A few weeks ago when I went to Mass our parish was handing out free books...."Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic" by Matthew Kelly. I have to say it only took me a day to read it, it was pretty interesting. After I finished the book I got online to see what else he had to offer. The book titled "Rediscovering Catholicism" caught my eye, I knew I had to read it. I went to work on Monday and told my co-worker and friend who is also Catholic said she thought her mom had been given a book after Mass and she thought it was that book. She was right, she borrowed it from her mother so I could read it. I was not really impressed with the book it was rather dry and hard to read. I just kept reading chapter after chapter pretty soon I got to the middle of book, by then I was hooked, since it was a borrowed book I couldn't highlight so I did the next best thing I went to our local Half Price Book Store and I was in luck they had a copy! I'm still not done with the book but at least I can now highlight now!
I think it's a book every Catholic should read. I don't think a lot of Catholics actually know how beautiful our religion really is......The chapter I'm on now is about reconciliation, I know it's something people are not comfortable with, I have to admit it can be very scary especially if you have avoided it for long periods of time (like only going once a year). Because of the this book I challenged myself.....I went to confession (as they used to call it). I've never gone to reconciliation at my church...ever. I usually go to another church to "air my dirty laundry". It was intimidating to say the least I was totally out of my comfort zone!!! I hoped Father wouldn't recognize me....(if he did he didn't let on!). I have to say I do prefer my "dirty laundry" priest to my parish priest. But the point is I took the challenge and I (Nike) "just did it". I have to say it was liberating. I always feel good after I confess my sins....and I forget that part of it I only remember the part where I get nervous and don't want to go in the "box". I think I need to make myself more comfortable with reconciliation by going on a regular basis. When I was attending Catholic school we HAD to go to confession every Friday whether we needed to or not. I don't remember being stressed out by going back then. I am sure my sins as an adult aren't any worse than they were when I was kid. Anyway, I am going to make it a habit to get to confession at least once a month if not every other week.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Thursday, November 7, 2013
My Mother, My Hero
My brother asked me a question the other night when I went over to help him fill out his questionnaire for my annulment......it made me think. He asked why I was doing this annulment was it just so I could get confirmed?
To tell the complete story I have to start at the beginning......
My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1963 and it was advanced at that point, I was only 5 years old. My dad sat me down and told me that she had cancer and was going to die and that I needed to be strong and help out with my brother and sister from then on. I doubt I really knew what he was talking about but I sure do remember the talk we had! My Mom was a convert to the Catholic faith my father and myself were cradle Catholics, my brother and sister had not been baptisted till they were a bit older. We went to Catholic school where my mother was the vice president of the school board. She was very highly involved in everything Catholic we used to call her "Super Catholic"!
My mother had to go through her own annulment, and studied for years with our priest to become Catholic. She was the strongest person I know. She was dying....and it took her 8 years to finally receive all of her sacraments and finally be married in the Church. This woman was raising 3 kids, cooking dinner, running errands, keeping house, doing laundry, never missed any of my brother's baseball games because she was the scorekeeper, worked full time, was the vice president of the school board, president of the Alter and Rosary Society, regular volunteer for whatever was going on at school or church. She NEVER complained about how sick she was even though we would go out to eat and she would go to the bathroom and vomit her entire dinner all without complaining.
I remember coming out of church every Sunday and she was always asked how she was doing.....her stock answer was "I'm fine I have 3 kids to raise!". She didn't dwell in the past or feel sorry for herself. For all that woman endured, from surgery to surgery and chemo session to chemo session NOTHING stopped her! She was an amazing person, to be able to do all these things without complaining, without making excuses, she NEVER felt sorry for herself. She just moved forward never looking back at the past, there was nothing she could do about what HAD happened all she could was deal with it and put it where it belonged and didn't make others miserable by letting the past ruin her future.
Everyday she lived was a blessing to her, don't get me wrong she was not a saint, she was a sinner like all of us are, but she got it.....she knew what she had to do, live everyday like it was her last which ironically each day that passed could have been her last. She finally died at 11:00 am on Thursday November 30, 1972. Finally she made it home.
