Conversion into The Catholic Faith!!! Tell me your stories!!! All Are welcome!!!

[rev_kevin]

…pretty much everyone many years before your church came into conception.

Pretty wide open. Can you be more specific that this?

 

[eucharisteo]

Pretty wide open. Can you be more specific that this?

Have you not read St. Ignatius of Antioch, who openly claims the Church is Catholic. “Where there is the Bishop there is the Catholic Church.” He also said, to “…not do anything without the bishop…” These are paraphrased… This was written in around 107 AD. He used the the Greek word KATHOLIKOS. His writings helped me see the truth that was kept from me in my fundamentalist faith. Like you, I once abandoned my faith. It was studying history that led me to the truth. So many fundamentalists/evangelicals are so so ignorant of real Church history seemingly by design. Seek the truth always and when you humble yourself before God’s will, not man’s, there your journey will change courses. This is only one of many.

The rest is on you. Contact The Coming Home Network and if your heart is in the right place you’ll begin to clearly see the truth that somebody in your life destroyed with lies. Once you’ve been exposed to the truth and reject it you’re soul is in danger. Whether or not you are you are culpable is between you and God.

 

[Roman_Catholic_1]

Couldn’t let it go could ya Rev.? Just let people share their stories of conversion. Does it really bother you that much that people want to share their conversion stories that you felt you needed to explain the reasons why you are not Catholic? In a thread asking people to share their conversion stories? Are you trying to convince us, or yourself about your conversion?

As far as conversion stories go, mine isn’t anything too great but my wife’s, I think, is rather inspiring. She was a non-denominational christian who wanted to look into the Catholic Church after hearing about my uber-Catholic grandmother (whom she never met). She originally started for purely informational reason so she would better understand the faith of the family she was marrying into (even though I was not Catholic myself there are a few practicing Catholics in my family) but after about a year of studying the CC with the Scriptures she became convinced that this is where God wanted her.

The next step was telling her anti-Catholic fundamentalist father who did not take the news lightly. Long story short he made her chose between the CC and a relationship with him. She chose Christ and His Church.

God bless

 

[eucharisteo]

Here’s a place for some really big conversion stories.

 

[UnworthyApostle]

Oh boy. I’ll tell my Catholic conversion story.

I grew up in a nominal Catholic home, we went to Mass once a year, never prayed together etc. I was left to then form what I wanted to believe myself.

In my teen years, I went to a Catholic Church,because my father and grandma had me go. I learned about Martin Luther and read a couple evangelical books at 16 and I became an Evangelical Lutheran in belief. I believed that Rome had gone astray and that Martin Luther had rescued the church. I then began to read my bible and let the Holy Spirit “speak to my heart”. In time, I had compiled a mini catechism in my head as to what scripture spoke to me. I then went on to have the audacity to say that modern day Protestantism had gone to far with reforming and that it was preaching a false gospel by doing away with too much tradition. So, when I got to college, I entered a pre-seminary program for ministers in order to start my own “church” in order to bring back the “correct” gospel.Hmm, isn’t this story a broken record. Well, I began to study the Bible in-depth and read the Church Fathers in order to find out how a church should be run. Well, I came across verses such as, " For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord", which made me re-examine what I had been taught as a faithful evangelical. Then I read,“The sole Eucharist you should consider valid is one that is celebrated by the bishop himself, or by some person authorized by him. Where the bishop is to be seen, there let all his people be; just as, wherever Jesus Christ is present, there is the Catholic Church.” I thought," The early church had Bishops and was called Catholic?" Well, from further study of scripture, history, and prayer I decided to fully embrace the Catholic Faith which I believe to be the church of the New Testament.

 

[eucharisteo]

Oh boy. I’ll tell my Catholic conversion story.

I grew up in a nominal Catholic home, we went to Mass once a year, never prayed together etc. I was left to then form what I wanted to believe myself.

