Conversion

[JeffreyGerard]

I thought the term “conversion” is reserved for those who
were not baptized and desire to be Catholic.

For other Christians, the term “conversion” is not accurate.
Here, it is more accurate to say “brought into communion
with the Church”.

The RCIA recognizes a difference. It does not refer to
Christians as catechumens. This poll should make a similar
distinction.

Jeff

 

[Michael_C]

wcknight:

I’m a revert also, but from 20+ years back. My parents were very loosely Buddhists. They followed a few formalities, honoring dead ancestors and such, but no real belief in any sort of diety.

I was a school taught Catholic from age 6 to about 20. At 20, I was barely non-atheist or basically agnostic for about 10 years. I couldn’t decide what to believe. I searched for some other philosophy to follow and finally settled back with the Church, but I came back with a far different perspective. While away I read through the NT once or twice, and it rekindled the faith I had lost.

I read stories about the lives of the saints, St. Paul, St. Luke and a few others, and it brought to light all the true heroes of our faith. And in spite of the negative press, the tainted history of the crusades, and some awful stories of some questionable popes, I came to the realization that the Church I left, was the only one that could claim ascendency from the Apostles.

The Catholic Church endures in spite of the attacks from outside and from within, and it does so because Jesus will never abandon His Church. As long as any two or more of us invoke His name, Jesus is with us. That is an awesome promise.

regards, wc

Hello wcKnight, Thanks for the story. I also found that the stories of the Saints helped me very much in my return to faith. Yes, we hold them in high esteem but the fact is almost all of them suffered quite a bit.
God bless you and Peace.

 

[Curious]

The RCIA recognizes a difference. It does not refer to
Christians as catechumens. This poll should make a similar
distinction.

Sorry but I didn’t know that when I made this poll.
You’ll get over it.

 

[JeffreyGerard]

Curious:

Sorry but I didn’t know that when I made this poll.
You’ll get over it.

I’m sure I will, just as I will get past your smarmy retort.

Jeff

 

[Curious]

I’m sure I will, just as I will get past your smarmy retort.

Smarmy!! I love that word.

Anyways, for those of you guys that are looking into the Catholic Church, or are just interested, and not in RCIA, I’d like to make a suggestion.

I’m going to the Easter Vigil Mass where the RCIA candidates are accepted into the Catholic Church. I just think it would be nice to watch, and besides, I have a friend in my class who will be joining the Catholic Church then. I’ve never seen it before, and I think it would be a neat experience. If you can, try to go.

 

[Stingray]

I’m a non catholic contemplating taking the classes so that I can better understand and minister to Catholics. However, I have no desire to convert and am hesitant to take that classes for fear of how I may be treated.

God bless,
Stingray

 

[JeffreyGerard]

Stingray:

I’m a non catholic contemplating taking the classes so that I can better understand and minister to Catholics. However, I have no desire to convert and am hesitant to take that classes for fear of how I may be treated.

God bless,
Stingray

Brother Stingray,
Instead of going to RCIA, why not just go see a priest, especially
one of that out of seminary for at most a couple of years? Most
of the newly ordained priest I’ve seen are brilliant apologists and
would be more than happy to explain the Faith to you. Who
knows, you might be the next St. Paul!

BTW, I’m still waiting for your response to my post #174 of
“The proverbial Protestant silver Bullet”…

God bless you,

Jeff

 

[Stingray]

JeffreyGerard:

Brother Stingray,
Instead of going to RCIA, why not just go see a priest, especially
one of that out of seminary for at most a couple of years? Most
of the newly ordained priest I’ve seen are brilliant apologists and
would be more than happy to explain the Faith to you. Who
knows, you might be the next St. Paul!

JeffreyGerard:

BTW, I’m still waiting for your response to my post #174 of
“The proverbial Protestant silver Bullet”…

God bless you,

Jeff

Sorry must’ve missed it. I will try to respond as soon as possible.

God bless,
Stingray

 

[Lisa4Catholics]

Stingray:

I’m a non catholic contemplating taking the classes so that I can better understand and minister to Catholics. However, I have no desire to convert and am hesitant to take that classes for fear of how I may be treated.

God bless,
Stingray

Stingray, you should go to the classes,but personally I am offended that you would go to minister to Catholics You act like Jesus is not enough to save us:nope: I would suggest you find out about what we believe and forget what you have been taught we believe.God Bless

 

[wcknight]

Michael C:

Hello wcKnight, Thanks for the story. I also found that the stories of the Saints helped me very much in my return to faith. Yes, we hold them in high esteem but the fact is almost all of them suffered quite a bit.
God bless you and Peace.

