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a "real" Catholic, plus you get to dress up in a pretty dress -- what a great deal for any little girl! Growing up Presbyterian, I must tell you there was nothing to get excited about in church, no rites of passage except "joining the church" as a teenager (which entitled one to receive a shot glass of grape juice and a wafer or Ritz cracker, self-service style -- passed down the pew on a tray -- on the rather rare occasions this sacrament that never felt sacred was offered); long, haranguing sermons every Sunday; and, of course, no opportunity to unload the enormous childish guilt for very minor sins in confession. I always thought I wuz robbed!
How nice it would have been to be able to go to confession and admit "I was mean to my mother, I was mean to my brothers, I hit my brothers, I lied to my mother, I called a schoolmate a name" and all the other petty stuff that we were very much made to feel guilt for but given no way to atone for. You always hear about "Catholic guilt" but in my experience (and that of my husband and many other ex-Protestants I've discussed this with) Protestant children are loaded up with guilt. I found just as much emphasis on the sinful nature of humans (and no provision for unloading guilt or atonement) in other Protestant churches (Baptist, Episcopalian, Methodist.) Quakers are better on that score but there is no liturgy at all. Theologically, I can see the intellectual arguments for or against the need for liturgy but in my heart, liturgy wins out. There is much in life that is not strictly necessary but makes living more pleasant. Obviously, all these denominations have contented members, but none of them suited me. So that, in a nutshell, is why many adult Protestants become Catholic: a recognition of the need for the sacraments your Elizabeth is now experiencing as a child of seven or eight. :-)
Congratulations to her and to you! It's a great time for your family.
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