Not a Cradle Catholic Vol. 4


Thanks for coming back for the final installment of Not a Cradle Catholic, where it's all about those of us who are NOT cradle Catholics. Why did we join up? What have we learned? Why is our perspective unique? Thanks for following along. Whatever your background, maybe there's something you can learn from us.

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Rakhi is a Catholic wife and mother who works outside the home part-time while trying to keep up with her husband, two (soon to be three) young children, and cat full-time. She is a convert from Hinduism and spent many years working in young adult and campus ministry. Rakhi’s blog and artwork can be found at rakhimccormick.com, where her mission is to share the love of Christ with the world. You can also find her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.


How long have you been a Catholic?

 This Easter will be my 20th anniversary of coming into the Church.

What were you before?

 I was raised Hindu, but with all the activities of high school and college, was not exactly practicing the faith at the time I began seeking conversion.

What was your main motivation for entering the Catholic Church?

 The very basic answer is that I was invited. The longer answer is that I was seeking answers to some deeper questions after a rather embarrassing stint with alcohol poisoning: what was God's purpose for my life, who was Jesus and why would someone pray for me. I also had (and still have) a woundedness that seeks belonging - I never felt like I fit anywhere, and was desperately looking for somewhere to belong. At the end of the day, what led me to enter the Church was the invitation and the Eucharist.

Which Church teachings were easy to accept and which were stumbling blocks?

 Most of the moral teachings of the Church were simple to understand and accept for me. Being raised Hindu, I had most of the same basic principles of morality instilled in me already. Marriage is forever, sex is for marriage, etc. I will say that as I went through my college years, the teachings around homosexuality began to become difficult to reconcile. In the end, I think it wasn't so much the teachings themselves, but the way in which they were expressed. So often there was so little love in the tone of those who spoke out against homosexuality or homosexual persons. I still have some of those problems today, though I have no problem accepting the Church's teaching.

Is there anything you miss from your pre-Catholic days?

 Perhaps because I did not convert from a Protestant background, I cannot truly think of one thing that I miss.

Is there anything you really do NOT miss?

 Instead of thinking of it as something I don't miss, I can say that one thing I am so thankful for in being Catholic is always having a home to go to, no matter where I am. I know that if I find a Catholic church anywhere in the world, Jesus is waiting for me in the tabernacle. I know that the Mass will relatively be the same. That ability to feel at home anywhere is such a wonderful feeling.

In what ways (if any) has your relationship with Jesus changed since becoming Catholic?

 Well, I have a relationship with Jesus, where I didn't before.

What do you think Catholics can learn from our protestant brothers and sisters?

 While I didn't come from a Protestant background, I do think that the one frustration I have had in being Catholic is the resistance so many have to go out of their comfort zone . . . myself included many days. I wish we lived our lives more completely in mission mode. This is the beauty that Pope Francis is bringing to us, I think. He is reminding us that it isn't all about the rules and the internal workings of the Church, that the Church isn't a club we belong to, but a vehicle to bring people into relationship with Jesus no matter what "level" they are at in the present. I wish as a whole (while there are so many in the Church who do this well), people saw us as a place to go in the midst of their pain and their failures.

Biggest misconception non-Catholics have about Catholics?

 I think there are several that I run across. One is of course that we worship Mary and the Saints (when in fact we venerate and ask their intercession, but worship remains for God alone). Another big misconception, and I think our focus on the rules is a reason behind it, is that we believe we earn our way to heaven through our good works - that we are works based not grace based.

Favorite saint and saint quote?

 Oh...I hate choosing favorites, especially the Saints! If I HAD to pick one, those who read my blog will know that Blessed Teresa of Calcutta is my home girl. My birthday is her feast day, she worked with my people, and we just have a special bond that I cannot quite explain.

My favorite quote of hers is as hard as picking a favorite saint! As I am typing this, I am drawn to

  "Do ordinary things with extraordinary love." 

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JoAnna has been a Catholic working mother for over 10 years. She and her husband have five children here on earth – ages 10, 7, 5, 3, and 1 – plus three saints in heaven. She's worked full-time during all of her pregnancies, and returned to work within 6-8 weeks of each birth, so she is intimately familiar with the joys and challenges of this hectic lifestyle. Find her blogging at The Catholic Working Mother.


How long have you been a Catholic?

Since May 29, 2003 (12 years)

What were you before?

ELCA Lutheran (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)

What was your main motivation for entering the Catholic Church?

My husband become convinced of the truth of Catholicism and told me he wanted to convert. I was adamantly against it but decided to go through RCIA with him just to learn more.

Which Church teachings were easy to accept and which were stumbling blocks?

The biggest issues were sola scriptura and papal authority. Once I resolved those, everything else fell into place.

 Is there anything you miss from your pre-Catholic days?

I miss the fellowship with my family (my conversion has caused some awkwardness and distance), and being able to go to weddings without worrying if they are presumptively valid or invalid.

Is there anything you really do NOT miss?

Belonging to a church that changes teachings according to cultural popularity as opposed to Truth

 In what ways (if any) has your relationship with Jesus changed since becoming Catholic?

I definitely have a much closer relationship with Christ since I joined His Church. The Eucharist is amazing, and so is Reconciliation.

 What do you think Catholics can learn from our protestant brothers and sisters?

I think some other denominations do an excellent job of fostering a true community in their individual churches, and the Catholic Church would do well to emulate that.

Biggest misconception non-Catholics have about Catholics?

That we worship the Pope and/or Mary.



Favorite saint and saint quote?

"The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for what He is sending us every day in His goodness." - St. Gianna Beretta Molla

 //
Allison a Catholic convert, wife to Chris, and momma to three adorable little ginger girls. She is a semi-SAHM with her own business making custom rosaries (Rosaries by Allison). She is a coffee addict, ITP patient, lover of naps, bookworm when she has time, occasional Netflix binger, chocolate nibbler, and skilled crock-potter. She is a veteran champion Highland dancer and a former fastpitch softball catcher. Hibernophile. And sometimes sarcastic. Find her blogging at The Coffee Catholic.


How long have you been a Catholic?

Since Easter 2013

What were you before?

Protestant…sort of an evangelical/non-denom with Southern Baptist roots. And I was baptized Presbyterian as a baby.

What was your main motivation for entering the Catholic Church?

TRUTH! And reverence. History. Completeness. Beauty.

Which Church teachings were easy to accept and which were stumbling blocks?

I honestly can’t think of anything that was a stumbling block. I was ready to jump fully in, because I was so tired of wondering why there are so many different Protestant denominations.

Is there anything you miss from your pre-Catholic days?

The passionate people who love Jesus and are excited to serve Him.

Is there anything you really do NOT miss?

Irreverence. Catholic-bashing. The worship “band”. Forced participation.

In what ways (if any) has your relationship with Jesus changed since becoming Catholic?

