Conversion Stories

[MrStain]

I can never get enough of these conversion stories. Thank you all for sharing.

 

[TheCunctator]

I can never get enough of these conversion stories. Thank you all for sharing.

I agree.

I'm not a Catholic (as y'all must know by now) but your conversion stories are really interesting. They're great.

 

[Via Cassian]

My wife and I are in the process of converting. I was an Evangelical in the Reformed tradition for 20 years and an atheist for 37 years before that. I grew up sans religion.

John
Tampa, Florida, USA

 

[servant of Merciful Love]

Wow John; welcome!!
Praying for your spiritual journeys

 

[Via Cassian]

Thank you Gail. God is sovereign, the Lord's love protects his kingdom.

John
Tampa, Florida

 

[MrStain]

Thank you Gail. God is sovereign, the Lord's love protects his kingdom.

John
Tampa, Florida

Amen to that!

 

[servant of Merciful Love]

Yes!!

 

[coolbrian15]

I converted from the methidost church

 

[MoNiCa4316]

I converted from the methidost church

Hi Coolbrian!! welcome! that's so wonderful that God has lead you to the Catholic Church.

God bless!

 

[coolbrian15]

I converted last apiril My patron saint i choose was thomas becket
Now i rencently jioned knights of columbus

 

[rainbojo]

Wonderful conversion stories.

 

[GailMc]

Hey ther fellow converts! I just found this thread and some of the stories in it go all the way back to 2004 when it started.

I am a convert. Got the Grand Slam at the Easter Vigil on April 6, 1996! For those who don't know, the Grand Slam is Catholic speak for Baptised, Confirmed and First Holy Communion all in one Mass! It was the most awesome night of my life! I made my first Confession two weeks later.

I've only peeked at some of these stories but will go up and read the thread. It will take some work though - there are 34 pages of stories! Perhaps I'll add some of mine.

Conversion never ends. It is a lifetime process. We are never standing still as Christians - we are either moving closer to God or further away from Him. To stagnate in one's spiritual life is to die slowly and fall into sin and despair. St. John Paul II said conversion is a constant turning....turning towards Christ who is the Sun rising in our hearts. He warms them and without them we would wither away like leaves of the vine without the Sun. We turn towards Him to grow. Conversion never ends.

God bless all the cradle catholics, pew potatoes and reverts in the world. You have to put up with the likes of us converts. Takes heroic virtue if you ask me. I had a million questions to ask when I was in RCIA. Now I have a million and one!

Peace and all good,

Gail

 

[studioussuccess]

I am a convert from Lutheranism. I was raised Lutheran, went to a Lutheran school, and attended Lutheran church. Through that period of my life, I was never truly exposed to Catholicism except when we studied the Reformation. It was when I began to study history in-depth, particularly the Renaissance and the Middle Ages, did I begin to take a much harder look.


My church was very misleading and it was not sending the true messege. I attended mass and found that I was hearing the messege that I had long to hear.

After much prayer and discussion with others, I have decided to answer God's calling of me to enter the seminary and study to become a priest.

 

[Joseph 651]

This has been most inspiring thread I have looked at in a long time. We have been going to the Catholic Church for about 4 months now, we were excepted by the Priest and Bishop to join into communion as Anglo-Catholics as we came across the bridge that the See of Peter has provided for us to be in union with God, praise the Lord. We are making friends and love the messages we receive in mass from the priest. Our church as asked me to join the Knights of Columbus and I have excepted and will be inducted this month. We are going thru the book of Catechism and reading all information we can about the church. Being Anglican has made no difference to anyone I have met so far, I believe I was introduced to an Orthodox who also was attending the Catholic Church. I feel that Pope Benedict, as well as Pope John Paul have started the procedures to bring the Church back together and I pray that we will all be united once again.

