current beliefs and still call myself Anglican. Because faith is so important to me, I’ve been very disturbed by my current state. Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this.

How can I show someone the lists of bishops from all the ancient apostolic Sees (Rome, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Jerusalem) show that their teachings can be traced back to the original apostles and ultimately to Jesus Christ, show that these men believed in things like the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, confession, apostolic succession, and the authority of the Church… and still be met with, “I just don’t feel that way”?

My theory is that America has a deeply rooted anti-Catholic history. Irish, Polish, and Italian Catholics who immigrated here were often treated like second-class citizens, and that attitude shaped a lot of American Christianity.

I’m a convert myself, and growing up we were taught absolutely no Church history. Zero. I understand why now. Because if I had been shown a list of men whose teachings and succession could be historically traced back to Jesus Christ through the apostles, I probably would have asked:

“Hey Pastor Bob, why don’t we believe the way the early Christians believed?”

And the answer basically would have been:

“Because my interpretation of the Bible is correct.” Despite every church father, to the man, disagreeing with pastor Bobs interpretation

That mindset has led to hundreds of years of Protestants repeating things the Catholic Church doesn’t actually teach, often to discourage people from seriously looking into Catholicism or studying early Church history for themselves.

What’s y’all’s take?

Hi im from a different religion, but I want to convert and become a nun for the rest of my life 23F. Please tell me the process of it ? And what is it like being a nun ? A peaceful loving kind life ? Im a very religious person no drinks no smokes no clubs, just minding my own business and helping animals. I want to be a nun but have no idea where to start

Hey everyone,
I just finished watching Project Hail Mary (no major plot spoilers here, don't worry, this is just about the baseline premise).
The setup got me thinking deeply about moral theology. In the story, astronauts are sent on a literal suicide mission to save humanity from an extinction-level event. There is absolutely no expectation or physical possibility of a return trip. Once the mission succeeds and the data/solution is sent back to Earth, the astronauts are left stranded alone in deep space with limited life support, facing inevitable, slow starvation or asphyxiation.
In a hypothetical scenario like that, if an astronaut chose to peacefully end their life via a capsule afterthe mission is 100% complete—instead of waiting weeks to painfully suffocate or starve, would the Church consider that a mortal sin?
Obviously, we know the Church’s firm teaching on the sanctity of life and suicide (CCC 2280-2283). But does the context change when:

1.The death sentence is already 100% inevitable due to a heroic act of self-sacrifice for billions of lives?

2.It's the difference between choosing how you die in your final days vs. trying to escape life?

Would this fall strictly under the prohibition of suicide, or is there a nuance here regarding the refusal of "extraordinary means" to prolong a dying process, or something akin to St. Maximilian Kolbe (though he didn't technically kill himself, he took someone's place)?

I’d love to hear some perspectives on this. How do we weigh the absolute preservation of life against a completely terminal, isolated deep-space environment?

Hello guys,

I’m not sure if this belongs here, but I’m an ex-Muslim who is converting to Catholicism (I live in France), and I’m totally at peace and happy with my decision to turn to our Lord Jesus Christ.

I wanted to make this post to hear about other ex-Muslims’ experiences regarding their relationship with their families.

I’m married to a Catholic woman, and my parents love her and everything. But they really never expected me to change religions, and they would truly hate me for it. When I say hate, I mean they could even become harmful (in the sunna normally someone who change religion must be put to death days after, and my family is really the like to follow sunna word by word 💀)

I want to tell them because I want my children to grow up in Christ’s love, and I don’t want to hide it anymore.

How did things turn out for you?

My mother was very ill and told me to find the son she had given up for adoption wanted to see him before she died,I found out he had died 2 yrs before of leukemia,She was a sixteen yr old who got pregnant in the 1950s was sent away to give birth at a Catholic home that would give the baby away after birth,She couldn't do it and took him home and tried to raise him by herself but had no father and a mentally ill mother,Their was an older couple next door who were childless who said they could adopt him and they did,She said it was the hardest day of her life he was 2,I found his wife on Facebook and asked about him she was sad that it was to late for all of us to meet I asked did he have a good life growing up and did he know he was adopted,Then the ton of bricks hit he was severely abused mentally and sexually they said had no idea who birth mother was I was so sick and disturbed I laid in bed shaking and crying for a brother I never knew,I told him your mom loved you so and so does your sister,Then suddenly my curtain rod dropped off the wall onto the bed I was laying in and right next to me was a religious medal the size of a dime on the front was st Michael on the back was st gabriel,What do both of those saints mean,I never told my mom any of this it would have killed here,She may have been young,poor but that little guy was loved,she wouldn't have hurt a hair on his head 🙂‍↕️

Mine is Our Lady Of Guadalupe

Hello. I am a Catholic and a businessman.
Only recently have I truly started living my faith.

