www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Hey Everyone! I'm a new teen!

Hey everyone!

Just thought I'd introduce myself to y'all, even though I'm sure creating a new topic devoted to me isn't quite appropriate

I'm a 15 year old Methodist boy from Georgia, but will soon (in the next year or two) convert to the Catholic Church. However, I'm not sure if I want to be Eastern Catholic (and even then, if I want to be Melkite, Maronite, etc.) or if I want to be a Western Catholic who observes and attends the traditional Roman (Tridentine) sub-rite.

I'm very interested in the Catholic Faith, and have been for many years. I have studied the Fathers, Councils, Sacred Tradition and Scripture and have come to believe that the Catholic Church is the True Church (though I considered Orthodoxy, and prayed a lot about it).

Soli Deo Gloria,
ChristTeen287

Welcome, young brother! It is good to see such a serious seeker as yourself at such a young age. How is the rest of your family reacting to your quest? Have you had a chance to check out the Byzantine Church is Roswell?

Dan Lauffer

My parents are very supportive of me. My father's family are Sicilian Roman Catholics, so obviously they are elated that I am becoming Catholic. My mother is Methodist, but greatly admired Catholicism's teachings and morality, much moreso than even the average conservative Protestant. I thank God I don't come from a family who would disown me.

My parents would have a problem with me becoming non-Christian, or marrying a non-Christian, but generally if I stay within the norms of those bounds (excluding Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.) they will support me.

Dan, I'm about an hour west of Atlanta, so Roswell is only about 1 hr. 15 away, maybe a little more. I'm looking for a good Eastern Catholic parish in Birmingham or Atlanta (both are about an hour away). Is the church in Roswell a good choice? I also would like to visit St. John Chrysostom in Atlanta, and St. Elias (Maronite) in Birmingham. Since I am also considering the Tridentine sub-rite of Latin Catholicism, I would also like to visit St. Francis de Sales in Mableton.

Christ Teen,

You are very blessed in your situation. I'm not familiar with the Churches in Ga or Al but byzinroswell (Denise) is. I hope she sees your questions.

Dan Lauffer

Dear Christ Teen,
Welcome to the Forum.
It sounds like you know where Roswell is located.
We have Liturgy Saturday 5:30 pm and Sunday 8:30 and 11:00 am.
If you need directions let me know, it is very simple to get to from GA 400.

We have a wonderful web site at www.byzantines.net/epiphany [byzantines.net]
(some of the articles on it were written by a parishioner and there is a disclaimer for some of his stronger statements, especially regarding
Islam -- yeah, now all of you are gonna go and read.....)

I would estimate our parish is about 40% Roman Catholic, although several of us, me included, have transferred Rite to Byzantine. Some of the spouses are non-Catholic. I have never seen any pressure on anyone to change religious affiliation. Our priest is very accepting of everyone, we even have some Armenian Orthodox use our church when their priest is in town.

I like what our priest said one Sunday "There is enough grace flowing from the Communion chalice to bless even those not able to come up for Communion"..... I assume he was referring to the non-Catholics who cannot partake...

We are a small congregation, maybe 125 to 150 families? So which ever Liturgy you attend, you get to know everyone. If you are under 18 years of age, you should probably bring your parent/s.
I think the priest would feel more comfortable talking to a teen if your parent shows agreement with your desire to change your current religious affiliation.

We have Sunday school for the kids at 9:45 am Sundays.
Sometimes we have classes for those desiring to learn more about the Eastern Rites.

I can't think of anything to add, but please post if you have any questions. Or write to me under the personal letter section.
denise

Dear ChristTeen

One more thing,
our priest originally came from an Episcopalian
background and our former deacon (God rest his soul) came from a Lutheran background.