Coupled with my diagnosis of ITP in August 2013, I have relied a lot more on Him to help me through situations, especially regarding my health. There is nothing I can do, so I have to trust in His plan for my life every day. I can also dive deeper into His Passion and understand it more now that I’m Catholic (and an ITP patient). Having a structured Liturgical year helps me to appreciate the entire life of Jesus.

What do you think Catholics can learn from our protestant brothers and sisters?

Love for the Bible. Emphasis on a relationship with Christ, not just “membership.”

Biggest misconception non-Catholics have about Catholics?

“They worship Mary and idols” “They’re not actually Christians”

Favorite saint and saint quote?

“Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.” 
-St. Augustine

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Shannon Evans is a Protestant missionary turned Catholic convert who lived to tell the tale.  An adoptive and biological mom of two boys, she enjoys hosing mud off children, scrubbing sticky furniture, and rushing to the ER to have nails extracted from small intestines.  You can find her blogging at We, A Great Parade or on Instagram


How long have you been a Catholic?

I joined the church Easter 2014, along with my husband.

What were you before?

 I was raised Baptist, but for the decade before converting I was a nondenominational charismatic Protestant.  My husband and I were actually overseas missionaries for almost 2 years.

What was your main motivation for entering the Catholic Church?

For me it was the compilation of so many different attractions: the tie to the historical church, the unity of theology (different than the many different views within Protestantism), the social teachings of the church, theology of the body/sexuality, theology of suffering, salvation not being a "one time" thing, and on and on.  So many different things!  It was also significant that my husband and I were making this huge spiritual decision together that was so different than everything we knew.  It was a really sweet, unifying thing for us.  We didn't even have any Catholic friends at the time!

Which Church teachings were easy to accept and which were stumbling blocks?

I immediately loved the teaching on sexuality, contraception, homosexuality, etc.  I couldn't believe how rich and deep the theology behind it was, and it was the first time I felt anyone had ever offered a holisitc lens through which to see our bodies.  The requirements of mass and the Sacraments were easy to accept, as well as the other things I mentioned above.

The representation of Catholics who are prone to overemphasize Mary and under-emphasize Jesus was a put-off to me initially, but was really quickly put out of my mind when I read the Catechism of the Catholic Church and talked to/read other Catholics who agreed this was a problem.  Some of the doctrine regarding Mary (perpetual virginity, assumption) was a challenge because it is "extra" from what is written in the Bible and I was always taught that the Bible has the final say.  In the end I felt comfortable because of early historical writings that seemed to confirm that they were long-held beliefs.  And maybe this sounds terrible, but I kind of figured that if I get to heaven and discover that some of it was a little "off", Jesus wouldn't mind anyway.

Is there anything you miss from your pre-Catholic days?

 I miss feeling like I fully belong in a religious circle.  As it is now, I still connect deeply to Protestant vernacular and much of the Catholic culture still feels foreign to me.  And I wonder if it always will.  But at the same time I can no longer feel truly connected to the Protestant circle either because my theology is Catholic now, so slightly different in some ways- especially from the nondenominational circle I came from.

Is there anything you really do NOT miss?

 I don't miss the pressure to lead people in "the sinner's prayer", but again that's indicative of my personal experience and not every Protestant denomination.  I don't miss the emphasis on praying for healing that prevails in the charismatic circles.  Not that I don't still pray for healing! I do.  But I appreciate that Catholicism understands that God works powerfully through suffering too.  I never used to hear much at all about that.

In what ways (if any) has your relationship with Jesus changed since becoming Catholic?

 It has become more about Him and less about me.  In the past, I felt a lot of pressure to do certain things (evangelize, pray for the sick or injured, spend a certain amount of time in prayer every day, fast, "feel" an encounter with God in worship settings, etc) so it felt like our relationship was all my responsibility.  I still believe in those things but for me they are much more Christ-led rather than self-led now.

What do you think Catholics can learn from our protestant brothers and sisters?

 There is a lot to learn about having a personal relationship with Jesus, rather than it being only something that we do as a group.  Many Catholics aren't comfortable forming their own words in prayer out loud, especially before a group.  We can learn from Protestants there.  We can also take their example of evangelism, doing it in a way that feels natural and personal to us.

Biggest misconception non-Catholics have about Catholics?

 In my experience the biggest misconception is that we worship Mary.  I'm happy to say that once I scratched the surface of Catholicism, I immediately found that was false.

Favorite saint and saint quote?

 St. Therese of Lisieux is my patron saint, but I have a lot of favorites.  One quote of hers that I like is:

 "Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, not even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them."

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keep in touch!

   

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Not a Cradle Catholic Vol. 3


Thanks for coming back for another installment of Not a Cradle Catholic, where it's all about those of us who did NOT grow up in the Catholic Church. Why did we join up? What have we learned? Why is our perspective unique? I hope you'll follow along. Whatever your background, maybe there's something you can learn from us.

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Becky blogs at Vita Dulcis where she writes about food, faith, and family. She is married to her college sweetheart and has a toddler plus a baby on the way. Besides being a total foodie and a native Texan, this Catholic convert loves iced mochas, youth ministry, road trips, and decorating cookies. Find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.


How long have you been a Catholic? 

I have been an official Catholic for 7 years - praise God!

What were you before? 

I was raised in the Lutheran faith. (WELS)

What was your main motivation for entering the Catholic Church? 

There were SO many factors along the way, but I'd say my main motivation was the Eucharist. Once I believed that it was the true body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ, I couldn't turn back.

Which Church teachings were easy to accept and which were stumbling blocks? 

Luckily the Lutheran liturgy was very similar to Catholic liturgy, so it was easy for me to catch on to the mass. It was also easy for me to come to a full understanding of the Eucharist because my Lutheran faith taught the real presence, just in a different sense. Some of the hardest parts to accept (at first) were the papacy and the teachings about Mary, mainly because they were totally foreign to me. But after studying and understanding WHY the Church believes these things, it made complete sense and now they are some of my favorite beliefs!

Is there anything you miss from your pre-Catholic days? 

I definitely miss the huge emphasis on Scripture and am so glad that I was raised with a firm foundation in God's word. Even though I'm no longer a Sola-Scriptura believer, I loved how important the Bible was viewed not only at church and Bible study, but also in your personal life and study.

Is there anything you really do NOT miss? 

In my former church, we only had the Holy Communion part of the liturgy twice a month. So as a Catholic, I feel so blessed to be able to receive the Eucharist at every single mass! Also, I definitely don't miss celebrating Reformation Day. Though it didn't seem strange at the time, now it really makes me sad that every year on October 31st, Lutherans celebrate Luther's nailing of the 95 Theses and his work to "reform" the Church. I just don't understand why splitting the Church is a cause for celebration, so now I pray in a special way on that day for unity in the Church rather than separation. 