For as much as we all missed her, I have come to the realization that she is the person I most admire and need to emulate. My (and my siblings) childhood was not a good one by any means but she taught us that you can overcome anything without complaining without feeling sorry for yourself. She taught us to live each day to our best, deal with problems the best we can and not carry them around for years and make others miserable in the process. She went through things with grace and dignity all her life, what a great example she was! I just wish our children could have known her.....my brother said something that I thought was genius...he said...she taught us to go on even if things are bad at the time they will get better, she taught us that life is short, don't live in the past, live for now.She taught us to live our faith because she loved the Catholic Church, she loved God and she loved her kids. Because she knew she wouldn't be around to give us advice as we grew up, she gave us the most precious gift of all the thing we could fall back on, the thing she knew we needed the most.....our spiritual foundation the same "thing" that kept her going.
This is why I'm going through with the annulment and I NEED to be confirmed. If my Mom can do all those things while she was in the process of dying, without complaining then I should be able to do the same, especially since I have out lived her (she was only 47 when she died I am healthy and 55!). I can proudly say my Mom is my hero!
So my goal from now on is to be like her, quit complaining about the hoops I have to jump through to get this annulment, I have it easy, I need to shut my mouth period! I honor my Mother by being the best Catholic I can be. I know every Saturday as I attend Mass, I know she is proud of me for being there. She so loved her religion and it was so important to her, I now realize the same and it is just as important to me. I know she is there with me, sitting in the pew next to me, that is a comfort for me. I have to thank her for giving me (us) a great spiritual foundation to draw from. I love you Mom.....
To tell the complete story I have to start at the beginning......
My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1963 and it was advanced at that point, I was only 5 years old. My dad sat me down and told me that she had cancer and was going to die and that I needed to be strong and help out with my brother and sister from then on. I doubt I really knew what he was talking about but I sure do remember the talk we had! My Mom was a convert to the Catholic faith my father and myself were cradle Catholics, my brother and sister had not been baptisted till they were a bit older. We went to Catholic school where my mother was the vice president of the school board. She was very highly involved in everything Catholic we used to call her "Super Catholic"!
My mother had to go through her own annulment, and studied for years with our priest to become Catholic. She was the strongest person I know. She was dying....and it took her 8 years to finally receive all of her sacraments and finally be married in the Church. This woman was raising 3 kids, cooking dinner, running errands, keeping house, doing laundry, never missed any of my brother's baseball games because she was the scorekeeper, worked full time, was the vice president of the school board, president of the Alter and Rosary Society, regular volunteer for whatever was going on at school or church. She NEVER complained about how sick she was even though we would go out to eat and she would go to the bathroom and vomit her entire dinner all without complaining.
I remember coming out of church every Sunday and she was always asked how she was doing.....her stock answer was "I'm fine I have 3 kids to raise!". She didn't dwell in the past or feel sorry for herself. For all that woman endured, from surgery to surgery and chemo session to chemo session NOTHING stopped her! She was an amazing person, to be able to do all these things without complaining, without making excuses, she NEVER felt sorry for herself. She just moved forward never looking back at the past, there was nothing she could do about what HAD happened all she could was deal with it and put it where it belonged and didn't make others miserable by letting the past ruin her future.
Everyday she lived was a blessing to her, don't get me wrong she was not a saint, she was a sinner like all of us are, but she got it.....she knew what she had to do, live everyday like it was her last which ironically each day that passed could have been her last. She finally died at 11:00 am on Thursday November 30, 1972. Finally she made it home.
