Part III: (Our Son, and Other Gifts of Grace) (read Part I and Part II)
But still we didn’t act. Daily we felt more distant from our Protestant faith and discovered that objections we had always had to the Catholic Church were dissolving as we actually learned what the doctrines meant. But making the plunge would require sacrifices that we weren’t quite ready to make. The toll a conversion would take on relationships with friends and family was too painful and overwhelming. For a year or so, we stayed in a strange limbo where we weren’t truly at home anywhere.
But, when I became unexpectedly pregnant with our first child, we knew the time had come. Our baby had to be baptized. There was no question. But, of course, the Baptist church we attended wouldn’t baptize an infant. And the faith we wanted to offer our son was that of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. After Benjamin was born, we started the RCIA program and prepared to enter the Church at Easter, 2010. I don’t know how long it would have taken us to convert if we had not been given the gift of our son to draw us closer to the Church. We praise God for his blessed entrance into our family.
As I write this, I understand why Evelyn Waugh doesn’t ever describe Charles Ryder’s conversion to the Catholic Church in Brideshead. Because how can I really explain? I can tell you that I trembled with fear and shame as I waited to give my first confession. And I can tell you that I came out of the confessional trembling at the grace and mercy of Our Lord. I can tell you that Holy Thursday and Good Friday are etched in my memory and that at the Easter Vigil the smell of the holy oil on my forehead, administered in the shape of a cross, was intoxicating. But I don’t know how to describe receiving the Blessed Sacrament for the first time. I didn’t have any sort of mystical experience at my Confirmation and first Holy Communion. I didn’t have visions or become suddenly super duper holy with never an unkind word to say of anyone. Not by any stretch of the imagination. All I can tell you is that everything changed in that moment. And that I’m still seeking to wrap my mind around what it means to be part of the Church and to receive the unfathomable grace of Our Lord himself, at every Mass, in the gift of his own Precious Body and Blood.
Daniel and I have pondered and tried to turn this new reality into words. We have said that it feels like floating on an ocean of Grace. Deep. Rich. Overwhelming. We are different. Our marriage is different. Everything has changed. Full of grace.
Don’t get me wrong. We didn’t convert to strengthen our marriage or to improve our lives, although both those things have happened. I recently had someone remark on our conversion, “Well, it’s great that you found the kind of church that makes you comfortable.” Nothing, nothing has made us more uncomfortable than the Catholic Church. We were drawn to it reluctantly and hesitantly. We didn’t convert for any reason other than we believed that the Catholic Church is the Church instituted by Our Lord Jesus Christ. That it is One, Holy, and Apostolic. That it is True.
We will never know who was praying for our conversion. But I know that we have arrived where we are only by the grace of Our Lord and the intercession of Our Lady and the Saints. And each day I am grateful. So grateful.
This is a beautiful story of arriving exactly where you are meant to be…which is just at the start of a journey. I’ve always appreciated how the concept of journey is so integral to our Catholic faith. In my growing up experience as a Baptist, we talked about the moment we knew we were saved (and like you, I just wasn’t ever sure about that!). In my experience as a Catholic in the last 11 years, though, we talk of signs and evidence of grace in our lives that show us that we are always being saved…in a process that will last our earthly lifetimes and beyond. Prayers for you and your family as you choose each day to stay on this journey and as you become more and more like Christ by putting Him on, breathing Him in, and receiving Him in the Eucharist. It is good to have companions on the journey – so glad I found your blog.
Yes! I had a wonderful college professor who described a Christian as “one of those who is being saved.” I love that portrayal of the journey and communal aspect of the Catholic faith. Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement, Abbey! They mean so much. So glad we’re companions on this amazing journey.
Wow! I stumbled across your site, and I am so pleased I did. Thank You very much for writing honestly and openly about your faith. It requires much strength in this day and age. I will be sure to follow your site in the future. You have inspired me, and I will keep your beautiful family in my prayers. Thank You for sharing! : )
I know this is an old post but I have been seeking out conversion stories and really enjoyed reading about yours. I am currently on a journey into learning more about the Catholic Church and discerning God’s will for my life at present. I am raised Protestant, growing up in a Christian Missionary Alliance Church, who married a Catholic. God is leading me on an incredible path of changing my heart completely, strengthening my marriage, and allowing me to see the beauty of the liturgy (things I never would have imagined possible at one time). I am currently in RCIA and my husband found your blog to pass on to me. I’ve been reading a couple different posts and I am so encouraged by reading not only your writings but the comments from others who have converted. Thank you.
