I used to be a Mormon -- now I'm Catholic

[Catholic20064]

As I am reading this site I am surprised at the number of Mormons who come to discuss religion here. I used to be one of them. Several years ago in April 2006 I converted to the Catholic Church after over three decades as a Mormon. It has been such a wonderful journey! As I went through the Easter Triduum this year I was thinking how blessed I had been! I watched 40 other people come into my parish at the Easter Vigil and couldn’t help but remember my own baptism. I have seen my own life changed through the sacraments of confession and the Eucharist. What a marvelous blessing to be able to feed on the very body and blood of my Lord as He commanded! It is the very essence of the new Life which Christ has given me. In retrospect Mormonism seems shallow and stale. I could never trade the body and blood of my Lord for the old lifeless bread and water of the Mormon sacrament. I have gained a much greater understanding of the Word of God we find in the Bible and in the tradition His Church has handed down to us! The Bible is such a great testimony to Catholicism and to the continuing presence of the Church that Christ promises us in Matthew when he says the gates of Hell wouldn’t prevail against His Church. I urge the Mormons here to really look closely at the promises Christ has made through His living Church which has the keys passed down by Peter and his successors, the Bishops. The first time I attended Mass I was attracted to the Eucharist – after that my eyes were open to the false promises of the Book of Mormon and the so-called “latter-day prophets.” I noticed all of the contradictory teachings within Mormonism that couldn’t be reconciled with each other rather than the consistent teaching of the Catholic Church. I bear testimony the Catholic Church is what it claims to be – I have studied it and prayed about it and my prayers have been answered in a most wonderful way! The Spirit has testified to me of the truthfulness of Mother Church and its teachings. I urge my Mormon friends to begin attending mass, daily if possible. I also urge them to take advantage of the Lord’s Divine Mercy. The Divine Mercy message (ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/index.htm) is a wonderful message we need in our times. If they do so I’m sure they will eventually be brought to God’s truth and their eyes will be open to the problems with Mormonism. And I write this in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Ghost, one Eternal God forever and ever. Amen.

 

[kalt]

As I am reading this site I am surprised at the number of Mormons who come to discuss religion here. I used to be one of them. Several years ago in April 2006 I converted to the Catholic Church after over three decades as a Mormon. It has been such a wonderful journey! As I went through the Easter Triduum this year I was thinking how blessed I had been! I watched 40 other people come into my parish at the Easter Vigil and couldn’t help but remember my own baptism. I have seen my own life changed through the sacraments of confession and the Eucharist. What a marvelous blessing to be able to feed on the very body and blood of my Lord as He commanded! It is the very essence of the new Life which Christ has given me. In retrospect Mormonism seems shallow and stale. I could never trade the body and blood of my Lord for the old lifeless bread and water of the Mormon sacrament. I have gained a much greater understanding of the Word of God we find in the Bible and in the tradition His Church has handed down to us! The Bible is such a great testimony to Catholicism and to the continuing presence of the Church that Christ promises us in Matthew when he says the gates of Hell wouldn’t prevail against His Church. I urge the Mormons here to really look closely at the promises Christ has made through His living Church which has the keys passed down by Peter and his successors, the Bishops. The first time I attended Mass I was attracted to the Eucharist – after that my eyes were open to the false promises of the Book of Mormon and the so-called “latter-day prophets.” I noticed all of the contradictory teachings within Mormonism that couldn’t be reconciled with each other rather than the consistent teaching of the Catholic Church. I bear testimony the Catholic Church is what it claims to be – I have studied it and prayed about it and my prayers have been answered in a most wonderful way! The Spirit has testified to me of the truthfulness of Mother Church and its teachings. I urge my Mormon friends to begin attending mass, daily if possible. I also urge them to take advantage of the Lord’s Divine Mercy. The Divine Mercy message (ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/index.htm) is a wonderful message we need in our times. If they do so I’m sure they will eventually be brought to God’s truth and their eyes will be open to the problems with Mormonism. And I write this in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Ghost, one Eternal God forever and ever. Amen.

If it’s not too personal, will you tell us what prompted you to go to a Catholic Mass?

