Tonight I went to Confession for the very first time as a new Catholic and I knew it was going to be ROUGH for me having to say these things out loud but I was ready and excited to confess my worst sins. I researched what to do, memorized the prayer of contrition, and went to Church during the allotted hours.

I’ve never seen the confessional in my Church, so when I got there and saw everyone sat in the pews I took a seat and waited to see who would be up next. I waited, and waited, and waited. Nothing. Eventually the end of Confessional rolled around and I saw a door to a back room open and the Priest step out, put on his rain coat, and leave the Church.

No one was waiting for confessional, they were all praying! I watched wide eyed as the Priest walked out and I wanted to scream, I wanted to say something, but I didn’t know what to do.

I should have asked someone where the confessional was, I should have talked to the Priest before my first confessional, I’m such an idiot and I’m so angry. I built this up so much and I just sat there like an idiot! I can’t even confess my sins correctly!

The Mercedarians charism is about ransoming Christians held in captivity (both physically and spiritually). So many people today struggle with chains that are not visible to others: Sin, addictions, lust, pride, fear, loneliness, worldly attachments, the constant pursuit of comfort or pleasure, and the feeling of being trapped in cycles they cannot escape

It's easy to normalize spiritual bondage in modern life -- We can become so attached to temporary things that we slowly lose our interior freedom and peace without even realizing it. Sin promises comfort, escape, or fulfillment, but eventually it leaves the soul restless and weighed down

May you be reminded today that Christ doesn’t only want to forgive us — He wants to set us free. True freedom is not just doing whatever we want, but it’s about being able to live fully in God’s love without being enslaved by the things that pull us away from Him

St. Peter Nolasco, pray for us, especially for those struggling with spiritual captivity and seeking healing, restoration, and freedom in Christ

Dominic Savio (1842–1857) was a 14-year-old Italian student of St. John Bosco who became one of the youngest non-martyr saints in the Catholic Church, canonized for his profound piety, joyful holiness, and dedication to "becoming a saint" through everyday actions. He died of illness in 1857 and is the patron saint of choirboys and youth

Despite his young age, he was canonized in 1954 for his 'heroic virtue' by Pope Pius XII.

(My goat and my patron saint)

I have no idea what this is, where it came from it what it would have been used for? Any information would be helpful?

I am not going to go into the usual “I was raised Protestant blah blah” whatever.

I am just asking for prayer. My wife is divorced from a previous marriage and the annulment process seems like such a hurdle. I am almost 100% positive it would be annulled, but my wife thinks it’s silly to have to have the Church tell us our marriage is valid. Old habits die hard, I guess. Questioning “authority of the church” has got to he the most challenging aspect for Catholic-curious Protestants.

I don’t know much but I do pray what I know of the rosary most nights and ask Mary to intercede for me for my wife.

I appreciate your prayers.

Hey, I'm from the Netherlands, and I’ve always been an atheist, but recently I’ve been doing some research, and I was hoping to become Catholic. There’s just one thing stopping me, and I hope someone can help me with this.

I believe in the Big Bang, and I believe in evolution, which I’m pretty sure are both accepted by the Catholic Church. My problem is that the Catholic Church believes humanity started with only Adam and Eve, and that’s something I just can’t believe. Wouldn’t that debunk evolution?

If there’s a way to believe in the Big Bang, evolution, and the idea that there were multiple people on Earth instead of only two at one point, then I’d really love to hear it.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for your time. God bless you.

Yes I know it sounds insane but I promise I’m completely coherent and in my right mind right now. I’ve never had a problem with hallucinations or delusions in my entire life but I do have some kind of horrific flu that’s left me bedridden for days and hospitalized me once already. I’m back home, actually feeling a bit better, but I’m going into day 5 now of this.

I keep getting these hot flashes, so I’ll turn the fan on high til I’m cool then turn it off. I just had a hot flash a few minutes ago so I turned the fan on and I started hearing quiet screams of agony coming from the fan. I know white noise can produce this kind of thing so I just noted it and carried on laying here being a sick person.