In what ways (if any) has your relationship with Jesus changed since becoming Catholic? 

I'd say that while my faith in Christ as a Lutheran was pretty strong, it has only grown deeper and stronger as a Catholic. Not only my knowledge of Christ through my continued study and learning of the faith, but also my relationship with Him personally. I know that I keep mentioning the Eucharist (because lets be real - it's awesome) but it is so beautiful being able to truly receive Jesus Christ in that close and physical way. I'd say you can't get much closer to Christ than that!

What do you think Catholics can learn from our protestant brothers and sisters? 

I know that Catholics get a bad rap about their Scripture skills, but I do think that Protestants set a great example in their knowledge and familiarization with the Bible. It always makes me sad when I meet a Catholic who doesn't even halfway know the books of the Bible, the main stories, or even that the Bible is originally our book! 

Biggest misconception non-Catholics have about Catholics? 

There are several that I can think of, but I think the main aspect boils down to thinking that Catholics place too much emphasis on Mary and the Saints and are accused of worshiping them. There is a huge misunderstanding about the Communion of Saints and the view that Catholics unnecessarily circumvent God when asking the Saints to intercede for us. It's definitely a misconception that I used to have, but now it all makes sense after actually learning the Church's teachings about the subject.

Favorite saint and saint quote? 

There are too many awesome saints to choose from! What a great problem to have. But I'll pick St. Clare of Assisi, who is my patron. I really relate to her story and conversion to radically follow Christ. I strive to have a brave faith like hers. 

Same with the quotes, I could go on and on, but two that I seem to repeat more than others are "Pray, hope, and don't worry." by the wonderful Padre Pio (such simple and powerful advice!) and

 "There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be." 
-Ven. Fulton Sheen. 

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Ruth Anne is wife to Jared and mama to four (6, 5, 3, almost 1) with a baby due early next year. She currently lives in Southern New England, where she is essentially a native and Jared is a transplant. She's just begun her homeschool journey and she loves herself some coffee, reading and quiet. She blogs about daily happenings and what not at Holloway Family North. Find her on Facebook and Instagram


How long have you been a Catholic?

I officially joined the church at Easter of 2013, so about two and half years.

What were you before?

Immediately before becoming Catholic we were part of a church called the Charismatic Episcopal Church, which is a liturgical anglican-esque type denomination. Before that (growing up) I was in a non-denominational Protestant church.

What was your main motivation for entering the Catholic Church?

A little hard to say because in a nutshell it felt a lot like desperation. We had pretty much stopped attending the other church, for many reasons. But in the fall of 2012 I started feeling the huge need to join a church. I knew I didn't want another non-Catholic liturgical church and any other Protestant church was WAY out of the question. So for me, the only option left was the Catholic church. I also knew I didn't want to just attend a church... or just "be Catholic" and not actually practice. 

I unintentionally stumbled across a few Catholic mom-bloggers who were really showing that it was possible to be Catholic, not just in name but in daily life. And that's when I called up the local parish and asked what I needed to do. Fortunately they were open to taking us very, VERY late into the RCIA class - it was December and the class had started in September. So we went from there.

Which Church teachings were easy to accept and which were stumbling blocks?

Easy - Honestly, by the time I was going through RCIA, I was ready to accept most things as they were presented. I've been (lovingly) accused of blindly following everything that was taught without thinking it through. To which I counter, yes, I do accept that the church teaches "XYZ", but I'd like to think that I process and think through things pretty quickly. The easiest one was probably the teachings on the Theology of the Body, it just made so. much. sense. :)

Harder - A few of the Marian teachings (Perpetual Virginity and Immaculate Conception). I've made my peace with them, but many in my family (Catholic and non) like to debate them (I don't do debates), so I have a hard time when they start getting worked up about them. 

Is there anything you miss from your pre-Catholic days?

*Sometimes* I miss the spontaneous prayer that happens during any given service. What I mean by that is NOT having an open time of prayer where anyone can pray and pray and pray (and keep on praying) for long amounts of time. But I saw a beautiful example of this when I attended a different parish recently. I think it was right after Prayers of the People where you state your intentions they let people say their intentions out loud which turned into quick little prayers for so-and-so's healing, etc. It only lasted a few minutes and it was a small parish, but it felt like such a unifying thing. 

Is there anything you really do NOT miss?

Most of it? My understanding of the fullness of Christianity since coming into the Catholic church has increased so much that when I look back and see whats missing from the previous churches I really don't feel drawn to them and therefore don't miss pretty much most of it. (Does that make sense?)

In what ways (if any) has your relationship with Jesus changed since becoming Catholic?

I don't know that my relationship has changed dramatically. I was a Christian before becoming Catholic and that didn't change. I'd say I probably have a more full relationship now than I did before. I also feel that there are more ways to work on that relationship since being Catholic, for example earlier this summer I participated in an icon class, there is so much meditation and prayer which goes into that process that you can't help but develop a relationship. 

What do you think Catholics can learn from our protestant brothers and sisters?

Being missionaries. I come from a family of missionaries (my grandparents and a few aunts, uncles and cousins). And I think that's one thing you don't see so much of in the Catholic church: the lay missionaries.

Biggest misconception non-Catholics have about Catholics?

That Catholics aren't Christians. Could there be some Catholics who just "go through the motions" and aren't really Christians? Yes of course. But.... I think the same could be said about any Christian group/church.

Favorite saint and saint quote?

Don't know if she's my all time favorite, but I have a really hard time picking just one...Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, and this quote:

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.

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Amy is a former atheist and forensic psychologist, turned Catholic, homeschooling, stay-at-home mom. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and three daughters. She is a book nerd, a wanna-be chef, and a sometimes runner. She blogs at Motherhood and Miscellany.


How long have you been a Catholic?

 I've been Catholic for one and a half years. I entered the Church at the Easter Vigil in 2014.

What were you before?

 Before I became Catholic I was an atheist.

What was your main motivation for entering the Catholic Church?

 I had spent almost a decade not believing in God, and then I had my first miscarriage. When I began to realize what was happening, I started to pray. It was only one word, repeated over and over, "Please, please," but after that, I realized I could no longer call myself an atheist. Then my husband started having some health problems, and he told me he wanted to go back to church. He was raised Catholic, so it made sense for him to want to go to a Catholic church, and I decided to join him. I began reading a lot about Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular, and after a few months, I began to feel a strong pull to the Eucharist. That's when I decided to contact our RCIA director and become Catholic.

Which Church teachings were easy to accept and which were stumbling blocks?

 I didn't have a strong religious background, so when I read Rome Sweet Home, by Scott Hahn, pretty much all of the Catholic teachings were quite easy for me to accept. It all just made so much sense once I learned what the Church actually teaches (as opposed to what I vaguely though the Church taught).

