Catholic Converts- What made you convert?

[GiannaMarie_JMJ]

Hello!

First off, I just want to say what a blessing it is to have this website to help me know the answers.
Second, I was interested in knowing what it was that convinced former Protestants that the Catholic Church is the True Church?

Thank you so much and God Bless,

GiananMarie_JMJ

 

[benidict]

Hello!

First off, I just want to say what a blessing it is to have this website to help me know the answers.
Second, I was interested in knowing what it was that convinced former Protestants that the Catholic Church is the True Church?

Thank you so much and God Bless,

GiananMarie_JMJ

long story short. a lutheran of Jewish descent. dreams, visions, and my Pit Bull being healed when he should have died. which i attribute to the intercession of the Holy Mother. Jesus even cares about our beloved animals…peace

 

[MelanieAnne]

It just made sense to me.

 

[BryanM27]

I’m with Melanie…it just made sense. And four years of Catholic HS certainly didn’t hurt

 

[SirThomasMore]

Let me say that for years I was VERY against the Catholic Church. After I left the LDS Church in 1989, I spent a lot of years going to different denominations looking for “home”. In the Army, I attended Chapel and was a worship leader.

In Feb 2002, I had this strange feeling I needed to go visit my grandfather who had been ill. I got the kids and drove from Dallas to Austin that next Saturday. He was very sick. I sat with him for awhile and we just talked. I asked him if he had any regrets in his long life. He said that he was sad that none of his children or grand-children ever followed him in the Catholic Church. That Saturday evening, we drove back to Dallas. The next day, he was rushed to hospital. The following Thursday, he died.

The next weekend, we went BACK to Austin for the funeral. Because I am an attorney and a public speaker, I was asked to do the readings at the Rosary Service and at the funeral. I felt honored. On the day of the funeral, I got to the church early. I sat in the back of the parish and watched a Spanish baptism. While sitting in the pew, I heard a voice very strong behind me. The voice said, “Now you are home”. I looked around to see who had spoken. There was no one there. Then, all of a sudden, I had a strange feeling of peace and contentment that engulfed me.

After the funeral, while on my way back to Lancaster (just outside Dallas, and where I served as a city councilman), I called the Mayor, who was Catholic, and told him I needed to become Catholic. He got me the Catechism. I read it cover to cover. I then read book after book after book. I was NOT going to make another mistake like I did joining the Mormon Church. I tried to find fault in Catholic teachings. I couldn’t. I read everything I could get my hands on. I was a constant customer to Sacred Heart Catholic Bookstore. I expected it would take me a year to become Catholic, but, 2 months after I started, the Priest said I was more than ready to be confirmed…so I was- May 19, 2002.

God brought me “home”

 

[stormy99]

I was baptized a Presbyterian when I was twelve…didn’t think much of it and didn’t go to Church as a young adult. I married a Mormon in a Presbyterian Church…didn’t think much of that either until I was pressured to convert and I couldn’t. The basic tennets were not what I believed.

It took time and some searching but when I went to a Catholic Mass, I felt I was home. Everything felt right. It just clicked. I took RCIA classes and was confirmed at the Easter Vigil.

The Catholic Church offers me a way to find communion with God that fits me. You participate in Mass, the senses are involved. Everything just said. Come Home. And then it said…You are home now you can relax and grow in Christ.

stormy

 

[GiannaMarie_JMJ]

Thank you all so much for replying to this thread. The Holy Spirit is Definitily working through you all.

God Bless,

GiannaMarie_JMJ

 

[poetryforjesus]

Let me say that for years I was VERY against the Catholic Church. After I left the LDS Church in 1989, I spent a lot of years going to different denominations looking for “home”. In the Army, I attended Chapel and was a worship leader.

In Feb 2002, I had this strange feeling I needed to go visit my grandfather who had been ill. I got the kids and drove from Dallas to Austin that next Saturday. He was very sick. I sat with him for awhile and we just talked. I asked him if he had any regrets in his long life. He said that he was sad that none of his children or grand-children ever followed him in the Catholic Church. That Saturday evening, we drove back to Dallas. The next day, he was rushed to hospital. The following Thursday, he died.