My question is about where the line is between “reasonable” luxury and disordered luxury.

As I said, I am a businessman, and I would consider myself upper middle class. I have a large four-bedroom house in a safe area.
I drive a Volvo SUV (because they are among the safest cars).
I am very health-conscious, so I try to ensure that the food my family eats is high quality and organic (which is more expensive).
I spend a significant amount of money on health insurance.
I also keep a “significant” emergency fund to cover difficult months in business and/or possible family health emergencies.
My children attend private Catholic schools and/or military academies (which are also quite expensive).
My wife does not work.

Up to this point, I feel that I am fulfilling my role as a father and provider for my family.

But then we also have:

TV, A PS5, iPhones , Branded clothes (especially for the children). And I wear high-quality suits

We also enjoy luxuries such as at least one trip per year (all Inclusive), weekly dinners out, and similar things.

The problem is that when I read some of the Church Fathers, it almost seems as though literally anything beyond what is strictly necessary for survival is sinful, because it should instead be given to the poor.

I also try to donate around 15% of everything I earn.

I do not want to become excessively scrupulous, but neither do I want to fall into the mistake of the rich young man, who followed God in everything except charity and detachment from wealth.

Does anyone have a perspective they could share?

What’s everyone’s favorite Saint mine are St. Jude, and St.Thérèse of Lisieux

I heard someone say that most Catholic churches have a relic. My gut instinct is that that can’t possibly be true just based on the number of Catholic churches compared to the number of saints, but I also know that at least historical, what constituted a relic was pretty broad and there were more low level relics that even a poor person could afford. How much truth is there to the claim that most Catholic churches have a relic? I’m not Christian by the way, in case my question didn’t make that obvious.

I have my finger hovering over the delete button just in case this post is dumb, but I have to air out this feeling somewhere and im curious about other people's experiences.

Im 31 and was atheist for a long time up until my mid 20s when I started studying the bible. I've been studying the catechism recently and have made the decision to join OCIA and be baptized this next year. I have no issues with church teachings or anything like that, my main issue is that there is this maddening feeling in the back of my mind that makes me feel like I dont belong among the community. Most people at the parish I attend have been brought up in it since they were children and ive never met another adult who is in the same boat as im in, having been non religious for such a long time and having a call to faith later in their life. I have had support from our faith formation counselor and few other people in the KOC at the church who have welcomed me, but I still have this nagging feeling that I will never truly fit in with the community having the background ive lived through for so long. I feel like an alien on another planet sometimes. Has anyone else had experiences like this before?

If one concedes the factuality of the whole of Catholic theology, what obstacle exists towards deliberate sin and intentional striving for damnation?

Hi everyone...

I have many blessings and I thank God for all of them. Health, a good job, financial stability, and a few but good friends.

But I have suffered a lot in life. I grew up in a dysfunctional family, I have suffered neglect, abandonment, abuse, and my heart has been broken every time I have been open to romantic love (because of my age, I no longer feel that is even something I want anymore).

I keep praying to the Lord, waiting on Him, but it seems like the suffering never ends. I try to live my faith, to have a relationship with the Lord, and to be fair to others.

I just feel like despite me persevering for years and keeping a positive attitude I always end up getting played, hurt, manipulated, etc. My pain keeps getting dismissed and if I dare to speak up I'm simply shunned out or abandoned. I try to keep learning, trusting God, and being thankful, but, I feel like my suffering never ends and I'm starting to feel desperation, because God seems to be silent and the message I get anywhere I look is "be patient", "wait", "God's timing is perfect". But I see that other people don't have to wait as long, or be as patient, and I'm starting to believe that maybe my time is not in this life, but in the next, hopefully.

Has anyone here endured what seems like years of suffering without a change and is still faithful to God in their suffering? How do you avoid getting desperate? How do you deal with the pain that never ends?

My Catholic friends and I have been discussing this recently: is the “traditional” norm that the bride’s family pays for weddings?

I’d also be interested in hearing how all you guys paid for weddings; I’m very scared about proposing (still months away FWIW) because I don’t really understand how to afford it. I don’t have $15k-$30k lying around.

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