I have noticed that Catholics have a tendency to over-explain things with too much information up front. (I’ve been guilty of that myself.) So, in an effort to counterbalance that, this is intended to be the shortest, yet most concise, “how to” guide on the Internet for becoming Catholic. The following is a step-by-step guide to the process. It’s fairly easy. Simply follow these steps, in the order outlined below, and in a very short amount of time you will be a Catholic Christian. Here they are…
- Wherever you are right now, whatever you’re doing, stop and recite this simple prayer. “O my God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three divine persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I believe that your divine Son became man and died for our sins, and that he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the holy, Catholic Church teaches, because in revealing them you can neither deceive nor be deceived. Amen.” This prayer is called the Act of Faith, and when you pray it, and you sincerely mean it, you are now spiritually initiated into the Catholic Faith. This is your first step. Your journey to full reception as a Catholic has just begun.
- Call a priest and set up a meeting. The best way to plot your course now is to simply talk to a Catholic priest. He can guide you in your next steps. The priest might have you attend a simple religion class, or he might educate you himself. Either way, this will help answer questions and fill you in on what to expect in your life as a Catholic. To contact a priest, just call your nearest local Catholic parish. Here’s a quick link for that: USCCB: Find A Parish.
- Baptism, Confirmation or both? The Catholic Church officially recognizes all Trinitarian baptisms regardless of where and how they were administered. So for example: Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed, Baptist and many other types of denominational baptisms are recognized as valid by the Catholic Church. So if you were already baptized as one of these, there is no need to repeat the process. All Trinitarian baptisms are considered “Catholic.” Talk to your priest about this for questions and details. If you’ve already been validly baptized in some other Christian tradition, then you will only require a Confession of Faith and Confirmation (anointing of the Holy Spirit) to begin receiving communion. If you have not been validly baptized, then you will need both the sacraments of baptism and confirmation before you can begin receiving communion.
That’s it. That’s how it’s done. And that’s pretty much all there is to it. You may have heard about some couples needing Church annulments of previous marriages before becoming Catholic. Every situation is a little different in regard to this. Talk to your priest for questions and details.
What You Need:
Now, as a Catholic, you’ll need four basic items for your spiritual growth and health. They are…
- Catechism (I recommend CREDO: Compendium of the Catholic Faith. There are many different Catholic catechisms. I prefer this one because of the straightforward language and traditional Q&A Catechism style. It mirrors the old catechisms but with modern content addressing contemporary issues.)
- Prayer Book (I recommend the Handbook of Prayers.)
- Rosary (I recommend anything from Rugged Rosaries.)
- Catholic Bible (The Holy Scriptures can sometimes be confusing. So you want something good and you get what you pay for. You can’t go wrong with either one of these two Bibles. Paper or smartphone application, it’s all good. Whatever you choose, just make sure it’s something you will actually use!)
| The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (about $60) is for those who really like to dig deep. This Bible has a copious amount of notes and cross-references, but it is a very hefty tome. It’s not something you can easily carry around. It’s more suitable for a desk. However, the Catholic Study Bible App for your smart phone will allow you to download the whole thing for a one-time purchase of about $50. | The Great Adventure Catholic Bible (about $40) is for those who prefer more casual reading. This Bible is more of a traditional size and much more portable. Likewise, you can get this on your smart phone, as Ascension Press has their own Catholic Bible App that is all inclusive. However, it does require a monthly subscription plan of about $10/month. This allows you to view podcasts instead of study notes. |
A Strategy for Success:
There are three habits every Catholic should have to maintain a healthy and holy Catholic life. They’re simple and relatively easy…
- Daily Prayer: Every Catholic should have some kind of daily prayer routine. This can be anything from recitation of the Rosary (very popular) to reading the Psalms or meditating on the Scriptures.
- Weekly Mass: Every Catholic should attend mass at least once a week, minimally on Sundays (Saturday night to Sunday night). This is actually a commandment of God that cannot be omitted unless one is seriously ill or caring for somebody else who is.
- Monthly Confession: Every Catholic should visit the confessional at least once a month, to develop a good habit of overcoming sin and temptation.
Follow these three steps regularly and you cannot go wrong. They will make you a strong, faithful and devout Catholic.
Shane Schaetzel is an author of Catholic books and he is an Evangelical convert to the Catholic Church. His articles have been featured on LifeSiteNews, The Remnant Newspaper, Forward in Christ, and Catholic Online. You can read Shane’s books at ShaneSchaetzel.Com