The next weekend, we went BACK to Austin for the funeral. Because I am an attorney and a public speaker, I was asked to do the readings at the Rosary Service and at the funeral. I felt honored. On the day of the funeral, I got to the church early. I sat in the back of the parish and watched a Spanish baptism. While sitting in the pew, I heard a voice very strong behind me. The voice said, “Now you are home”. I looked around to see who had spoken. There was no one there. Then, all of a sudden, I had a strange feeling of peace and contentment that engulfed me.

After the funeral, while on my way back to Lancaster (just outside Dallas, and where I served as a city councilman), I called the Mayor, who was Catholic, and told him I needed to become Catholic. He got me the Catechism. I read it cover to cover. I then read book after book after book. I was NOT going to make another mistake like I did joining the Mormon Church. I tried to find fault in Catholic teachings. I couldn’t. I read everything I could get my hands on. I was a constant customer to Sacred Heart Catholic Bookstore. I expected it would take me a year to become Catholic, but, 2 months after I started, the Priest said I was more than ready to be confirmed…so I was- May 19, 2002.

God brought me “home”

What a moving story! Thank you for sharing.

 

[poetryforjesus]

I was really broken inside and one day when channel-surfing I came across EWTN, just some woman talking about her faith with Marcus Grodi (if I remember it right). Then three or four more years of watching EWTN. Then I just had to go to Mass and find a Catholic Church to join.

 

[jet100]

I was raised in a southern christian protestant family. My mom started taking me to church as a small child. I have been active in church my whole life. I would sing in the childrens’ choir, do vacation bible school, youth group, bible study, memorize bible verses and do volunteer work.
I was born with severe learning disabilities, Aspergers syndrome, OCD, ADD, LD, and APD. I have had a lot of therapy and doctors visits. I couldn’t speak, walk, write my name, or spell. My mom taught me everything, She taught me how to write, speak, and function in this world. She made me who I am today. I still struggle with my disabilities. People judge me and say I’m rude or blunt because I will say something absurd or crazy. It’s just my autism kicking in. I don’t know that I’m doing it or how to stop it. I have a hard time relating to people my own age. I never had many friends growing up because of it. I knew I always had God by my side.
I have always thought I was missing something in my religious life. That the practices we were doing wasn’t enough or devoted enough to God. I always had a amazing love for Mary and relating to her with a call from God.
I remember being 5 or 6years old not having many friends and sitting alone talking to God and Jesus. I would tell him all my feelings, problems, happiness, and love for him. I would talk to him like he was a human being sitting next to me holding my hand. I remember always talking to my self like somebody was there with me and listening to me, thinking back to that now, somebody was there. God, Mary, Jesus, and my guardian angel have always been there with me. My guardian angel has been my best friend and friend to me when nobody would befriend me. He was my there during all the years of sitting in doctors offices, therapist offices, and traveling.
God has always been calling me to religious life. He was whispering to me in my heart asking me to devote my whole entire life to him. He made me different for a reason to serve him and help the sick.
When I was 10years old my parents went through a nasty divorce. It spread all around town, people taking sides and gossiping about me. I would get funny looks in Wal Mart or the grocery store. My father was a very rich and powerful man. He was verbally abusive to me and very cruel. He was atheist and didn’t believe in church and God. He loved to mess with my mind and make me think things that weren’t real.
I went into an emotional breakdown when I was 13 years old from the divorce and my Father’s abuse. I had horrible anxiety attacks, I started self harming myself. I went into a deep depression. It was a dark night of my soul. I felt lost and had no control of any of this. The good Lord helped bring me out of my darkness. My mom prayed to God : “Lord change their Father or take him out of there" You know what the Good Lord did " He took him"
My father abandoned me in May of 2004 in Florida at a Mcdonalds. He dropped us off said " Goodbye" and walked out of my life. My uncle drove me home and dropped me off at my Mom’s house. I never saw my father’s family again nor my Father.
My father leaving me helped my emotional state of mind and my spiritual life. It brought me closer to God and changed me. God became the Father I never had. He was my constant and only stable being in my life.
In 2006, a year after my Father left town. My childhood best friend dropped dead of a heart attack from a stomach virus. She was only 15 years old!! I spent the whole day with her the day before she died. It’s crazy how one minute somebody is in your life and the next minute they aren’t. God really wanted his daughter home with him. I remember going outside after finding out she had died and asking God “Why” Why did you take her away from us? Why did she have to die? Why must I suffer more loss and heartache??
I came to terms that it was for His purpose to mold us into who we are today and our purposes on this earth.
My mom became deathly ill a year later in 2007. She caught C DIFF and toxic mega colon and lost her whole colon. She was hospitalized for 3months and I had to live on my own on our 150 acre farm by myself. I had to pay the bills, cook, clean, shop, do laundry and run the house and care for 25dogs and 10cats. I had to become an adult that day! I knew God was by my side in all those troubles and hard time. I asked him one day “God why all this loss and heartache in my life, why must I suffer” He whispered to my heart “It’s for my purpose to make you the woman you are today and to bring you closer to my love”
Last year when I started college I had another dark night of my soul. God became very distant from my life those few months. I felt like he wasn’t there. The Devil started tempting me with lust, pride, lies, and worldly desires. He wanted me to leave God and become “worldly”.
God brought me to my knees and pretty much spoke to me. I was crying out to the Lord to save me and make me a better person to serve him. I was sinning back and forth. I wasn’t a perfect person nor is anybody a perfect person.
I was crying out in agony to Our God for him to rescue me from these storms in my life. God rescued me and brought me to dry ground. He told me “I’ve been trying to tell you for years that your peace is as a Catholic nun and in the Church of Jesus Christ, which St. Peter helped to form.”
I knew that day I would never ever let Satan get the best of me again!
My heart yearns for becoming one with Jesus Christ; I want to serve him and the Church for the rest of my life. I want to go to that desert place and lay down my life for him. I want to dedicate everything I am to him. He is my everything and my constant in my life.
The thirst I have for him and serving him is intense and so full of fire… I just want to run into his arms and tell him everything. I want to wear all white and say my vows to him. I want to a bride of Christ and his spouse.

