The road to conversion

[Convert3]

When I married my wife, I was Protestant and divorced from a Catholic (who was falling away from her faith). I was hoping to have my wife try the Nazarene church that I belonged to at the time. She didn’t try to push me to the Catholic faith. For years we ended up not going at all. I sensed she was missing something and we started going to Catholic mass again, but she would never go for communion. She explained to me she couldn’t because I was divorced (she was widowed previously). I convinced her that both of us should go speak to a priest to see what we could do, as I had no idea. I learned if I got an annulment and we had our marriage convalidated, she would be able to go to communion again after confession. I decided to learn more about the Catholic Church and attended an informational meeting on RCIA and began the annulment process for my first marriage. I decided to attend RCIA to learn more about Catholicism so I could be more supportive of my wife’s faith and understand the mass more. I had to split my RCIA classes between our parish in Pennsylvania and our winter home in Florida. It was tough finding a parish in Florida willing to do that, and my search led me to Sister Anne. I had told her of my struggle to find a church willing to let me split my RCIA classes with my home church. Sister Anne was such a warm, refreshing woman of God that agreed to do whatever was necessary to complete my quest. We coordinated with my home parish to ensure all needed topics would be covered. By Christmas that year my annulment had been granted and we convalidated our marriage a few days after Christmas at our Pennsylvania parish. God had put me in touch with all the right people and suddenly I knew I wanted to complete RCIA and enter the Catholic Church. My wife was ecstatic and I was very much at peace with my decision. The more I learn the more I know I made the right decision. I’d been Christian all my life and my faith in God never faltered, but something was missing. God led me to the Catholic Church and I am at peace with God. Confession is something I embrace even though at first it was hard. Now I’m a Hospitality Minister and Lector, and participate in many church activities.
What a wonderful journey it has been and continues to be!
I’m interested in how others that are converts arrived to their decision. Please share if you’d care to.

 

[Lee1]

I have written some detail elsewhere, and not wishing to bore anyone by repeating myself I’d just say that I was given a belief in God by my mother. I tested God many times over sixty years but every time I got close to unbelief I was left with a feeling of great despair and emptiness.

Eventually living in a cesspool of sin I became very ill and just before I could sink without trace He threw me a line, the line was “join the Catholic Church.” I grabbed that line and with His help I crawled out of that pool and now feel the joy of Christian fellowship and the wonder of the Mass and sometimes such love for Our Heavenly Father I can’t describe.

I often ask “why so long?” And I get the feeling that in my case, that’s how long it took.

 

[Footprints]

This is such a beautiful story! Thank you for sharing and may God bless you and your wife!

 

[Reuben_J]

Thank you for a wonderful and touching testimony. Praise be to God. Welcome home brother.

I am a cradle Catholic but a devoted one. Can’t help you much in what you are asking but I am touched by your humility and positiveness. My prayer is for both of you to continue experiencing the richness of the Catholic faith.

God bless.

 

[HeDa]

Very few have an experience like St Paul on the way to Damascus and then having to spend three years in the desert. Most walk like the apostles to Emmaus with Christ but do not completely recognise Him until “the breaking of the bread”. That walk could take years and decades.