The one thing that was a bit difficult to overcome was the Church's stance on gay marriage. I have gay friends. My oldest daughter was a flower girl in their marriage ceremony. I was always very strongly in the "live and let live" camp. Once I learned about why the Church takes the position it does, I understood, but it was still a bit hard to reconcile this teaching with my love of my friends for a while.

Is there anything you miss from your pre-Catholic days?

 I don't miss anything from my pre-Catholic days. Except maybe sleeping in on Sundays.

Is there anything you really do NOT miss?

 I don't miss the feeling of contempt for religion that I used to have. And I don't miss the lack of belief in anything other than this body on earth for a few short years and then turning to dust and nothing more.

In what ways (if any) has your relationship with Jesus changed since becoming Catholic?
My relationship with Jesus has changed drastically! For one thing, I actually have a relationship with Him now! But even more than that, I have some understanding now of the depth of His love and mercy for me and I know that I can turn to Him in every moment. And I get to receive Him in Holy Communion at least one a week, which is just incredible.

What do you think Catholics can learn from our protestant brothers and sisters?

 I'm not really sure about this. I was only very vaguely a protestant Christian as a child, so I don't feel like I know enough about protestant faiths to be able to answer this one very well.

Biggest misconception non-Catholics have about Catholics?

 I think the idea that we worship things other than God, like Mary, the Pope, the saints, and various sacramentals. This seems to be such a common misunderstanding!

Favorite saint and saint quote?
My favorite saints are St. Rita and St. Philomena. My favorite saint quote is from St. Augustine, because it captures my experience of coming to Christianity.

"Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in You." 

//

stay tuned for more stories, and as always, keep in touch!

   

email:     


Not A Cradle Catholic Vol. 2


Thanks for coming back for another installment of Not a Cradle Catholic, where it's all about those of us who did NOT grow up in the Catholic Church. Why did we join up? What have we learned? Why is our perspective unique? I hope you'll follow along. Whatever your background, maybe there's something you can learn from us.

//

MaryRuth has the privilege of being a wife of 15 years to an amazing man. Together they have four children on this earth and one praying hard for them in heaven. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and has studied Human Development and Psychology both in the classroom and in the home. She has always wanted to bridge the gap between research on child development and actual parenting and tries to do that at her blog, Parenting with Peer Review. She loves writing, family, coffee, wine, chocolate, office supplies, the Catholic Church, watching her boys play soccer, historical fiction, and time gabbing with girl-friends.  She does not love proof-reading, unloading the dishwasher, traffic, returning phone calls, scorpions, or the post-office. Find her on Facebook, Insatgram, and Pinterest.




How long have you been a Catholic?

 I came into the church Easter of 2007, so 8+ years now.

What were you before?

 I was raised non-denominational protestant. I was baptized Presbyterian as an infant, but my parents took us to a few different types of churches. I really came-of-age in a congregational church

What was your main motivation for entering the Catholic Church?

 I like to say I have a baby saint who led me to the church. I lost a baby before she was born in 2005. I was of course a total wreck and my husband asked if I would like to talk to someone about it. We were temporarily living out of state for the year because of my husband's job and I was pretty isolated socially.  We had been attending a Catholic Church because it was convenient and my husband had been raised Catholic.  He made an appointment with me to speak to the priest and his words were so soothing. I was reassured by the fact that the Church recognized my loss as the loss of a life, not just a potential life.  But more than that, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit and wanted more.  My heart was pulled to the Church so I started doing the research.  The deeper I dug, the more convinced I was that the Catholic Church was the One True Church.

Which Church teachings were easy to accept and which were stumbling blocks?

  Natural Family Planning was crazy hard for us to accept. My husband was a cradle Catholic but also a bit of a potluck-Catholic at the time. He was worried we would end up with a bazillion kids. We had already been using oral contraception so embracing NFP required a total change in both of our mindsets about kids, about life, about openness, and about marital love.  It was tough, but one of the best things we have done in our marriage.

Is there anything you miss from your pre-Catholic days?

 Not really. I feel like I haven’t lost a single thing, but I have gained so much that protestants had just dropped.  The teachings of early Church Fathers, Church tradition, the Saints, feast days, The Eucharist, Our Blessed Mother, oh my!

Is there anything you really do NOT miss?

 Growing up it seemed like our church was successful if it had lots of people giving lots of money, and the pastor's job seemed to be to keep people coming back by keeping them entertained with a good sermon.  The pastors didn’t challenge us to grow in our faith but rather seemed to say what the people wanted to hear. The sermons I heard growing up were just really fun or interesting stories - but rarely really challenged me spiritually.  The sermons were the focus of every service rather than Christ in the Eucharist. I like having Christ as the focus - body, blood, soul and divinity. I love having the Church here to challenge me to continue to grow in holiness. I love that the Church just teaches the Truth - take it or leave it.

In what ways (if any) has your relationship with Jesus changed since becoming Catholic?

 I have learned to listen to Him. To hear Him in my heart.  I have learned to read the Bible. I have learned to pray and connect with Him.  I have discovered countless ways that I can grow to be the daughter He desires me to be and I learn more each day!

What do you think Catholics can learn from our protestant brothers and sisters?

 Our protestant brothers and sisters have really done a beautiful job marketing Jesus, evangelizing, and entertaining.  They make it fun.  They make it their mission to make sure that everyone feels welcome and loved in their churches.  They reach out to everyone and make church a fun place to be. That is hard for us because we have our tradition and we are fairly unchanged for the last 2000 years… but I think we can do a little better job marketing at least!

Biggest misconception non-Catholics have about Catholics?

 That we don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  That is bonkers, but I think many believe that to be the case. I have grown so much in my own individual relationship with Christ since my conversion!

Favorite saint and saint quote?

 I don't know that I have a favorite saint. I love St. Claire and St. Catherine but I think St. Theresa is probably the one with whom I can most personally connect. I love her writing and her struggles and honesty.  She has challenged me to grow in my spiritual life and challenges me intellectually as well. I think we could have been really good friends, but maybe we are becoming friends yet!

My favorite quote from her is probably:

“The important thing is not to think much, but to love much, and so to do whatever best awakens us to love.”

 //
Abbey writes her life as a homeschooling mom to a small collective. She muses about parenting, practicing gratitude, and celebrating the liturgical year with her young family at Surviving Our Blessings. In her spare time, Abbey enjoys running, knitting, coffee and cookbooks, not usually all at the same time. Find her on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. 


How long have you been a Catholic?

I entered the Church at Easter in 2002, so 13 years this past Easter.

What were you before?

I grew up Southern Baptist (along with every member of my family, living and dead).

What was your main motivation for entering the Catholic Church?

I was never a very good Baptist. I asked too many difficult questions. I appreciate being part of a tradition that values scholarly inquiry and intellectual discourse...those and the depth of the liturgical practice were what drew me in initially. What kept me there, though, was the Mass and the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. It was like a magnet.

