Conversion Accounts

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tuviskazinai

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Hi everyone,
Sorry, not sure if this is the right place to post this question, but…

I am involved in a longstanding discussion with some friends and am trying to write a little synopsis of some famous 20th century conversions to Catholicism (Novak, Adler, etc.) and the diverse reasons people have for converting. Something is bothering me: I seem to recall some famous individual, perhaps a philosopher, who experienced the desire to convert after seeing the Eucharist exposed in a Monstrance as he walked past a church. Anyone have any idea who this might be? Or, do you know of any cases of prominent individuals whose conversion has mainly been prompted through the Sacraments (as opposed to the study of history, certain intellectual questions, etc.)?

Secondly, my list is a bit short on prominent female converts (Dorothy Day, Alice Toklas, Edith Stein…they’re all I’ve got!). Any suggestions?

Muchissimas gracias!
God bless,
+AMDG+
 
tuviskazinai said:
Secondly, my list is a bit short on prominent female converts (Dorothy Day, Alice Toklas, Edith Stein…they’re all I’ve got!). Any suggestions?

Muchissimas gracias!
God bless,
+AMDG+
Click to expand...
Rosalind Moss, of course! And would Patricia Neal count (she was born in the 1920’s but was not received into the Church 4 months before her death last year)?
 
Joseph Pearce converted from being virulently anti-Catholic and wrote about it in his own autobiography as well as the conversion stories of several prominent literary figures in his book: Literary Converts. Here’s his conversion in his own voice on YouTube: JP Conversion Story I, JP Conversion Story II. He has a British accent and the sound isn’t the best, but I hope you still enjoy it. 🙂
 
ROME, APRIL 26, 2004 (Zenit) - The 1954 autobiography of a rabbi who converted to Catholicism was recently published in Italian and has become a best seller in Catholic bookstores.

Eugene Zolli, chief rabbi of Rome at the time of World War II, was baptized into the Church in 1945. His autobiography, “Before the Dawn,” was published two months ago in Italy under the title “Prima dell’Alba,” by St. Paul Publications.

“Before the Dawn” contains the memoirs of Israel Zoller, who when he was baptized took the name Eugene Zolli, in honor of the help that Pope Pius XII (Eugenio Pacelli) offered his community during the war.
catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=897
 
I publish a resource page on Catholic converts at ConvertJournal.com/convert-stories.

There is a list of Catholic blogger converts, other online conversion stories and a fairly decent list of convert books. It’s not exactly what you are looking for but may be of some help.
 
tuviskazinai said:
Hi everyone,
Sorry, not sure if this is the right place to post this question, but…

I am involved in a longstanding discussion with some friends and am trying to write a little synopsis of some famous 20th century conversions to Catholicism (Novak, Adler, etc.) and the diverse reasons people have for converting. Something is bothering me: I seem to recall some famous individual, perhaps a philosopher, who experienced the desire to convert after seeing the Eucharist exposed in a Monstrance as he walked past a church. Anyone have any idea who this might be?
+AMDG+
Click to expand...
You may be thinking of the story of Fr. Ken Roberts who wrote a popular book during the 1990s called Playboy to Priest and was an EWTN regular–but I don’t think I would put him in the “famous” category.

I think something may have happened to him or he was discredited but I’m sure more can be found on the Internet.
 
Originally Posted by tuviskazinai
Secondly, my list is a bit short on prominent female converts (Dorothy Day, Alice Toklas, Edith Stein…they’re all I’ve got!). Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Alice B Toklas was Catholic? I’d be interested to read about her conversion since she was a practicing lesbian for many years.
 
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