In my teen years, I went to a Catholic Church,because my father and grandma had me go. I learned about Martin Luther and read a couple evangelical books at 16 and I became an Evangelical Lutheran in belief. I believed that Rome had gone astray and that Martin Luther had rescued the church. I then began to read my bible and let the Holy Spirit “speak to my heart”. In time, I had compiled a mini catechism in my head as to what scripture spoke to me. I then went on to have the audacity to say that modern day Protestantism had gone to far with reforming and that it was preaching a false gospel by doing away with too much tradition. So, when I got to college, I entered a pre-seminary program for ministers in order to start my own “church” in order to bring back the “correct” gospel.Hmm, isn’t this story a broken record. Well, I began to study the Bible in-depth and read the Church Fathers in order to find out how a church should be run. Well, I came across verses such as, " For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord", which made me re-examine what I had been taught as a faithful evangelical. Then I read,“The sole Eucharist you should consider valid is one that is celebrated by the bishop himself, or by some person authorized by him. Where the bishop is to be seen, there let all his people be; just as, wherever Jesus Christ is present, there is the Catholic Church.” I thought," The early church had Bishops and was called Catholic?" Well, from further study of scripture, history, and prayer I decided to fully embrace the Catholic Faith which I believe to be the church of the New Testament.

Sounds a lot like my broken record too.

 

[SpiritusSanctus]

Who says the Catholic church has the fullness of truth?

Um… Jesus. Since He started the Catholic Church Himself.

 

[mikeledes]

How do you see that Christ is substantially present in the Eucharist from the words I gave you and the meaning of the words.

Because Paul clarifies that what is being remembered is the sacrificial DEATH of Christ. He is NOT saying that the bread and wine are mere symbols and that Christ is not present. And I see that Christ is substantially present based on other passages of Scripture. For example, Paul states:

1 Corinthians 10:16

**16Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? **

And also John 6 makes it clear as well:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=329772

God Bless,
Michael

 

[grace_singh]

hey. well… mine is not a conversion story just yet. still looking into things, reading, and praying.

basically, i was baptized Catholic as an infant and grew up Protestant. sometimes we went to mass, most of the time we went to Protestant services. i developed real intellectual, prideful, and logical problems with Christianity as a teenager, and decided that there is no way that God can fit into a single religon, much less a single Man.

so i turned by back proudly on Christianity for years, trying out all manner of spiritual paths, tecniques, and ideas, trying to get peace and understanding, and some answers. nothing worked, and whatever i learned didn’t fill up that hole inside of me.

later, i came to meet a Christian family from overseas, and for the first time in my life, i saw what Christian faith would look like if people lived it out. these people prayed daily, read the Bible every morning, had tons of pictures of Christ in their house, and they seemed to have this really close, personal walk with God, unlike anything i’d ever seen before. eventually, i let go of my pride, arrogance, and hostility, and by God’s grace understood who Christ really is. i became a Christian over night, and have not been the same since, thanks to God.

so now… i am looking into Orthodoxy, Eastern Catholicism, and the Catholic Church. i know that Christian history is made up of more than the Reformation. and i know there is a great, deep, and Apsotolic richness and depth in the above traditions. the prayers, disciples, emphsis on charity and holiness, these are things one notices. not sure where i will go from here, but praying that God would lead me where He wants me to go, in His time.

 

[Reuben_J]

When Jesus took the bread and gave thanks he broke the bread and said “this is my body, do this in REMEMBERANCE of me. Then he took the cup again he gave thanks and said " this is my blood, do this in REMEMBERANCE of me.” Will you leave me too, means will you leave what I have taught you when I’m gone or will you continue my teachings when I’m gone. Not will you leave the church that has not yet been formed.

I thought you were not serious surely, rev.

Literally it can only mean - will they (the disciples) leave Jesus like the others who could not accept his teaching. Definitely an emphasis that what Jesus said was literal, “this is my body … this is my blood, … eat, … drink. …”

Read the whole chapter, it could not mean any other.