 

[yellowbird]

Wow!, jet ~ I love reading yours! May God bless you on your journey!!

For me it was Authority. Jesus didn’t pass out Bibles, he established a Chruch. When we rely on the Bible alone for our authority, it’s all left up to our personal interpretation - or the interpretation of our Pastor, and the result is a stew of confusion because who’s to say who’s interpretation is correct?

Also - the when I read the writings of the Earliest Chrisitans… those taughts by the Apostles - their beliefs were nothing like the teachings of my Evangelical Church. Communion was a footnote in my former church - of very little significance which certainly wasn’t the attitude of the early Christians.

 

[T_More]

Wonderful stories, Sir Thomas and jet!

I agree with yellowbird. It came down to authority with me, as well as history and reason. The Catholic Church makes sense. When I asked myself why Christ would hide His Church from the world under a different name other than the CC until the Reformation, there was no other choice I could make in good conscience. The Church has always been there, from the very beginning, through good times and bad. It’s a wonderful feeling knowing truth and finding His one true Church.

 

[SirThomasMore]

Wonderful stories, Sir Thomas and jet!

I agree with yellowbird. It came down to authority with me, as well as history and reason. The Catholic Church makes sense. When I asked myself why Christ would hide His Church from the world under a different name other than the CC until the Reformation, there was no other choice I could make in good conscience. The Church has always been there, from the very beginning, through good times and bad. It’s a wonderful feeling knowing truth and finding His one true Church.