 

[Catholic20064]

If it’s not too personal, will you tell us what prompted you to go to a Catholic Mass?

I was on a business trip and couldn’t attend the Mormon service.

 

[True_Believer_1]

What a Beautiful and Powerful Statement of Faith! I know, and count several of them as dear friends, many members of the LDS church. Some have tried to preach and convert me, but as I have always told them, “Why would I want to leave the One True Church for something less”?

May God Bless You Always!

NOT JUST STRONG…CATHOLIC STRONG!!!

 

[Catholic20064]

What a Beautiful and Powerful Statement of Faith! I know, and count several of them as dear friends, many members of the LDS church. Some have tried to preach and convert me, but as I have always told them, “Why would I want to leave the One True Church for something less”?

May God Bless You Always!

NOT JUST STRONG…CATHOLIC STRONG!!!

The Mormons can’t understand the power of the Eucharist because they’ve never experienced that kind of relationship with Christ. I can’t imagine trading the body and blood of Christ for bread and water – it would be like going back to prison after experiencing true freedom.

 

[ParkerD]

Catholic20064,
It’s not surprising you would find what you were missing since you evidently didn’t feel the specialness of the partaking of the emblems of Christ’s body and blood when you were LDS. That has to come from within the individual person. Personal covenants, repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation, feeling at one with Christ–these are individual and require introspection.

But it sounds like you did what was absolutely right for yourself, and are being blessed for that choice with greater feelings of peace than you had before. You moved toward studying the Bible more, which is a good thing, toward feeling the importance of mercy and forgiveness, which are good things, and placed Christ at the center of your life, which is absolutely the most important thing you could do.

 

[Catholic20064]

Catholic20064,
It’s not surprising you would find what you were missing since you evidently didn’t feel the specialness of the partaking of the emblems of Christ’s body and blood when you were LDS. That has to come from within the individual person. Personal covenants, repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation, feeling at one with Christ–these are individual and require introspection.

But it sounds like you did what was absolutely right for yourself, and are being blessed for that choice with greater feelings of peace than you had before. You moved toward studying the Bible more, which is a good thing, toward feeling the importance of mercy and forgiveness, which are good things, and placed Christ at the center of your life, which is absolutely the most important thing you could do.

Thank you for your understanding. Of course it is a much different thing to take the “emblems” of Christ’s body and blood rather than actually partaking of Christ’s true body and blood in the Eucharist.

 

[wisdomseeker]

As I am reading this site I am surprised at the number of Mormons who come to discuss religion here. I used to be one of them. Several years ago in April 2006 I converted to the Catholic Church after over three decades as a Mormon. It has been such a wonderful journey! As I went through the Easter Triduum this year I was thinking how blessed I had been! I watched 40 other people come into my parish at the Easter Vigil and couldn’t help but remember my own baptism. I have seen my own life changed through the sacraments of confession and the Eucharist. What a marvelous blessing to be able to feed on the very body and blood of my Lord as He commanded! It is the very essence of the new Life which Christ has given me. In retrospect Mormonism seems shallow and stale. I could never trade the body and blood of my Lord for the old lifeless bread and water of the Mormon sacrament. I have gained a much greater understanding of the Word of God we find in the Bible and in the tradition His Church has handed down to us! The Bible is such a great testimony to Catholicism and to the continuing presence of the Church that Christ promises us in Matthew when he says the gates of Hell wouldn’t prevail against His Church. I urge the Mormons here to really look closely at the promises Christ has made through His living Church which has the keys passed down by Peter and his successors, the Bishops. The first time I attended Mass I was attracted to the Eucharist – after that my eyes were open to the false promises of the Book of Mormon and the so-called “latter-day prophets.” I noticed all of the contradictory teachings within Mormonism that couldn’t be reconciled with each other rather than the consistent teaching of the Catholic Church. I bear testimony the Catholic Church is what it claims to be – I have studied it and prayed about it and my prayers have been answered in a most wonderful way! The Spirit has testified to me of the truthfulness of Mother Church and its teachings. I urge my Mormon friends to begin attending mass, daily if possible. I also urge them to take advantage of the Lord’s Divine Mercy. The Divine Mercy message (ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/index.htm) is a wonderful message we need in our times. If they do so I’m sure they will eventually be brought to God’s truth and their eyes will be open to the problems with Mormonism. And I write this in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Ghost, one Eternal God forever and ever. Amen.

