Deo Gratias!

Hello everyone!
I’ve recently started learning how to print and paint Catholic saints, and it’s been a really lovely journey so far. I’ve been trying to apply some of the miniature painting techniques, and I’m enjoying learning and improving with each piece.

Some people have even encouraged me to open a little shop, which has been very encouraging! It’s wonderful to see people enjoying something I’ve made.

I’ve also been struggling with insecurity, especially when it comes to sharing my work and taking the next steps. I’d really appreciate your prayers, that I may grow in confidence, humility, and trust in God throughout this journey.
Thank you, and God bless!

I came across this short and it affected me deeply. The priest was a perfect example of a pastor. He didn't yell, run or be afraid. He simply held the man, who seems inconsolable. He simply loved his neighbor. That's not a denominational thing. It's God's grace.

Has anyone had something similar happrn during church service? I don't mean something that was threatening or weird, but something that was an example of God's love?

Sorry if this has already been posted.

Tonight I am going to do the thing i have been dreading the past 8 months. I am going to tell my mother that i want to go to church and convert to Catholicism. She is atheist. But its ok because the lord is on my side! If anyone cares i might update! God bless this community! (F17)

Edit one: I just wrote the letter (yes im doing it in a letter 😭😭) tomorrow i will update on what she says! Thank you for all the blessings and support!

North Africa (Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Morocco) was once largely Christian. Three popes—Victor I, Miltiades, and Gelasius I—as well as the great Saint Augustine of Hippo, were all ethnic Berbers. The heretic Arius was also a Berber from Libya. Today, unfortunately, the Berbers are an oppressed, Islamized minority in North Africa. What if the Berbers had become Catholic instead of Muslim?

Laura Montoya (26 May 1874 – 21 October 1949) was a Colombian Roman Catholic religious sister and the founder of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Virgin Mary and Saint Catherine of Siena (1914). She was well known for her work with Indigenous peoples.

Pope John Paul II beatified her in 2004 and Pope Francis canonized her as a saint on 12 May 2013.[4] Montoya is the first Colombian to be made a saint.

Hey, I've been baptised last year in our local protestant church but I've been researching catholicism lately and I really want to attend mass. I know I can't take the Eucharist. My parents say that catholics only care about money and I have to buy very special clothes to attend mass because people will look weird at me if I don't.They also told me about all of the scandals of the church in history and that we as protestants don't have such history. I'm 21F, can I wear a sweater and jeans to a catholic church? Tbh it's the only thing I'm comfortable in.

How sweet She is

How sound of passion

How proud

I really love the Hail Mary.

Recently, a Catholic I know converted to Orthodoxy. I also occasionally come across conversion testimonies online from people who were Catholic and later became Orthodox.

However, I have rarely come across testimonies of people who made the opposite journey.

(This may not be particularly surprising, considering how small the Orthodox population is in my country.)

Since Reddit has a much larger user base, I thought I might be able to get some good answers here.

For those of you who converted from Orthodoxy to Catholicism, what led you to convert? How did you come to accept Catholic doctrines that are rejected by the Orthodox Church?

I've recently been thinking about converting back to Catholicism and it's kinda driving me nuts for various reasons lol. I was hoping for some lighthearted but honest advice. This post will be a bit long and english isn't my first language, so I apologize in advance for both.

I was born in a very Catholic country, and I've always been raised catholic. I got baptized as a baby, was teached Catechism at a young age, had a first communion, and all that. I became an atheist at around 11 years old, then pagan at around 13 and have been ever since, but recently I've been reconsidering my religion.

I would convert back without too many problems if it wasn't for a few specific reasons:

•I'm queer, and I know the Catholic church and Catholics themselves can be very judgemental of that. I would like to convert back mainly for the sense of belonging it gives me, but if others who'd share my same religion felt as if I don't belong because of my gender/sexuality, then I don't see the point (or atleast one of the main points), and I fear the consequences it would have on me, my self esteem, my view of myself, and my faith even.

•I've been very against abrahamic religions for a while now. I have always hated how some of the things they teach r js so misogynistic, homophobic, or just awful in general. Seeing how they were also historically forced on others so much, and how much harm they have caused to so many people, makes me reluctant to convert back. It also js feels a betrayal to all I've believed for so long, and it's definitely causing a lot of internal conflict.

•I'm a witch. I've practiced witchcraft for a few years now, and thinking about having to stop practicing it makes me really sad if not upset, especially with the results I've been getting out of it. Most of my spells have always worked very well. Where I'm from, local witchcraft practices and folklore gets mixed with Catholicism a lot, so that puts me more at ease, but seeing what foreigners think about practicing both Catholicism and witchcraft at the same time (and what the Bible itself says) has been causing me some doubts. I am really not willing to give up witchcraft. It has improved my quality of life and mental health so much, I just can't.

•i disagree with a lot of things written in the Bible. This one is pretty self explanatory lol. I am going to read it soon, tho. That'll contribute to my final decision by a whole lot.

