Attention: Catholics. I have 5 questions about the Catholic faith.?

Question

1.) Must you convert to Catholocism to attend Mass?

2.) What about the Sacrament? Do all partake of the bread and wine? Only the Catholics in attendance? Or just the Father?

3.) Is there a choir? Do the members in the pews sing? Or is there one designated singer for the mass?

4.) Can you educate me on the procedure of confession?

5.) Please add anything else that is pertinent to the Catholic faith.

Thank you!

Answer 1

1. No

2. no, only adult full catholics may participate in the body and blood of christ. The priest prepares them

3. There is a choir depending on the size of the church, just like another branch of christianity. Same thing, maybe a big band, maybe an old lady on an organ, maybe acapella (sp)
4. It is made for you to tell the priest what your sins are and he prays with you for forgiveness to god
5. Don't listen to people about the supposed evils of the catholic church, if it is what makes sense to you go for it. And catholics do not worship saints, or mary.... although many protestants will tell you they do (because they are ignorant and southern) and finally I am a former catholic and former christian, and a southerner, and I found that none of it is for me, but I hope it improves your life. Good luck and best wishes

Answer 2

1.) Must you convert to Catholocism to attend Mass?

No, anyone may attend mass. In fact, I couldn't imagine becoming a Catholic without having been to mass to at least give it a try. Don't worry about not knowing what to do either. No one will stare at you or think anything of it. You can participate, doing the standing/kneeling, etc as you feel most comfortable. Also, don't worry about people trying to get you to join.

2.) What about the Sacrament? Do all partake of the bread and wine? Only the Catholics in attendance? Or just the Father?

Only Catholics may take communion. If you look at the missal (the small book in the pew), it will give guidelines. You can just remain seated dring communion, although you might want to step out into the aisle to let others go by. One other option is that you can go up along with everyone else and just get a blessing. You can indicate this is your intention be crossing your arms across your chest.

3.) Is there a choir? Do the members in the pews sing? Or is there one designated singer for the mass?
Usually there is a choir. A lot of parishes have a few different masses each Sunday and not every mass time has a choir. Some will be traditional, some contemporary. The congregation does sing from the pews. There is also a cantor who leads the congregation through the hymns and the responsorial psalm.

4.) Can you educate me on the procedure of confession?
Confession would also be for Catholics, or those about to become Catholic.

5.) Please add anything else that is pertinent to the Catholic faith.

If you are interested in becoming Catholic, I would take a look at the website www.catholic.com. It answers literally any question you might have. You can also call the parish in your area to inquire about RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). This is the class that you would take if you wanted to learn more about becoming a Catholic. This is the time of year that new RCIA classes are forming. Candidates are educated for about 1 to 2 years, depedning on your parish's format, and are initiated into the Church at the Easter Vigil. If you have already been baptised in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at another Christian Church, your baptism would be recognized and you would not need to be baptized again.

I joined the Catholic Church at the Easter vigil in 2001 after having been raised as a Baptist. There were about 15 other adults in my RCIA class, most of whom were converting from various Protestant denominations. I thotoughly enjoy being a Catholic and attend an excellent Bible study at my church every week.

***I would once again recommend reading through the www.catholic.com website as it dispells a lot of misconceptions that some Protestants and even former Catholics have about what the Catholic Church actually teaches. Scott and Kimberly Hahn's book Rome Sweet Home is an excellent source for information on what the actual teachings of the Catholic Church are. Dr. Scott Hahn was a former Presbyterian minister and Bible college graduate who started to understand from studying Scripture the truth of the Catholic Church.

Answer 3

1.) Must you convert to Catholocism to attend Mass?
Not at all! Anyone and everyone is welcome to attend mass. Only Catholics are allowed to received Communion / Eucharist.

2.) What about the Sacrament? Do all partake of the bread and wine? Only the Catholics in attendance? Or just the Father?
Eucharist (aka Holy Communion) is one of our 7 sacraments. All baptized Catholics (who haven't committed a mortal sin) are allowed to participate, and all Catholics attending mass are more or less expected to participate. For those who are sick, there are ministers who will bring Communion to them at home.

