Help me be ok with going to a Catholic Church

[Anonymous]

My wife and I are Gay and attend an Episcopal Church.
A very close friend of ours is having her DS baptized at a Catholic Church and we have been invited as well as our DS.
I want to go and be a part of this for my friend but at the same time I struggle with feeling unwelcome by attending a Catholic Church where I feel that our relationship is frowned upon and I know we cannot take communion, even though we do in our own Church.
Tell me something to make me feel better about going.

[Anonymous]

The Pope is ok with gay people!

[Anonymous]

Just remember it's for your friend and their baby. It's just one hour. You and the Church will survive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Pope is ok with gay people!

Is he really or did he say that we shouldnt judge? Dont think hes actually ok with the marriage part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just remember it's for your friend and their baby. It's just one hour. You and the Church will survive.

+1 focus on your friend and the happiness for them.

Honestly, though. If you feel this strongly about just stepping into a building where I doubt any comments about gay people I'll be made while you are there, how are you friends with people who choose to follow the faith?

[Anonymous]

Can you share what church, OP? Some Catholic Churches are more liberal than others. I was raised in a church that was very liberal and welcomed gay people (it could not perform gay marriages though). I'm sure I will get flamed by the few rabid conservative Catholics on here but the truth is American Catholics as a whole are way more liberal than the Vatican and church dogma.

It is something I struggle with as well, and have considered leaving the church for a more liberal organization, but that's another conversation.

Anyway, I think it would be perfectly acceptable in your case if you skipped the ceremony and came to the reception only. I had a lot of friends do this at my DCs baptism for various reasons and it was great.

[Anonymous]

Straight people who aren't Catholic can't take communion in a Catholic Church either.

If Ted Cruz gets elected you won't want to walk into any federal buildings--his creepy gaze will be in the wall every time you walk through the doors.

[Anonymous]

You can only take communion if you are Catholic and have received the sacrament of the Eucharist.

Catholics think gluttony is a sin, is everybody attending skinny.
Catholics think premarital sex is a sin, did everybody wait until marriage?

I am Catholic and I disagree with how the Catholic Church handles many things, including the treatment of people who love somebody of the same gender.

But... it's not just you, everybody is a sinner. The worst part about going to the Catholic mass is it is boring. Dang! I love my friend's churches. The music and 'homiily" are so nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you share what church, OP? Some Catholic Churches are more liberal than others. I was raised in a church that was very liberal and welcomed gay people (it could not perform gay marriages though). I'm sure I will get flamed by the few rabid conservative Catholics on here but the truth is American Catholics as a whole are way more liberal than the Vatican and church dogma.

It is something I struggle with as well, and have considered leaving the church for a more liberal organization, but that's another conversation.

Anyway, I think it would be perfectly acceptable in your case if you skipped the ceremony and came to the reception only. I had a lot of friends do this at my DCs baptism for various reasons and it was great.

That is so rude. OP, please don't do this. It's the same as not attending a wedding ceremony but only showing up at the reception.

[Anonymous]

I'm not gay, but have a lot of gay friends. And when all my straight Catholic friends got married, all my gay friends were there in the church right beside them. At the last Catholic wedding I attended, the bride's maid of honor was her fiance's lesbian sister.

And, I'm not Catholic, either, so I don't do communion. There were many of us hanging back in the pews.

Please go and enjoy your friend's happy moment.

[Anonymous]

Op here, Thanks everyone. Im not sure which Church, She did tell me but ive forgotten, I just know its in Gaithersburg.
I hadnt though of the fact there will be other non Catholics there, we can hang together during Communion time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here, Thanks everyone. Im not sure which Church, She did tell me but ive forgotten, I just know its in Gaithersburg.
I hadnt though of the fact there will be other non Catholics there, we can hang together during Communion time

Op,

How would you feel if your friends wouldn't come to your church for an event because they are Catholic and know how Episcopalians don't approve of Catholic stance on abortion, gay marriage or any of the other issues?
And tried to say that Episcopalians hate Catholics and are intolerant of any other lifestyle than Catholic and wouldn't dare step foot in a church like that?

Wouldn't at least part of your reaction be "wait, no, we don't hate people with different beliefs, we are tolerant people and besides they are our friends."

It seems almost bizarre to think of it like that, because of course your friends would be fine in your church and they are your friends, you like them a lot, but that is what it's like from the other side.

Reframe it a little bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here, Thanks everyone. Im not sure which Church, She did tell me but ive forgotten, I just know its in Gaithersburg.
I hadnt though of the fact there will be other non Catholics there, we can hang together during Communion time

What on earth? During Communion you should be seated in the pew. It's not a time for socialization.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here, Thanks everyone. Im not sure which Church, She did tell me but ive forgotten, I just know its in Gaithersburg.
I hadnt though of the fact there will be other non Catholics there, we can hang together during Communion time

What on earth? During Communion you should be seated in the pew. It's not a time for socialization.

OP here, yes I know, I didnt mean we would be sitting there drinking frosty beverages, I just meant we would hang back in the pew.

[Anonymous]

There are even a lot of Catholics who don't take communion because they haven't been to confession in a while and don't feel comfortable with it. There's always a ton of people who don't go, so totally no worries there.