•I've been out to my parents and pretty much everyone I know as an atheist for years now, and it js feels kinda awkward to js wake up one day and be like "hey so I'm actually Catholic again now" lol. This is a bit sillier and makes a little less sense than the other reasons I have given, I know, but still concerns me in a way. Lmao. I am also a bit afraid of judgement, especially my parents', since they're not very religious themselves. I've been raised the way I've been raised mostly due to social/cultural reasons. Everyone here practices Catholicism a bit more casually, so I'm scared I won't be taken seriously.

•I'm rlly freaking scared of going to hell LOL

That's pretty much it, I think. Hopefully I can get some advice from people who have been/are in similar situations.

Also please refrain from spewing any homophobia, transphobia, misoginy and what not. I will be ignoring it and, if anything, it'll bring me further away from Catholicism than I already am.

Thank u so so so much for reading thru this absolute mess, lol. Jesus loves all.🫰

I was reading National Catholic Register and came across this story. In short, some speakers (a host and guest) on the Jesus 911 podcast argued that Fr Martins wasn’t an exorcist after they spoke with his order (read article for the details). Fr Martins and his legal team is contending this was defamation and his life suffered as a result. I’m unfamiliar with the Jesus 911 podcast, does anyone have any insights into the speakers or the podcast as a whole? Not trying to ruffle anyone’s feathers, just trying to gain more insights into this whole situation.

As a Viennese - I am aware that many of our Catholic countrymen do not really care about adhering to tradition, but this somehow seems like a new low.

He leaves office next year - there already is a huge hidden element of "he has to go", so someone collected all of his funeral services, ran them through an AI and created a model where you can buy a "customized speech" of him for your funeral or whatnot, that you just would have to feed with life cornerstone dates.

I feel that goes diametrically against Pope Leo's guidelines for AI.

I feel shackled by my inability to kill myself. I do not want to disrespect God but all I want to do sometimes is to kill myself. I do not know what is going on with me. Somehow a man dying for me and then resurrecting is not enough for me to not want to die myself. Its crazy but its true

Hello. I am Kaye, 24. I am wondering if you have any community where you had this bible sharing, rosary, or catholicism activities that can bring one soul closer to God? I am very much interested to joinnn

Sorry in advance for the drama. This has all happened very suddenly and I’m not sure what to do.

So I’m a fairly new convert and my church organised a short pilgrimage walk to a site near where I live, and added interested people to a group on WA to discuss details. Being new I asked the organiser (altar boy) in a private DM whether skinny jeans were okay for the walk or not, as I’d never done these sorts of religious group activities before.

He said that ‘he thinks’ skinnies are not modest and I shouldn’t wear them ‘because there will be men there’ who he said have p addictions and other sxl disorders that may be essentially aroused by… the jeans.

Bear in mind it’s freezing where I live already so a long sweater and long jacket would have been worn, not a crop top…

My husband and I both felt very uncomfortable that such creepy minded people might be in the group (especially the organiser!) and I accepted that the jenas were not welcome, so we both decided not to attend. I respectfully let the organiser know we had other plans and we missed out on the day.

After the pilgrimage was over the organiser sent me very long aggressive paragraphs on his personal views of modesty (he seems to have issues with female modesty only, he seems unconcerned with male modesty) and said repeatedly that he was on a personal vendetta to ‘change the way people dress in this parish both inside and outside of the church’. He later said I should be grateful that he ‘held back his more extreme views on the subject’.

Each time he messaged me I politely said I didn’t want to get into a theological debate. I didn’t even argue when he said he personally dislikes skinny jeans, and I didn’t come on the pilgrimage in them anyway to cause trouble. I just respectfully dipped.

Anyway he COULD NOT LET IT GO. Essays and essays with links, pdf books, a ton of quotes from popes, saints and goodness knows who else later I put my foot down and told him to STOP contacting me. He demanded we meet ‘in person’ so he could continue to ‘admonish’ me in ‘truth and love’ because the ‘conversation over text is not productive’. I sense what he wanted to produce is my acceptance and agreement to his views, which I was not doing.

I repeated I would not be having a debate here or in person. My husband read these texts and thought this guy was very very creepy asking me to meet him alone so he could continue shouting at me.

When I did this he changed his tone dramatically to (imo) crocodile tears and said that I’d hurt his feelings and that he was entitled to give me ‘fraternal correction’. Bear in mind I didn’t need ‘correcting’ on anything. I already accepted his rule on jeans for the event he organised.

He then went on to rant that I did not understand church teachings or the Bible and that ‘he understands these concepts of modesty are new to me.’ He said I need to accept ‘my truth’.

I was a JW for 21 years, so… no, personal applications of ‘modesty’ laws are definitely not new to me. I know perfectly well the scriptures used to shape ideas on modesty, and that there are no black and white rules about dress codes except in some churches in cities such as Rome where legs and shoulder should be covered by men and women who enter.

I repeated again I did not want any theological debates.

He then demanded I ‘be charitable’ and do something to fix the situation — the situation now being his hurt feelings. I then blocked him and withdrew from all the church groups where he was an admin. He’d also added me on Facebook a few days prior to I made sure to unfriend him there too.