3.) Is there a choir? Do the members in the pews sing? Or is there one designated singer for the mass?
The music issue is going to change from mass to mass, church to church. Catholics do have choirs and the congregation (members in the pew) are encouraged to sing, too. It's part of our prayers. There is sometimes a soloist for a harder piece of music, and there is a cantor who has the special duty of singing the main body of the responsorial psalm between the first and second reading.

4.) Can you educate me on the procedure of confession?
Catholics confess to God, but they speak to a priest. Sometimes it happens "face-to-face" and sometimes within a confessional where the priest can't see you. The priest usually greets you and more or less asks what's on your mind. You talk about your sins - often those little things that you want to work on - and the priest listens. He will then offer advice or insight or whatever, suggest a penance, and say the words of absolution.

5.) Please add anything else that is pertinent to the Catholic faith.
Oof... um, Catholics don't worship Mary; she's just a model of faith. The Pope is not some sort of wannabegod on earth - he is just a leader and yes, he can be wrong. We don't believe that "non-belivers" are going to hell or anything like that. We read the bible, but your average Catholic is not as bible-literate as, say, your average Lutheran.

Anything else, just ask!

Answer 4

1. One does not have to be a Catholic in order to attend mass.

2. However, only Catholics who have received "First Communion" can receive the Eucharist at mass.

3. When it come to choirs, it all depends on the parish in question. Usually, larger parishes will have choirs while smaller ones won't. But, regardless of the size of a given parish, all members in the pews do sing during mass. Catholic parishes, when not using (or don't have) the choir, will most likely have one designated singer soloing and/or leading the parish in song.

4. In the Sacrament of Confession, one must first "examine their conscience". The best way to do this, in my opinion, is to go through the Ten Commandments and see if at any point in the past, one's own behavior might have been in violation of one or more Commandments. Once one has done this, they go to a Catholic Church, typically on Saturday afternoons from 3pm-4pm (the hour of mercy). Some Churches will do confession face-to-face or inside a Confessional booth. In either case, the procedure is the same. One will approach the priest, or go into a confessional booth, kneel down, and wait for the priest to initiate the Sacrament. The confessor will say, "Bless me father, for I have sinned. It has been "x" days/months/years since my last confession, and these are my sins..." The confessor tells the priest his/her sins. Once this is done, the priest will give a short talk God's love and forgiveness and perhaps even offer advice on how to fight any particular temptation the confessor shows a weakness to. The Confessor will then say the "Act of Contrition". There are many versions of Acts of Contritions. Chances are, there will be a print-out available right there inside the confessional booth that the confessor can read from. The priest will say, "I absolve you of your sins...", or "Your sins are forgiven..." - something to that effect, and then give you a penance. The penance is most often a set of prayers that are to be said before leaving the Church after Confession.

On a personal note, many people shy away from Confession because they feel that the priest will revile them for whatever they've done. Keep in mind that priests go to confession as well. They know what it feels like to be in your spot. Therefore, a priest, appreciates the sort of courage it takes go into a Confessional and confess one's sins.

5. There are many, many, misconceptions about the Catholic faith floating around; the idea that Mary is somehow equal to God, that Catholics "worship" saints, that to possess a crucifix or 'Miraculous Medal" or anything like that is idolatry, etc, etc, etc. These are all fallacies, misunderstandings, and flat-out lies. Please don't be suckered by them. Your single best source for the Truth on matters such as these is in a document called the "Catechism of the Catholic Church". If you have not already done so, you might want to pick yourself up a copy (softcovers go for $10, or use an electronic version on the Internet.

Answer 5

1.) Must you convert to Catholocism to attend Mass?
No, but you can't recieve communion.

2.) What about the Sacrament? Do all partake of the bread and wine? Only the Catholics in attendance? Or just the Father?

