Cradle or Convert??

[Godspeedgurl]

Just curious but how many of us here are cradle catholics and how many are converts? Any conversion stories or changes of heart?

I am a cradle Catholic who fell out of touch with my faith for a while and have now come to love being catholic!

 

[Swoosh]

I'm a revert I was born Catholic, strayed away for awhile, but now embrace more deeply than ever my Catholic faith!

 

[Credo]

I, too, am a revert. Born and raised Catholic, strayed into spiritual darkness, and am overjoyed to be rediscovering my Catholic faith day by day! I know that it will be an ongoing process walking with Christ and His Church and I look forward to each new day and learning as much as I can get my hands (and ears) upon!

JMJ

 

[KennySe]

I'm a cradle Catholic, too.!

 

[LadyDJ]

(Copied from a similar thread I posted in...)

My parents (father Baptist, mother Lutheran) could never agree on which church to go to when my brother and I were little. One found the other’s religion to be too casual; the other found the opposite – too formal. As a result, neither my brother nor I were baptized or taken to church very often in our childhoods.

The only exposure to church that we did get was from my father’s Baptist parents (in a small farming community)…and it wasn’t a very positive experience for us. We were both pre-teens when we informed our parents that we didn’t want do the extended visits with our grandparents anymore as their version of being good Christians seemed to involve a lot of bigotry and using scriptures to justify their behavior and attitudes. When we cited examples to our parents, they agreed with my brother and I and discontinued the extended summertime visits. I’m pretty sure most of the negativity I perceived back then had more to do with my father’s parents upbringing, generation and the timeframe in question (early to mid 60s) than it did their religion. My mother’s parents were much the same although at some point in time they left the Lutheran church and joined a Methodist church…from both sets of grandparents I heard a lot of things that I had a hard time reconciling with the descriptions of what I’d been told Christianity and Christ were about.

The result was I would have nothing to do with what I termed “organized religions” for many years, leaning more toward being an agnostic to atheistic in my beliefs or lack thereof. At this point in time, the only encounters I had with any religion were the ones being pedaled door-to-door (and the ones I encountered thus seemed to be rather rude and pushy…didn’t understand a polite “no thanks, not interested”)

Eventually, my brother was baptized Lutheran…more to please our mother is the general suspicion as we have known for a very long time that it has always bothered her that we were never baptized or shown anything positive about faith and God while growing up.

When my marriage ended (abuse situation) in the fall of 1996…I was feeling pretty scared and empty. I was facing something I never in my wildest dreams ever expected to deal with…single parenthood. For some reason it suddenly became fixed in my mind that I wanted my daughters to have something I didn’t while growing up…Faith. There never was any question in my mind about where I would go to find that for them…no other church ever entered my mind. I sought out someone to talk to them about raising my girls Catholic and that conversation hit me right in the heart.

I was asked after a lengthy conversation with a nun just how I expected to raise my girls Catholic when I knew nothing of the faith myself…My answer… I had no idea, it had never even occurred to me that I could or would be accepted (divorce and all). Then she said that just maybe, God was using my girls to lead me to find my faith, that he was talking to me through them and my desire to give them the best I could.

A couple of weeks later, I started attending RCIA classes…was baptized on Easter Vigil of ’97 and a week later my girls were baptized. Both of my girls have now had their first communions and unless someone is ill…we’re at Mass every weekend.

Until I came here and spent time reading some of the threads, I had no idea about all the misconceptions out there about the Catholic church…

 

[Miss Shelby]

I'm a revert. I went astray right from the cradle.

Michelle

 

[Rosa Mystica]

I was born Catholic. I dissented for about three years, and then began to embrace my Faith again. I never formally left the Church though, so I don't know if this makes me a revert or simply someone who strayed.

 

[jukesk9]

Half breed? Metholic or Cathodist. Take your pick. Mom was Methodist and Dad was Catholic. I was confirmed in both faiths but have been a practicing Catholic since I was 19. I sorta strayed from the Church when I was first married but had my marriage blessed by Her and have been serious about the Faith for the last five years.....

 

[Miss Shelby]

Half breed? Metholic or Cathodist. Take your pick. Mom was Methodist and Dad was Catholic. I was confirmed in both faiths but have been a practicing Catholic since I was 19. I sorta strayed from the Church when I was first married but had my marriage blessed by Her and have been serious about the Faith for the last five years.....

And he has a rosary hanging from his gee-tar to prove it.

Michelle

 

[Debi1967]

Cradle, but not brought up in the Faith had to learn that the hard way later....OOPS

 

[marciadietrich]

Convert. When my older boys were young I had looked at converting because my husband had been raised Catholic. So I thought he might be more involved if I converted, would want to go to church more. He didn't seem more interested, probably less even. Long story but eventually I decided to convert because I believe that the Catholic church is the church that Christ founded and that there has to be an earthly authority or else we're all wandering and being pulled every which way.

Marcia

 

[artnalex]

Cradle (revert).

 

[garydench]

Convert. I was raised in the Anglican Communion but became disillusioned with the constant infighting and bickering. The Church was also failing in it's role of providing spiritual nourishment. I was received into the Church in April.

The only thing I miss is the positioning of the altar and the better architecture, but I am happy with decision to embrace the Catholic faith.

 

[Miss Shelby]

I wonder if there is anyone who was born Catholic who didn't stray at one time in their life? Well, except maybe Kenny because he's perfect, he even worships his pine cones, but anyone else?

Michelle

 

[faerieevaH]

Cradle. Been there, stayed there. Never gone away. Of course I've had my time as a teenager, with more questions then answers. But never left. *W* But I don't worship pinecones... do cakepans count?

 

[Michelina]

Cradle Catholic child of devout Catholic parents. My eldest brother (my mentor) is a priest.

It may seem Boring, but I have enjoyed every minute of it.

 

[Miss Shelby]

--Sister Eva-my breakfast making dear sweet always a kind word for everyone and favorite fellow nun.... YES cake pans count. So does the oven. Whatever works for you, sis.

 

[Miss Shelby]

Cradle Catholic child of devout Catholic parents. My eldest brother (my mentor) is a priest.

It may seem Boring, but I have enjoyed every minute of it.

I hope my daughters say the same thing when they're grown. All except for the older brother being a priest because they don't have one.

Michelle

 

[Michelina]

I hope my daughters say the same thing when they're grown.

With a Mom like you, I have no doubts about that, Michelle!!!

 

[isshinwhat]

The Lord led me to the Catholic Faith in 2001 from a non-Denominational Christian background.

God Bless,

Neal