This is exactly why I was putting it off

[sal_amanda]

I've been putting off calling my church rectory for that godparent letter I need.  I finally sucked it up and called after getting Nora down for her nap this afternoon.  And wouldn't you know I got the head priest on the phone.  I tell him I need the letter and he asks for my name, and he spells it correctly.  He pulls me up on his computer, rattles off some facts, like that my husband John is not Catholic, and my daughter Eleanor was baptised there in 2007.  Oh, and that I'm not really using my envelopes since they only have record of receiving two last year.  He makes some comment about how he knows it's hard to make it when you have small children.  How am I supposed to respond to that exactly? 

So he asks if I can come to mass this weekend and say hello to him and get the letter.  I tell him that I'm working on Sunday, which is the truth.  I have a home visit scheduled.  I then suggest I could come by on Monday to pick it up.  He very reluctantly agrees and says that I should try to stop in and say hello to him if he's there.  Yeah, I'm hoping he's not there.  I was going to wait and get it after I drop Nora off at daycare, but now I'm thinking I should bring her with me so I have an excuse to get the hell out of there (no pun intended).

Damned Catholic guilt.  Just one reason why I don't go so often anymore.

Comments

[rockinlibrarian.livejournal.com]

Huh, I GO to church nearly every week but nearly always forget my envelope. And it's a big church. Suddenly I wonder if I should be more careful about those envelopes.

[sal_amanda]

Exactly. There must be numerous people who do that and it's not fair to use that as the only tracking system just because it's a large parish where it's impossible to know everyone.

[busybusymama.livejournal.com]

You know what I don't get? You could do everything in your life "right" and yet still, there would be that insistence that you are not a good Catholic unless you go to church every week.

why is that?

Maybe that's why so many Catholics have the mistaken impression that ALL they have to do is go to church every week??

I've been letting this slowly fester in me, ever since my priest got on my case about not going to church often enough.

[sal_amanda]

I could not possibly agree with you more.

[busybusymama.livejournal.com]

I was actually considering going to a different church, for a while. But Catholicism is apparently too deeply rooted in me. I feel like other churches offer so much more to kids in "Sunday school" than Jacob gets in CCD. I'm not even sure what he is learning, to be honest.

Why is it I just can't leave the Catholic Church? I definitely don't feel like it is the "only" way (like we are supposed to believe). --guess that's yet another thing the priest wouldn't like. :)

[sal_amanda]

Again, I completely agree. I often think that I'd be happier as a Unitarian. They're so open and accepting. My neighbors go there and their children's program has them learning about lots of different religions. And you're so right. I don't think I learned one single thing in my Catholic Sunday school. But I just can't seem to leave, either. Nora's godmother and I used to believe we could somehow change it from the inside. Probably not likely, but I still can't let it go. What is wrong with us? ;)