Comments on: Being Catholic In Tennessee

By: Fr. Christian Mathis

Fr. Christian Mathis — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 11:12:00 +0000

Wow! I never knew the Cathedral had that many candidates. I would love to see something like that in our parish.

By: The Ironic Catholic

The Ironic Catholic — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 03:20:00 +0000

I was unnerved by the number of Catholics in MN when I moved here from the homeland (Virginia via TN). It just was odd and unusual to me.

One other point of interest–when I lived in Nashville, apparently the Cathedral there had the largest number of RCIA candidates of any parish in the USA multiple years running. (In the 200+ range). My friends here wonder why I shake my head when we’re so darn proud we have four!

By: Kris

Kris — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 00:24:00 +0000

Now my suspisions are confirmed….we do live out in the desert, so to speak! (We’re in Southern middle TN.)

By: Fr. Christian Mathis

Fr. Christian Mathis — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 17:24:00 +0000

I thought that was interesting too, and yes this post was written in Georgia. How did you know?

By: Fr. Christian Mathis

Fr. Christian Mathis — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 17:23:00 +0000

I hope that you will!

By: Byron Patrick Mathis

Byron Patrick Mathis — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 16:06:00 +0000

I find it interesting that the picture they used for the Catholic Church in Georgia is a picture of St Gerard, the church I attend. What are the chances of that!

By: Marty Sanders

Marty Sanders — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 15:52:00 +0000

What wonderful thoughts, Fr. Chris! I have lived in Tennessee all of my life with my parents being converts to Catholicism from the Baptist Church. Many times I have been told by others (including some friends) that I worshiped statues, the Pope and would be going to hell! Having to deal with such misconceptions has made me much more tolerant of other faiths. To be able to dialogue with other religions, we must understand ourselves, so that we can open up to others. We must trust that our own identity won’t be violated by entering into dialogue with others. We are all brother and sisters, children of the same Father. Brothers and sisters treat each other with love, as in the Golden Rule. As it says in Proverbs, “iron sharpens iron.” By engaging with one another, we deepen our understanding of our own faith traditions as well as build bridges of trust and understanding with one another. The Word of God is like a ‘double-edged sword’ and it is with this that we are to sharpen one another – in times of meeting, fellowship, or any other interaction.

By: Byron Patrick Mathis

Byron Patrick Mathis — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 15:47:00 +0000

I’m not sure, but there is a good possibility that you penned this while in Georgia.

By: Margaret_at_FeliceMiFa

Margaret_at_FeliceMiFa — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 13:37:00 +0000

I’m always trying to convince my students in MA that their experience of being Catholic in the Northeast is WAY different than the experience of Catholics in other parts of the country. They usually don’t get it. I might have to share this post with them.