Getting My Marriage Validated In The Catholic Church

Well, my next quest in becoming a "Complete Catholic" is to have my present marriage validated.  We found out that my hubby was lied to by his own mother......she told him he was baptised in the Presbyterian church.....yeah not so much.  I was dreading telling Sr. Annette this little piece of news!!!!!!  To my surprise she said we could work with that!  OK....so what is next?  I tried to make an appointment with Fr. Mark but he said that Sr. Annette is not ready she has pieces of the puzzle that she needs before we can move forward on that front.  I can tell them now if they think that my hubby is going to convert to Catholicism they are wasting their time he has already been put off  by the church because of the hoops I had to jump through with  my annulment.  He just doesn't understand why things have to be so complicated, well, that is MY religion, and it is complicated, I wouldn't change a thing except for the amount of time it takes to get things done.....it's worse than the our government!!!!

Once we get the marriage validated then I can move on the getting confirmed.  That is the biggest thing I wanted to get done.  Hence the name of my blog.....I feel INCOMPLETE without being confirmed. I know, all good things come to those who wait.  I'm just one that doesn't like to WAIT!  I want to get it going, get it done and move on to the next thing, can you blame me?

As I've stated before I can't do anything in the Catholic Church until I'm confirmed!!!!!   My goal is to take classes so that I can distribute communion, something I know my Mom would have been front and center doing!   I think she would be proud of me for all that I am doing, she loved her religion so much!  I can relate!  There is NOTHING BETTER than being Catholic!

My Little Oratory

This is my version of  the little oratory.  I didn't have any pictures or icons to use, I instead used my Willow Tree figurines, as you may or may not know that I am a very serious collector of these angels and figurines.  I have them all over my house, dare I say I have over 100 of them?  To me they are very inspirational, and a reflection of my faith.  I also have a Scentsy warmer I got from my daughter it has a very intricate metal cross on the front of it and of course my favorite cross with my "word" on it Faith. I used a crackled glass votive holder that was from my daughter's wedding, it has special meaning to me.  It may not be the perfect oratory but it's what inspires me to pray!  Check out more little oratories here:  http://www.likemotherlikedaughter.org/your-little-oratory/

Attending Mass

In the spirit of trying to be the best Catholic I can be, I've tried for the last three weeks to go to Mass on my day off, however it's not working for me.  The first and second week I tried to go to Mass, and I was met with a funerals, the third week Mass was being said at another church and I didn't have time to make it over to the other church.  So I've been more than a little disappointed that I couldn't attend Mass.  I feel so much better after Mass and I wanted to have that feeling more often.  I wish I could go everyday!

I remember as a kid going to Catholic school we were expected to attend Mass everyday, first thing in the morning....at the time I thought it was a great big pain, (I would give anything to be able to do that now) and wished sometimes that I went to public school.).  Boy I really had it all when I was kid and didn't even appreciate it. I guess that's the way kids think. Now that I'm an adult I wish I could go back and do it all over again but of course with all the knowledge I have now, wouldn't that be great?  Unfortunately don't get a "do over".

So I will make the best of it and continue to try and attend Mass on my day off. I did go to Mass on Labor Day which was nice and there were more people there than I had thought.  So I'm not alone in my quest!

Reconciliation....It's For Everyone!

The thought of going to "confession" terrifies me at times.  I always think is Father going to recognize my voice?  What is he going to think of me?  Does he wonder why I keep confessing the same sins over and over?  I know not a lot of Catholic don't like to go to reconciliation, they do their twice a year obligation and that is it.  While it sometimes makes me nervous at the same time it gives me such peace and a sense of renewal, having my sins forgiven.  Why do I always sweat bullets when I get in the confessional?  I need to embrace reconciliation (more often) and realize it's the best way to be close to God, sin makes you separated from God.  That is why I don't understand how people can only go twice a year.

