www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Converts to Catholicism

As I wrote before, I was baptized the day I was born. I was raised Catholic, my mom is Catholic and my dad used to be Lutheran (ELCA) now he doesn't go to church but considers himself to be a Christian. He says that when he retires and can be home every weekend he will convert to the Catholic Church.

I was allowed to enter Catechism classes a year early because I was so smart and that my identical cousin was going to take them too, as he was one grade ahead of me. Every Friday he and I would do our Catechism homework from the little gray St. Joseph Catechism either at my house or at our grandma's house where he stayed on the weekends. I was confirmed under the patronage of St. Patrick which was also my grandpa's confirmation patron (he died before I was confirmed.)

My teenage years were worldly, I only thought of music, sports, and girls.

I went to run track at EIU, the whole time I was there (1 semester) I went to Mass once on the Immaculate Conception.

Back in Southern Illinois, I went to college and was in a fairly popular band as lead singer and guitarist (I was even recognized by people I didn't know.) Lead singer+girls= (that's nervous whistle by the way.) One night after a gig I heard a song in which the lyrics are about being innocent... and I wasn't and I knew it. It cut me to the core.

Then after another gig, I watched a movie, late at night, about a spaceship that can bend the time/space continuum. But by doing so it opens the gateway to hell. And there was a scene in which the fate of the crew was shown and they were in hell. And at that moment I knew that I was going there! I was frozen, absolutely terrified. Since that time I have never been able to watch a scary movie.

When I moved after undergrad, I moved next to a Shrine. I picked up a little brochure about the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I read it by the light of the Christmas Tree at my parent's house. I wept over my sins and consecrated myself to Him.

I also credit my mothers: Mary, Teresa of Kolkata, and Angelica for my conversion as well. The Theotokos for saying yes to the Eternal Father and bearing Our Savior. Blessed Teresa for her witness and love of the poorest of the poor. And Mother Angelica for her media outreach that subconsciously and eventually consciously led me to deeper interest in my Faith.

Right before my wife and I got back together, I read and re-read several times the book A Refutation of Moral Relativism by Peter Kreeft. I made my girlfriend (future wife) read the book so we could discuss it. She realized that she believed what was proposed in the book. A few months later, she entered RCIA. On Holy Saturday she was Baptized, Confirmed, and received the Holy Eucharist. We were married the next Saturday, that was 2001.

Now in 2006, having been a member here for over a year, I have fallen in love with the East. I am seriously considering a move to the UGCC. The richness of the Liturgy, the complexity of the public worship, the Icons, the closeness of the parsihioners, I love it all. The eastern theology appeals to me as I practice oriental medicine and the terms are much closer than one would think. In short, I have found my home in the East.

I want to thank all of you for answering my questions, even the dumb ones. I want to thank you for putting up with my bad jokes and failed attempts at humor. And I ask forgiveness of everyone whom I have offended.

1. What Catholic Church do you belong to now (BCA, UGCC, Melkite, Maronite, Latin, etc...)?

Byzantine (Ruthenian)

2. How long have you been Catholic?

Since July.

3. What was your religion before converting to Catholicism?

Orthodox (only catechumen), and before that, Confused, and before that, Baptist

4. How long were you a member of that Church or religious group?

Orthodox - catechumen for about a year (almost made it, dropped the ball at the end before I could be received). (2k3-2k4)

Confused - (2k1-2k3)

Baptist - from the time of my birth ('82) till the time of my confusion (2k1)

(And back again:) Happily baptist for many years. "Saved" at age 7 or so, baptised at age 12. Was headed to college, working towards mission work, and maybe full-time ministry. Ran into some issues with Biblical interpretation, and was confronted for the first time with the question of whether what I believed was true. Add the stresses of college life and self-discovery, blend, serve chilled with a twist of Catholic student retreat -- compliments of my boss at the time.

Dug deeper, began to understand more about church history and where things come from. Was nudged by a friend towards Orthodoxy and was drawn the patristic teachings. Found the beauty of the liturgy, the reverence, the awe. It was a nice package. Didn't need a pope, and avoided many of the icky "Catholic things" I was brought up to hate -- popes, indulgences, purgatory, Mary the Mediatrix and Redemptrix, etc.