So, you see, we are quite used to a variety of roots in our parish.
denise
(and you are very bright, ChristTeen, about the
"Epiphany" joke...... it took me a minute to get what you meant......)

byzinroswell,

Thanks so much for the information. I visited your church's website, it seems great. How long is the average Sunday Divine Liturgy (I'm in favor of long, elaborate ones)? I can't drive yet, but I will turn 16 in a little over 4 months, so I'd love to visit then.

I have my parents' permission and blessing to convert to Catholicism, but I really don't know how to go about it. I suppose I have to go through RCIA, which doesn't start until September (2003 for me). Can someone convert who is not yet 18 but has his parents' permission? Anyhoo, I'm not rushing myself (even though I probably should) because I'm not sure if I want to be Eastern Catholic, and even then, what specific type of Eastern Catholic.

Soli Deo Gratia,
ChristTeen287

Christ Teen 287,

Why don't you call the parish and ask if anyone lives out your way and would be willing to give you a ride? Of course the idea & they would have to meet approval of your parents.


Nicky's Baba

Welcome ChristTeen;

Hope we can be of help to you here on our Forum.

One word of warning: Sometimes we get huffy with each other, so don't be alarmed if you sometimes see it in our posts.

The reason for this is (in my opinion) that our Faith is very precious to each one of us, and it's hard to always be patient with each other when we disagree or don't see eye to eye.

With Best Wishes!
Stefan-Ivan

Nicky's Baba,
Good idea!

Stefan,
Don't worry about it, I was (PAST TENSE) a member at Beliefnet and rarely went anywhere but the Catholic Forum, and let me tell you, nothing could be more worse than the bickering over there. That's the reason I stopped visiting that distressful site, and I haven't been back since. This isn't even the tip of the iceberg; I think mainly because these fora are pretty well hidden.

Soli Deo Gloria,
ChristTeen287

I don't think "more worse" is correct English- - -isn't it technically "worser"?

Dear Christ Teen,

Welcome to the forum. This is truly a group of people who love the Lord and each other. Like any family, opions are expressed and working through them only helps the relationships to grow fonder in the cyber community.

Let me speak up for St. Georges Melkite Church in Birmingham. We are a very busy church, growing rapidly with many young families and young people and a great youth group.

If you like long Liturgies you will like ours. Sunday Orthros starts at 9:15, Divine Liturgy starts at 10:30 and finishes around 12 to 12:30.

If you want a good chat room, and we have a number of teens that come in there, you can go to http://www.churchbulletin.com
There are a lot of converts in the room and it is both text and voice chat. Most of the people are Roman but they are still a good group to just spend time with. We find our teens the most challangeing, they come up with a lot of good questions and really want to know the truth. So I think you would enjoy it. Usually the busiest times are from 7:30 pm till whenever. Stop in and say hi. This room is monitered and strict rules are followed, so you don't have to worry about misbehaviour.

Also for Catholic teens this is a good chat room.
http://www.onerock.com
anyone looking for a room for teens. It is done by teens for teens and has a lot of clergy guidence. There is always a mom in there. Parents you might want to check this out, it seems to be a safe place for kids to go.

Rose

Dear ChristTeen:

At Epiphany in Roswell our Liturgies are about
70 minutes. After the 8:30 am, of course we have to have our donuts and coffee/juice and chat with each other.

What some folks do that live farther away is to attend the 5:30 pm on Saturday evening. They come into the area during the afternoon and do any shopping they can't do further out in the rural areas, then they drop by for Liturgy at 5:30.

Sunday school will start up in September. There is one class for the high schoolers. Wow, I just realized my whole class (okay, my class was three girls) is moving up to the high school level!!
Sometimes the high schoolers go out for breakfast or bagels and talk about teen issues.

(the correct word would be "worse"; use 'bad' for one object, use worse when comparing two objects, and use worst when comparing three or more objects)

I am just guessing, but I don't think the process is as elaborate for converting to Byzantine as for Roman. But you'd have to check with the priest. If you've been Baptized "in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" already you would not need to be re-Baptized.

denise

Rose,

Thanks for the information on St. George. I knew there was another Eastern Catholic church in Birmingham, but it sort of slipped into my subconscious because, as far as I know, your parish doesn't have a website. Thanks for the information on the liturgy and teen fora.