I am striving to be the best Catholic I can be.  I say the rosary almost everyday, along with my prayers, I try to attend Mass during the week and not just Saturday night.  I feel so good after attending Mass I wish I could go everyday!  I do have to say I love going to Mass!  

My brother who does not practice his faith and hasn't for 40+ years, asked me why I would want to go to Mass more than once a week.  He said....who does that?  Obviously he doesn't but I do!  I almost couldn't believe that came out of his mouth!  But that would explain why he is not a peace in his life and it explains why I am at peace.  I feel so bad for people that are struggling and don't know God. If they did they would not be struggling.  If you put God first everything else falls into place.  It's so easy you would think more people would take advantage of God's graces.....I pray for these people.

Validating My Marriage

Of course we have run into yet another problem trying to get our ducks in order.  I talked to Sr. Annette yesterday at Mass and told her that my hubby's mother lied to him she did not have him baptized in the Presbyterian church. I spoke with the Pastor and he didn't have any record of my husbands baptism or the fact that his mother was a member there!  We are hoping that the Methodist church will have a baptismal record of him but we are not holding our breath!  Even if Chris is not baptized we still can move forward with the validation, which made me feel somewhat better.  I would love it if he was baptized but I really don't think that he would do it in the Catholic Church, That would be great if he became Catholic but the chances of that happening are slim to none!  Although he supports me in anything that I do, I don't think becoming Catholic or being baptized in another religion is on his agenda.  It's kind of sad, because he is missing out on the greatest gift of all.  But I can't force him it's his decision and I have to respect that.  I guess next time I get married (this is not happening!) I'll try and pick someone who is Catholic it would save me and them a lot of grief!

So on to bigger and better things....as long as I get confirmed that is all I have ever wanted.  Without being confirmed I can't really do anything in the Catholic Church and I want to participate more in my church because I feel that I am being called to do more.  Especially wanting to be able to give communion.  The call is so strong it's all I think about! I guess God is calling me to do more but He is also trying to teach me to be patient. That is not my strong suit!

A Change Of Plans

I went to Mass this morning and ran into Sr. Annette.....We talked about what my next step was to take and I was surprised to find out that I would not be able to get confirmed until my present marriage is valid, and to do that I need to make an appointment with Fr. Mark and there might be classes to attend, which is no big deal. I was a little worried that my hubby would not want to make a big deal out of this and could possibly decline to marry in the Church (this is something I do want to do!) I was not really shocked at his response but didn't  think that it would not be a resounding "whatever it takes, we will do it!" I know better than this he has always supported me in anything I've wanted to do!  He's a great guy, I've very lucky to have him!

So little by little I am inching toward being a "COMPLETE CATHOLIC".  I am so excited about the process, each step I take it that much closer to to my goal.  I'm not really in a big hurry to get all of this done I want to enjoy the journey as each task is started and completed.  Something that I probably would have not  wanted to do if  I were younger.....always in a hurry to get things done and over with.  I think this is the good Lord allowing this to happen at this time in my life when I can take it slow and appreciate each minute of the journey.  There are a lot of things that are not so great about getting older, but having patience and letting things unfold at a slower pace is one thing that is good!

Almost A Complete Catholic

I am well on my way to being a "Complete Catholic", I got my letter from the Tribunal yesterday and my first marriage was annulled!  I am no longer married to my first husband in the eyes of the Church!  I'm sure I will have to have my present marriage blessed in the Church which is not a big deal but the thing I've wanted most and what prompted me to get the annulment to begin with is that fact that I was not confirmed as a kid. Of course that was another long story that I will not get into now.

I am so excited at the fact that I am eligible to attend the classes to get confirmed!  I'm sure it won't happen until Spring but that is okay....I can wait, I've waited this long a few more months are going to kill me!  After  I get confirmed I want to attend classes to be able to give communion.  I think when things get into place I will be doing a lot more in my parish.  I didn't realize all the things there are for lay people to do in the church and I want to be involved with all of that.....but can't do anything until I get confirmed!!   I have to say...THANK YOU JESUS!