Thanks be to God
Amen

 

[Jakep069]

Mid last year I was having a really bad time. My family and life was on the verge of ending.
Until then I had never really attended Church besides the compulsory wedding, baptism etc. I had however always been drawn to the Church, but always ignored the urge. The feeling was like when you are walking down the street and you get the feeling someone is following you, or watching you. Yes, I now know who that was - thank you! When at my lowest, for some reason, I contacted my Padre and said I wanted to become involved in the Church. We had a chat and he said that it was good that I had made the choice to do this then as the Bishop was coming up in a few weeks for RCIA and I would be able to get first communion / confirmation. I said 'well it is very fortuitous that I chose to come to Church now' and he said to me 'Rubbish, it is the will of God' I was a bit dubious it was God. However, the weeks went on and I received my first communion and confirmation. After that I started reading the Bible and doing some study on the net. I realised that there is a lot of repetition of common numbers in the Bible. I found out that Moses walked through the desert with the Israelites for 40 years and I thought it was a cool coincidence that I am 40 years old. I had a bit of a think and realised that for my whole life I had been wondering through the desert of my life, 'LOST', but now I had found GOD and had been saved. I did a bit more research and calculated that I received first communion and confirmation on the 40th week of the year (Still couldn't see the signs).
My Padre called me and said I should go on a Christian based Character / Leadership course. I thought that would be great, so I applied. There is one course a year and it is always immediately oversubscribed. The course was in two weeks from that day so I applied and there was a vacancy left (Still couldn't see the signs).
I prayed and asked God to show me a sign that I was doing the right thing and he wanted me. I prayed, meditated and then just blindly opened the Bible and read the first thing I saw, JOB 42. Like a bolt of lightning it struck me! I got it. For me that verse opened my eyes.
When I went on course I wanted to go to the big Cathedral in the city. I didn't know how to get there, where it was, or when the mass was. I wanted to walk into the city from where we were staying about 10KM as a pilgrimage. I asked someone where the Cathedral was and they just pointed in a general direction, so off I went, not knowing where I was going. I walked about 6KM and got an urge to catch a bus, but thought better of it and kept walking. Up ahead was a bus stop but I decided I was just going to keep walking. As I got to the bus stop it started to rain and it was cold. Just then a bus pulled up and I got on. As the bus drove off the rain stopped. As I didn't know where I was going I just said to the bus driver just drop me off in the city somewhere. Without being told she dropped me off near the Cathedral. I walked over and went in just as the mass started. If I didn't catch the bus I would have missed the mass!
After the mass I was so joyous. I never speak of, or acknowledge Mary as I am embarrassed to even think of her as I am ashamed of myself. However, I went to the statue of Mary and lit a candle. I lit it for me. I asked Her for forgiveness and I told her that I forgave myself and I loved her. As I knelt I blacked out and fell. I believe that the spirit of God came and touched me.
A few weeks later I was having a very bad day at work. I was in a bad, bad place and a lot of people were out to get me. I prayed and asked for a sign that everything would be alright, so I once again opened the Bible and randomly chose a verse. "Wisdom of Solomon" from 4.20 'The Final Judgement' to 5.14 I the righteous rose up in glory and those who oppressed me and were unrighteous were brought down. Every word of those verses were realised that day.
I used to be very sad and dreaded life. Now I pray to god and thank him for every breath I take and every second that he has granted me. I love my family we are now very close and my life is the best it has ever been - AMEN!!!
God Bless you all !

 

[Via Cassian]

As I didn't know where I was going I just said to the bus driver just drop me off in the city somewhere. Without being told she dropped me off near the Cathedral. I walked over and went in just as the mass started. If I didn't catch the bus I would have missed the mass!

Heb 13:2
2 Forget not to show love unto strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
ASV

... as they have shown love to you.

 

[coolbrian15]

i jioned my church 1 year ago the classes were hard to understand i jioned the knights of columbus about 2 months ago
i enjoy going to church

 

[Via Cassian]

i jioned my church 1 year ago the classes were hard to understand i jioned the knights of columbus about 2 months ago
i enjoy going to church

The Knights of Columbus do good work and look great!