What a blessing to read such testimonies

 

[Kdesiel]

I was born into a family of 10. 7 sisters and 3 brothers. I was raised LDS my Father was a convert and my Mothers side of the family had converted to the LDS faith generations ago in Ireland.
I went on a Mission, when I returned I was married in the temple, I served in the Elders Quorum Presidency. I was an active and productive member of the LDS church. I had felt my whole life that something was missing. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was but Ican honestly say I was not entirely happy but, what can you do? My wife was Mormon, my whole family was Mormon, I was a returned Missionary I held callings in the church, but in my heart something wasn’t right.
In my past time I would study and investigate other religions. It was sort of a hobby. I read the Koran, I read the Toaist Bible, I read the Teachings of Buddah, I read the Bible and the Book of Mormon along with the History of the LDS church. I just felt deep down I was searching for something but I wasn’t finding what I was looking for. I grew frustrated, the people closest to me didn’t want to hear my questions or provide answers especially questions pertaining to some of the questionable doctrines of the LDS church. One night lying in bed with a lot of just stuff rolling in my head a light clicked on. It wasn’t a voice, it was more a a feeling so strong, simply put I came to the realization “It wasn’t true.”
All that I had been brought up to believe wasn’t true. It was deeply emotional for me. I entered Dark spiritual waters.
While playing football in college a coach of mine had told me “The brightest dawn is always preceded by the darkest night.” These words rang true to me so I endured.

I coached Football for a short time at a Catholic High School in the area. Every Friday Morning the day before our home games the Team would attend Mass. I attended my first Team Mass. All my searching had come to an end. It was a powerful emotional experience for me. I had a feeling come over me, simply it said I was home. I found my local parish the next day. I did not hesitate to follow the path God had presented to me.
It was without a doubt the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, it has without a doubt been the most rewarding as well.

 

[stormy99]

Home…the feeling you are in the right place. My parish priest said when I told him that…you were listening when the Holy Spirit spoke to you. He speaks but we have to be listening…I thank God every day for the resurrection of his Son Jesus…my wall crufix is the last thing I see before I turn off my light and the first thing I see in the morning.

Home is a powerful, loving feeling.

stormy

 

[Nicea325]

Wow!, jet ~ I love reading yours! May God bless you on your journey!!

For me it was Authority. Jesus didn’t pass out Bibles, he established a Chruch. When we rely on the Bible alone for our authority, it’s all left up to our personal interpretation - or the interpretation of our Pastor, and the result is a stew of confusion because who’s to say who’s interpretation is correct?

Also - the when I read the writings of the Earliest Chrisitans… those taughts by the Apostles - their beliefs were nothing like the teachings of my Evangelical Church. Communion was a footnote in my former church - of very little significance which certainly wasn’t the attitude of the early Christians.

Yellowbird that is probably THE whole issue: AUTHORITY. You are correct Jesus didn’t hand out Bibles at Pentecost,but he founded His Church. The Bible-Alone was not taught by Jesus or the Apostles because if it was Jesus would have made it very clear. I am sure Jesus being God would have made some comment about salvation being hinged on scripture alone.

The Bible-Alone is bogus and as you stated has caused mass chaos and today’s thousands of different sects says it all.

 

[Nicea325]

Wonderful stories, Sir Thomas and jet!

I agree with yellowbird. It came down to authority with me, as well as history and reason. The Catholic Church makes sense. When I asked myself why Christ would hide His Church from the world under a different name other than the CC until the Reformation, there was no other choice I could make in good conscience. The Church has always been there, from the very beginning, through good times and bad. It’s a wonderful feeling knowing truth and finding His one true Church.

AMEN…brother…AMEN:thumbsup:

 

[autdrew]