Incredible! Praise God!! I can relate to your hesitancy. It’s amazing how much we have (relationally) started over. I can count on one hand the amount of Protestants we remain friends with, and even that is strained at best. It’s amazing how much the Church has changed our lives and strengthened our faith as a family. God has blessed us with new Catholic friends on this journey and I pray the same for your family.
Hoping the fallout has begun to settle for you…
It’s truly amazing what awesome Catholic friends we’ve made since moving to our hometown two years ago! I am so grateful. Before the move we really only had one Catholic friend so rustling up some Godparents for our firstborn’s baptism was tricky 🙂
I really love your story Haley. I always find it beautiful in hearing the unique ways God speaks. And you’re so right that it is so far from comfortable. Catholicism is not comfortable. Or else everyone would be Catholic no?
Thank you, Christy. I don’t think I’ll ever be comfortable! But I know I’m home 🙂
I wish had more time to respond, maybe later, but I had to say that one of the reasons I felt lead to Catholicism was because it made me think about the bigger issues and all the uncomfortable bits that went with it. It’s so easy, as a Protestant, to let “having faith” gloss over everything without delving into some of the really tricky questions (maybe not true 100% there are great Prot. Theologians, but in my experience it often got all swept up under “have faith”).
I love going thru this journey with my husband, who’s a Cradle, as he’s let me discover what he’s always felt was True for myself it’s definitely lead to some great discussions – my favorite being the night I met him at the door, threw a finger in his face and pronounced “You like being Catholic because it lets you believe in magic!” – still one of our favorites and I hit the nail on the head with that one. *Magic = mysteries and miracles kind of “magic” and not so much spells and potions kind of magic.
There are indeed some wonderful Protestant theologians. I think I just always felt overwhelmed trying to figure out what I believed when they all disagreed. But I do love the amazing intellectual tradition of the Catholic faith.
I’m so excited for you to start RCIA!
I loved this so much. Please pray for me. I am a 49 yr old southern baptist married to a deacon. God has been calling me to the catholic church for 3 years now. I can’t even type this without crying. I read all the catholic blogs I can find. What would you suggest I read that would help my husband to understand the doctrines? He has been open to listening to me when I tell him how drawn I am. Anyway I love your blog very much. Such an encouragement!
Blessings
Kim Chrisman
Sweet Kim, you and your husband will be in my prayers. I know of several resources that you might find helpful. Would you email me (haley.s.stewart@gmail.com)? I will send you a list of good resources and I’d love to talk more. Praise God for your husband’s willingness to listen to your desire to be Catholic. That’s a beginning! And thank you for your sweet words 🙂
“The Catholic Way” by Bishop Wuerl was one of the first books I read on my journey (good straightforward answers) along with a little book called”Catholic Customs & Traditions” by Greg Dues (again, straightforward answers) and perusing the writings on the Vatican website – Humanae Vitae, Catechisms, etc. as I had questions.
Later in my journey I was recommended:
“Why Do Catholics Do That” by Kevin Orlin Johnson; “Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic” by David Currie (though you might not want to start him out on this one, it’s good but Currie’s not a Theologian). Currie’s section on pointing out that Catholics and Protestants use a different “language” really cleared up a lot of questions about things like what is considered worship, prayer, devotion, etc. along with clearing up question about authority, dogma, etc.
But, I have to give credit where it’s due to Mr. C.S. Lewis for his Screwtape Letters. Even though he was Anglican and not Catholic the questions he posits in Screwtape and some of his other works really sent my mind spinning.
Also remember that if you both find yourselves called to the Church that is not the end of your husband’s religious life – there are many ways for married men and women to be fully active in the Church!
Praying for you.
Sweet Kim, any updates? I was just browsing the comments here and was moved by your post. God bless you 🙂
I know this thread of posts was written years ago but for anyone out there who is reading and considering conversion, a good book I found to be helpful is “If Protestantism is True” by Devin Rose. He backs up his thoughts with scripture and is a convert himself. There’s no way to go on not believing that the Catholic Church is right and true after reading his book.