HALLELUIA! One more in the Kingdom of God. bless you.

 

[NewSeeker]

I too used to be a Mormon and am now a Catholic. I entered the church at the 2008 Easter Vigil. The one thing that stayed with me when I first attended a mass (about 13 years before I was baptized) was that the Eucharist is the culmination of everything that goes before; all of the prayers and readings point to and result in the reception of Jesus’ true body and blood at the altar. I found that to be fascinating and compelling, so different from the Mormon experience, with the sacrament placed just after the announcements and prior to the talks given by ward members. At mass, the prayers, readings, and homily prepare us to receive Jesus, after which we are immediately sent forth as members of his body to do his will. In sacrament meeting, the announcements and the sacrament prepare Mormons to hear the talks. The fact that at mass everything points to and culminates in the Eucharist is something that struck me and stayed with me, an idea I could not shake. Thank God I am now able to literally receive Jesus himself, exactly as he promised! And since I am carrying Jesus with me when I am sent out into the world, I must be careful that the things I do and places I visit are worthy of Him. It is the fact of the Real Presence in the Eucharist, and that fact alone, that makes receiving Christ’s body and blood unworthily a blasphemous act (as Paul taught in Corinthians). We are literally defiling Christ himself if we receive him unworthily or take him with us after Mass to a place unworthy of him. It cannot be a sacrilege if the bread and wine (or water in Mormonism’s case) are merely symbolic emblems. That makes everything about the Eucharist deadly serious, so unlike the Mormon sacrament. How can you defile a mere piece of bread? There’s a huge difference between insulting Christ’s memory and actually defiling his body (which also includes the insult by virtue of the nature of the act). What a blessing it is to receive Christ in the Eucharist. But what a great responsibility it is, also.

NS

 

[Prague]

Newseeker, as an old Catholic, and RCIA teacher I just want to tell you how much your post touched my heart. Thank you

 

[zerinus]

As I am reading this site I am surprised at the number of Mormons who come to discuss religion here. I used to be one of them. Several years ago in April 2006 I converted to the Catholic Church after over three decades as a Mormon. It has been such a wonderful journey! As I went through the Easter Triduum this year I was thinking how blessed I had been! I watched 40 other people come into my parish at the Easter Vigil and couldn’t help but remember my own baptism. I have seen my own life changed through the sacraments of confession and the Eucharist. What a marvelous blessing to be able to feed on the very body and blood of my Lord as He commanded! It is the very essence of the new Life which Christ has given me. In retrospect Mormonism seems shallow and stale. I could never trade the body and blood of my Lord for the old lifeless bread and water of the Mormon sacrament. I have gained a much greater understanding of the Word of God we find in the Bible and in the tradition His Church has handed down to us! The Bible is such a great testimony to Catholicism and to the continuing presence of the Church that Christ promises us in Matthew when he says the gates of Hell wouldn’t prevail against His Church. I urge the Mormons here to really look closely at the promises Christ has made through His living Church which has the keys passed down by Peter and his successors, the Bishops. The first time I attended Mass I was attracted to the Eucharist – after that my eyes were open to the false promises of the Book of Mormon and the so-called “latter-day prophets.” I noticed all of the contradictory teachings within Mormonism that couldn’t be reconciled with each other rather than the consistent teaching of the Catholic Church. I bear testimony the Catholic Church is what it claims to be – I have studied it and prayed about it and my prayers have been answered in a most wonderful way! The Spirit has testified to me of the truthfulness of Mother Church and its teachings. I urge my Mormon friends to begin attending mass, daily if possible. I also urge them to take advantage of the Lord’s Divine Mercy. The Divine Mercy message (ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/index.htm) is a wonderful message we need in our times. If they do so I’m sure they will eventually be brought to God’s truth and their eyes will be open to the problems with Mormonism. And I write this in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Ghost, one Eternal God forever and ever. Amen.

