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evenifigoalone

Fare thee well, Felicia
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So honestly, the more I learn about Catholicism from my Catholic friends, the more I almost want to convert. But I want to learn all about it before I consider that possibility. I was told I could take some RCIA classes, but I don't have a car or someone to take me there, so I don't know when that'll happen.
 
Hi evenifogoalone,
Welcome to the Forum and to this Catholic section.
Have you a Catholic Church near you that you could get to?
You could approach the parish priest to discuss your interest in Catholicism with him. I'm sure he would be pleased to help.

And I would be happy to try and answer any question you might have.
Do you have any particular area you would like to discuss?

I'm starting a short series on "Understanding Catholicism (see the first one on Liturgy) They are about practices rather than doctrine but we can discuss doctrine as well.
 
I guess the basics would be good. I looked up some stuff already, like the minimum requirements to be Catholic.
 
I guess the basics would be good. I looked up some stuff already, like the minimum requirements to be Catholic.
I don't think I'm qualified to start a whole catechetical course. I'm very happy to answer questions on particular issues.
And I don't know your starting point:
- for example do you belong to some particular christian group?
- what topics have your Catholic friends discussed with you?

The Catechism of The Catholic Church is a big volume that covers Catholic beliefs and life but it's heavy reading. There is however what is called a Compendium of it, which is a simplified version in question and answer format. It covers four main areas:
The Profession of Faith - beliefs
The Celebration of the Christian Mystery - how we worship, including the 7 Sacraments
Life in Christ - how we should behave
Christian Prayer - how we pray and particular prayers.
It's available free on the Vatican web site:- Compendium

But do please ask me questions on particular topics
 
- for example do you belong to some particular christian group?
- what topics have your Catholic friends discussed with you?
I was raised baptist.
Mostly we have talked about transubstantiation, holy days of obligation, and how Catholics have a different view of salvation (not "once saved always saved")
 
I was raised baptist.
Mostly we have talked about transubstantiation, holy days of obligation, and how Catholics have a different view of salvation (not "once saved always saved")
OK,
I didn't know baptists were OSAS, but not believing in that is not peculiarly Catholic. I think that's very much a minority position.
 
Ooh, I know a question. They have a different Bible version that has a couple more books than Protestants, right? And what can you tell me about praying to the saints?
 
Ooh, I know a question. They have a different Bible version that has a couple more books than Protestants, right? And what can you tell me about praying to the saints?
OK
Let's start with the Bible.
Protestants have left 7 books and parts of Esther & Daniel out of their Bible.They are known as the deutercanonical books (deuters for short)
The Eastern Orthodox Churches which broke away from the Catholic Church in 1054 also include these books in the their canon, as do the Oriental Orthodox Churches who broke away after the Council of Chalcedon in 451.

Prior to that the Council of Rome in 382 also listed the deuters as canonical. This was confirmed by the local councils of Hippo in 393, and Carthage in 397 and 419.

(See this site for the Dceree of Galasius
Another Protestant resource confirms Jurgens and the timeline I have posited above:
A council probably held at Rome in 382 under St. Damasus gave a complete list of the canonical books of both the Old Testament and the New Testament (also known as the 'Gelasian Decree' because it was reproduced by Gelasius in 495), which is identical with the list given at Trent. (The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 2nd ed., p. 232)

The Catholic Encyclopedia on the New Advent site (http://www.newadvent.org/), in it's section on the status of the canon in the Church in the first 3 centuries states this:
"St. Irenæus, always a witness of the first rank, on account of his broad acquaintance with ecclesiastical tradition, vouches that Baruch was deemed on the same footing as Jeremias, and that the narratives of Susanna and Bel and the Dragon were ascribed to Daniel.."
and
"Origen employs all the deuterocanonicals as Divine Scriptures, and in his letter of Julius Africanus defends the sacredness of Tobias, Judith, and the fragments of Daniel, at the same time implicitly asserting the autonomy of the Church in fixing the Canon"
and
"St. Hippolytus (d. 236) may fairly be considered as representing the primitive Roman tradition. He comments on the Susanna chapter, often quotes Wisdom as the work of Solomon, and employs as Sacred Scripture Baruch and the Machabees. For the West African Church the larger canon has two strong witnesses in Tertullian and St. Cyprian. All the deuteros except Tobias, Judith, and the addition to Esther, are Biblically used in the works of these Fathers."

So it is clear that these books were considered canonical from very early times.
 
I was raised baptist.
Mostly we have talked about transubstantiation, holy days of obligation, and how Catholics have a different view of salvation (not "once saved always saved")
Hi E,
Hope you're doing well.
Regarding Holy Days of Obligation, I do want to say this:
Some of our doctrine (Christianity in general) come from the written word...the bible.
Some of our teachings, instead, come from the actual denomination we belong to.
The CC has certain days where it is stated that one must attend Mass on that day.
The Assumption of Mary would be one...August 15th - which is celebrated here nationally, BTW, unlike in the US.

In fact, here's a list:
A complete list of Holy Days of Obligation and their observances for 2021-2022 are:

Monday, November 1, 2021

Solemnity of All Saints
Since this Holy Day falls on a Monday, the obligation is dispensed.

Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Patronal Feast of the United States of America

Saturday, December 25, 2021
Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
Please note: In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Vigil Mass cannot be celebrated before 4:00 PM.

Saturday, January 1, 2022
Solemnity of the Mary, the Holy Mother of God
Since this Holy Day falls on a Saturday, the obligation is dispensed.