 

[Gleb Yakunin]

i jioned my church 1 year ago the classes were hard to understand i jioned the knights of columbus about 2 months ago
i enjoy going to church

Good for you, so how is it going and what do knights of columbus do? thanks

 

[God&me]

Mid last year I was having a really bad time. My family and life was on the verge of ending.
Until then I had never really attended Church besides the compulsory wedding, baptism etc. I had however always been drawn to the Church, but always ignored the urge. The feeling was like when you are walking down the street and you get the feeling someone is following you, or watching you. Yes, I now know who that was - thank you! When at my lowest, for some reason, I contacted my Padre and said I wanted to become involved in the Church. We had a chat and he said that it was good that I had made the choice to do this then as the Bishop was coming up in a few weeks for RCIA and I would be able to get first communion / confirmation. I said 'well it is very fortuitous that I chose to come to Church now' and he said to me 'Rubbish, it is the will of God' I was a bit dubious it was God. However, the weeks went on and I received my first communion and confirmation. After that I started reading the Bible and doing some study on the net. I realised that there is a lot of repetition of common numbers in the Bible. I found out that Moses walked through the desert with the Israelites for 40 years and I thought it was a cool coincidence that I am 40 years old. I had a bit of a think and realised that for my whole life I had been wondering through the desert of my life, 'LOST', but now I had found GOD and had been saved. I did a bit more research and calculated that I received first communion and confirmation on the 40th week of the year (Still couldn't see the signs).
My Padre called me and said I should go on a Christian based Character / Leadership course. I thought that would be great, so I applied. There is one course a year and it is always immediately oversubscribed. The course was in two weeks from that day so I applied and there was a vacancy left (Still couldn't see the signs).
I prayed and asked God to show me a sign that I was doing the right thing and he wanted me. I prayed, meditated and then just blindly opened the Bible and read the first thing I saw, JOB 42. Like a bolt of lightning it struck me! I got it. For me that verse opened my eyes.
When I went on course I wanted to go to the big Cathedral in the city. I didn't know how to get there, where it was, or when the mass was. I wanted to walk into the city from where we were staying about 10KM as a pilgrimage. I asked someone where the Cathedral was and they just pointed in a general direction, so off I went, not knowing where I was going. I walked about 6KM and got an urge to catch a bus, but thought better of it and kept walking. Up ahead was a bus stop but I decided I was just going to keep walking. As I got to the bus stop it started to rain and it was cold. Just then a bus pulled up and I got on. As the bus drove off the rain stopped. As I didn't know where I was going I just said to the bus driver just drop me off in the city somewhere. Without being told she dropped me off near the Cathedral. I walked over and went in just as the mass started. If I didn't catch the bus I would have missed the mass!
After the mass I was so joyous. I never speak of, or acknowledge Mary as I am embarrassed to even think of her as I am ashamed of myself. However, I went to the statue of Mary and lit a candle. I lit it for me. I asked Her for forgiveness and I told her that I forgave myself and I loved her. As I knelt I blacked out and fell. I believe that the spirit of God came and touched me.
A few weeks later I was having a very bad day at work. I was in a bad, bad place and a lot of people were out to get me. I prayed and asked for a sign that everything would be alright, so I once again opened the Bible and randomly chose a verse. "Wisdom of Solomon" from 4.20 'The Final Judgement' to 5.14 I the righteous rose up in glory and those who oppressed me and were unrighteous were brought down. Every word of those verses were realised that day.
I used to be very sad and dreaded life. Now I pray to god and thank him for every breath I take and every second that he has granted me. I love my family we are now very close and my life is the best it has ever been - AMEN!!!
God Bless you all !

Mary can't forgive sins, a priest can't forgive sins, only God can forgive your sins, Go streight to Him