Conversion Class

Thank you for your interest in the Catholic Faith. The Lord has called each of us to both know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him so that we may be with Him forever in the life to come. For this purpose He has given to us His Church, and has left us the ability to know Him through Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture. We are further able to experience Him, and His grace, through the Sacraments of the Church, through the love of our neighbor, and through the prayers and the saints of the Church. This is what you will be learning about because God is drawing you to Himself.

Classes are held on Monday nights at 7:00 p.m. in Fr. Felten Hall at Old St. Mary’s. The hall is located down the driveway between the church and school building. At the end of the driveway as you enter the courtyard, go up the steps to your left into Fr. Felten Hall. There will be various presenters between the priests and the laity in the parish.

Attendance at class is important. The Faith is a mixture of what God has revealed to us to know and also our own practice of the Faith. So please make sure you are diligent in your attendance. We know that things at time come up, such as sickness, and if you will be absent, please make sure we know in advance. If you don’t attend regularly, this will be something that may delay your entry into the Church. Our heart is where we put our priorities.

It is also important to begin adopting Catholic practice now, such as attending Mass, observing the Fast laws (like no meat or some other sacrifice on Fridays of the year, no meat on Fridays of Lent, etc), praying (such as the Rosary, reading Sacred Scripture, etc), doing works of charity, giving alms, supporting the Church, and just getting to know fellow parishioners. While you are not required to do so yet, if this will be the rest of your life, why delay until tomorrow what you can do today?

Everyone will be coming from a different place, with various levels of knowledge and experience of the Church. There is no “dumb” question, so never be afraid to ask something, or for a clarification if you don’t understand something. Over the months there will be individual meetings with each person in the class to discus each persons individual circumstances. Everyone will need a sponsor who is practicing Catholic, a good example, and otherwise meets the basic requirements of the Church. If you don’t know anyone, we will help you find a sponsor.

Please note that you can only register for a parish after you have become Catholic.

Before the first class, please have filled out the following informational form: https://forms.gle/8fKJGgJGABpxFV218

Please also review the syllabus for class: Class Syllabus

You can also find important dates on this document, especially for those who will be baptized at the Easter Vigil: Important Dates

The classes will have various themes, with your reading coming from the Baltimore Catechism. A book will be provided to you, but you can also find the readings here: Baltimore Catechism 3.

For Class 1, please have chapters 1, 2, & 3 read in advance. You can find the full schedule on the class syllabus or below. The first class will begin at 6:45 p.m. while all other classes will begin at 7:00 p.m.

Thank you for your interest. Know that you will be in the priests, sisters, and parishioners daily prayers as you make this discernment!