 

[eucharisteo]

I thought you were not serious surely, rev.

Literally it can only mean - will they (the disciples) leave Jesus like the others who could not accept his teaching. Definitely an emphasis that what Jesus said was literal, “this is my body … this is my blood, … eat, … drink. …”

Read the whole chapter, it could not mean any other.

I think “Rev” Kevin has learned the art of twisting scripture to fit his model, like all good Protestants they have to fit the bible to their beliefs. And when the figure out how to explain this they must defend it like a man who defends his president in charge of janitorial services of the corporation. They think they’re in charge. Kind of a gruff analogy but in essence that’s what’s really happening.

Did you know that Protestant deacons are usually in charge of taking care of church grounds and building services? My wife teases me all the time now that we’re Catholic because I’m working towards the diaconate.

Kevin, might I suggest you write a letter to the Catholic bishop from your diocese where you received the sacraments and request that you be released from the Church. And if you’re certain you are against the Catholic Church’s teachings, why not enter into RCIA as an observer to see what is taught. I also highly recommend asking the really hard questions. Do not be shy about it. All we ask is that you be respectful as if in a classroom, which it is.

 

[Reuben_J]

I think “Rev” Kevin has learned the art of twisting scripture to fit his model, like all good Protestants they have to fit the bible to their beliefs. And when the figure out how to explain this they must defend it like a man who defends his president in charge of janitorial services of the corporation. They think they’re in charge. Kind of a gruff analogy but in essence that’s what’s really happening.

Did you know that Protestant deacons are usually in charge of taking care of church grounds and building services? My wife teases me all the time now that we’re Catholic because I’m working towards the diaconate.

Kevin, might I suggest you write a letter to the Catholic bishop from your diocese where you received the sacraments and request that you be released from the Church. And if you’re certain you are against the Catholic Church’s teachings, why not enter into RCIA as an observer to see what is taught. I also highly recommend asking the really hard questions. Do not be shy about it. All we ask is that you be respectful as if in a classroom, which it is.

I have heard many Protestants contest Catholics’ understanding of Mt 16 about Peter being the rock but this is the first time that I hear a different version of the meaning of ‘leaving Jesus’ in John 6.

I respect their belief and interpretation of the Bible if that’s they want to but I just could not see how the ‘leaving Jesus’ in John 6 can be anything else other than the obvious - them deserting him because they could not accept a hard teaching.

John 6 (NIV)

52Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, **“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” **

53Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Many Disciples Desert Jesus

60On hearing it, many of his disciples said, **“This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” **

61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit[e] and they are life. 64Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”

**66From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. **

** 67"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. **

68Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

70Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71(He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)​

Now back to the OP – let’s hear some more conversion story. As for me, I am a cradle Catholic. I envy you guys for your conversion; you must be very blessed and it is very edifying to hear them. My own conversion rather is a personal renewal and you always thank the Lord for calling you back or rather finding you again.

God bless.

 

[Ceil-1]

1 Corinthians 10:16

**16Is not the cup of blessing **which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?

And also John 6 makes it clear as well:

Those, and 1 Cor. 11;23-29; recieving unworthily equals being guilty of His Body and Blood, had me shaking in my boots, when I finally took a look for myself.

I am mystified at how people who are otherwise so scrupulous about Scripture can gloss over these passages.