All catholics, who have made first communion, and have confessed any sins that they knew were wrong (called mortal sin) are allowed to recieve communion.

3.) Is there a choir? Do the members in the pews sing? Or is there one designated singer for the mass?

Most parishes have a Choir, or at least one person who sings called the cantor. The members in the pews are allowed to sing as well if they wish.

4.) Can you educate me on the procedure of confession?
When a person goes to confession, the priest listens, then counsels you, most of the time on ways to avoid the sin in the future. Then he blesses you and says "i absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the son and of the Holy spirit." It can be a very freeing as well as cleansing experience, because it lifts the burden of sin from your shoulders.

5.) Please add anything else that is pertinent to the Catholic faith.
What else would you like to know? If you are attending Mass for the first time, i would suggest printing a "mass guide" from online. If you do not have this, mass can be quite confusing to someone who hasn't been there before.

Answer 6

1. The first commandment says Thou shall not worship other Gods...
Therefore, if you want to be a Roman Catholic, then you worship Him alone. The mass is a Sacrament of the Eucharist and partaking in this celebration is a form of worship.
There is really no strict law about conversion to be able to attend. It is a call of faith.

2. It says in John 6:56 "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I live in him."
Those who do not partake in this are those who have committed mortal sins and have not confessed.
Children receives their first Holy Communion at the age of 8.
What attendance do you mean?
In the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the entire family attends, the better.

3. Some churches have choir, some don't. Choir is an addition to make praise songs appealing and the celebration to be livelier.
Everyone is invited to sing along with choir or just sing along with the singer. Even the priest can sing too, when he's not preaching/reciting.

4. Preparing for confession should take time. You examine your conscience, do some reflections. Review the 10 commandments, and see which commandments you have sinned. It is always best that you make a list so you don't forget when you recite.
When you go to confession, you tell the priest when your last confession was and tell him your sins. After which, if he asks you to recite the Act of Contrition, then you say to him. The priest will then give you penance and just follow it.. Penance depends on the weight of your sins. Sometimes they ask you to pray the Rosary or just a number of the Lord's prayer and the Hail Mary..

All these things are accessbile in the net.

Disclaimer: These are based on my knowledge as a practicing Catholic. For technical details of Catholicism, maybe a Priest, Nun, or Counselor or Preacher can help you.

Answer 7

1. If you are not Catholic you can attend Mass, but you cannot partake in the Eucharist (this partly answers #2).

2. Everybody who has had their First Communion can partake in the Eucharist, but those who have committed a grave sin and have not confessed can't.

3. In some larger churches there is a choir, but in every church the congregation sings. For the responsorial, there may be someone who recites the psalm and has the congregation respond.

4. I'm not sure what you want, but you basically go into the confessional booth and say "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been (however many days/weeks/months) since my last confession." Then you tell him how you've sinned, and he gives you penitence (like saying X amount of Hail Mary's) and gives you absolution. The Sacrament of Reconciliation (the name for confession) is privileged, meaning the priest is bound by his holy orders not to divulge what you've confessed.

5. Some books to read to understand the faith:

"The Interior Castle" by St. Theresa of Avila
"Confessions" by St. Augustine
Any book written by Pope John Paul II
The Catechism of the Catholic Church

I have been a lifelong Catholic. The people who say that the Catholic Church is bad either do not fully understand it or are stating their personal opinions and experiences as fact. I have never had a problem with my faith - people who say that the Church held them back from a relationship with Jesus never opened their heart to Him in the first place. And praying to the saints and Mary is just the same as asking someone to pray for you.

If you have questions, call your local church's rectory and see if you can talk to a priest, or contact your diocese or archdiocese.

A billion people (give or take a few) can't be wrong.

Answer 8

1) anyone is welcome to attend Mass.
2) only baptised Catholics can partake of the Body & Blood of Christ, other people can get in line & get a blessing.
3) not all masses have a choir, usu. there is always someone to sing or lead; everyone is welcomed to sing.
4) confession is easy - just show up at the listed time and confess. call the church for the scheduled time first.
5) try to attend special masses - they can be very impressive especially if it's in a Cathedral & the local Bishop is there. I'm satisfied with this religion & my family has been Catholic for hundreds of years.