Which Church teachings were easy to accept and which were stumbling blocks?

I struggled some with some of the Marian doctrines. I didn't necessarily disagree with them, I just felt they were theologically unnecessary. (Good thing I'm not in charge.)

Is there anything you miss from your pre-Catholic days?

I miss old-fashioned hymn sings. There's an entire hymnal of really good old Gospel hymns that I don't get to sing in a group any more. I try to make up for it by playing and singing them at home, but it's not quite the same.

Is there anything you really do NOT miss?

I don't miss skipping from Palm Sunday to Easter with no Holy Week in between. I don't miss the long exegetical sermons that go through the text a line at a time and last 45 minutes. And I really don't miss the altar calls with verse after verse of Just As I Am while we wait for someone to feel guilty enough to step out of the pew and come forward.

In what ways (if any) has your relationship with Jesus changed since becoming Catholic?

Growing in faith as a Catholic Christian has helped me move from Jesus in my head to Jesus in my heart. It's ironic- the entire focus in my childhood church was on whether or not Jesus was in our hearts. I believed He was there, of course, because I had invited Him to be. Experiencing Jesus in the Eucharist, though, brings him much more into the forefront of both my mind and my heart. I feel His presence much more closely now and relate to Him more intimately on a daily basis.

What do you think Catholics can learn from our protestant brothers and sisters?

All traditions have valuable insights for each other. The key is to look for the gifts that the Spirit has given to each denomination. Some things that come to mind from my relationships with Christians who are not Catholic (and from spending time in those churches) is a strong Biblical knowledge that is taught from a young age, a missionary zeal and fervor for sharing Christ with others, a warm sense of hospitality, and great singing during worship. From my Mennonite brothers and sisters, particularly, I appreciate the witness for radical peacemaking and justice for the marginalized. These things are all very Catholic, too- we just tend not to emphasize them quite as much in the same ways.

Biggest misconception non-Catholics have about Catholics?

That we worship saints and Mary. That we don't know the Bible. That we think the Pope is a perfect person who doesn't make mistakes and that he thinks for us.

Favorite saint and saint quote?

Saint Therese of Lisieux: 

"Do not fear, the poorer you are the more Jesus will love you. He will go far, very far in search of you, if at times you wander off a little."

//

Amy hails from the great state of Kansas, though she has lived the last 13 years away from the “Land of Oz” traveling the country with her Air Force Airman.  She has lived in Ohio, Florida, California, Virginia, and is gearing up to move to Las Vegas, Nevada.  She graduated from Kansas State University in 2001 and married her love, Dustin, that same year.  She has three amazing kiddos–two daughters and a son.  She is the founder of Passionate Purpose, a website dedicated to promoting healthy marriages and dating relationships.


How long have you been a Catholic?

I became Catholic in September 2009, so six years now.  

What were you before?

Protestant.  I was raised in the Disciples of Christ Church.

What was your main motivation for entering the Catholic Church?

When I married my husband, he was a Catholic and I was Protestant.  Dustin wanted to remain Catholic, I wanted to remain Protestant.  And so, we fought.  Correction--I fought.  I spewed out all the things I thought were true about the Catholic Church at Dustin and he remained calm, patient, and loving.  He countered every single one of my baseless untruths.  Soon, there was nothing I could say.  He had an answer for everything.  I was so frustrated, but I refused to concede.  That would mean that I was wrong.  That would mean that I had believed in untruths and that thought was humiliating.  
Pride is a strong sin.  But, as I started attending Catholic Churches with him, my ears, mind, and heart began to soften.  I actually started listening. Three things really brought me in:
  
1.  The Eucharist.  The desire to receive became overwhelming. 

2. The history is there and I can't dispute it.  If this was The Church founded by the apostles at the very beginning than that is where I want to be.  The history is rich, intriguing, mysterious, and supernatural.  Again and again, I am left in awe as I continue to explore the only Christian church that has been around for over 2,000 years.

3.  It ignited a flame in me.  The beauty of Catholicism has brought me closer to Jesus in numerous ways. 

Which Church teachings were easy to accept and which were stumbling blocks?

So much of what the Church teaches, I had never even heard before, such as Jesus being present in the Eucharist, Mary's Immaculate Conception, the Church's stance on contraception.  It was all a lot to take in.  I think the thing that was hardest for me was the teaching on contraception.  I had taken birth control since I was 17 and never thought a thing of it.  It was just what everyone did.  When I actually had to think about why I was taking it and if it was good for me and my marriage, it was hard to swallow that pill.  

Is there anything you miss from your pre-Catholic days?

Honestly, no.  

Is there anything you really do NOT miss?

The symbolic gesture of communion.  Nothing, I mean nothing, beats Holy Communion in the Catholic Church.  

In what ways (if any) has your relationship with Jesus changed since becoming Catholic?

In every way!  Catholicism has brought me so much closer to Jesus.  I pray more, go to church every Sunday (if not prevented in someway), I have Bible studies with my kids; I see everything in a different way. 

What do you think Catholics can learn from our protestant brothers and sisters?

They know their scripture.  They can quote it, they know where to look in the Bible for what they want.  They know their way around the Bible.  As Catholics, we need to be better about this.  

Biggest misconception non-Catholics have about Catholics?

Uh, everything!  LOL!  I used to believe in all the untruths that non-Catholics believe.  To pick just one would be hard.  But, I think the biggest misconception is that they don't understand that the Catholic Church isn't just some denomination.  It's THE Church founded by the apostles.  We have that lineage, that history, we can trace it back to the beginning.  They are Protestant because someone long ago broke off from the Catholic Church.  I never understood this and I don't think many Protestants do either.  

Favorite saint and saint quote?  

So many amazing saints, how do you pick just one?  St. Augustine, St. Jerome.  St. Maria Goretti.  I think one of my favorite quotes comes from St. Catherine of Siena: 

"Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire."  

Isn't that the greatest call to purpose in this life?  I sure think so.  

//


stay tuned for more stories, and as always, keep in touch!

   

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Not A Cradle Catholic Vol.1


If you've been hanging around here for a while you probably know that I did not grow up Catholic. If you haven't read my conversion story yet, you should check it out. Faith has always been a huge part of my life and my decision to join the Catholic Church was the natural culmination of my childhood formation that I never saw coming.

Whenever I meet other converts I always want to ask them why they did it, what made them take that big step. I want to know if the Catholic Church surprised them as much as it did me.  So that's why this series is here. It's all about those of us who are NOT cradle Catholics. Why did we join up? What have we learned? Why is our perspective unique? I hope you'll follow along. Whatever your background, maybe there's something you can learn from us.

Thanks to all who so willingly participated and I hope you enjoy hearing their stories!

