Are You a Convert or a Revert?

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I was a Methodist when I married my cradle Catholic wife.
My wife prayed daily (through The Rosary) for 10 years for God to open my eyes to conversion and one Saturday morning I suddenly sat bolt upright in bed and somehow knew the Catholic Church was the true Church. Immediately after breakfast I jumped into the car and drove to the Catholic Cathedral to find out what to do and was directed to Our Lady Of Perpetual Help Church where the priest I spoke to was about to start the first ever RCIA class there a few days later and although he said the class was full he made room for me. The following Easter I became a Catholic. That was in 1992.
This all happened in Singapore where I was working.
 
thistle said:
I was a Methodist when I married my cradle Catholic wife.
My wife prayed daily (through The Rosary) for 10 years for God to open my eyes to conversion and one Saturday morning I suddenly sat bolt upright in bed and somehow knew the Catholic Church was the true Church. Immediately after breakfast** I jumped into the car and drove to the Catholic Cathedral to find out what to do and was directed to Our Lady Of Perpetual Help Church where the priest I spoke to was about to start the first ever RCIA class there a few days later and although he said the class was full he made room for me. **The following Easter I became a Catholic. That was in 1992.
This all happened in Singapore where I was working.
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Wow. 👍
 
I posted to this thread earlier, but I thought some additional information might prove helpful.

I was an Anglo-Catholic Episcopalian, thus much of the ritual of the Mass was very familiar to me. Several parishes I attended added Catholic prayers to their liturgy, such as, “Lord, I am not worthy…” and “May the Lord receive this Sacrifice…” Many of those parishes also replaced the Book of Common Prayer’s “The Gifts of God for the people of God,” with “Behold the Lamb of God, Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Bless-ed are they who are called to the Supper of the Lamb.”

After Cardinal Newman’s Beatification, I reread most of his works, and came to the conclusion that ‘Via Media’ was untenable–that the Roman Catholic Church was indeed the truly catholic church. It still took me some time after that to actually ‘Cross the Tiber’. I started RCIA classes at two different parishes, before going through with it this past Easter. When I did so, I took the name, ‘John Henry’ (for John Henry Newman) as my Confirmation name.

That was not an easy decision to make. There is much to admire in Anglicanism. I regret the many schismatic movements within the Anglican Communion, and am horrified by what I see as the inevitability of the American Church’s leaving. The Anglican Communion has brought Christianity to millions of souls in Africa, the West Indies, and in other parts of what was the British Empire. It took me numerous discussions with a spiritual director, and with other former Episcopalians, before I was certain of what I felt called to do. One thing with which I was greatly impressed, during this process, was the fact that at no time was any pressure put on me by Roman priests with whom I spoke, to convert.

In some ways, I do not see it as a conversion per se. My beliefs, while somewhat different from the mainstream Episcopal Church, to begin with, are not very different from what they were before. I always accepted Transubstantiation as Truth; always believed in the orthodox interpretation of the Holy Trinity; frequently did Confessions; and often included Marian devotions, such as the Rosary, in my prayer life, before I became a Catholic.

Unlike may Episcopalians who have done so, I did not leave the Episcopal Church out of anger, or from a belief that it had become ‘too liberal’. It was more out of a conviction that Catholicism was calling me, and that I could best serve God’s Will for me by becoming a Catholic.

I find a much greater sense of joy in the celebration of the Eucharist in the Roman Church, and a much greater sense of purpose.
 
Bonnie said:
Convert. Started out in the Methodist church, Mom changed to Baptist when I was a toddler, in my teens found the Jesus freaks & was Pentecostal for a few years, then nothing. Until the Holy Spirit nudged me into the Catholic Church. :dancing:

For some years I’ve been objecting to the protestantization (is that a word?) of the Catholic Church. I tell anyone who will listen (& a few who won’t) that I didn’t go through all that trouble to become a Catholic only to be made a protestant again. I’m fervently hoping & praying that the corrections in the liturgy will help keep the Catholic Church Catholic!
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Hi curious about your comment regarding “Protestantization” of the Church. Is this just your own parish (sometimes it seems a parish goes astray such as the ban on wine at Communion in Phoenix…good grief!) or do you see this happening around the country?