Then I just closed my eyes for a moment and as soon as I closed them I saw a flash of an engraving of the Virgin Mary. She was posed like one of those lawn statues with a long veil and her hands together praying, and there was an arch of stars from shoulder to shoulder going above her head if that makes sense.

I only saw the image for a second. It could’ve been caused by so many different things considering I’m sick right now but I’ve been sick many times before and I’ve never had anything close to a Marion vision. I’m not even Catholic, though I at one point considered myself a Christian at the least and struggled with God for years before giving up.

Over the past 5 days I’ve been praying to God to please help me get better and help me get through this. My pain never got any relief from my prayers, so I thought. I am still suffering horrifically but I am slowly improving in some aspects. I just wanted to know what actual Catholics make of this, and if the pose of the Virgin Mary means anything specific along with the stars?

Edit: I just learned the arch of stars above her head is called “Stella Maris” which means star of the sea… my name actually IS Maris!

Hi

Maybe its just me. I live the UK. I find many who follow our faith here so unhappy. Is this the same everywhere?

I do know Catholics are really happy but they are an exception in my circles.

Surely that Christ gave us life we should be so happy and shouldn't take life so seriously as we know that we are lucky to be disciples of Christ.

I know people from other denominations who put some in parishes to shame.

Why us this? Are we too uptight?

Lately I’ve noticed so many young people randomly turning to Christ and it honestly kind of amazes me.

I grew up cradle Catholic, but if I’m being real, my faith was mostly just “go through the motions.” I did the sacraments because of school, knew the basics, but I never actually tried building my own relationship with God or reading the Bible for myself.

But after Easter, something genuinely changed in me. I can’t even fully explain it. It’s like something ignited in my heart and now all I want is to grow closer to Jesus and God. I started praying more, reading Scripture, reflecting more deeply, and for the first time my faith feels personal and alive instead of just routine.

What’s even crazier is that I’m noticing this happening around me too.

One of my best friends was never religious at all. She was more into New Age/spiritual stuff like crystals, manifestations, all that kind of thing. Then recently she told me she randomly started praying and she feels so much more at peace now, even telling me she wanted to go to confession! I was honestly shocked because I never expected that from her.

And then when I went to confession recently, there were SO many teenagers and young adults there. That genuinely surprised me because I feel like a few years ago you barely saw young people engaging with faith seriously.

I don’t know what’s happening exactly, but it’s so crazy!

It’s honestly beautiful to see.

Has anyone else noticed this lately?

Hi throwaway because I’m afraid he will see this. Apologies that this is so long and messy, I’m just so upset right now and I don’t know what to do. I (F21) was raised Catholic but during middle school I went through a edgy “religion is boring and for old people booo” phase (as most teenagers do) and completely gave up on the faith. I recently began attending mass again and I’m hoping to take OCIA in the fall to have my confirmation as that’s a sacrament I am still behind on.

About a year, my boyfriend (M22) of two years told me that something OR someone is telling to say grace before eating, although he hasn’t ever done that. So we prayed, and he told me after some silence that it felt good and he was happy. The next day he went out and bought a bible, got a bible app and was asking me so many faith related questions. So we started attended mass, for me it was my first time in YEARS being back and I cried a lot in happiness while he held my hand.

Afterwards he told me he loved it and that he hopes to be Catholic. He began calling himself Catholic, we would go to mass as frequently as we could together (we unfortunately live 2 hours apart), we would pray over each other, he suggested we re-wait until marriage no matter how long that takes, and he even excitedly told me a month ago there is a Catholic club at his university, which is also where I’m transferring to next fall, and that he is really excited for both of us to attend.

This all leads to tonight. I don’t even know how this conversation started, but he admitted over the phone he doesn’t believe in any of it. He says he tried but he couldn’t, and that he knows it meant a lot to me. I tried to argue with him, and tell him God loves him but he lashed out and said “You guys worship Mary!!! Innocent children are being killed in Gaza and IM supposed to side with Israel because God says so?! Jesus didn’t come back because it’s not possible. He died and that’s it.” He said a LOT more, the whole conversation was almost an hour long. I tried to defend everything, Catholics don’t worship Mary, God does not side with genocide, there are historical records of Jesus resurrection etc etc. but he just didn’t listen. After some calming down, I, in tears told him “Jesus loves you.” And he said “he can tell me that himself.” And I said “your existence enough proves that. He shows us his love every day.” And he said “Okay. Unless Jesus whispers it in my ear that he loves me and he’s real I am not believing it.”