//

Kelly is married to a man with the same name as her (yes really) and they have four darling daughters. She is expecting baby #5 in April and is told it's a boy! She lives in Nebraska, stays at home with her girls, and blogs about it on the side to help remember all the sweet moments of mothering. You can read about it at The Misadventures of Kelly and Kelly. You can also find her on Instagram


How long have you been a Catholic?

We (my husband and I) joined the Church in 2005 at Easter so a little over 10 years.

What were you before?

Lutheran.

What was your main motivation for entering the Catholic Church?

I look back on it now and I see that I was just drawn to the church. I especially wanted to be able to pray the rosary so I feel like Mary was calling me home. I started to question the validity of the Lutheran church splitting from the Catholic Church and when that fell apart it was easy to switch.

Which Church teachings were easy to accept and which were stumbling blocks?

NFP was the hardest. I told God that I could do anything except I would not do that. Until January of the year we were in RCIA and Christopher West came to town to speak. We went to the all day long talk and were convinced and immediately learned NFP.

Most of the things seemed pretty easy, which looking back must have been the grace of God and the Holy Spirit. I had lots of questions but the answers mostly just made sense and were easy to take.

Is there anything you miss from your pre-Catholic days?

I miss being the same denomination as my family.

Is there anything you really do NOT miss?

I can't think of anything. I was a pretty lukewarm Lutheran though.

In what ways (if any) has your relationship with Jesus changed since becoming Catholic?

My relationship is deeper, my prayer life is stronger. I have more trust I think.

What do you think Catholics can learn from our protestant brothers and sisters?

Love of scripture.

Biggest misconception non-Catholics have about Catholics?

That we worship Mary.

Favorite saint and saint quote?

Probably St. Theresa (and typing my answers on her feast day!) 

"The world's thy ship and not thy home."

//

Sterling is a wife and mama to three girls under 5, lives in Boise, Idaho and is the host of the Coffee & Pearls show. As an adult convert, she had to discover Catholicism on her own. She is so in love with the truth and tradition of the Church that she dedicates her life to helping lukewarm Catholics discover the passion and joy of our great faith! She writes at Sterling Jaquith. Also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.


How long have you been a Catholic?

I converted to Catholicism officially in 2010 but it took me two years to actually embrace and love my Catholic faith!

What were you before?

I was a very conservative Evangelical Protestant before. 

What was your main motivation for entering the Catholic Church?

I fell in love with a Catholic man and I didn't want to raise my children in a split-religious household.  I felt sure that God wanted me to marry this man so I decided that God must also want me to become Catholic!

Which Church teachings were easy to accept and which were stumbling blocks?

I easily accepted going to Mass every week and turning to the Saints for wisdom.  I struggled to understand why we had to practice Natural Family Planning and it took me a long time to understand the beauty and the power of Adoration and the rosary.  

Is there anything you miss from your pre-Catholic days?

I miss the bible studies and the scripture memorization which was so common among my Protestant friends.  I just don't see that happening as often with my Catholic friends.  We don't talk about Jesus as often. I miss the music too.  I would go to Protestant church and meet Jesus in song.  Now I love the true presence of Christ in the Mass but I wish more people joined in singing the hymns!

Is there anything you really do NOT miss?

I don't miss the hypocrisy.  I look back now and I see so many Protestants put on a smile and said JESUS but it's a culture built on bending the rules and choosing what you want out of Christianity. 

In what ways (if any) has your relationship with Jesus changed since becoming Catholic?

After consecrating myself to Jesus through Mary I feel so much closer to Him.  I feel as if knowing her has helped me to know Him better.  I love sitting and chatting with Him in Adoration.  I never experienced anything like that before. 

What do you think Catholics can learn from our protestant brothers and sisters?

Protestants have great confidence that they can convert people.  We should have that too!  We should try harder to inspire more people to become Catholic.  Yes, you do have to hook people with warm and fuzzies but we have all the good and true stuff to back up what we're saying!  We need to evangelize more and do it with joy!

Biggest misconception non-Catholics have about Catholics?

Two things!  One, Catholics aren't being forced to "have all the babies" like we're part of some brain washed club.  I always thought I'd only have two kids.  Now, after being Catholic and spending time with so  many bigger families, I see the love that those families share.  It's that love that has inspired me to want a bigger family.  Being Catholic has just opened my heart to sacrifice and to embracing love.  

Second, everything about Mary.  And that's been hard for me.  I now love Mary so much and she's such a big part of my life that I'm saddened by all the Protestants who leave her in the background and don't think about her much.  It's such a lost opportunity because she really is amazing and we don't worship her, we honor her as the mother of Christ, as we should!

Favorite saint and saint quote?

St. Therese has stolen my heart.  She is my favorite saint.  But my favorite quote is,

 "If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!" 
St. Catherine of Sienna

//

Emily is a wife and stay-at-home mom living the Midwestern dream with her little family. She is a lover of chocolate, coffee, and comfy sweaters. You can find out more about her and read her ramblings over at Raising Barnes.


How long have you been a Catholic?

6 1/2 years (since March of 2009)

What were you before?

Lutheran

What was your main motivation for entering the Catholic Church?

It is a hard thing to put into words.  Growing up, I was pretty active in church activities and had lots of "friends" there.  But there was just something missing.  I went on my first Lifeteen retreat my senior year of high school (2007) with my best friend; after that, I started attending more youth group functions with her as well.  I felt a kind of peace and acceptance among those people that I had never felt in all my years growing up.  That level of acceptance made me look into the faith more - what did these people have that I had been missing all those years???

Which Church teachings were easy to accept and which were stumbling blocks?

I wouldn't say that anything was necessarily easy to accept for me, but I didn't have a lot of stumbling blocks either.  I was very lucky to be surrounded by people who were willing to listen to my concerns and answer my questions.  There were things that didn't always make sense to me, but I felt a peace that eventually I would understand them.  There are lots of things that I'm still learning to appreciate, even today! 

Is there anything you miss from your pre-Catholic days?

Having a common faith with my parents has been the hardest thing.  They were supportive of my decision to convert, but I think it is hard for all of us to not share that common bond anymore.  They attend Mass with us once a year (Christmas), which I am so grateful for, but it just isn't quite the same any more.  

Is there anything you really do NOT miss?

The traditions and rituals of the Catholic Church are just so beautiful and amazing to me!  I really don't feel like I'm missing anything from the faith that I grew up in because the Catholic faith offers so much more!  

In what ways (if any) has your relationship with Jesus changed since becoming Catholic?

I am by no means perfect or an expert when it comes to my relationship with Jesus, but I do feel like He became more real to me after becoming Catholic.  Growing up, we were never really taught how to have a relationship with Christ.  To me, He felt more like a distant character than someone to have a living, breathing relationship with.  Becoming Catholic made Him more real to me, making that relationship feel more attainable.  But it is always a work in progress.  