Became a catechumen. Headed down the road... Met future (now current) wife, and future wife was Catholic. We double-churched, and I discovered Catholicism, and she discovered eastern spirituality. She didn't want to leave communion with the Roman Catholic church, and since I wasn't in communion with the Orthodox yet, we decided to be a Catholic family -- I was not going to have a "house divided". (Swallowed my discomfort with all that icky stuff around this time.)

Changed cities, lost ties to the Orthodox church, but I couldn't find a Roman Catholic church I liked. Begged future wife to try Eastern Catholic (Byzantine) church, and she consented. We found our little church, and we've fallen in love with it. We got married in a Roman church at the end of 2k5, but we've attended the Byzantine ever since we found it. I was chrismated in July.

Obviously it's not all roses. As the priest who was to chrismate me reminded me early on in the process, joining a church is like marrying. You get a beautiful bride, but you also get the parents, the crazy aunts and uncles, and all the baggage. But, just like my own marriage, that just makes it all the more interesting.

Great story Dr. Eric.

Your situation seems similar to mine apocryphal. The

Protestant - Dabble in Orthodoxy - Marry and become Eastern Catholic

One experience that sticks into my head is when I was traveling in Europe and still pretty staunch Protestant. I was in a Catholic Cathedral (just touring it), and came across a statue of Mary. I just kind of stopped and thought about Mary, and after a while of contemplating I asked Mary (I know, very unprotestant) if venerating her was the Truth, and if so to lead me to convince me.

Another pre-conversion experience I had was on a pilgrimage in Russia with a group of Orthodox (I was doing a study project on Eastern Orthodox Pilgrimages). Well, we went to a monastery that had a spring with "miracle water". I had this rash on my legs for months, and didn't go to a doctor because I don't like doctors, and it was Russia and would have been a hassle. Well, I applied the water to this rash I had for months, and the next day it was gone. I was a little freaked/suprised/amazed to say the least.

Anyways, thought those stories might be relevant to conversion.

Nathan

1. Switching to the BCA from the RC.

2. Since August of 1999

3. Judaism

4. Almost 11 years.

My story is really long so I'll try and shorten it. To begin I must begin with my Dad. My Dad was born to devout Portuguese-American parents. They had (and still have) more statues, rosaries, candles, bibles, and vials of holy water than the Vatican. Dad left the Church after the end of his first marriage. He met and married my mother in 1978-79. My mom was a Jew, who regularly attended shabbat services at Temple Beth David. They were married in the synagogue and Dad began to attend Temple with mom, but never converted to Judaism. I was born in 1988 and as Jewish tradition and custom dictates Judaism comes through the mother, so my being raised Jewish came naturally. They had a briss for me and then had me presented in the synagogue (the pictures of the latter are strange I wonder how they got the kippah to stay on my head). I attended Jewish preschool, day camps, Hebrew/religious education school. My mother died of toxic shock syndrome in 1994 when I was about 5 1/2. My Dad continued to raise me Jewish with the help of my grandparents (both devout Reform Jews). He started dating my step-mom in 1998. She was (and is) an incredibly devout Catholic, for a time she thought she had a calling and spent two years in the Carmel as Sister Maria Bernadette. She left a year and a half before her final vows as she found it was not her calling in life. Over the next seven years she living in the world but in practice she was an aesthetic with a rich prayer life. She and Dad met at work and began to date. She subsequently by her example brought him back to the Church. I would go to mass with them before going to Hebrew school on Sundays, and when she told me the priest (Fr. Harold Marchowsky) was a convert to Catholicism from Judaism I was intrigued. At ten years of age I already found the Jewish services empty (as did St. Edith Stein did as a child and numerous other converts to Orthodoxy and Catholicism from Judaism have). They seemed to always lead up to something that wasn't there, and would just drop off and end with no spiritual climax or denouement. When I attended mass the first time I felt like God was really there in the Church, and when told about the Eucharist and who it is, I fell in love with Christ and the Church. I had never experienced the love of God in Judaism which I had always felt to be cold and empty or "feel good". In Christianity I found God and found that his love for me drove him to die for me and rise conquering death and sin! I took religious instruction under a priest, my step-mom and my Dad and by the grace of God and the prayers of my parents and Catholic side of the family I was baptized and received Christ in the Eucharist on the feast of St. Augustine of Hippo (what a day to be baptized!). I have been Catholic ever since and have come to a deeper knowledge and understanding of my faith. I am currently in the process of switching my rite from the Roman to the Ruthenian , and attend a Lutheran College where I must practice my apologetics regularly.