Originally Posted by
piggi
I think your question is difficult to answer. The Catholicism we grew up with was very much a cultural force in Ireland (the way Judaism is in Israel) as well as a faith. I think many people long ago stopped believing the dogma but kept going to Mass (etc.) partly out of habit, partly out of not giving the neighbours something to say about them and partly out of fear. The latter is important -- fear stands at the back of the room in most religions...it is never emphasised, but it's why people are there!
I can only give you my take on the choices which face you - perhaps it will help, perhaps not:
Conversion is a very old-fashioned idea really. It conjures images of a man denouncing what he once believed and banging on the door of another Church, begging to be accepted while his family, friends and work-mates look on in tears.
As I see it the above is not something which you need to do -- rather, you can pursue your interest in Zen, which is all about cultivating a present awareness and living authentically. Over time I suspect that as you cultivate this authentic way of being the Catholicism will simply fade away of its own accord. Certainly the need to call yourself something (Catholic, Krishna, Jew, etc.) will also diminish.
Spiritual development is a sort of unfolding, marked by changes in our experience of life. Go with it and let the details take care of themselves!