I grew up as a nominal Baptist in a Polish Catholic neighborhood in Detroit. I was always drawn to the church at the end of my street. I told my mother I wanted to be a nun when I was 7. At 17 I began attending Mass with a friend, as well as saying an entire rosary daily. I dont know what drew me to the rosary.
But I didnt join! I wasnt sure, it seemed so complicated, so many rules etc. I still felt drawn. I started RCIA in 3 locations (we are military) but never stayed. I was running from Him.
Meanwhile, I had married & had two children. I had experienced a severe illness that left me in a lot of pain & using pain medications, the war started, husband gone, losing my mind. My life was falling apart.My marriage was falling apart.
After I went off the pain medication, I started seeing my life more clearly but was lost. There was a family from my husbands very small unit, that had a terrible car accident in which only the young daughter survived. I sat in the chapel memorial service & listened as person after person stood up and spoke about how devoted this couple was, to their country, to each other, to their children, to their faith (Mormon) and community. I was crying continuously thinking “I want that, I want that, I want that.”
I had been reading & trying to figure out what I believed. I knew I believed in Jesus.I knew I wanted to go to His church. I read one day that the Catholic Church was there since the beginning & that all the other denominations (except Orthodox) did not exist until the 1600s!! That they were protesting against the Catholic Church was why they were called Protestant. Can you believe I had never heard that & it had never occurred to me!!
In the end it was History & Authority as well as Jesus’ home.
1yr, almost to the day, my husband, my 2 children & myself were all received into the Church in that same chapel where I had been slapped with the Holy Spirit & saw the light. Our marriage is stronger than ever, our children are confirmed Catholics now & we only miss Mass if we are very ill. I substituted as an RCIA teacher & CCD, my husband taught CCD & both kids are altar servers. I have also become a Lector & EMHC, husband joined K of C. I did not want to turn my life to Jesus & not go all the way. I didnt want to be a hypocrite. I chose St Mary Magdalene as my Saint because she was not only the Patron Saint of Converts & Penitent Sinners, her life wasnt going well until she started following Jesus, once she turned her life over to Him, she never left Him. She was there the whole way, up to & including the Resurrection, and her life was blessed because of it.
Its been amazing & I am so happy to be Catholic. I love to read & as I delve more deeply into Catholic life, the more I appreciate the beauty, depth, & breadth of the Catholic Faith, I will never run out of things to learn!

Lisa
Tiber Swim Team Class of 2006

 

[Catholic_Wife]

It seemed like ‘something’ was drawing me to be Catholic since I was around 10 years old or so. I grew up in a non-religious home, but it was understood that we were Methodist on those rare occasions we went to church (funerals and weddings). When I was in junior high, I asked my parents if we could go to church. They said they would drop me off and pick me up, but they wouldn’t go – and I would miss Sunday breakfast. As a senior in high school, I went with a friend to her church (Baptist). I loved hearing about God, but something didn’t seem right to me about that church and I knew it wasn’t where I was meant to be. After high school, I had a six-month European experience and learned about the Church of England. That felt very much like ‘home’, but it didn’t feel completely ‘right’. After that, I read as much as possible about the history of Chistianity and other religions. I came to the conclusion that Christianity was for me, but I still had to choose a church. Although I knew that the Catholic Church had been the original Church, I still thought I needed to be Protestant. I went to almost every local Protestant church in our town, but none of them felt completely ‘right’.

When I was 20 I went into the Marine Corps. The first weekend of boot camp, everyone had to go to church, and the only two options were Protestant or Catholic. I wasn’t Catholic, so I chose the Protestant service – or so I thought. There was a mix-up and all the Catholics went to the Protestant service, and all the Protestants (including me) went to the Catholic Mass. I felt something at Mass that I had never felt at any other religious service. The second weekend I went to the Protestant service, but that ‘something’ wasn’t there. The third weekend, I went to Mass again – and that ‘something’ was there again. I talked to the priest briefly after Mass, and he scheduled time during the week to come talk to him. I told him everything that I’ve said here, and he told me that ‘something’ was the Real Presence. Even though I didn’t understand what he was saying, I knew being Catholic was the only option for me; so I asked him what I had to do to become Catholic. After a short one-on-one catechesis, almost everything made sense to me (excpet some teachings about Mary and a couple of social issues); and he felt I was ready to be baptized and confirmed.

 

[MarysRoses]

Many reasons … many similar to those posted… but… it boils down to three points:

1. Good food
2. Short Homilies
3. I get to believe in Santa Claus (St. Nicholas) forever!

Can’t beat that