Catholic Conversion?

[St_Joseph_Cupertino]

Hi there! I'm a convert from Protestentism and I have been Catholic for about 4 months now! It's really been the best of my life!My (Our infact, me and my wife) conversion was a slow process though, leading us on many different roads, untill finally we came "home" - it actually started with a rosary I purchased whilst on Holiday and recently, after reflecting on it, I realised that it was what started our journey.

For me...well actually looking back it was a Rosary that "brought me home", but I really believe that I found the complete Truth of Christ in Catholocism. It pretty much exactly as Christ taught His Gospel to His apostles, and that has been preserved the best in Catholocism. Even Marina devotion, asking for Saintly intervention and those practices makes perfect sense. It was absolutely amazing how it all fitted together for me as I went through RCIA.

I'm soooo happy here, I can't even begin to think about being anything but Catholic!

Peace in Christ!

 

[FullyMT]

One thing really new to me that I only learnt the first day of school was the sign of the cross before praying - thats really symbolic isnt it? And it kinda inspired me a little bit to look into it more

The sign of the cross is many things. It reminds us of the Triune Godhead. When we make it we are asking God to bless us. There are different traditions on how one makes the sign of the cross, each with their own symbolic meaning. For example, I make the sign of the cross with my forefinger and middle finger touching my thumb with my other two fingers folded into my head, touching forehead, chest, and shoulders with the three fingers touching. This reminds me of the Trinity as well as Christ's manhood and divinity (aka hypostatic union).

 

[Brother Charlie]

Ive been Catholic all y life, at least nominal. However, there were times when I was trying to find happiness outside of Jesus Christ. I sortof became a semi-athiest without realizing it, for example about 2 years ago I picked up a Carl Sagan (famous athiest) book, and read it straight through without finding any problems with his philosophy, in fact I liked reading it and agreed completely with everything he had to say. But I want like a hardcore athiest like I see on these boards.

God bless,
Charlie

 

[MParedon]

I just wanted to reassure hugnluvable, that convert and cradle-Catholics alike appreciate and enjoy the things that we have in common with non-Catholic Christians. There are a great many things that we share together .

 

[bigsierra]

Hi hugnluvable

I'm currently converting from being Presbyterian for about 7 years. I grew up Wesleyan, but kind of thought I liked the once saved always saved route. As I went along I noticed that I allowed a few sins to hang around, because I thought they were "covered". Who knows, I may have been headed for H E double toothpicks during that timeframe. It's eerie to think back on it. As soon as I came to the Catholic thought everything changed for the better and God did a quick work of cleanup on me. I still have difficult battles, but I'm not wallowing in sin, thinking I'm ok any longer.

Welcome to OBOB

 

[hugnluvable]

I just wanted to reassure hugnluvable, that convert and cradle-Catholics alike appreciate and enjoy the things that we have in common with non-Catholic Christians. There are a great many things that we share together .

TOTALLY M! Dont worry - i rarely get scared about this kinda stuff!
Be prepared with PMs and questions though....
Love and hugs
Erica
xxx

 

[3toraiseup]

Hi Erica,

I'm also a convert from Evangelical Protestantism to Catholicism. I have been Catholic and loving it for 14 months now. .

As a Protestant, one thing about Catholicism that really drew me was the Sacraments. I had a strong faith as a Protestant, but Catholicism gave me something more. Through the Sacraments, I can physically worship God. I can "touch" God in the Eucharist, I can "hear" Him absolve my sins in confession, I can "smell" the prayers in the incense lifted to the heavens. Catholicism is "hands on" with gestures and images and adds a new dimension to my faith.

I also love the fact that there is 2000 years of Tradition that stands behind Biblical interpretations and Catholic Theology. I like knowing that I share the same beliefs as those Christians living in 100 a.d. I really appreciate knowing my Church is dedicated to unity of belief that has been passed on from the earliest of believers.

Catholicism has added a richness to my faith that I never knew was there as a Protestant.

 

[kimber1]

i'm a convert to be from a Baptist background and it was this place that got me questioning things. fro me it was studying the history of the Church. once you do that, there's really no turning back welcome to OBOB

 

[Veritas]

Hi Erica,

I'm also a convert from Evangelical Protestantism to Catholicism. I have been Catholic and loving it for 14 months now. .

As a Protestant, one thing about Catholicism that really drew me was the Sacraments. I had a strong faith as a Protestant, but Catholicism gave me something more. Through the Sacraments, I can physically worship God. I can "touch" God in the Eucharist, I can "hear" Him absolve my sins in confession, I can "smell" the prayers in the incense lifted to the heavens. Catholicism is "hands on" with gestures and images and adds a new dimension to my faith.