Byzinroswell,

Epiphany sounds good too. I'll definitely have to visit sometime. Yes, I have been baptized (in my Methodist church), but would it be possible to be re-baptized into the Catholic Church or is that strictly forbidden? Thanks for the grammar correction too...my mind has become lazy over the summer.

Soli Deo Gloria,
ChristTeen287

Re-baptism is strickly forbidden. If one was never baptized, one could be baptized for the first time.

Axios

Dad gum it.

priest can make exceptions

yay!

Dear Teen,

Shouldn't you be out dunking yourself in a lake in this heat somewhere?

You're going to give teenagers a bad name you know

Alex

Don't worry OC, I've done that WAY too much this summer. I work as a lifeguard, plus we've been to our lakehouse a lot this summer. Don't worry, I'm a normal teen: sports, outdoor activities, hangin' out with friends...just somehow I find the time to visit this little corner of the internet.

Soli Deo Gloria,
ChristTeen287

Dear Christ Teen,
as your father is of Sicilian origin, and in the eastern tradition, you always are identified by the church of your father, you have a patristic claim to the Italo-Albanian Greek Catholic rite of the Catholic church. If you have a love and a draw to the spirit of the east, then look into becomeing an Italo-Greek. It is the church of your ancestors. There are only a few Italo-Greek churches in this country and the authenticity of their liturgical tradition has been called into question, however, as an Italo-Greek you would be a byzantine catholic and could attend or serve any church of the byzantine rite; Melkite, Ruthenian, Ukranian, etc. The Italo-Greeks have an interesting history and we could use more of them in this country. Pray on it, research it, let me know what you think.

In Christ,
Athanasius

Athanasius,

The Italo-Greek church sounds great, but my dad's family are Roman Catholics, not Eastern Catholics. They are from Spadafora, Sicily (a small coastal town near Messina) and attended a Roman parish called San Pietro, I believe. What is the ratio of Roman Catholics/Eastern Catholics in Sicily? How much more prevalent is the Roman tradition? We are visiting Sicily and Greece over Christmas, so I'll try to attend a Divine Liturgy in one of the two places.

Soli Deo Gratia,
ChristTeen287

ChristTeen287,

I must throw in my two cents on St. George in Birmingham, AL.

I quite honestly owe my salvation to that Church and its parish community. I was very similar to yourself. I was born into a family where my Father was Roman Catholic and my Mother was protestant. Spent much of my youth in the Epsicopal Church, but I was always looking for more.

If the Rose that replied is who I think it is...then most of my salvation quite honestly lies within her hands. The Rose I knew was one who spent countless hours explaining the faith to me, the traditions and inspiring me with her kindness. St. George was a place in which I was received openly by all the members and it is only due to where I live that I do not belong to this Church myself. To this day I hold all Churchs I visit up to the level of faith that I witnessed at St. George.

Should you be able to join them I would highly recommend it. They are my home away from home and I miss them. Every Sunday when I go to my local Church I think of them and wish that I could be part of that family on a regular basis. I truely believe that Christ is working in their parish on a Daily basis.

Yours in Christ,

Jeff

Jeff,

Wow, St. George's really sounds great. How big of a church is it (physically and congregationally)?

Soli Deo Gratia,
ChristTeen287

Rose, I think that if it is determined that a valid baptism exists there is no "re-baptism." This seems to be the Catholic norm.

Perhaps you are referring to a "conditional baptism"?

Dear Jeff,

I am not Rosalee Ritchey, who is the one I think you are remembering. How long since you have been at St. Geroges. We have been there since 1986. Rosilea is dynamite when it comes to explaining our faith. Mary Grace Ritchey reads the forum, but does not respond. (I'm telling on you Mary Grace, hehe), also Rickey and JoAnn Shahid read the posts I believe. So there is a representaion from St. George here.