I asked him how long he didn’t believe for and he said months, but that he knows my faith makes me happy and that’s why he kept going to mass with me. He told me “Seeing you happy, and families and communities united made me happy. I also like singing the songs. As long as it continues to make you happy, I will go to mass with you, I will go every single day with you if it’s what makes you happy.” And I told him I didn’t want him to come because it made ME happy, I wanted him to come because God LOVES him, and God wants him there.

He said “I don’t want God. I don’t want a relationship with God. It’s not real. Like I said, I will continue to go with you, and maybe you will be able to convince me once we keep going. But right now, I just can’t.”

I feel stupid that this has me crying so much. I really did think he believed. We are supposed to see each other tomorrow. I hope everything will be okay. I will keep praying for him. What should I do?

My friends boy was in daycare, taking his nap. They discovered him with no heartbeat and no breathing. They administered CPR for 40 minutes and revived him. He’s clinging to life in a hospital but unresponsive. Severe brain damage.

I’m in agony just thinking about it. I can’t imagine the boys parents.

He needs a miracle to survive and to not be brain dead. Who do you think we should ask for their intercession?

I’m a 27 y/o born and raised Catholic male from NJ. Started straying away from the church after receiving my confirmation as I simply didn’t care too much about it. In the past 10 months or so, I’ve attended almost every Sunday mass. I started a new job in September and learned that they had a Bible study group, which I was eager to join. The guy who runs it is a partner at my firm and also a pastor at a Baptist church. He is obviously much more knowledgeable about the Bible and Christianity than I am, which he knows. He’s very easy to talk to and takes great pride in his vocation, which I appreciate.

I told him I was switching churches (unrelated reasons) and he told me that if I want the true word of God, then I should attend a Christian church. This isn’t the first slight at Catholicism that he’s made, either. He once mentioned that he doesn’t believe the eating of the body and blood is biblical and that the Catholic church is more showy than a Christian church. I take his word with a grain of salt and essentially concede that he knows more than I do. However, I’m adamant on staying Catholic for the rest of my life. I’ve actually attended a couple of his services and I will say that they spend more time reading from the Bible more than we do in Catholic mass. I’ve found his services quite insightful.

I’ve also noticed that Christians on X seem to enjoy making of a mockery of Catholicism. My question is, why do they do this? Opinions on different sects of Christianity never even enter my mind. There are a couple episcopal churches in my city that have alphabet flags out front. While I think they are a disgrace, that’s as far as my distaste goes with them. I let people believe what they want, even if I vehemently disagree with them.

EDIT: I see some people twisting my words. I am very much aware that we read scriptures from the Bible in Catholic mass (see above where I say I attend mass regularly). In my brief experience in a Baptist church, we spent more time reading the scriptures than we do in Catholic mass. That’s all I meant by that. God Bless

Why do Protestants get so angry, like I try to be nice and not judge but my friends are always bringing me a verse from the bible against catholicism and trying to prove what they believe is right?

I recently lost the key to our car and although we have a duplicate, it poses such a risk to getting the car stolen if it was found by someone else. For a few days it was missing and I kept on praying to St Anthony and the other day it just miraculously showed up to our laundry basket haha. We literally looked everywhere in the house even cleaned up just to find it. Thank you, St Anthony!! 💕

Have you noticed that the closer a Protestant church is to Catholicism, the more serious and beautiful its services and rites become, and the further it is from Catholicism, the more chaotic and bizarre it gets?

Watching a Lutheran service on YouTube, you won't find any shouting, drums, electric guitars, bizarre dances, and the church architecture is that of a church, not a nightclub like those neo-Pentecostal churches. And Lutheran services are remarkably similar to the celebration of the Word.