What do you think Catholics can learn from our protestant brothers and sisters?

The importance of community.  There were (are still are) lots of opportunities to gather and build community in the church that I grew up in.  That was the hardest thing coming into the Catholic Church - there wasn't an obvious group that I felt like I could belong to.  This could look different depending on the parish you attend or the city in which you live.  And there have been so many changes, even in the 6 short years that have passed since I became Catholic.  But, I think it is still an important thing to emphasize community - our faith is both personal and communal.  

Biggest misconception non-Catholics have about Catholics?

That our faith is weird, perhaps bordering on fanatical.  I didn't experience too much Catholic "bashing" growing up, but some of the stories I did hear seemed so ... odd.  Did Catholics really believe they were eating Jesus?!?  Once I learned more, Jesus' presence in the Eucharist became a beautiful thing, but when you only hear snippets of it, it all sounds very strange.  

Favorite saint and saint quote?

St. Michael & Blessed Mother Teresa

"If I ever become a saint - I will surely be one of 'darkness.'  I will continually be absent from Heaven - to light the light of those in darkness on earth."  
- Blessed Mother Teresa

//

stay tuned for more stories. And as always, keep in touch!

   

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// C O N V E R S I O N p t 2 //

Did you read the first part of this story yet? If not, you may want to get yourself caught up.

May of 2007: I just got home from 5 months in India where I had been volunteering as an English teacher. While I was there I did a lot of praying and soul searching about many things, one of which was my desire to get married. I had always wanted to be a wife and a mother, but had never dated or done anything even close to dating. I was 20 years old, I had seen the world, and now I felt like it was my turn to be in a relationship.

Enter Alex.

We worked together that summer at a bakery, I had known him very casually for few years but we'd never been more than co-workers—until that summer, when he asked me out on my first date (a whole other story for another blog post).

When I look back at the beginning of our relationship it all seems so crazy to me. I had always pictured myself becoming really good friends with a guy and then only dating him after I knew him really well.  But Alex and I were practically strangers! And to top it off, he was a Catholic! As someone who had always had very high ideals about love and purity and Christ-centered dating it was incredibly uncharacteristic of me to be dating an almost perfect stranger who, for all I know, didn't share any of my beliefs! I can only attribute it to the nudging of the Holy Spirit.

Anna and Alex, the early years.
It didn't take me long to see that, unlike almost all the Catholics I had previously known, Alex seemed to really know Jesus. One of our early conversation may have gone something like this:
me: So you're Catholic, right?
Alex: Yeah.
Me: So, what do you think about Jesus?
Alex....after a pause: Well...He's God, and I love him. 

This seemed like a good sign to me. He also had a good handle on scripture, and he could explain and defend many elements of his Catholic faith that puzzled me. We spent hours discussing points where our theologies disagreed. Me attacking, him always calmly and politely defending. I was impressed by his character and love for the Lord, and was convinced it was my job to help him break free from his Catholic bondage and become a real Christian.

Well, our first, second, and third dates turned into 3, then, 6, then 10 months of dating, and the more I got to know him the more I got the feeling that he wasn't just going to stop being Catholic. Around the time we had been dating for one year, Alex took a two-month trip to Peru. Shortly before he left I was (not so slyly) trying to get out of him where he "saw us going" and if he had thought about our relationship "long-term." A few days later, while I drove him to the airport, I got my answer. He handed me a book entitled The Good News About Sex and Marriage by Christoper West, and asked me if I would read it while he was gone, saying that if we got married he wouldn't expect me to convert, but he would still want to live out his Catholic faith, and that I should know what that entailed. I said goodbye to him, shed a few tears, drove home, and immediately started reading.

And I was blown away!

I knew a lot about scripture, and theology, and my church talked a lot about issues of faith and morals, like abortion, same-sex marriage, the death penalty, stem cell research, and fair trade. But I had never in all my life heard anyone suggest that artificial contraception could be outside of God's plan.  I had barely heard of natural family planning and just assumed it was an outdated calendar method used by Amish people. I had always assumed that when I got married I would go on the pill, wait 5 years, and when I was "ready" I would start having kids. I assumed that's what everyone did. I had no idea there were other possibilities.

Then I read this:

The Father, from all eternity, is making a gift of himself in love to the Son...
And the Son, eternally receiving the gift of the Father, makes a gift of Himself
back to Him. The love between them is so real, so profound, that this love is
another eternal Person—the Holy Spirit. 

Among other things, this is what our being made in the image and likeness of God
reveals: we're called to love as God loves, in a life-giving communion of persons...
The love between [a husband and wife] is so real, so profound, that God willing, 
it may become another human person. 

- Christopher West, The Good News About Sex and Marriage
Marital love is a complete giving of one's self to the other, not an exchange of goods. And love should always have the potential for life.  It doesn't mean you have to have 20 kids.  But it does mean you're not actively shutting out God's life-giving creativity. 

I read about the incredibly low divorce rate among NFP couples. I read about the dignity it offers to women, and how it fosters communication between a husband and wife. I read about health benefits and low costs. And as I read all this, I became convicted of two things: one was that this was truth, and I wondered why I had never been taught this anywhere else.  The other was that if the Catholic Church was so right in this matter, then maybe it was right about some other things.

I could feel my world being rocked. I was at a tipping point – I could turn around and forget all the things I was beginning to think, or I could I could pray harder, dig deeper, and challenge my faith in a way I had never done before. The feeling was agonizing, but in my heart of hearts I knew what I was going to do. And I got a huge dose of affirmation from my mom. "If you and Alex get married, you should be the same denomination, even if it means you becoming Catholic."

All that following year Alex and I went to a Fundamentals of Catholicism class. I learned about the ins and outs of Catholic doctrine. And the more I studied the more I saw that there was just as much biblical support for the Catholic side of an argument as there was for the protestant view I had held all my life. It was unsettling. But because I felt so strongly about some teachings, like NFP, and (gasp) transubstantiation, I knew I could trust the Church on issues I didn't understand as well.

I had also been going to mass with Alex every week.  The quiet, reverent and liturgical forms of worship were very different from the energetic and charismatic Sunday mornings I had grown up with. I was realizing that I had been relying on the emotional "high" of contemporary worship music to carry my relationship with the Lord. If I didn't feel butterflies in my stomach, or cry, or lift my hands in the air, well, then I hadn't really been worshiping. I hadn't really been in communion with Jesus. But Jesus shows up, regardless of style or emotions. He shows up if there is a guitar and drums, or if there is an organ and choir, or even if there is no music at all. He shows up when I am on a mountaintop of emotions and feeling all the feelings. But more importantly, He shows up when I'm tired, and life is hard, and I don't feel a thing. Those are the moments when I say, "Lord I believe, help my unbelief."