Yes, that’s the trick. I want to be a saint too, but the suffering part I can do without When it comes to suffering, I’m a devout coward.
Christ’s Peace

WC

 

[TNT]

JeffreyGerard:

I thought the term “conversion” is reserved for those who
were not baptized and desire to be Catholic.

** For other Christians, the term “conversion” is not accurate.
** Here, it is more accurate to say “brought into communion
with the Church”.
Jeff

Imagine that!
Here is Steve Ray’s Site and regarding himself as a former baptised protestant:
www.catholic-convert.com/DesktopDefault.aspx

May I suggest you inform him, pronto.

Also Marcus Grodi, another ingnorant user of the word convert:

** Marcus Grodi’s Coming Home Network Focuses on Inquiring Clergy**

ZANESVILLE, Ohio, OCT. 8, 2003 (Zenit) - Every year, about 100 clergy from dozens of denominations make a step toward the Catholic Church by contacting the Coming Home Network International.

The network, which has 800-some clergy members who have converted or are still discerning their conversion, connects those inquirers with others from the same background who have converted to Catholicism, and provides them with prayerful, moral and sometimes financial support.

Marcus Grodi, who was a Congregationalist and Presbyterian pastor before coming into the Catholic Church in 1992, established the network the year after he converted and still serves as its executive director and president.

Grodi also is the author of “How Firm a Foundation” (Coming Home Resources), a fiction book about a pastor struggling in search of truth. He is also the host of an EWTN show about conversion experiences called “Journeys Home.”

Finally, here is a essay on the word conversion by New Advent Site.
Carry on Curious, your in good company!

 

[Sgt_Sweaters]

I’d say I’m not exactly on the verge of conversion because I’ve not been studying Catholicism that long. I’ve abandoned the common Protestant pracitce of looking for a church, and am instead looking for the truth. I’m extremely convinced of my faith in Christ, and so am looking at the . I happen to be leaning heavily toward Catholicism, but am also looking into Orthodoxy, for instance. We’ll see!

 

[TNT]

Sgt Sweaters:

I’d say I’m not exactly on the verge of conversion because I’ve not been studying Catholicism that long. I’ve abandoned the common Protestant pracitce of looking for a church, and am instead looking for the truth. I’m extremely convinced of my faith in Christ, and so am looking at the . I happen to be leaning heavily toward Catholicism, but am also looking into Orthodoxy, for instance. We’ll see!

I could be wrong but isn’t it true that The Orthodox can celebrate Easter Resurrection on a Mon.,Tue, Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat.?
If so, I don’t know if I relish the idea of celebrating Easter Resurrection while everyone else in my Christian civilization is going to work, or even honoring the Passion Friday on Orthodox Easter…
Just a thought.

 

[Curious]

I’m a non catholic contemplating taking the classes so that I can better understand and minister to Catholics

Interesting. Are you trying to get them ‘saved’ or trying to change their minds or what?

I’m not accusing you or attacking you or anything Stingray, but when the phrase “minister to Catholics” comes up, I think of someone trying to get Catholics to understand that they’re terribly deceived or something.

Correct me if I’m wrong. I might be.

 

[candrew]

Hey, guys. My name is Andrew. (Just making sure everyone gets it. XD) I currently belong to the Church of God, International. However, I’m not baptised. (I’m 15.)

Around two months go, I thought to myself, “Hmm . . . I’ve bee reading all this Catholic stuff. Maybe I’ll look into it.” My parents knew almost immediately after I had made that decision what I was thinking about. My mother isn’t all that crazy about it, but I think she’s accepted it. My dad, however, is a much different story.

Anytime we come remotely near the subject of Catholicism, he says something about the Catholic Church being the Whore of Babylon. I believed that, at one point, I’m sad to say.

I want to start RCIA so badly. Even though I’ve only been seriously studying for two months, I’ve been longing to come into the Church.