I also love the fact that there is 2000 years of Tradition that stands behind Biblical interpretations and Catholic Theology. I like knowing that I share the same beliefs as those Christians living in 100 a.d. I really appreciate knowing my Church is dedicated to unity of belief that has been passed on from the earliest of believers.

Catholicism has added a richness to my faith that I never knew was there as a Protestant.

"you must spread some reputation around...." Great post Kati! I love your description of how it feels to worship.

 

[thereselittleflower]

I am a convert to Catholicism A fairly recent one at that!

I was born Eastern Orthodox (baptized as a baby), drifted away in my preteen years, had a profound conversion experience in highschool, and since my friends were protestant, I was given a protestant explanation of my experience, and so began my life as a protestant for the next 30 years.

A little more than 4 years ago, God allowed me to stumble on some information which, after research, completely changed my view of the reformation, of Luther and what he and the reformation he started was all about. It left me stripped of my pre-conceived notions about the man and the whole movement and left me with only Jesus, recognizing that the Reformation was not what I had been taught it was.


So, began my search for what was true Christianity . .. that led me right away to the Catholic and Orthodox faiths as what I found in the Early Church was the same. . .. the left me to find out if they were still the Churches they were before the split 1000 years ago, today . . .

This was not an easy journey . .. but God is faithful and continued to lead me and pull me forward till I came o the point, if I were to be true to God and all He had shown me, that I could not deny that the fulness of faith was to be found in either the Orthodox Church or the Catholic Church . . . and so began my last leg of my journey . .and it rested squarly on who is the Pope . .is he really who the Catholics say he is? And what I found put the Catholic Church squarly in front of me. If I was going to be true to the truth God had shown me, I could do nothing else other than embrace Catholicism fully and come into the Church

And so, this past Easter, not only I, but my entire family came into the Church with me.


How does it make me feel? More complete in Christ and in the body of Christ than you can begin to imagine right now . . . I am not exaggerating in the least!

The completeness is total . . The banquet table is FULL! There is nothing lacking . .

How do I feel?


Very strongly: I have come HOME!!!



Peace in Him!

 

[DanielLionsDen]

Hey Erica! It's nice to see another British flag

Are you North? South? Scotland? Wales?

Daniel

 

[smaosf]

Hi! Welcome! I was an Episcopalian til my freshman year in highschool. that's when i went to a catholic school. It all started when we got a new Avon lady in our neighborhood... it was she who introduced my mom, and thus us kids, to the Catholic church. We went to the parish that she belonged to. We visited the other parishes in the city. And, me being a teenager, i had those mood swings, yet i read a lot, sought answers, and the catholic faith and everything about it seemed to "make sense"!!! So complete and fulfilling!!! This is the True Faith!!! I felt at home --- i loved visiting the parishes -- and attending things like benediction, and such liturgies, though i didn't completely understand it all at the time. The Catholic faith is so rich, and She keeps us close to the Heart of Jesus, His presence with us always in the Blessed Sacrament, and with all the help we need in the Sacraments, our Blessed Mother, all the angels and saints..... Wow!!! I love her!!!

 

[CeeBee]

I am converting from Baptist to Catholic. I felt a big, gaping hole in my heart, and saw it was Christ's Church.

 

[marciadietrich]

Looking for an authority to know truth of what the faith should be, historical connection to the past, belief that we're supposed to be one faith. That is the extra short simple version.

God bless you and plenty of people here to answer any questions you might have on doctrines or the process.

Marcia

 

[thereselittleflower]

I am converting from Baptist to Catholic. I felt a big, gaping hole in my heart, and saw it was Christ's Church.

Peace in Him!

 

[wellab]

I'm a revert, cradle Catholic. I left the practice of Catholicism when I was 19 and came back to the Church proper in 1999. I'd say that there were things missing in my life and I went to other sources first before coming back to the Church, which to me is the only religion that makes any sense, historically and traditionally speaking.

Over the past two years I have been reading and listening to the stories of people that converted to Catholicism because for me that was even more helpful. To hear that others studied all sorts of documents, books and writings of the Church Fathers and came to the conclusion that the religion I was born to and raised in is the One True Church, that is comforting and reinvigorating.

I have some issues, some doubts at times. I believe we all do. But above all I try to make prayer more central to my life...whether for my own needs, someone else's or the world at large.

I personally think that after two decades of Catholics leaving to Protestant Churches, the trend is reversing. That is a good thing to me.