Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Each year, many adults choose to be baptized. The number of adult baptisms is steadily increasing, although the overall number of baptisms continues to decline.
This year, more than 10,000 will join the Catholic Church, among them, an increasing number of young people aged 18 to 25.
But when you start asking yourself questions about faith, when you take a close interest in Catholicism, and when no one around you shares this faith, you quickly find yourself facing a mountain of questions, and the first of these is: How do I start?
That's what this article aims to teach you!
First step: Talk to the right people!
This first step is the most crucial; obviously, you need to find information online. However, if you'll excuse the expression, the internet is overflowing with information, but not always of high quality. Furthermore, the sheer volume of information you'll encounter is enough to make anyone's head spin and discourage a significant number of people.
At Stella Christi, we start from the principle that the one who knows is the one who does, and among all practicing Catholics, the first among them are the priests! Just as if you are interested in fish, you go to a fishmonger, when you are interested in the Catholic Church, the first person to meet is your local minister.
So find the contact details of your parish, you can find them on the website messes.info for example, enter your phone number and request an interview with one of the priests of your parish, he will be happy to welcome you and answer all your questions.
Second step: Go back to the first one… but not only that!
Now that you've met your parish priest, feel free to request as many meetings with him as you deem necessary. Although they are all very busy, it's their job to welcome you, and they always do so with a kind heart. So don't hesitate to reach out to them!
Secondly, and this is an obvious point, though not for all Catholics… (see article "Can One Be a Christian Without Going to Mass ?"), attending Sunday Mass is essential! The high point of religious practice, marking the beginning and end of the week (yes, the week begins and ends on Sunday), Sunday Mass is, for any Catholic, not optional!
The Catechism of the Catholic Church is very clear on this point, "Sunday, on which, according to apostolic tradition, the Paschal Mystery is celebrated, is to be observed in the whole Church as the principal holy day of obligation" (Day of the liturgical year on which Catholic faithful are obliged to participate in Mass).
Furthermore, this will allow you to realize that, contrary to popular belief, Catholicism is not dead; you will meet people who share this faith, to varying degrees, and even if you do not speak to them, at least you will feel less alone. To do this in good conditions, we can only invite you to obtain a missal (containing all the texts necessary for the celebration of Mass) for the current year, so that you can follow and understand it, little by little.
If you don't understand anything at first, don't worry, it's normal! Many people (myself included) don't grasp all the subtleties, even after years of dedicated practice (hello, total understanding of Latin!). So if you feel lost, don't get hung up on the details, but simply take the time to experience, with your heart and soul, this oh-so-essential moment in the life of every Catholic.
CONCLUSION
We hope we have answered the questions that led you to start reading this article, and we wish you a beautiful adventure, the most beautiful one there is: faith!
JOUANNE Clément
Stella Christi - religious items, rosaries, crosses, icons and Christian gifts.
Committed to the faith, Devotion for all
1 comment
Cet article est très pertinent, clair et bien ciblé. Une lecture rapide qui va droit à l’essentiel. J’ai hâte de lire la suite !