In Christ,
Andrew

 

[auroraj42]

I was raised in a family of mixed faiths, my father was born and raised in a catholic family, but my mom’s family is mainly protestant and some are very anti-catholic. My Dad left the church before he married my mom, and they raised us primarily in the Methodist church, where I was baptised at 14…I don’t know that I was as devout as what the word devout would make me appear to be, but I went to church and sunday school regularly, and tried to do the same during college…

Then God decided to bring Tim into my life, a cradle catholic who was sweeter, kinder and more loving then I ever knew a man could be…He taught me how to trust a man, and showed me that I was important too…when we started discussing marriage, we had many discussions about children, faith, and we decided that we would be married in December of 2002…his family had pretty much fallen away from the church, as had he during his early teen years…and we were married in a civil ceremony…

Last Spring we PCS’d (its a military term, it means moved) to Maryland, and we began discussing the decisions we had made before we got married…we wanted to have children, children that we had agreed to raise in the catholic faith, a faith I had been longing to share since I was a child…

I started talking to the CRE and the Priest about RCIA and we discovered that Tim had never received Confirmation, and we began RCIA in October. In February we had our marriage blessed, and our Priest decided I was prepared for my First Holy Communion that night. It was the most beautiful wedding gift I could ever have received, and I am most thankful for it. Tim and I will receive the sacrament of Confirmation together in April when the Bishop comes to our Parish.

sometimes I wish it had all happened sooner, but I know that I really wasn’t ready before now.

Peace be with you,
Jamie

 

[Mickey]

auroraj42:

I was raised in a family of mixed faiths, my father was born and raised in a catholic family, but my mom’s family is mainly protestant and some are very anti-catholic. My Dad left the church before he married my mom, and they raised us primarily in the Methodist church, where I was baptised at 14…I don’t know that I was as devout as what the word devout would make me appear to be, but I went to church and sunday school regularly, and tried to do the same during college…

Then God decided to bring Tim into my life, a cradle catholic who was sweeter, kinder and more loving then I ever knew a man could be…He taught me how to trust a man, and showed me that I was important too…when we started discussing marriage, we had many discussions about children, faith, and we decided that we would be married in December of 2002…his family had pretty much fallen away from the church, as had he during his early teen years…and we were married in a civil ceremony…

Last Spring we PCS’d (its a military term, it means moved) to Maryland, and we began discussing the decisions we had made before we got married…we wanted to have children, children that we had agreed to raise in the catholic faith, a faith I had been longing to share since I was a child…

I started talking to the CRE and the Priest about RCIA and we discovered that Tim had never received Confirmation, and we began RCIA in October. In February we had our marriage blessed, and our Priest decided I was prepared for my First Holy Communion that night. It was the most beautiful wedding gift I could ever have received, and I am most thankful for it. Tim and I will receive the sacrament of Confirmation together in April when the Bishop comes to our Parish.

sometimes I wish it had all happened sooner, but I know that I really wasn’t ready before now.

Peace be with you,
Jamie

Jamie,

Your story brought a tear to my eye. May God Bless you, your husband, and all those who you love.

 

[auroraj42]

Mickey:

Jamie,

Your story brought a tear to my eye. May God Bless you, your husband, and all those who you love.

Thank you Mickey, Have a blessed day my friend!

Jamie

 

[AmberDale]

IMHO: All Catholics are in the process of Conversion everyday. Conversion isn’t just getting baptized and/or confirmed into the church. It’s a conversion of heart, mind, spirit. Everything about you changes. Your opinions on certain things change. When you find the truth you begin to change,and you will continue your conversion until you finally reach heaven. I mean even Purgatory can be considered a part of the conversion process, it’s purifying us so we can be perfect and make our walk into heaven and be in the Glory of God.
So now my story:
I wan’t raised in any faith by my family. My biological father was raised Catholic, but he wasn’t/isn’t practicing at all. My mom and dad divorced and we moved to Indiana. I lived next door to a pastor and his kids. I started to go to church with them. It was a “Protestant” church. I guess I got my foot in the door, because I knew about God.
My mother doesn’t go to church,but she believes in God.
In my teenage years I need some ‘searching’ into other faiths/religions/ways of thinking. Within my search I knew that there was one True God. I guess that’s the thing about faith, you know your on the right path if you can research other things and have discussions and still hold your own beliefs.
I was a ‘backsliden’ teenager for a long time. Always believing just neve wanting to accept it. I had a very hard time, very suicidal. Then something change. Jesus Got ahold of my heart and said ‘GIRL Don’t make me come down there’. !!! So I went back to church.
Then I met my wonderful husband (a cradle catholic). I told him if he wanted to raise the kids Catholic it was up to him. But I wan’t against it. I didn’t know much about Catholicism, just what everyone at my church told me. You know the whole they worship Mary and The saints stuff.
Well I started having great conversations with my husband and his sister. I mad them think about things, do a little research and actually tell me WHY!! They do some things. I was so tired of hearing, I don’t know. It’s just how it is.
So I got so answers, then I wanted more answers. I went to some Inquiry sessions. I got more answers. I thought “HMMM” SO I began RCIA, all the time thinking I can get out of this if I want, if I find out it’s not right.
Now I will be baptized this Easter! So what did all my researching and Truth hunting get me? It got me on my way to full conversion until I reach heaven.

