Are You a Convert or a Revert?

[CountrySteve]

I’m a convert, i was born into a protestant family, then i became buddhist for awhile and now im Catholic and im staying that way God bless

 

[Contra_Mundum_1]

Convert.

I was raised without religion and converted to the Catholic faith in my late teens.

 

[SonCatcher]

Revert. Baptized at an early age and raised in the Catholic Church, I was led to worship for a time in a Southern Baptist church by a Catholic family member. I never ceased to consider myself Catholic (likewise my relative, though he has hopped from church to church and is currently not attending anywhere). I felt God calling me back home almost since the beginning. Steve Ray was very influential in me learning the Catholic difference but it was actually a debate with a LACC minister that provided the impetus for my return (basically, he proved Petrine Primacy to me, though that was not his intent - I instantly realized that I must submit, even though I didn’t understand much else, yet).

 

[Aelred_Minor]

I’m a convert, though sometimes I feel like I’m half cradle-Catholic because of the young age at which I converted, and some Catholic doctrines I had “always” believed in.

I was raised in the United Methodist Church, knew I wanted to be Catholic by about age 16, joined RCIA my freshman year of college and was received that Easter Vigil about a month or two before my 19th birthday. Also I was taught about Purgatory as a little kid in Sunday School and always believed in it after that, and always had a sense of the Real Presence in communion, baptismal regeneration, and various other points of contact with the Catholic Church.

 

[GEddie]

Baptized as baby. Deconverted during adult faith crisis. Became Protestant, moved from church to church, found scriptures that only make sense as a Catholic (1); reverted after five years.

ICXC NIKA

1). In Malachi and 1 Corinthians

 

[Gordon_Sims]

I went with life-long Catholic. I was born & raised Catholic, but did have a period of drifting away from the Church in my college years, and a lot of difficulty returning for many years thereafter. Regardless, I always considered myself Catholic during that time. I’ve been working diligently at becoming a better Catholic over the last few years, though.

 

[choose_to_love]

Convert, from non-practicing Methodism, i.e., went to Methodist sunday school and confirmation as a child, then stopped practicing, then converted in my early 30’s. Thankfully I had an orthodox RCIA instructor. Mom is regular church-going Methodist, one of the pillars of her ecclesial community, in her own way; Dad was a non-practicing Catholic; my sister, AFAIK, does not practice anything.

 

[acarlson]

Convert. . . at least at heart . I was never a formal member of ANY faith until I was received into the Catholic Church, so I don’t know if that counts as a conversion by technical standards.

 

[AnneTeresa]

It makes sense to me that there are so many converts/reverts here. We are looking to learn the faith, something many of us never got the first time around.

 

[Church_Militant]

I’m a convert, though sometimes I feel like I’m half cradle-Catholic because of the young age at which I converted, and **some Catholic doctrines I had “always” believed in. **

I was raised in the United Methodist Church, knew I wanted to be Catholic by about age 16, joined RCIA my freshman year of college and was received that Easter Vigil about a month or two before my 19th birthday. Also I was taught about Purgatory as a little kid in Sunday School and always believed in it after that, and always had a sense of the Real Presence in communion, baptismal regeneration, and various other points of contact with the Catholic Church.

It was so funny (and poignant) that when I told my wife that I thought I wanted to come home to the Catholic Church, she responded, “That’s okay Honey. I’ve been Catholic at heart all my life.” :doh2: I felt stupid. All these years married to her and I missed that? Then I remembered, her mom’s side of the family were Catholics. Two of which were nuns and one, my wife is named after! At least one or two of her aunts were teachers in Catholic schools!

Sometimes I haz to studies…'cuz I ain’t too swift on the uptake…

 

[pismopal]

I am a former Methodist…Baptist and generic non affiliated denom. Converted when I was 58 and I went alone. My wife and the rest of my lovely family stayed behind. Am I discouraged? Not in the least…I would never go back…I did not go off half cocked when I made the swim…if I may mix my metaphores.

 

[Church_Militant]

It makes sense to me that there are so many converts/reverts here. We are looking to learn the faith, something many of us never got the first time around.

Yep…it would have helped had I paid attention in 12 years of religion classes and Mass.

 

[Iron_Donkey]

I’m a revert. God has been calling me Home and i’m so thankful and grateful for it. I’m looking forward to going to Mass tonight for All-Saints Day.

And, as they say, now we’re all culpable. (I’d put a smiley here, except I’m allergic.)