 

[starlight101]

Although I am not a Roman Catholic I will share with you my conversion story from atheist to Anglo-Catholic. I was baptised a protestant. My parents are protestant although never go to church. My primary school was a faith school. I hated it there, they were obsessed with religion and exams. They wouldn’t answer my naive, innocent questions about religion (e.g. how do we know there’s a God?) and I was often shouted at for asking. I found our R.E lessons very boring and patronising.
As I got older, I began to discuss religion with people such as vicars and my family (or argue with preists as my family put it) but it still made no sense to me. When I refused to recieve communion in my final year of primary school I ended up having a shouting match with my vicar and headteacher. I left a few months later and didn’t miss it one bit.
I began to call myself an agnostic. My new school was secular, and agnostics/atheists outnumbered Christians. I got more and more atheist and eventually rivalled Richard Dawkins! I insulted religion at every oppurtunity. Then, I began to doubt my atheism.
I don’t know why I first doubted it, but I began to feel it just didn’t make sense; there was no support, no help, just us. I began to see the joy religion brought to my parents’ lives and felt left out. My friends insulted religion all the time- it was so ironic that they called Christians intolerant. This went on for six months. I went on holiday to a Catholic country and there I met many happily religious people of my age. I was confused. I began to wear my angel necklace again, as it gave me comfort. I bought some rosary beads, mainly for the way they looked to begin with. I called myself a Christian atheist, and I was- confused and looking for an answer. I looked everywhere, for weeks.
When I returned to school, a friend left me claiming I was “going religious”. Other friends stopped talking to me. Only one friend stood by me, a Catholic. I began to read the Bible, and then to pray the rosary. I felt such happiness and comfort. I went to an RC church and loved it. On the 23rd October, I had an epiphany. It seemed so simple, so obvious; there was a God, a heaven, an earth. It’s like I became aware of the world, my part in it, everything was revealed in an instant. I instantly felt elated; I had found the answer, the big picture, the reason. I hope this story wasn’t too long!

 

[eucharisteo]

I have heard many Protestants contest Catholics’ understanding of Mt 16 about Peter being the rock but this is the first time that I hear a different version of the meaning of ‘leaving Jesus’ in John 6.

I respect their belief and interpretation of the Bible if that’s they want to but I just could not see how the ‘leaving Jesus’ in John 6 can be anything else other than the obvious - them deserting him because they could not accept a hard teaching.**John 6
**You’re preaching to the choir
Now back to the OP – let’s hear some more conversion story. As for me, I am a cradle Catholic. I envy you guys for your conversion; you must be very blessed and it is very edifying to hear them. My own conversion rather is a personal renewal and you always thank the Lord for calling you back or rather finding you again.

God bless.

I too am a “cradle Catholic”, but like the overwhelming majority of cradle Catholics back then we were not catechized properly at home or in church. I had more time in bible classes because of my mothers doing, who was trying to make us anti-Catholic. My dad was not practicing his faith and seemed to be messed up the rest of his life even though he adopted SSPX ideas along with Mel Gibson’s beliefs. I learned my Catholicism from an old set of encyclopedias, Arch Bishop Fulton J. Sheen cassette tapes and reading about the saints and the bible.

I educated myself as best I could. I even remained faithful to the Church’s teachings as I knew them back then. But when I finally came upon sexual predators withing the seminary and priesthood it really hurt and confused me. I even felt ill to my stomach from it and became fearful that I was being used for my body…I was a pretty good looking athlete back then. There were a few of us who were in very good shape. I remember one pervert that “took me under his wing” I thought as a brother, but later discovered the true nature of his sinful behavior. He was guilty of rape I heard later. I saw the victims. They looked like they were on some pretty hard anti-depressants and shock therapy, maybe. It was disheartening. I lost all trust in the Church after I turned in the seminarian and the priest, both of whom made passes at me at different times. I was beginning to feel more like a man truly called to the priesthood again when that priest invited me over for a day of sailing to relax right before final exams. It sounds fine and since I loved sailing and outdoors it seemed innocent. What I didn’t expect was what happened later on that night.