God Bless

 

[deb1]

I was felt very blessed to read all the conversion stories and I am very glad that this post was started. I am only considering at this point to take RCIA classes, but I am reading two books: Catholicism and FUndamentalist by Karl Keating and Why Do Catholics Genuflect by Al Kresta. Can any of you give me any ideas for other books?

My interest in the Catholic Church started when I was sixteen. A very dear older couple allowed me to spend the night with them and attend mass.(I stayed many weekends at their house) It made such an impression on me. I learned to say the Rosary and because I didn’t own a Rosary I counted the Hail Mary’s on my fingers. I loved everything about the church. It was like coming home to something that I was supposed to be a part of anyway. I also loved the Marian veneration. Mary to me represented the stable mom, I didn’t have. I was blown away by the fact that even though my own family was highly dysfunctional, I could still have a holy mother and father that loved me. One of the reasons that I lost my love for the church at around eighteen was because, I think, that my faith was based on emotional needs with no knowledge or maturity to back me up. When I became more open with my belives to my protestant friends and family, I was ridiculed and asked a bunch of questions that I couldn’t answer.

I explored a lot of different religions, including Wicca and Buddahism. Just about anything. The whole time I thought-I wish that I could pray the rosary. I wish that the Catholic church wasn’t a farce. I wanted the comfort that I had when I was sixteen and seventeen, but I couldn’t get it back.

At twenty-two I married a wonderful man-good, kind and honest. His father was a deacon of a baptist church but his mother, although she was a convert to Christianity-had escaped from Austria in 1939. She was a year old at the time and most of her family was lost in the holocaust. My husband wanted to discover his jewish roots and I encouraged him. Afterall, I thought, maybe I could find peace in his beliefs. He attended a reformed synagogue because that was all there was where we were. But we read many books on Judaism. I did come to accept it as a beautiful religion. But I found myself thinking a lot about Jesus. WHen I would do the Sabbath for example-the woman lights the candles-I would think Jesus probably watched his Mom do this. or when my husbnad would bless our sons I would think that Joseph did the same for the boy, Jesus.

I don’t know the date, but I did accept Jesus as my savior. No one used bible verses or knocked on my door and badgered me into become a Christian. A very sweet woman across the street witnessed to me with the example of her life and I made the conscious decision to become a Christian. It was an emotional experience that I won’t go into. I did go to a Catholic church a few times and if we hadn’t moved due to a military transfer, I would have gotten into RCIA and saved myself a few years of headaches. I did have my three oldest children, at the suggestion of the priest, christianed before I moved.

Because my husband had grown up Baptist he suggested that we attend a baptist church. We found a small church with less then-I would guess 100 members. Very small, very friendly and somewhat controlling. The pastor-a well intentioned man-came to our house once a week for bible studies. I ended up being very well educated in protestant beliefs. I also found myself struggling against what I was being taught. Once saved, always saved seemed contradicted by the Bible. A lot of the Pastor’s conclusion-like drinking alochol was a sin-were wrong. And I didn’t like the blind acceptance of my fellow church members. Even though they read their bibles-just like I did and still do mine-their common reason for beliving something was the pastor said. I was uncomfortable and unhappy with the church, but I blamed myself. Maybe there was something wrong with my spiritual life.

It wasn’t until my husband and I went and saw the Passion that we both began to decide to leave this particular church. Our pastor passed around a list of reasons why we shouldn’t see this movie, but the gist was that Mel Gibson was Catholic. My husband talked to him, but we couldn’t convince him that he was mistaken. For some reason he believed that Catholics don’t believe in the resurrection. I don’t know why he thought that, something to do with the crucifix.

Anyway, his attitude, not the movie, led me to research Catholicism. And so now I am at the point that I am considering attending RCIA classes. I ordered a rosary and I am anxious to begin saying it. I didn’t mean for this to be so long. Sorry.