Life long Catholic here, though it was not until I was 17 or 18 that I actually began to learn exactly what that means. Still working on that now, think it’ll keep me busy for a good long time.

 

[ladybrandon1134]

I am a revert. I was baptized a Catholic, then converted to 7th day adventist, then about 10 years ago, I returned to the Church. I dont think I learned much about my faith in grade school and high school, both Catholic schools except for 7 & 8 grades when I was in public jr. high.

Gradually, while a SDA, I got a computer and began to read posts from evangelical and fundamentalist Protestants who attacked the Church. I knew they were wrong but could not cite any sources for my knowledge. I began reading the history of the Church, the Fathers of the Church and just about everything Catholic I could get my hands on. I don’t think I converted many evangelicals or fundamentalists but it made me appreciate my own faith and I found my way back home witrh God’s help. Jesus was VERY merciful. I now love and appreciate the faith which I took for granted growing up. The pastor of the 7th day Adventist church came to my workplace and home wanting to know if my family was trying to kidnap me from their faith and claiming that my parents were keeping me prisoner. They were very rude and forceful. We almost called the police but they finally left our house.

Praise God for His One,Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church!!!

Diane Giova

 

[Sirach2]

Church Militant:

Yep…it would have helped had I paid attention in 12 years of religion classes and Mass.

Well, I paid good attention! The saying somewhere is, that if you train a child well, he will return to his roots after making a U-turn into non-religious ways. I reverted around 37 years old because I remembered those truths and knew where to go. What a wonderful journey it has been to come home!

 

[TheRealJuliane]

Revert. I was baptized, got my First Communion but then my convert mother passed away when I was 10 and my also-convert father stopped going to church entirely. All of my mother’s devotion to the Church gradually faded away…I also missed my confirmation and any further catechism.

As I hit my teen years, I considered myself a pagan, then a witch, dabbled in Buddhism, new age, and pop psychology (its own religion). Did not consider myself a Catholic, really.

Married a lapsed Catholic like I was. (Civilly, of course.)

Got pregnant. Got very ill. Lost a lot of weight. Prayed that the baby would be OK, promised God I would do as He willed if He would help me make sure the baby was healthy. The baby was healthy, I thanked God, He told me to go back to Church. I did.



Ecstatically happy to be home!!! I love our faith. I love our Church. I love the saints!!!

 

[Marie5890]

I did vote the most accurate option. Revert.

But not really a revert. Was I baptized a Catholic as an infant? Yes.
Was I ever a really practicing Catholic? No.

I was a Mormon for most of my young adulthood however.
I do believe it was the grace of my Catholic baptism that 1)help me get out of Mormonism and 2) lead me back home.

That plus the multitude of my grandmother’s faith and prayers. Perhaps not specifically for that intention, but for me in general. And I expect my entire family

 

[wondrousgnat]

Leaving the Catholic church was the second best thing I ever did. It helped me to appreciate the church much more so than I would have if I had stayed. Returning was number one.

 

[wondrousgnat]

Baptized as baby. Deconverted during adult faith crisis. Became Protestant, moved from church to church, found scriptures that only make sense as a Catholic (1); reverted after five years.

ICXC NIKA

1). In Malachi and 1 Corinthians

Hi. I moved recently and joined a new parish. Around the crucifix are the letters:
IC XC
NI KA
What does it mean?

 

[Lifesong]

Lifelong Methodist but had a devout Catholic grandmother who married a Baptist hence my Methodist mom Two of my siblings converted to Catholicism as young adults. I married a lapsed Catholic with a minister and priest on board at the Methodist Church (I thank my mother in law for having the foresight to make us valid from the git go and insisting on the priest) and because my husband chose to be lapsed and I did not know much better we raised our kids Methodist which was really kind of a fall back thing because I was not really spirtually focused in all in my life. Long story short one of my kids became very ill four years ago and I became reacquainted with Jesus which led to four years of Bible study and becoming very active in my Methodist Church. One of those activities was talking my lapsed Catholic husband into helping me give communion at the Contemporary Service and afterwards he freaked out He was so lapsed he did not know about Euchartistic ministers at the time but the real issue was what communion meant to him and what it meant to me. In an effort to understand where my husband was coming from started studying Catholicism out of interest but the Holy Spirit had other ideas So now I am in RCIA, bringing a revert in with me. Nice sidenote- my grandmother who kept going to her Church even though excommunicated for marrying my grandfather was received back into the Church with validation of the marriage on their 35th wedding anniversary. Number of years married to my lapsed Catholic husband- 35. There are no coincidences.

Blessings,

Val