I went to a special mass at a local Cathedral when Pope John Paul died & the experience was very moving & people had to stand around because it was so crowded. people from other faiths were there too.

Answer 9

1. Anyone can attend.

2. You can partake in sacrament, however, if you start getting serious about Catholisim you should look into the proper steps into accepting it regularily....it will "mean" so much more to you.

3. Most churces have a choir, and sometimes members sing if they wanna , some are shy, many dont do the "hand rasing" thing when they "feel the power" of God.

4. Bless me father for I have sinned, this is my 1st confession and these are my sins. (AT this point tell all, a priest will never Judge you) after you are done with your confessions you can let the priest know that you have never given confession before and he will guide you the rest of the way. Not much after that, and he will suggest a pennance (a few prayers) to say.

5. Catholics are deep in tradition, stand up, sit down, kneel, stand up, etc.....however, it is the ONE TRUE faith for me.

Answer 10

1. Must you convert to Catholicism to attend Mass?

No, anyone is invited to attend and participate at Mass.


2. What about the Sacrament? Do all partake of the bread and wine? Only the Catholics in attendance? Or just the Father?

At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “Take this bread. It is my body.” Then he said, “Take this and drink. This is my blood. Do this in memory of me.”

Catholics believe this was the First Eucharist, which through some miracle the bread and wine actually became the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

Catholics reenact the Last Supper during every Mass, where God, acting through the priest, changes the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

This is a great sacrament of thanksgiving and unity of Catholics.

Anyone who is not a Catholic is requested with respect to refrain from receiving the Eucharist. Anyone may approach the Altar with his or her arms crossed over their chest to receive a blessing.

Catholics are asked, out of respect not to receive Communion at non-Catholic Churches.

Let us pray that someday all Christian Churches will be reunited and all will eat at the same table.


3. Is there a choir? Do the members in the pews sing? Or is there one designated singer for the mass?

The entire congregation is expected to sing. This singing is sometime lead by a cantor or by a whole choir.


4. Can you educate me on the procedure of confession?

This is one way how to go to Confession

Get yourself ready by making your examination of conscience.

After the priest greets you with the Sign of the Cross make the Sign of the Cross and say: “Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been (say how long) since my last confession. These are my sins…”

Tell your sins simply and honestly to the priest. Do not be embarrassed.

When you are done listing your sins please say: “…I am sorry for these sins and all the sins I can’t remember.”

Listen to the advice the priest gives you and accept the penance from him. Then make an Act of Contrition for your sins:

My God,
I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.
In choosing to do wrong
And failing to do good,
I have sinned against you
Whom I should love above all things.
I firmly intend, with your help,
To do penance,
To sin no more,
And to avoid whatever leads me to sin.
Amen.

The priest will then conclude with the words: “Your sins are truly forgiven, Go in Peace.” You respond: “Thanks be to God.”

Perform your penance as soon as possible.


5. Please add anything else that is pertinent to the Catholic faith.

If you are interested in joining or just learning more about the Catholic Church, contact your local parish and ask about information about their RCIA Inquiry group.

You can go and ask any questions you want.

This is the first step in RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) but you can stop at any time.

There is no obligation to become a Catholic.


With love and prayers in Christ.

Answer 11

1. No, anyone can attend Mass, but you need to be baptized in order to participate in Communion.
2. All Catholics take bread and wine. Non-Catholics cannot; they are "unclean."
3. Yes, there is a choir. The members in the pews don't have to sing, but they can if they want to.
4. In confession, you tell a priest how long it has been since you have last been to confession. Then you tell the priest all your sins. After that the priest will tell you to pray (specific prayers specific numbers of times) as penance in order to be forgiven.
5. Numbers 1-4 pretty much cover it.