As I get further and further into Catholicism, I find myself loving the power of prayer. I love that I can pray for someone and that it can make a difference. It makes me feel helpful in circumstances where I can physically be of little help or have no control. I can always pray and know that others praying alongside me can facilitate powerful change.

However, I have definitely found it challenging to remember who all I need to pray for and who I’ve offered to pray for, especially when you’re trying to mentally add that homeless man you saw by the side of the road and other people you may not know personally.

I recently came across an article that talked about Catholic Prayer Lists and how many Catholics keep these handy. Seems like an obvious idea that had not occurred to me :). So for now, I have started my own informal list. I added it to a plain old notebook I started where I jot down prayers and Bible passages I want to remember, books I want to read and changes I want to make in  my life.

I’d love to know where you keep your prayer list. Is it on a note inside your Bible? On your phone? On the refrigerator?

I came across a Prayer List app for the iPhone that I think I may try. I also came across this blog post about an individual who goes through the contacts in their Blackberry offering a short prayer for each. Nice idea. They also note a priest who kept a leather bound book with lines and lines of people who he needed to pray for, crossing out a name as he completed the task.

The day I planned to do this post a friend of mine posted on Facebook a white board her family has placed in their kitchen with a list of what they need to pray for. On the left is what they are Praying For and on the right is what they are Praising For (thankful for). She notes: “I thought we needed to keep ourselves in perspective by listing things we were thankful for as well as needs.” Another great idea and this really keeps it top of mind so you don’t forget. See photo above.

Please share if you keep a prayer list and the form it takes. Thanks for reading and let me know if I can add you to my prayer list!

Having been exposed to many other religions growing up, I was very familiar with Christianity. But one thing (among many) that Catholicism offers unique of all Christian religions is the saints. We’ve all heard of saints like St. Patrick or St. Francis, but I suppose I never gave much thought about what the term “saint” meant until now.

Many people give Catholicism much flack over the saints, saying they are given too much emphasis when the focus should be solely on the Holy Trinity. But, I love the concept of saints. It gives me something to relate to and a model to strive toward. These were real people, with sin, who made the absolute best of their lives. Yes, I want to follow Jesus, but he was God and I am not. Following the path of an everyday person gives me so much hope for what we can all accomplish. I am so intrigued by this and wonder how, and why, they became saints. What was their path to Catholicism, how did they overcome obstacles, what enabled them to utterly and completely give their live up to God?

Studying these fascinating people helps me grow on my own spiritual path. It’s so inspiring to read about some saints like St. Augustine, who didn’t start out on the holiest of paths. If such sinners can become such saints, there is hope for me indeed!

When you learn about the Catholic church, you understand that the saints are never given precedence over the Holy Trinity. But rather they have been deemed as already in heaven at God’s throne and able to pray for you to God, on your behalf, if you ask.  They are not themselves able to grant requests or miracles, but rather by praying to God, who makes it happen. It’s explained that just as if you would ask a friend or a parent to pray for you or your family, so can you ask a saint to pray for you or your family. They’re just that much closer to God than those of us here on earth.

I find it impossible to ignore the sheer numbers of miracles brought about from those who’ve prayed to a saint. Even if you don’t believe in miracles, isn’t there something to be said that this many people over this long period of time have claimed such occurrences? There must be something to it. For my part, I even see small everyday miracles in my own life that give me faith.

Many people feel connected to or are drawn to a certain saint, whom they devote themselves to. I, thus far, have been drawn to St. Benedict. Though not much is known about him, except through one slightly over the top biography that’s hard to separate fact from dramatic fiction, I am fascinated by his Rule of St. Benedict for monasteries, something that many lay people have taken as a guide to joyful living and moderation in their own lives.

What do you think of the saints? Which saints speak to you and why? I’d love to hear stories of others’ connections to saints. Please share!

I love this email program that my RCIA leader shared with us a few months ago. I’ve long felt like I wanted to explore the Catechism of the Catholic Church in more depth, but it seemed a tad overwhelming. To date, I’ve just looked up a topic I was interested in and read a short blurb or two. Enter Read the Catechism in a Year.

It’s a free email program that you sign up for and daily receive a successive portion of the Catechism in your inbox. Read it in line at the grocery, waiting for your Starbucks coffee or during a quiet moment at lunch. I find I really look forward to reading this every day. Even on a few crazy days, like Christmas, where I didn’t get to it, it was easy to catch up in the next few days.

I’ve even noticed that a lot of what we may be talking about at Mass or even my RCIA class often seem to match up with the day’s topics on the email. And, as you’ll likely start to find like me, when you get serious about Catholicism, the right words just pop up at the right time :). It’s amazing to me how often that happens! God is incredible!

The Catechism in a Year email is powered by Flocknote and actually started Oct. 11, 2012. But I don’t see any reason why you can’t just pick it up at any time and continue on to finish the parts you missed early on. Or feel free to go to their website (which I think they send to you when you sign up for the email) and read it there if you want to catch up now.

This is absolutely one of my favorite finds. To see more resources I’ve found helpful, check out my Catholic Newbie Resources
page. Let me know if you sign up for Catechism in a Year (sign up here) or if you know of any other great free resources I’ve missed. Happy reading!

As someone looking to become Catholic, I wondered very early on in my journey about what I could and could not do. I wanted to participate as much as possible but, of course, follow the rules of the church. I thought I might not be the only one confused about what you can participate in as a non-Catholic going to Catholic Mass, so here’s what I’ve learned:

What You CAN Do:

• Make the sign of the cross with holy water when you enter the chapel IF you have been baptized. Making the sign of the cross with the holy water is a remembrance of your baptism.
• Genuflect or bow toward the altar as you enter the pew.
• Do everything at Mass, including kneeling, responding and singing EXCEPT take communion/accept the Eucharist.
• Instead, you CAN go up in line for communion, but simply cross your arms over your chest and the priest will give you a blessing instead of bread and wine (many people do this, including children too young to receive communion so you will be among many). I almost always go up for a blessing; I figure the more blessings the better! 🙂
• Attend daily Mass.
• Receive any form of blessing (including those for the sick).
• Attend Holy Adoration
• Visit the Blessed Sacrament
• I believe you can go to confession/reconciliation, but you might want to wait on that until you become Catholic so you’ll have a better idea of what to do. Someone correct me if I’m wrong!
• Pray, including the Rosary and the Liturgy of the Hours.

What You CAN’T Do (a short list!):

• Take the Eucharist
• Receive an anointing
• Help with various aspects of Mass, such as serving as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.

This is certainly not an official list, but only an observation of what I’ve learned and asked thus far.

It’s amazing how short the CAN’T list is. I always wrongly assumed that I’d be excluded from most things as a non-Catholic, but once I bothered to look into it, I found I was completely wrong. Catholicism can seem closed to outsiders because there is so much ritual involved that newcomers may not know, but the truth is it’s incredibly open and inviting to anyone who truly wants to participate. You just have to make the effort to learn the ritual so you can join along.

What did I miss on the list those of you much more knowledgeable than me?!