They have worked even harder to maintain the fullness of the worship. And did considerable restoration on the church about 6 years ago. It is even more beautiful.

The youth group stays very busy. Fr.Deacon Seraphim's wife , Annette Ritchey is the youth adviser. She does a great job, and it keeps her busy.

We are a growing parrish. I beleive that outside of kids getting married and having their own families, it is because the truth is spoke and there is no apologies for it. It seems as though we have a continous stream of folks coming in.

Mary Grace Ritchey is also an excellent teacher of the faith. I have gained so much from her knowledge and insight, she has tremendous wisdom of the Church. Since she is a former school teacher, as Rosalee is now, they are both able to express the knowledge in a very humble manner, which makes learning from them even more enjoyable.

Well enough of my chattereing. Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers for St. Georges. We continue to remember all of the past and present parishiners in prayer.

Sincerely,
Rose Cholewinski

[ 08-19-2002: Message edited by: Rose ]

Dear Bob,

You are right. I was conditionaly baptized since I was unable to obtain my baptismal certificate. I converted from the Southern Baptist, and could not remember the name of the church I was baptized in, there had just been too many churches as I was growing up.

Rose

Dear Rose,

My apologies for my assumption. I attended St. George from 1988 - 1993 off and on. I still attend whenever I am in town.

Kevin Ritchey is my Best Friend going all the way back to High School where we met. In Fact he and his wife Lisa are God parents to my Daughter.

Give my best to everyone.

Hi Jeff,

No apologies, I only wish I had the knowledge she has in her litte finger nail.(not coveting though)

Then we must know you. Were you in the youth group at St. George while you were there with Mike and Rose. Our son your age is William Cholewinski, he would have been in the group with you.

That is great that you have kept such a close friendship with Kevin and Lisa. You have heard then that Sam and Carolyn are expecting. What a miracle.

Rose

I think that Athanasius meant that while your immediate family was Sicilian RC, their ancestors were Italo-Greek. Most Sicilians were originally Greeks who throughout time became Italicized.

In Christ,

anastasios

Christ teen you can convert to the Roman Catholic Church without going through the RCIA program. I�m not sure what it is like in your area but where I�m from the RCIA is not really an experience for the serious seeker. I signed up to learn more about the Catholic faith from Rome�s point of view but found that the faith was actually mention very little. It was just another social gathering with religion being incidental. I don�t mean to discourage you, don�t be afraid take the steps needed in the direction your going. One last thing. If you do enter a Catholic Church attend a parish with a faithful priest to the Holy Father in Rome. The orthodoxy (Latin not �O�rthodoxy) that is found in the Roman Church is exemplified in Pope John Paul II.

God bless,

Odo

Christ Teen, here is a message from the Orthodox world. While I am very happy that you would consider any Eastern Rite faith, I hope your mind is not closed to joining the Orthodox faith. Take a look at the www.goarch.org. [goarch.org.] It is an excellent site. There are a number of other excellent Orthodox sites.

Jport,

Thanks for the information. I have actually visited goarch numerous time, and have spent a couple months (maybe even three) researching the dividing issues between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, and the reasons for the divisions. After those months, I ultimately came to the decision that the Catholic Church not only holds the correct doctrines, but exemplifies itself as being the True Church; especially in its universal nature. At first, I really wasn't convinced that I *truly* thought this, and that I was partial to the Catholic Church because of its familiarity and its predominance over Orthodoxy, at least in America. However, I no longer feel this is the case, because I am very interested in being either Eastern Catholic (which is certainly no more common than Orthodoxy to America) or a traditional Roman Catholic (ditto). Anyhoo, I don't pretend to be an expert, and I may very well be wrong in my whole line of thinling, Kyrie eleison.

Soli Deo Gratia,
OMAchristianSGD