Having been a Methodist, I truly see huge differences between that world and my Catholic faith. Have also been to a number of evangelical churches and see little in common with the Church either in liturgy or in practice.

Lisa A
 
I was baptized Catholic and went to Catholic school K-6th. We never went to Sunday Mass as a child but I did go twice a month with the rest of the school. My particular school taught us Grammar, Mathematics, History, Science, and Literature very well. However, religion education wasn’t their strong suit.

Irregardless, my ties to the Church were cut when I started to go to public school in 7th Grade. I became agnostic.

Last year I started to go to Mass again, albeit for more cultural reasons than religious ones. Over the next few months, I basically had a self taught crash course in catechesis. (At this point I realized that I didn’t deserve my A+ in religion class. 😉 ). I had some problems with Church teachings for several months more, but I eventually realized my errors and went to confession.

I absolutely love being Catholic! I love the Mass. (I’m leaving for my monthly visit to the TLM in about an hour. :D) The sacraments are such a great gift. I mean, we have the Eucharist available to us at any time! You can’t have a more ‘personal relationship with Jesus’ than that! 👍
 
Paxvobis said:
I was baptized Catholic and went to Catholic school K-6th. We never went to Sunday Mass as a child but I did go twice a month with the rest of the school. My particular school taught us Grammar, Mathematics, History, Science, and Literature very well. However, religion education wasn’t their strong suit.

Irregardless, my ties to the Church were cut when I started to go to public school in 7th Grade. I became agnostic.

Last year I started to go to Mass again, albeit for more cultural reasons than religious ones. Over the next few months, I basically had a self taught crash course in catechesis. (At this point I realized that I didn’t deserve my A+ in religion class. 😉 ). I had some problems with Church teachings for several months more, but I eventually realized my errors and went to confession.

I absolutely love being Catholic! I love the Mass. (I’m leaving for my monthly visit to the TLM in about an hour. :D) The sacraments are such a great gift. I mean, we have the Eucharist available to us at any time! You can’t have a more ‘personal relationship with Jesus’ than that! 👍
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Exactly! That’s why I love being Catholic. I can have a personal relationship with Jesus every day. 👍
 
LisaA said:
Hi curious about your comment regarding “Protestantization” of the Church. Is this just your own parish (sometimes it seems a parish goes astray such as the ban on wine at Communion in Phoenix…good grief!) or do you see this happening around the country?
Lisa A
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I can only speak about the parish I’m in. It’s mainly the music & an attitude that always feels more Protestant than Catholic. I once discussed this with another convert & he was able to put it in words better than I can. Wish I could remember what he said! The lack of altar rails (at least in our parish) has created a large empty space between us & the altar, the musicians are very prominent & until a former priest insisted they face the altar they faced their “audience;” they are right up front with their messy music stands & sing almost constantly in an effort to avoid silence. Today there were three songs during Communion. Quite distracting. Much of the music chosen are songs about us, sung to ourselves - the unholy trinity of Haas, Haugen, & Conry plus a few more. Today we had songs by all three.

Can you tell I’m a music snob? At least, that’s what I’ve been told! :rolleyes:

I have not yet been to a funeral that mentioned purgatory. I’ve left instructions that the priest is not to assume I’m in heaven, but to urge people to pray for me in purgatory. ;)**
 
I am a convert. I was baptized in Lutheran Church when I was a infant. Then my family just quit going. Then 30+ years later I started going to a Cumberland Presberterian Church / Methodist Union Church. After a couple years there I could not grasp what the CHurch of Christ preacher was preaching on Methodist Sundays. So after a couple of Sundays driving by the local Catholic Church something told me to turn in and check it out. I have been there for about 10 months now.
 