Thursday, May 26, 2022
Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

Monday, August 15, 2022
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Since this Holy Day falls on a Monday, the obligation is dispensed.

Tuesday, November 1, 2022
Solemnity of All Saints

Thursday, December 8, 2022
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Patronal Feast of the United States of America

Sunday, December 25, 2022
Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
Please note: In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Vigil Mass cannot be celebrated before 4:00 PM.

source: https://cathedralphila.org/holy-days-of-obligation-for-2021-2022/

and more:


and more:

The current Code of Canon Law (1983) designates the same 10 holy days: Christmas, Epiphany, Ascension, Body and Blood of Christ, Mary the Mother of God, Immaculate Conception, Assumption, St. Joseph, Sts. Peter and Paul, and All Saints (canon 1246, sec.1). The law also allows the bishops of each country to move a feast to a Sunday or remove it as a day of obligation.

The bishops of the United States have designated six days of obligation: Ascension, Assumption, All Saints, Immaculate Conception, and Christmas. In addition, they moved Epiphany and the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ to Sundays. The solemnities of St. Joseph and Sts. Peter and Paul, which were not traditionally days of obligation in the United States, were not included in the list.

source: https://uscatholic.org/articles/200807/who-picks-the-holy-days-of-obligation/


Personally, E, I wouldn't be too concerned with this stuff.
I like to focus on the spiritual.
You might want to attend Mass a few times and see how you feel about it.
 
Hi E,
Hope you're doing well.
Regarding Holy Days of Obligation, I do want to say this:
Some of our doctrine (Christianity in general) come from the written word...the bible.
Some of our teachings, instead, come from the actual denomination we belong to.
The CC has certain days where it is stated that one must attend Mass on that day.
The Assumption of Mary would be one...August 15th - which is celebrated here nationally, BTW, unlike in the US.

In fact, here's a list:
A complete list of Holy Days of Obligation and their observances for 2021-2022 are:

Monday, November 1, 2021

Solemnity of All Saints
Since this Holy Day falls on a Monday, the obligation is dispensed.

Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Patronal Feast of the United States of America

Saturday, December 25, 2021
Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
Please note: In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Vigil Mass cannot be celebrated before 4:00 PM.

Saturday, January 1, 2022
Solemnity of the Mary, the Holy Mother of God
Since this Holy Day falls on a Saturday, the obligation is dispensed.

Thursday, May 26, 2022
Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

Monday, August 15, 2022
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Since this Holy Day falls on a Monday, the obligation is dispensed.

Tuesday, November 1, 2022
Solemnity of All Saints

Thursday, December 8, 2022
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Patronal Feast of the United States of America

Sunday, December 25, 2022
Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
Please note: In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Vigil Mass cannot be celebrated before 4:00 PM.

source: https://cathedralphila.org/holy-days-of-obligation-for-2021-2022/

and more:


and more:

The current Code of Canon Law (1983) designates the same 10 holy days: Christmas, Epiphany, Ascension, Body and Blood of Christ, Mary the Mother of God, Immaculate Conception, Assumption, St. Joseph, Sts. Peter and Paul, and All Saints (canon 1246, sec.1). The law also allows the bishops of each country to move a feast to a Sunday or remove it as a day of obligation.

The bishops of the United States have designated six days of obligation: Ascension, Assumption, All Saints, Immaculate Conception, and Christmas. In addition, they moved Epiphany and the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ to Sundays. The solemnities of St. Joseph and Sts. Peter and Paul, which were not traditionally days of obligation in the United States, were not included in the list.

source: https://uscatholic.org/articles/200807/who-picks-the-holy-days-of-obligation/


Personally, E, I wouldn't be too concerned with this stuff.
I like to focus on the spiritual.
You might want to attend Mass a few times and see how you feel about it.
For information:
The Holy Days of Obligation in England and Wales are:
From the 1st Sunday of Advent 2017 the Holydays of Obligations for England and Wales changed. They ar
* According to a decision of the Bishops' Conference (1984) Holydays which fall on Saturday or Monday are transferred to the Sunday.

At the moment, because of the Coronavirus pandemic, all such obligations to attend Mass have been suspended.
 
What is the deal with making Mary a big deal? (I don't know how else to stay it right now lol)

Hi,
Discussing the canon of the OT, Mary, praying to Saints and Holy Days all in one thread is going to get very complicated.

I suggest you start a separate thread for each topic you want to discuss. I think that will make it more manageable.
I'll start one on the topic of praying to Saints in response you post #7 later today.
 
For information:
The Holy Days of Obligation in England and Wales are:
From the 1st Sunday of Advent 2017 the Holydays of Obligations for England and Wales changed. They ar
* According to a decision of the Bishops' Conference (1984) Holydays which fall on Saturday or Monday are transferred to the Sunday.

At the moment, because of the Coronavirus pandemic, all such obligations to attend Mass have been suspended.
Great point Mungo.

It should be noted that Bishops of different areas are responsible for deciding the HDofO.

I think I stated for the US. I believe evenifigoalone comes from the US.
 
For information:
The Holy Days of Obligation in England and Wales are:
From the 1st Sunday of Advent 2017 the Holydays of Obligations for England and Wales changed. They ar
* According to a decision of the Bishops' Conference (1984) Holydays which fall on Saturday or Monday are transferred to the Sunday.

At the moment, because of the Coronavirus pandemic, all such obligations to attend Mass have been suspended.
PS
In Italy it was necessary to make an appt to attend Mass. That has been rescinded as of April 1. (Due to covid).
 
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