All the time I’m stunned — is it normal for random altar boys or laymen to try to order around other laymen regarding how they dress or live, especially when that person hasn’t asked for theological discussion or done anything inappropriate?

Are extremist attitudes bent on converting the converted to higher and higher levels of religious piety normal?

What would you do if someone you barley knew blew up like this after you made a brief enquiry?

Do priests generally encourage personal policing within the parishes from ‘holier than thou’ to the ones individuals deem ‘less holy’? I’m honestly afraid to mention it to one of our priests (we have four) in case these are views shared by all of them and they support this guy.

Honestly my husband was shocked by the messages this guy was sending. We barely know him! He’s usually serving as an altar boy and bouncing around the lobby afterwards circulating the people who stay behind, so honestly we feel very uncomfortable going back to our church now for Mass. My husband feels that creeps may be checking me out and may blame me if I look ‘too attractive’ in any way, and I feel absolute dread to see the altar boy again because I feel certain he’ll approach me to finish his rant in person.

Also…

Fun fact!

Our head priest wears skinny jeans.

Including on the pilgrimage.

As does the guy who helps change hymn number boards and acts as an usher every week (even though we personally do not think skinny jeans suit his figure) — so it seems skinny jeans are fine for men, even those prominent in the church each week, but not for women…

Hey guys. So I'm 16, and I have come to find that I'm REALLY lacking in Catholic friends. I wanted to ask the folks in this sub to, if at all interested in helping me change that, to drop a comment. Preferably like 15-18, any gender, however I will GLADLY accept someone of any age. Anyway yeah, hope to talk to some of y'all soon. God bless you guys and have a great night.

So 2026 has not been the year for me. I’ve been facing more setbacks than I can count. This entire year I have been:

\\- Rejected from numerous promotional opportunities or new jobs
\\- Rejected by women that I ask out when trying to date
\\- Faced a recent shoulder dislocation injury for the first time

Life has not been going my way and it’s really discouraging. Nothing seems to be going right at all and I don’t know what to do. With this new injury, mentally I’m scared to even more my right shoulder in the future. Can’t get a promotion, can’t get a woman to date me and now I’m injured.

I’ve not been the best Christian over the past few years but have recently come back to the church. I go every week and pray but I question why life is like this? Is this what God intended? Any advice from anyone would really help me out. Some encouragement would help as well.

Thank you all!

My partner and I are planning to get married after four years of being together and raising our son. We only recently learned about the Church's requirements to receive the sacrament of marriage. One of those was to go through our territorial parish — the parish in whose boundary we live — which we have never attended, because we prefer the Mass celebration at the city's cathedral.

We eventually set an appointment with the priest of the church we are "assigned" to, to do the prenuptial questionnaire. He asked for our IDs, did a short interview to get to know us, and asked us to send him our baptismal certificates, which we did promptly. He replied by email saying part of the church office was being renovated, so his office had to be moved, but that he would work on our case soon. He also asked if we attend Mass at his church, and we honestly said we don't — and that we plan to get married at the cathedral, but the archdiocese had directed us to reach out to our local parish first.

Weeks passed. We followed up, and he responded thanking us for the reminder and saying he would get it done. That was back in May. Our wedding is in December. We never heard from that priest again.

We eventually got the prenuptial questionnaire done by another priest, after weeks of not hearing from our local priest. But I can't shake the feeling that we were ghosted — abandoned, even. If the first priest couldn't actually help us, for whatever reason, why wasn't he upfront about it? Instead, he kept us waiting, hanging.

PS: Posting just to share my frustration and disappointment with the priest. Is it valid to have this feeling? Could this be one of the many reasons why lesser people have been wanting to get married in the church?

Edit: The church’s requirements—by this I meant all the paperwork and certificates that are needed to be completed.

I came across this hymn many years ago, and it often comes to my mind, as I really like the tune. But I’ve never been able to identify it… it’s the hymn at the VERY beginning of the video (from 0:00-1:00).

I believe it would be a German hymn, as this video was recorded at a church in Munich (although perhaps other languages use the tune as well?) I am not German speaking so I can’t make out the lyrics, and am also unfamiliar with the tune. Anyone have any guesses? 🙏🏻 many thanks!!

NOTE: I am not talking about “Großer gott, wir loben dich” which starts after the 1-minute mark. (I recognize that one!) I’m referring to the hymn prior to the 1-minute mark.

A Christian asking for help, fear got to me, out of answers. Why is life soon hard. I'm 36 father of 3 sickness with hereditary spherocytosis. Two of my kids have it. Phlebotomy once a month to maintain health conditions fatigued from H.S can't keep job. Economy destroyed us. Cant even afford car insurance. We at my parents house. Life is embarrassing, im weak, fear destroyed me, I hate myself, getting sued over debt. Fear, it froze me, sickness destroyed me, mentally health weak. I dont know anymore. I got served for lawsuit from Bank of America for credit card debt. Received on the 3rd, response on the 23. I need my counselor Jesus in spirit and in form.... I learned to ask for help. I need help. Anyone