Bonnie said:
I can only speak about the parish I’m in. It’s mainly the music & an attitude that always feels more Protestant than Catholic. I once discussed this with another convert & he was able to put it in words better than I can. Wish I could remember what he said! The lack of altar rails (at least in our parish) has created a large empty space between us & the altar, the musicians are very prominent & until a former priest insisted they face the altar they faced their “audience;” they are right up front with their messy music stands & sing almost constantly in an effort to avoid silence. Today there were three songs during Communion. Quite distracting. Much of the music chosen are songs about us, sung to ourselves - the unholy trinity of Haas, Haugen, & Conry plus a few more. Today we had songs by all three.

Can you tell I’m a music snob? At least, that’s what I’ve been told! :rolleyes:

I have not yet been to a funeral that mentioned purgatory. I’ve left instructions that the priest is not to assume I’m in heaven, but to urge people to pray for me in purgatory. ;)**

Bonnie thank you so much for your thoughtful response. Just a thought, why not try another parish? Not sure where you live (I’m in Oregon so familiar with your state) but unless it’s a small town with one parish, you might feel more at home somewhere else. I am in contact with a number of Catholics at other parishes and have attended with them. Things are different depending on the music director, the priest, the facility etc. Much as I adore my parish, I’ve had friends who left because of one issue or the other. And some of our parishioners have come from other parishes in the area. You might find a more suitable church home if you look around. I don’t think Catholicism is being Protestantized so much as this is an issue with the particular parish.

Lisa A
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Lisa - When I can, I go to the vigil Mass - much better music. We are in a very rural area. Our 2 priests take care of 5 parishes. The next closest parish is OK, but my husband has trouble understanding the priest’s English. He’s a real sweetheart, & I prefer going to confession there. Unfortunately, the music at the vigil Mass there is unbearable - I’m simply not up to that much penance! We haven’t been able to make it to the Sunday Mass in quite a few years, so don’t know what the music is like for that Mass.

Just curious - where in Oregon are you? I grew up near Portland, & then lived for many years in Scappoose. When I go back to visit family, I attend Mass in Sherwood.
 
Bonnie said:
Lisa - When I can, I go to the vigil Mass - much better music. We are in a very rural area. Our 2 priests take care of 5 parishes. The next closest parish is OK, but my husband has trouble understanding the priest’s English. He’s a real sweetheart, & I prefer going to confession there. Unfortunately, the music at the vigil Mass there is unbearable - I’m simply not up to that much penance! We haven’t been able to make it to the Sunday Mass in quite a few years, so don’t know what the music is like for that Mass.

Just curious - where in Oregon are you? I grew up near Portland, & then lived for many years in Scappoose. When I go back to visit family, I attend Mass in Sherwood.
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Bonnie loved your comment about penance, yes I know the feeling. Attended a “youth Mass” and was a bit blasted out the door by the volume and heavy base. Also know what you mean about difficulty when the priest is not a native English speaker. I think we will be seeing more and more of this in the future.

I figured you were in a rural area and it’s not easy to find an alternative. I’m in Portland and there are four parishes that would be easy to attend. Just happens the closest one is where I feel most at home. I feel very blessed.

Lisa A
 
I’ve enjoyed reading these stories. In the category of “It’s never too late”, I have one to share.

My WELS Lutheran mother-in-law called one day. She normally does not suffer from anxiety, but she anxious was that day. She asked if I was going anywhere because she wanted to get out of the house. I invited her to attend Mass with me.

She had barely been to church anywhere in the last thirty years.

Fast forward two years later, November 2011. (Yes, last year.) She was received into the Church…at age 85.

😃
 
Church_Militant said:
And my very dear friend. It’s great to see you posting Dan!
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I’m trying to get back into the forums. I was bored with re-hashing the same old arguments endlessly, but I’m doing a bit of research for my apologetics class on Jehovah’s Witnesses, so you’ll likely see me a bit more in the near future!

It’s heartening to listen to Catholic radio (particularly CA Live) and read the conversion/reversion stories in the forums. The efforts of the folks at Catholic Answers, Ave Maria, Relevant Radio, etc. are bearing fruit!
 
Baptized in the Lutheran Church. Began the RCIA process in 2007 and was finally accepted into the Catholic Church in January 2010. The reason it took so long was repeated deployments to Afghanistan got in the way of me completing everything in a timely manner.

😉
 
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