Thank you for your moving testimony. I do have a problem with your suggestion though. I happen to know that the Book of Mormon is true. What shall I do about that?

zerinus

 

[Catholic20064]

Thank you for your moving testimony. I do have a problem with your suggestion though. I happen to know that the Book of Mormon is true. What shall I do about that?

zerinus

Once I understood the truth about the Eucharist, I knew that what Mormonism taught could not be true. That means the Book of Mormon is false as well although I do think it teaches good moral principles. Go to mass everyday for the next six months and see how you feel because you will experience the truth of the Eucharist by doing do.

 

[NewSeeker]

Newseeker, as an old Catholic, and RCIA teacher I just want to tell you how much your post touched my heart. Thank you

Thank you Prague. That means a lot to me. I’m still so new, and taking baby steps as I go, sometimes I’m afraid I’ll get it wrong… There is so much depth and richness to Catholic theology and the divine liturgy!

God bless you!

NS

 

[Prague]

You have been teaching me as I read your posts. You have a good head on those shoulders. Keep at it.

 

[prodigal-sun]

Thank you for your moving testimony. I do have a problem with your suggestion though. I happen to know that the Book of Mormon is true. What shall I do about that?

zerinus

Open your heart to the truth, truth about the Trinity, truth about the Church, and the truth about yourself. I think and pray that all of the debating and truth that you have heard here has dropped a seed in your heart that over time if you allow the Holy Spirit to nurture will bring you into a greater understanding of the truth within the Catholic Church.

My prayers are for all unbelievers that they will come into the one true Holy, & Apostolic Church that was ordained by Christ himself… The Catholic Church.

Peace

 

[zerinus]

Once I understood the truth about the Eucharist, I knew that what Mormonism taught could not be true. That means the Book of Mormon is false as well although I do think it teaches good moral principles. Go to mass everyday for the next six months and see how you feel because you will experience the truth of the Eucharist by doing do.

I don’t think you understand what I am saying. I just know that the Book of Mormon is true. There is no two ways about it. You can’t un-know what you know to be true.

zerinus

 

[CHRISTINE77]

Thank you for your moving testimony. I do have a problem with your suggestion though. I happen to know that the Book of Mormon is true. What shall I do about that?

zerinus

I’d stay a Mormon, if I were you. As if **you **would become a Catholic!!

 

[Catholic20064]

I don’t think you understand what I am saying. I just know that the Book of Mormon is true. There is no two ways about it. You can’t un-know what you know to be true.

zerinus

The only way you can know is to put Catholicism to the test by trying it sincerely. I’m sure if you attend mass regularly in a spirit of prayer you will come to know Catholicism is true. That would of course mean your testimony of the Book of Mormon is false. But you have to sincerely follow the path before you will know.

 

[Robert_in_SD]

I don’t think you understand what I am saying. I just know that the Book of Mormon is true. There is no two ways about it. You can’t un-know what you know to be true.

zerinus

Ask youself on what basis you “know” it to be true? Is your knowledge based on just a “feeling” that it is true? Knowledge based on personal feelings and individual perceptions can be deceiving.

I’m sure many people “knew” that the earth was flat before explorers circumnavigated the globe, because that’s what they were told and taught and that’s what made sense to them based on their own personal experience. Even the thought of a globe-shaped earth was absolutely inconceivable and illogical. But these feelings did not make the world flat.

Peace,
-Robert

 

[Catholic20064]

Ask youself on what basis you “know” it to be true? Is your knowledge based on just a “feeling” that it is true? Knowledge based on personal feelings and individual perceptions can be deceiving.

I’m sure many people “knew” that the earth was flat before explorers circumnavigated the globe, because that’s what they were told and taught and that’s what made sense to them based on their own personal experience. Even the thought of a globe-shaped earth was absolutely inconceivable and illogical. But these feelings did not make the world flat.

Peace,
-Robert

I wonder if Zerinius and some of the other Mormons would be willing to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet with us. There is nothing in that prayer that should offend them except perhaps the Hail Mary. Maybe they could simply substitute a Glory Be. Perhaps we could determine what time zone we are all in and ask the Mormons to pray with us. I’m in the Eastern Time Zone.