Conversion Stories

I use to feel jealous of converts. In spite of the pain, difficulty, obstacles, etc. to being received into the Church, there is this sense of joy at "coming home". As a cradle Catholic and almost a revert, I've had many "metanioas" over the years, but not that overwhelming emotion that many converts experience.

Then I read or was told by someone, that being a cradle Catholic is much like the story of the Prodigal Son in the gospels. The child that left seems to have the better deal because the Father makes such a fuss over his prodigal son coming home. But the son who never left feels cheated because the Father didn't put on such a fabulous feast for him. The Father however, tells this son, "you have always had this available anytime you wanted it". So, in a way, the Eucharist represents the "feast" that Protestants haven't had but Catholics could have anytime they wanted. I think when it's always there, you have a tendancy to take it for granted. I try to remind myself regularly what a privliedge it is to receive Christ in the Eucharist.

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For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Psalm 91:11


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wow. It's wonderful to see that I won't be alone in my conversion. I'll be officially received into the Church at the Easter Vigil on April 10th. My parents were at first against the idea (they have this strange concept that every should be a good Protestant Anglo-Saxon and they cling to their beloved Church of England) but I sure they will accept in time. I've always preferred the Catholic mass since the sermons I was used were always sin... blah blah ... hell blah blah. I don't think I have had as much spiritual fulfilment in years.

I guess you could say I converted. When I was young, we went to a nondenominational church because my mom was Catholic and my dad was Baptist. Later on, when I was about 10, my parents split up and I started going to both the Catholic and Baptist church. After a series of events, I was baptised Catholic when I was 10-11. At first, I didn't like a lot of things about the Church. I thought things like not eating meat on Friday's for Lent was rediculous and wasn't going to send me to hell. During my junior year of high school (also confirmation year) I decided that if I was going to stay Catholic, I had some things I needed to get answered. So I talked to my priest every week, I went on the net, I watched EWTN, I did everything I could to get answers...

Well, I am sooooooo glad I am Catholic now. I am doing a lot of apologetics, helping out with youth ministry and just doing what I can to bring more and more people to Christ's Church.

God bless you all!

Aaron

I'm a convert. Raised Methodist, fell away hard in high school and came back via evangelical protestantism. Stumbled on EWTN radio one day in traffic, and decided to read the early church fathers to prove to myself that they were presbyterians!

I gave myself a year to figure it out, and joined CF to listen and learn. Within a month I knew the battle was lost, 5 months was spent dragging my emotions in line with my will, and now I'll be entering at the Easter Vigil, HALLELUIAH! I'm absolutely torqued about this. My family thinks I'm nuts.

I'm continually stunned by the riches of grace and wisdom that our Lord showers on us through His Church, and I can't express how grateful I am to have been brought here.

EUCHARIST, EUCHARIST, EUCHARIST!!!

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The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you....For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink..."
As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him...
John, Ch. 6

So whos a convert?
what did you convert from?
Why did you convert?

Im in the process of coverting. I was formally Baptist and Im converting because when I went to mass for the first time i felt God touch me in such an incredible way left an unforgetable mark on me

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Bishop Ronald W. Gainer, Lexington, Ky.: "It has been painful and yet inspiring to watch this once-vibrant man suffer so publicly and so heroically. He joined himself to the suffering of Jesus Christ and to all of the suffering people of the world. By doing so, he demonstrated the value of suffering to a world that would prefer to look away; by doing so, he demonstrated his faith that God will deliver the suffering. And so, God has delivered John Paul II."

I went to the Church of God, in my early years. My family started attending The Church of the Nazarene, when I was in my teens, but never came to God, because, I couldn't come to terms with the ability to lose sonship over "a" sin. I was looking at sin with a "reformed" bent as opposed to the Nazarene definition. I thought the "objective" view of sin was most accurate. Anyway, I became a Christian, when I was in college and my parents would come pick me up from KU to go back to their church. I wasn't exactly sure what I believed about that whole issue of Justification and OSAS. I just decided to not worry about it and trust in the grace of God.

Seven or eight years ago, I discovered RC Sproul and through his, Chosen by God series on video, decided I agreed with how doctrinally, I could almost fit all the pieces together. The ones I couldn't fit in place didn't seem all that important anyway, in light of most things working. So, I decided Presbyterian was where I should be. They seemed to have the "objective" view of sin and mans sinfulness.

Anyway, for a good portion of the seven or eight years, I hadn't been to concerned about my Christianity. I had all the pieces in place, in my mind, and thought I knew my postion in Gods eyes. I didn't have any major (major in my eyes) sins.

God started dealing with me and I was doing a bit of evangelism, and realized I was having some problems with Reformed approach. Some of it seemed strained. I really didn't feel comfortable saying "God loves everyone" or explaining all my beliefs. I kind of held that those were mostly for mature believers.

I started looking at some other thoughts that seemed to fit. I already knew what Wesleyans believe. RC Sproul had perked my interest in the Early Church Fathers. I looked into the Catholic Church and liked what I was seeing in the Catechism. It seemed similar to the Wesleyan theology in a lot of ways. Actually, in most ways. Both have a focus on holiness. Looking back, I probably would have come to Christ at a younger age, if Wesleyans had the doctrine of Purgatory. I also started seeing that I wasn't living a very Christian life and those things I thought were covered might have kept me out of the Kingdom eternally. OSAS is pretty scarey theology to me these days.

My parents and my sister and her husband all attend College Church, which I'm happy for. It's a great church. This has been a bit difficult for them. My mom is a bit anti-Catholic. Hopefully at some point, they can see how close together the two doctrines really are.

Church of God -> Nazarene -> Conversion -> Nazarene -> End Time Non-Denom Church -> Presbyterian (PCA) -> Catholic which finally feels like home.

I'm converting because I want to be where God wants me. I've had a radical education thanks to OBOB. It evident that God is moving in the lives of folks here as well a folks I've met locally. I believe this to be the Church Jesus created 2k years ago.

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Nazarene

http://www.convertedjourney.com

Start in September in my archives, browse around my posts, and read for a little bit...

May God continue to bless you!

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I was raised a Methodist but didn't really buy into the whole religion thing. When I grew up I married a Catholic girl who wouldn't forsake her faith...so I had to promise to raise my kids Catholic to marry her. I decided to look into Catholicism so that my kids wouldn't be confused by a divided faith in the house, and I was pleasantly suprised to find the truth in Catholicism.

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Catholicism - Throwing demons on their heads since 33 AD

Raised pentacostal. Met my husband (Catholic). While we planned our wedding, we discussed which parish to marry in. I lived in one parish, he another. I didn't like the "architecture" (truth) of the church in his parish. So one day, driving along thinking about it, I found myself in the parking lot of a church. NOT my local one; NOT his either. Went in and (really and truly) I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard a voice say, "Welcome home." We were married there and have been there ever since (with a few jaunts around the country with the military). I entered the Church before our first anniversary. My REAL faith journey started about 10 tens after my entry into the Church.

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I was baptized Catholic as a baby. My mom & dad divorced, and my mom left the Church. Was first raised Luthern, then Nazarene, Baptist, then Assembly of God. I have felt something missing in my life for the past 3 years, so started reading. I wanted to find the church closest to the truth. With lots of help here, @ OBOB, I am finally working on coming home!

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