Well, It got late and I was really sleepy and wonder if he put something in that wine at time. I woke up in the middle of the night with a strange feeling and felt a hand move in an inappropriate place. I froze for a brief moment and jumped up. I went to see someone, can’t remember just to get away. I was very upset and startled, but did not want to confront the priest about it for various reasons. I was still 18 and very naive. I had been very spiritual much of my life and only experienced something like this once when I was a very young boy, not even in school yet, from a babysitter, young girl. I remember my brother was involved as well. This on the other hand was something that I was not prepared to handle because these were supposed to be spiritual men. It was the product of the 60’s and 70’s I’m told now. That priest is now married after leaving the church. He’s on a roster online as admitting to the incident. The homosexual scandals scarred me for life.

Even though I was 18 it might as well have been when I was 15 or 16 or even younger because of my sexual maturity level. I didn’t even know how sex worked or even about breast feeding was for that matter. It never made sense to me other than the urges or attractions to pretty girls/women, but only sweet Catholic girls. That’s just how in the dark I was kept and protected. It’s probably because of living with my grandparents.

To this day I can’t talk to any priest without suspicion. It’s very difficult and listening to the media really doesn’t help the matter. But I am learning to trust more but with caution, as appropriate with anyone these days. It’s affected every choice along my path and ultimately caused me to run away from God and the Church at couple of points. I suspect my actions were merely self-protection more than anything else. I remember having thoughts while practicing my former Protestant faith that Catholicism would be a wonderful faith if the bishops actually came down hard on the bad clergy and laity that promoted such scandalous behavior, beliefs and practices.

 

[eucharisteo]

I believe the Holy Spirit set me up perfectly for coming back home, not only for me, but the rest of my family. My anti-Catholic wife and son converted during my conversion. Our civil marriage was convalidated and my 2 babies are all baptized the following day. But before this point my confession was a huge feather in the cap of a Franciscan Friar that helped me come back home non-judgmentally. He understood and was shocked to hear my story. He even said he understood why I ran with what happened to me and how I grew up. He seemed very scandalized too over it and apologized on behalf of the Church and clergy. It was a heart warming welcome home. I didn’t confess at that point because a doorbell rang and I was still hesitant, afraid. But a week or so later I went in to his surprised and made a pretty pathetic confession because I had committed so many sins since I left the Catholic Church. You see there are major differences with what Protestants accept as “okay” and even normal compared to Catholic teaching. I made a few mistakes after I confessed but was uncertain about so many things after being away for so long and never having quite learned all I needed to know. In a nutshell I felt like I had committed mortal sins on every 10 commandments and uncountable times. Though I never physically killed or hurt someone or had sexual affairs or something like that there were many times in my life while suffering the pain in my life. I desired to hurt people that seemed to hold me down, prevent me from advancing, parents and brothers that continued to hurt me over and over and over again. I once prayed for God to take the life of my parents and my brother to stop the pain they were causing me because I just couldn’t handle it anymore. I felt my wife was about to leave me because I was just trying to “honor my father and mother”. I had doubts that our marriage was okay at times. I wondered and hated contraception and what my wife did to her body after our third child. It made me want to run from her. Emotionally throughout my life, because of not being Catholic anymore I came to realize that the Church was trying to actually protect me, not just throw useless rules at me. I understand it now and now I strongly recommend that Catholics really stick with their own kind for their sake and especially their children’s sake.

We believed in the spiritual presence of Christ in a sense. Once you believe this is all he meant then that’s what you believe. Unfortunately Protestants too address this issue very slick, even though its very misguided. I was so doubtful about Catholicism and felt that my entire Christian faith was on the line. They were much more confincing than me and this turns out to be why it is very imprudent to allow your children to attend Protestant worship services and bible classes as well as events. I was proselytized by the same group my wife from 9 years old up to I moved to live with my Catholic grandparents. My dad dumped me off and a year later we were out of my grandparents home. I rarely went to church, but really wanted to. I didn’t know what was going on and couldn’t relate at all. I was raised protestant. And because of the dissenters running the show back in the 70’s I lost my faith in God for a brief moment but chose to believe because I had lost the desire to live. Later I dug into the Catholic faith deeper but ignored the dissenters but after the seminary I got really scared and even believed that all Catholics would perish for allowing this to happen in secret for so long. I got jumped on or rather shut up by those that didn’t want to here what happened to me. Shame on them for not helping. That was the mature adult Catholics in my family, most of whom lost their children to Protestant faiths because they never learned how to properly teach the faith to protect their children from well meaning proselytizers.