Learning how to worship without contemporary worship music was challenging. I knew my faith was maturing, but there were days when I just really wanted to sing the songs I loved best! Alex and I started attending an adoration service at the seminary here in St. Paul. (For the non-Catholic readers, an adoration is when the Blessed Sacrament [ie: the Bread {ie: the Body of Christ}] is exposed to pray and reflect in front of.  It's way to spend some time with Jesus.) At this particular service there was adoration, there were priests hearing confessions, and there was praise and worship music. I couldn't believe my eyes – there, in a beautiful chapel, nuns, priests, college students, kneeling in prayer, sitting quietly, standing with hands raised, and the sound of voices singing echoed and rebounded off the stone walls and arches. It was 100% Catholic, but it had that element of singing worship I had been missing. And for the first time since Alex and I had started dating I felt completely at home. For the first time I thought, yes I could be Catholic.

The Chapel at St. John Vianney Seminary. The place where I first thought I could be Catholic.
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// C O N V E R S I O N p t 1 //

Some revelations are instant, like lightning striking the heart, changing it forever. 

That's not the story of my conversion. 

 My conversion has been more of a gradual transformation, over a long period of time. Picture weaving a tapestry, or chiseling something out of stone. Well, that's me.  And I'm pretty sure I'm not finished yet. 

 I have been wanting to share this story for a while but have been hesitant because I know many of my non-Catholic family and friends follow along here and I don't want any of them to think that my Christian life pre-Catholicism didn't count for anything. It did. I would not be the Christian, and person, that I am today if it wasn't for the faith I received first from my parents. They taught me to know and love Jesus and that gift is the greatest heritage I could ever ask for. I've also been blessed with amazing friends and mentors who have influenced and shaped my faith during my most formative years. At an age when many people decide that the Christian life is not for them, my faith was alive and thriving because of these individuals. And they are still helping me grow today.

 I used to hate it when people would talk about my "conversion", or call me a "convert" to Catholicism. To me that word nullified my life as a Christian up to that point, which, as I mentioned before, was an incredibly important part of my life. A more accurate description of what happened to me is that I was "fully received" into the Catholic Church. Technically a convert would be someone who had no Christian background at all. But it's quick and easy to say and all the evangelicals-turned-catholic that I know call themselves converts. It's just what we do. 

 Actually, conversion is something that should be ongoing, for the person who is new to the catholic faith as well as the 80 year-old cradle catholic. We all turn our backs on God in small ways every day, hardhearted and stubborn souls that we are. Each day we need to come back to the Savior and say "here am I, Lord, take all of me...once again.


If you'd asked me in middle school, or high school, or even my first couple years of college, if I thought I would end up becoming Catholic, I would have said never.Catholics were people who worshiped Mary and didn't read the bible and blindly did everything the Pope told them to do. Did they even know Jesus at all? 

 As anti-catholic as I was, however, there were a few very catholic things that always fascinated me and drew me in: nuns, kneeling, and beautiful churches. 

Nuns: You see one walking down the street. They're plain, no make up, hair tucked in a wimple, big, black, billowy habit banishing any suggestion of a figure. But still, you can't take your eyes off them. They seem to radiate some beauty and power that's, oh I don't know, unearthly. As long as I can remember, I have always been in awe of nuns. 

As I became older my fascination with nuns lead me to deeper pondering. Who are these women who choose poverty and celibacy over "real life"? Never getting married? It sounded crazy to me. But in a small corner of my mind their life style seemed appealing. To not worry about keeping up with the latest trends, no staring at your closet trying to decide what to wear each day. Bad hair day? Doesn't matter! Your hair won't show! Not worrying about guys noticing you, or not noticing you. Instead, being concerned with holiness and service and Jesus. Only. What a satisfying life. 

 I'm sure I'm romanticizing the religious life, a little bit like Anne Shirley. "Wouldn't it be romantic to be the bride of heaven?" I am sure the religious life has it's own difficulties and stresses. But in our world, it seems so simplified. 

Then I went to India. Twice. My love for that country and the people I met there gave me a special bond to the now blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who spent her life pouring herself out to the very poorest of the poor. Everyone who has seen images of her cannot deny that she was love in action, lifting the dying out of the gutters and rescuing abandoned babies. She saw Jesus in everyone that she encountered, and brought Jesus to everyone that she helped. 


I wanted to be like her. 

 And she was Catholic. 

 Kneeling: it's a posture that has always felt very right to assume. The Lutheran church I grew up in had kneelers. I was young enough when they were removed that I can hardly remember them. But they had been there.

 When I was a child my mom would make us kneel when we had family prayer time. When I became older I chose to do some of my own praying on my knees, in the privacy of my bedroom. But seldom did I kneel in public. And never did my entire church all kneel together before The Lord. The services at my church and on my Christian college campus were usually times of joyful, exuberant, high energy worship, and it was good to praise God that way, but my soul always craved the quieter moments, to kneel, or even be face down before the Lord. 

 The older I got the greater my desire for quiet reverence became. To the point that I stopped going to the chapel services at my college. The blaring music, worship leaders with celebrity status, lights and staging that rivaled a U2 concert- I couldn't handle the hype anymore.  Instead of a pastor, we had a speaker, instead of sanctuary, an auditorium, instead of an alter, a stage.  What was going on? Church seemed to be following pop culture, trying so hard to make Jesus relevant and attractive to a modern generation. When, shouldn't it be the other way around?  Should't our lives be changing to mirror His?

 I don't mean to criticize the modern church in America.  Sometimes, this model of a worship service brings people in the door, people meet Jesus, and lives are changed. But to me, it was becoming entertainment, and I didn't need entertaining.

Beautiful Churches: I know that there are many very pretty protestant churches out there, but I think that we can all agree that when it comes to beautiful churches, Catholics brought their A game. The Cathedral of Notre Dame, St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, even our own Cathedral here in St. Paul - they are famous tourist attractions, world landmarks, architectural wonders; and they are all Catholic places of worship. Every single day of the year masses are offered in those spaces. 

I have always loved being in these beautiful Catholic churches. Everything about the way they are built draws you in and lifts your eyes to heaven and your heart can't help but overflow in prayer. You can't help but ponder the greatness of God. If you ever feel like you are starting to think too much of yourself, go sit in the Cathedral for a while, God will feel appropriately great and you will feel appropriately small. 

Sacred Heart Basilica- Paris

Notre Dame Cathedral- Paris

St. Peter's Basilica- Rome
I had a couple trips to Europe during my college years and throughout all the sight seeing the Catholic churches always stood out as my favorite places. What I didn't know all those times I went into those Catholic churches was that yes, the height of the dome was awe-inspiring and the stained glass beautiful and the quiet calmness perfect for prayer, but on top of that - Jesus was there! Right there, in the tabernacle, every single time. And though I didn't know it then, He was drawing me......