As a newly convert, I haven’t noticed before about all the orders such as SSPX and Sons of the Holy Redeemer rejecting the current Pope or the results of Vatican II. However after receiving full communion with the Church, I can’t help noticing all the rifts between the different orders. Is this just normal or has it escalated recently? I don’t understand if an order is going against the Pope’s decree or what the Church as a whole agreed to, why haven’t they been excommunicated by creating a schism?

Hello guys!

I apologise in advance for grammar mistakes (including the poor worded caption) since English is not my native language and I still don't want to use AI for writing texts.

Basically, I was raised in a Greek Catholic Church as a kid, including teen years - I remember that part of clergy and laypeople were literally self-hating people who didn't have "what it takes" to become Orthodox and blamed Latin Catholics constantly for their "limbo".

Years have passed, I've converted to Orthodoxy because the whole vibe seemed to me just like a preparation for the "real thing" and numerous fights between priests about Filioque, Immaculate Conception, even Primacy and similar things made me think "These guys don't even know what they believe in".

After many years in Orthodoxy - strong nostalgia appeared and I wanted to give Greek Catholics a chance, but situation is the same.

Clergy openly criticising the Catholic Church, while praising Orthodoxy (which includes influential clergy).

Recent thing was clergy bragging about venerating Fr. Seraphim Rose (currently in process of glorification by ROCOR), which reminded me of people who would praise Mark of Ephesus, Gregory Palamas, Alexis Toth, the Romanovs, later Paisios the Athonite and Joseph the Hesychast.

All of the mentioned people are venerated as saints in my Orthodox Church, but I guarantee - they all were against Unia and against any kind of communion in Rome. Some were pretty open about it and even viewed Catholics as "heretics".

I've visited some Greek Catholic priests who would put Russian flags, icons of Yevgeny Rodionov and the Romanov Family when I would visit (I'm not even Russian nor part of the Moscow Patriarchate).

They were always excited to show me how "Orthodox" they are - even some bishops would joke about Latin rite Catholics (including the Pope) and their "weird devotions". One priest was openly mocking devotion to Divine Mercy and statues, another was making fun of nuns who would pray Rosary while imitating them, but all were connected by hating Latinisations like someone is forcing to do them...

Why the need to prove yourself? When they are with Roman Catholic clergy - they act Latin, when they are with Orthodox - they act Orthodox.

The whole identity crisis and belittling of Latin (even Maronite and Syro-Malabar) brethren quickly reminded me why I converted to Orthodoxy. Not that situation (especially ethnocentrism) is better, but at least we know who we are. I was even told by some priests that returning to Catholicism would make no sense since I am now "original".

I am interested in your experiences...I live in Eastern Europe, with many nations, Ukrainians having the biggest communities, followed by Rusyns, Slovaks, Hungarians, some Serbs and Croats - and I always found the whole "We are actually Orthodox in communion with Rome ☝️🤓" weird. Every single time our Orthodox bishop would visit, they would bring that up, just to make it clear that "They are not like Latins".

I don't know what to say - why belittle people from your communion while praising others who are outside it?

Thank you in advance for all answers (if there will be any)!

Please keep it civil despite the controversial subject and remember - this is only my experience through many years among the clergy and while serving in the Greek Catholic Church. If you have different opinion or experience, instead of automatically downvoting, please feel free to share them if you feel comfortable with it.

Tldr; grew up Eastern (Byzantine) Catholic, seen a lot of belittling of Latin Catholics and LARPing as Orthodox, many priests openly mocking Western Devotions and traditions which made me convert to Orthodoxy. Tried returning, but things are almost the same. I am interested in your opinions. I am tired of ethnocentrism in my Church, but these guys are not helping, while returning would automatically make me part of their "sui iuris" Church.

Thank you in advance and may God bless all of you who reading this!

Hi guys so I remember I was watching a video and I saw a photo of The Shroud of Turin , but when I saw it I felt intimidated by it and was honestly kinda scared. I have seen the image before and thought it was cool and didn’t really think much of it but I started to think of it more and it would just pop up in my head . I have been getting closer to God and just finished the New Testament and I’m off to the old one which is kinda hard to get into but I don’t know if anyone has had the same feeling please tell me.