Keep in mind that this story is very simplified and incomplete. Be charitable because the scars are still present as I’ve recently discovered old ladies in charge or our diocese’s diaconate program and have been overly rude to me and my wife before getting to know us. They acted like deacons were stupid. It was very offensive and after consulting my pastor, he notified someone in the diocese that ultimately passed on my private message to those ladies, who called me in to talk to me about it. It seemed very inappropriate and my pastor apologized because he did not give his friend to send that message to the ladies. It was supposed to be in confidence, thus reducing my trust of clergy once again. I believe in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, but I don’t think the sinful behavior of clergy and laity is ever excusable, not matter what. They should and do know better.

 

[grace_singh]

Although I am not a Roman Catholic I will share with you my conversion story from atheist to Anglo-Catholic. I was baptised a protestant. My parents are protestant although never go to church. My primary school was a faith school. I hated it there, they were obsessed with religion and exams. They wouldn’t answer my naive, innocent questions about religion (e.g. how do we know there’s a God?) and I was often shouted at for asking. I found our R.E lessons very boring and patronising.
As I got older, I began to discuss religion with people such as vicars and my family (or argue with preists as my family put it) but it still made no sense to me. When I refused to recieve communion in my final year of primary school I ended up having a shouting match with my vicar and headteacher. I left a few months later and didn’t miss it one bit.
I began to call myself an agnostic. My new school was secular, and agnostics/atheists outnumbered Christians. I got more and more atheist and eventually rivalled Richard Dawkins! I insulted religion at every oppurtunity. Then, I began to doubt my atheism.
I don’t know why I first doubted it, but I began to feel it just didn’t make sense; there was no support, no help, just us. I began to see the joy religion brought to my parents’ lives and felt left out. My friends insulted religion all the time- it was so ironic that they called Christians intolerant. This went on for six months. I went on holiday to a Catholic country and there I met many happily religious people of my age. I was confused. I began to wear my angel necklace again, as it gave me comfort. I bought some rosary beads, mainly for the way they looked to begin with. I called myself a Christian atheist, and I was- confused and looking for an answer. I looked everywhere, for weeks.
When I returned to school, a friend left me claiming I was “going religious”. Other friends stopped talking to me. Only one friend stood by me, a Catholic. I began to read the Bible, and then to pray the rosary. I felt such happiness and comfort. I went to an RC church and loved it. On the 23rd October, I had an epiphany. It seemed so simple, so obvious; there was a God, a heaven, an earth. It’s like I became aware of the world, my part in it, everything was revealed in an instant. I instantly felt elated; I had found the answer, the big picture, the reason. I hope this story wasn’t too long!

cool! it is amazing how God calls us back to Himself. where do your find yourself at now? do you go to Mass? do you pray often?

yep, i also went through a “god is stupid, religion is stupid, atheism is awesome” phase. but somehow i knew there was a God, even if i thought differently.

 

[grace_singh]

Eucharisteo, you have my deepest sympathies… no one should ever have to suffer that kind of trauma and betrayal from a “man of God”.

it is amazing and truly wonderful that you are a fruitful and faithful Catholic even after all that. God bless you, and work through you.