For as much as we all missed her, I have come to the realization that she is the person I most admire and need to emulate. My (and my siblings) childhood was not a good one by any means but she taught us that you can overcome anything without complaining without feeling sorry for yourself. She taught us to live each day to our best, deal with problems the best we can and not carry them around for years and make others miserable in the process. She went through things with grace and dignity all her life, what a great example she was! I just wish our children could have known her.....my brother said something that I thought was genius...he said...she taught us to go on even if things are bad at the time they will get better, she taught us that life is short, don't live in the past, live for now.She taught us to live our faith because she loved the Catholic Church, she loved God and she loved her kids. Because she knew she wouldn't be around to give us advice as we grew up, she gave us the most precious gift of all the thing we could fall back on, the thing she knew we needed the most.....our spiritual foundation the same "thing" that kept her going.
This is why I'm going through with the annulment and I NEED to be confirmed. If my Mom can do all those things while she was in the process of dying, without complaining then I should be able to do the same, especially since I have out lived her (she was only 47 when she died I am healthy and 55!). I can proudly say my Mom is my hero!
So my goal from now on is to be like her, quit complaining about the hoops I have to jump through to get this annulment, I have it easy, I need to shut my mouth period! I honor my Mother by being the best Catholic I can be. I know every Saturday as I attend Mass, I know she is proud of me for being there. She so loved her religion and it was so important to her, I now realize the same and it is just as important to me. I know she is there with me, sitting in the pew next to me, that is a comfort for me. I have to thank her for giving me (us) a great spiritual foundation to draw from. I love you Mom.....
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Another Door Slams Shut
We really thought we were on our way to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel When low and behold the door slams shut once again. We got my hubby's marriage licenses and thought that everything was in place, well we were wrong. Apparently the Tribunal was not happy because his ex-wife's baptismal record had her birth surname and the marriage license had her adopted name so they didn't match and they wanted documented proof it was the same person. We called the courthouse and they said the record was sealed and it would take an act of God to get it unsealed, not to mention there was a flood in 2008 which probably destroyed the files anyway. So the Tribunal had Sr. Annette draw up an affidavit and we had to get two people to verify that she had been adopted therefore the name change. My hubby dropped it off at the church and had some words for Sr. Annette about all the hoops they have made us jump through! He also told her he was leaning towards maybe becoming Catholic but after all of this hoop jumping he thinks it wouldn't be worth it.
I totally get why they needed this information, but come on lets make it as difficult as you can. I know being Catholic is privileged and I would NEVER be anything but Catholic, but they had a potential convert and the dwindling number of Catholic practicing their religion is very sad, but to put off someone considering conversion is just crazy. It's stuff like this that makes people leave the church in droves. Being nit picky about stuff is a real turn off.
Hopefully my hubby will reconsider but for now he just has a real bad taste in his mouth from all this!
I totally get why they needed this information, but come on lets make it as difficult as you can. I know being Catholic is privileged and I would NEVER be anything but Catholic, but they had a potential convert and the dwindling number of Catholic practicing their religion is very sad, but to put off someone considering conversion is just crazy. It's stuff like this that makes people leave the church in droves. Being nit picky about stuff is a real turn off.
Hopefully my hubby will reconsider but for now he just has a real bad taste in his mouth from all this!
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Finally Got Hubby's Marriage License!
After weeks of waiting we finally got my hubby's marriage license so my annulment can move forward. Just waiting for my brother and sister to get their questionnaires. I hope this goes quickly.....I just want to get confirmed. My daughter thinks this is stupid (even though she is confirmed), I hate to tell her that I've always wanted this to happen...and have felt, well, incomplete! I love my religion, I can't even imagine being anything but CATHOLIC! It's a beautiful religion with great traditions.
Some of my favorite childhood memories take place in the Church. Midnight mass at Christmas, Stations of the Cross, Easter, Lent, Holy days, I love everything about Catholicism! Even back in the day when I had to go to CCD classes every Wednesday. All the years I went to Catholic school....great memories! The older I get the more I fall in love with the Catholic Church.....what a comfort in such rocky times. Praise the Lord!
Some of my favorite childhood memories take place in the Church. Midnight mass at Christmas, Stations of the Cross, Easter, Lent, Holy days, I love everything about Catholicism! Even back in the day when I had to go to CCD classes every Wednesday. All the years I went to Catholic school....great memories! The older I get the more I fall in love with the Catholic Church.....what a comfort in such rocky times. Praise the Lord!
