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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The demarcation throws the conversation off.

There are absolutely cradle Catholics who are deep in Bible study (Bible in a Year was a smashing success in Catholic circles), know the catechism well, and generally try to actively live out their faith/the sacraments.

There are also cradle Catholics who are (a) poorly formed in the faith; (b) not particularly active in the faith; or (c) do not identify with it as a faith but rather as a cultural identity.  There are other types, too.

On (a) I once had someone in total shock tell me they had never heard of HDOs and they had been educated by Jesuits for 13 years (you don’t say!) and clearly I was making it up.

On (b) a poster up thread mentioned not being particularly active in the Church.

On (c) there is the poster who mentioned Jewish and Catholic interfaith marriages working well; which sort of fits the bill (both ways).

These are all individuals captured by “cradle Catholic” along with everyone else.   Just too broad of a term.

Given that converts are more likely to be conservative (not always), and that the swath of cradle Catholics is just way too broad to categorize, I don’t think these comparisons are helpful.

I do think that converts can be caught by surprise by just how big the tent of Catholicism is and the many ways people practice within that tent.

I also think converts can struggle with the mysticism within Catholicism. One of my closest friends is a convert (but his wife is cradle). We’ve taken our families on multiple pilgrimages together to places like Mexico City and Rome and he is still learning to embrace the mysticism. We’re planning on going to Fatima next year and that will be another interesting case. [/quote]

Nobody said that cradle Catholics don’t read the Bible. They said they don’t go to Bible study.

Also, nobody said that cradle Catholics are all the same what was said is that they have some themes and shared experiences that are the same that make them feel connected to each other.

They could have 80% of their experiences be different but the 20% that is the same that other people don’t experience is what they were bonding over.

I’d be really surprised if a cradle cat was getting all wrapped up in the mysticism of anything. I haven’t been to Fatima yet but most my family has and it’s just like oh wow that was cool. There’s no spiritual awakening or anything.

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This is an example of the poor formation category of cradle Catholics. Perhaps the mysticism is not for you. Perhaps it does not speak to you. But the idea that you would be “really surprised if a cradle [Catholic] was getting all wrapped up in the mysticism of anything” reveals a shallow contact with the faithful and a disengagement from the faith.  I’m frankly shocked any Catholic who is engaged with the Church would say such a thing.   I mean, what do you believe you are receiving in the communion line?

I do think there is a tendency for low engagement/poorly formed cradle Catholics in America to assume that their low engagement/poor formation is the universal experience of Catholics. First, there are literally hundreds of millions of Catholics outside of the USA who embrace the mysticism of Catholicism, especially outside of Europe.

There are also millions of Catholics in the USA who do as well. I know a very highly educated family who is moving their children to a different Catholic school because they sincerely believe the patron saint of the school has cared for their family over the years. There are literally Catholics who in this country wake up every single morning and go to Mass with religious orders that guard and treasure Catholic mysticism.

I was deeply moved by my own pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe and observe her feast day every year.  I also sequester myself on the Feast of the Holy Innocents because I mourn them.  And All Souls Day is a feast day we stringently observe in our family.

My 12 year old son still laments over a Cross of the Good Shepherd touched by Pope Francis that he lost a year ago.

Many of the commonalities cradle Catholics experience are cultural in nature. Not necessarily spiritual or driven by the faith. [/quote]

I am a revert cradle Catholic. My dad rejected the faith (put in the envelope then bee line to Dennys the times we did have to go to Mass) and my mother was Methodist. My paternal grandmother poured so much faith into us, rosary, Blessed Mother, Go to Joseph, holy days of obligation, but it was all yea yea yea whatever old lady. Then Covid, churches shutting, witnessing others’ faith through that, a surprise unwanted pregnancy that I feared … brought me back to the Catholic faith. It’s at the center of my life now in a way that would’ve been “so cringe” a few years ago. I have convert friends, trad friends, cradle friends. We are moving states soon bc I want my kids to marinate in a stronger Catholic culture.  [/quote]

I think that is awesome and your paternal grandmother is proud!  The other poster said your kids may leave the faith.  While that technically is true, my spouse and I view it as our job to do everything we can so the faith has the best chance possible to take hold in our children. But, ultimately, Catholicism believes in free will and it will be up to each of our children to make faithful choices or not.   All we can do is pray for them and educate them. The rest is up to them and responding to the call of the faith.

If you are relatively recently returning to your faith, pilgrimages are a great way to reconnect. Even if you start with baby steps. For example, we recently found ourselves driving through Oklahoma City and we stopped and spent a half day at the Blessed Stanley Rother shrine. For my kids, about 2/3 of them have really connected with pilgrimages while the rest have been more of the “that’s cool, can we go?” reaction.   And that’s okay.  As long as they are respectful, we respect as parents they everyone’s journey will be different.

[/quote]

Thank you for this, kindly stranger! I have a special love for St Monica understanding the road for my children may be rocky. "Lord, make ne holy... but not yet" :)

Thank you for the pilgrimage advice[/quote]

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