 

[eucharisteo]

Although I am not a Roman Catholic I will share with you my conversion story from atheist to Anglo-Catholic. I was baptised a protestant. My parents are protestant although never go to church. My primary school was a faith school. I hated it there, they were obsessed with religion and exams. They wouldn’t answer my naive, innocent questions about religion (e.g. how do we know there’s a God?) and I was often shouted at for asking. I found our R.E lessons very boring and patronising.
As I got older, I began to discuss religion with people such as vicars and my family (or argue with preists as my family put it) but it still made no sense to me. When I refused to recieve communion in my final year of primary school I ended up having a shouting match with my vicar and headteacher. I left a few months later and didn’t miss it one bit.
I began to call myself an agnostic. My new school was secular, and agnostics/atheists outnumbered Christians. I got more and more atheist and eventually rivalled Richard Dawkins! I insulted religion at every oppurtunity. Then, I began to doubt my atheism.
I don’t know why I first doubted it, but I began to feel it just didn’t make sense; there was no support, no help, just us. I began to see the joy religion brought to my parents’ lives and felt left out. My friends insulted religion all the time- it was so ironic that they called Christians intolerant. This went on for six months. I went on holiday to a Catholic country and there I met many happily religious people of my age. I was confused. I began to wear my angel necklace again, as it gave me comfort. I bought some rosary beads, mainly for the way they looked to begin with. I called myself a Christian atheist, and I was- confused and looking for an answer. I looked everywhere, for weeks.
When I returned to school, a friend left me claiming I was “going religious”. Other friends stopped talking to me. Only one friend stood by me, a Catholic. I began to read the Bible, and then to pray the rosary. I felt such happiness and comfort. I went to an RC church and loved it. On the 23rd October, I had an epiphany. It seemed so simple, so obvious; there was a God, a heaven, an earth. It’s like I became aware of the world, my part in it, everything was revealed in an instant. I instantly felt elated; I had found the answer, the big picture, the reason. I hope this story wasn’t too long!

what a beautiful story. I argued, gently, with priests who refused to help me. My dad was still very misguided. My grandparents kept to themselves no matter what. My aunts were even more confused than my dad and my mom hated Catholics and the Catholic Church. In fact, my mom’s entire family is very anti-Catholic and rarely speak to me and that’s just fine with me now.

I’m curious, are you now considering converting over with the remainder of the Anglican’s to the “Roman” or Latin rite Catholic Church? Tonight we’re headed to one of the Anglican rite parishes that is now fully Catholic in communion with the Bishop of Rome, Pope Benedict. Fr. H___ is a grandfather, so we call him Paw Paw H__, for our kids sake. Both of their grandfathers and one of the grandmothers is diseased. This is the closest to a paw paw they have now. Our regular parish is run by the Franciscan Friars of the Sacred Heart Province from Loretta, PA.

 

[eucharisteo]

Eucharisteo, you have my deepest sympathies… no one should ever have to suffer that kind of trauma and betrayal from a “man of God”.

it is amazing and truly wonderful that you are a fruitful and faithful Catholic even after all that. God bless you, and work through you.

Thank you for you thoughts and prayers. We’re happy but as I’ve said before, we have many Protestant clergy in our family, mostly my wife’s side with whom I became much closer too since our marriage. They are really good people. But they are not supportive of our becoming Catholic, but remain mostly respectful. My mother-in-law drops her hints from time to time, every visit, but its to be expected so we just avoid her so we don’t offend her with what we’ve learned because they would not receive it well at all and if anyone was present it could easily turn into a hellfire and brimstone sermon. I won’t put up with it now and know the Catholic faith well enough to hold my own better than most priests and especially deacons. I’ve been working towards becoming very competent in apologetics because of our unique position and hope to teach in the Diocese one day. I plan to begin a Masters in theology at Franciscan University as soon as I can, which hopefully will be soon. I want to teach and to become a deacon. If the doors ever open again for the priesthood, I plan to continue my journey down that path if the bishop will have me. I’ve always wanted to be a clergy and my dream is to be the best one ever…humble and without the pomp of some I’ve met in my past. My definition of the best is probably not what people perceive. I told my pastor I desire to be the Unknown Saint, like on the San Damiano Cross.