Sunday, September 22, 2013
My Annulment Is Moving Forward!
I went to see Sr. Annette on Thursday along with my hubby who so graciously agreed to get have his marriage(s) annulled so I could get confirmed in the Church. He was told that he would have to do the same for his first marriage (get it annulled).....long story short we found out his first wife died five years ago so of course now fell on his second wife (who is the most vindictive person I know, not to mention is just pure evil!). So in talking to Sr. Annette, my husband happened to mention that her entire family was Catholic, but he was not sure if she was since she baptized him in the Lutheran church. Sr. Annette had him call her and low and behold she didn't know for sure.....she ended up having to call her mother in Florida to find out where she was baptized....as (good) luck would have it she WAS baptized CATHOLIC! Well, I didn't like the fact that we shared a religion, but I was thrilled to know that because she was "technically" Catholic her marriage to my hubby was actually invalid!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let me tell you I did a happy dance after that discovery! Finally something went right!
Now all I had to do was sign my paperwork and Sr. Annette was going to send it in that day! All we need right now is for the witnesses to do their part (my brother and sister are my witnesses). I should only take 9 - 12 months and I will be clear to have my marriage blessed in the Catholic Church and get confirmed!! I am so excited! I will finally have all the sacraments taken care of and will become a "Complete Catholic". Alleluia and thank you Jesus!!!!!
Now all I had to do was sign my paperwork and Sr. Annette was going to send it in that day! All we need right now is for the witnesses to do their part (my brother and sister are my witnesses). I should only take 9 - 12 months and I will be clear to have my marriage blessed in the Catholic Church and get confirmed!! I am so excited! I will finally have all the sacraments taken care of and will become a "Complete Catholic". Alleluia and thank you Jesus!!!!!
Sunday, August 25, 2013
I'm Back!
I deleted this blog out of frustration and anger. Well, I'm back, things were looking bleak at the time and I just felt like too many people and things were requiring my full attention. I'm still an incomplete Catholic!
My annulment has moved on, I was shocked that my ex actually answered the questionnaire that he was sent by the Dubuque Tribunal. I thought for sure he would toss it as soon as he found out it was to annul our marriage. I was wrong. I just want this to be over, rehashing of my marriage was the most exhausting thing I have ever done, not to mention the physical side of it, beside the huge headache, I feel like I've been beat up. I just want to get this behind me asap! I need to move on and put the past where it should be. I have better things to do than stew about things I can't do anything about.
My annulment has moved on, I was shocked that my ex actually answered the questionnaire that he was sent by the Dubuque Tribunal. I thought for sure he would toss it as soon as he found out it was to annul our marriage. I was wrong. I just want this to be over, rehashing of my marriage was the most exhausting thing I have ever done, not to mention the physical side of it, beside the huge headache, I feel like I've been beat up. I just want to get this behind me asap! I need to move on and put the past where it should be. I have better things to do than stew about things I can't do anything about.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
My Annulment
In order to get an annulment in the Catholic church you have to have 3 witnesses....I am having problems with the third witness no one can get a hold of him! I emailed Sr. Annette and she was going to call Sr. Maureen in Dubuque and see what she recommended. I find it weird you have to have 3 witness when you only need two to get married!!! My hubby brought this up the other night. I told Sr. Annette that I might have to just drop it and not proceed with it. All I really wanted was to be able to take communion and I can do that (Praise the Lord!). My other goal was to get confirmed but the way Sr. Annette talked I would have to wait until the annulment was finished. I really don't see why I have to wait for that to be over, it may not even happen and if it does it will take at least 9 - 12 months to complete! Sometimes I think the Catholic church needs to review their laws somethings just don't make sense! So I am at the point of just giving up on the whole thing.....I guess I will be an (in)complete Catholic for the rest of my life. Not happy.
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