My meeting with Father Joe…

Well, I called IHM to inquire about enrolling in the RCIA classes coming up later this year and I scheduled an appointment with Father Joe, who is the Assistant Pastor at the parish.

I’m not sure what I quite expected but after leaving, I felt that whatever it was, I was satisfied.

He asked me several questions like what turned my thinking towards joining the Catholic Church, am I in my first marriage, did I have any Catholic family members or friends. He said that he was a bit concerned that I actually have no Catholic connections giving that it is certainly tough to be a proud, open about your faith type of Catholic around here. As I said in an earlier post, you get those dirty looks and ridiculous comments. I understand the concern but that is actually probably the least of any concern that I have had. That seems to be more Tiffany’s concern. I must say, however, Father Joe is actually the very first Catholic that I’ve ever spoken to besides one who worked for my grandfather, but we never spoke about church. Now, I wish he would have taken the time to speak to me about the Catholic Church 6-7 years ago.

Either way, today went well. This next year will be a long process, but it is one that I am so looking forward to. I am having a new baby, and I will be received into the church (next 12 months, not 2008). Tiffany is taking this journey with me and I was worried in the beginning that she wouldn’t, but although she is a bit nervous, not even her nerves stop her from recognizing the truth when presented to her in scripture and tradition. I know that I will only accomplish this journey with praying, fasting, and keeping my heart and mind open to God and closed to Satan.

Lord, guide me.

Something funny…

Something that I’m sure has been out for a while, but I seen it today and found it quite funny.

Why is the Bible Belt so unbiblical?

As I said earlier, I hit a small snag. My wife, Tiffany, and I were talking about the Catholic Church. Living in the bible belt, it’s difficult, especially, for someone just converting to Catholicism without having a deep knowledge when it comes to Catholic apologetics.

You get the dirty looks, the smug faces, the ridiculous pedophile jokes, the tone of voice changing in the midst of a conversation about Catholicism. Like I said, it’s rough. I feel that I’ve handled myself quite well with 80-90% of any criticism that has come my way. Tiffany, on the other hand, has decided to stay mostly quiet so that she won’t have to deal with any of these problems. She brought up the point that although she believes a majority of what she has heard from me, read in Rome Sweet Home and Catholicism for Dummies, and what she has gotten from the internet, it is still something that people around here assume that you should be embarrassed by.

I am not embarrassed, but that is the attitude of a lot of people around us. “Why would you want to go to a church like that?” “You guys sure got out of church early considering everyone had to bow and worship Mary before leaving.” Things like that get old… quick.

I simply ask for your prayers to keep my head up and my faith strong.

Back In 5… no joke.

Sorry. It’s been a while. I’ve been pretty busy getting settled in the new house and everything. I hope you’ll forgive me and stay with me as I hit a snag but am continuing on with my journey to Rome.

My New Home…

Yeah, it’s been a few days since a post with words. I’ll break my silence now and catch you up with two weeks.

Tiffany was a bit reluctant at first. She is worried people will say something out of the way to her considering that we live in the “bible belt.” Catholic Churches, although more than one would expect, are not near as present as your Baptist churches are. Around here, most Baptist are pretty much closed-minded and believe that a majority of Catholics are going to burn in hell. Go figure. I convinced her that it’s worth a shot. Jesus was persecuted, made fun of, spit on, and beaten – look where that got Him.

Anyway, last week, we visited Our Lady of the Highways. It wasn’t bad but there was something definitely missing. It seemed a bit more rehearsed than my previous visit to Our Lady of the Rosary. The people were nice and the Priest was nice but as I said, something was just missing. Anyway, I enjoyed it mainly because it was just 7 minutes from our new house. Unfortunately, that’s not a good reason to go to church.

Monday we moved into a new house. We’re getting settled in just fine. Thanks for asking!

This morning, we visited Immaculate Heart of Mary! Tiffany went with me. This morning, we both left feeling like we had been to church! God was present and it was an amazing feeling. I loved the homily, the music, the Priest was an incredible speaker, and the people, especially the guy we first talked to when we walked in, were amazing. The church is beautiful. The service was beautiful. Sunday was beautiful. Then Tiffany got sick, but got over it, and we continued on with our day. I am off work Wednesday and Thursday and I’ll take one of those days to speak with the Priest about starting RCIA and hopefully working something out with my funky work schedule. Thank God for IHM!

One week, and I’ve found TWO new homes. One to lay down in and one to worship my Savior in.

God Bless!

Rodney

Our Father…

I came across this video of this girl, who is 2 years old, maybe closer to 3, and she is singing the Our Father.:)

Enjoy!

Hang with me…

I’m getting settled in the new home. I’ll be back on with my visit to a new church for my 2nd Mass! Please, visit this weekend and I’ll have some updates.

Thanks!

God Bless!

Rodney