[Gamecock]

Former Catholics?!?

I’ve been told may times, right here on RF, that there is no such thing. Once a Roman Catholic always a Roman Catholic.

Which is it?

[Salvation]

Did you read any of the stories? They realized they were missing something. They were always Catholics.

[metmom]

I wish they’d make up their minds....

[Mrs. Don-o]

The confusion comes because there are different, partially overlapping senses of the word Catholic. It is a hypernym with a wide semantic field.

(I just learned those words and am taking them for a test drive.)

"Catholic" has a Sacramental sense (if you're baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit;) an ecclesial sense (if you're a subject of the Bishop of Rome); a demographic sense (if you're registered as a member of a parish); a participatory sense (if you're in a State of Grace and living the sacramental life); a cultural sense (if you're named Stacziu Przybyszewski), etc.

I'll admit it can be perplexing. There's a sense in which you're Catholic, Gamecock, and so are you, metmom, and always will be. Perplexing indeed!