Kim Chrisman, look into Scott & Kimberly Hahn. Rome Sweet Home. Scott was a Protestant Minister who converted. Jeff & Emily Cavins. Jeff is a revert and Emily is a convert. Both men were Protestant Ministers.
I hear that! We are finally having our 8 month old baptized in 2 weeks. Kinda hard to ask someone to be a Godparent when you don’t know any Catholics :).
Only one of the Godparents has to be Catholic. So if you could find one Catholic friend, just find another non-Catholic friend. They don’t have to be married. Clearly, it would better to find a great, married Catholic couple to be Godparents, who take it seriously like the role is intended, but just thought I would throw it out there than you do have a little wiggle room if you are in a pinch. 🙂
Luckily we found another couple who we have become great friends with. Our hope is that they will take the role very seriously…what a beautiful thing if lived out the way the church intended!
Thankfully with any future babies the hard part will be choosing Godparents, not having to meet them first! 🙂
What a great series! There were so many little things along my journey, from the time I was a little girl, urging me to the Catholic church. I fought so hard, for so long, so many things I didn’t agree with and honestly still don’t but the pull was too hard and figured I would just have to figure everything out later and the number one priority was getting confirmed so that I could participate. No other church service could compare to what I felt at a Catholic Mass.
It’s strange looking back and seeing the pull of the Church for years and years in my life. Even when I didn’t recognize it yet! So grateful for that grace drawing me in. And for friends on the same journey 🙂
Thanks for sharing! Found your blog through Mama and Baby Love blog. May I ask what made you decide catholic over eastern orthodox?
Thanks for stopping by, Jennifer! That’s a hard question to answer briefly but I’ll give it a shot:
The Eastern Church is divided up by nation which is problematic for us for two reasons: the nationalism is alienating for those not native to that specific culture and nation (such as the Greek Orthodox Church, Bulgarian Orthodox, etc), and it reveals a division that makes a unified theology impossible. In contrast, the Roman Catholic Church spreads across cultures, continents, and time. It is truly “Catholic” or universal. There’s more, but that’s the best I can do in a comment! 🙂
Hi Haley
I was looking for an answer to this question from Jennifer. (seeing as you wrote this 2 years ago though…I’m a little behind. I just found your blog via Camp Patton)
Anyway, I totally agree with you that Eastern Orthodox churches of specific ethnicity can be alienating. I grew up (and still attend) a church that is part of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org). I just wanted to throw out there that there are Eastern Orthodox parishes that are not specific to a certain language or culture. They’re more like melting pots and also include many American converts with all kinds of backgrounds. And services are ALL in English.
I didn’t know if you knew this, so just wanted to throw it out there. I’m not sure exactly where you live, but in some areas of the US I’m sure OCA churches are more prevalent (like in the Midwest where I live).
So glad to hear you are challenged by your faith and really cared to dig deep. I look forward to reading more of your blog posts!
Oh and I forgot also to mention that there are organizations such as http://www.scoba.us/ which represent all Orthodox churches in America. They truly are all one Church, there are just cultural idiosyncrasies.
From the website:
The purpose of the Assembly of Bishops of the United States of America is to preserve and contribute to the unity of the Orthodox Church by helping to further her spiritual, theological, ecclesiological, canonical, educational, missionary and philanthropic aims. To accomplish this, the Assembly has as its goals: i) the promotion and accomplishment of Church unity in the United States ii) the strengthening of the common pastoral ministry to all the Orthodox faithful of the region; and iii) a common witness by the Church to all those outside her. In addition, the Assembly has as an express goal iv) the organization of the Church in the United States in accordance with the ecclesiological and the canonical tradition of the Orthodox Church.
Hi Haley,
Thanks for the response. I went through a similiar journey of faith but was chrismated into the orthodox church in 2007. The parish i attended was mainly full of converts. Since then I moved to another area and the parishes here are much more ethno centric. I’ve really struggled and have struggled to get connected. I have been contemplating attending catholic churches in my area since it seems they are much more diverse in my area. I struggle with several catholic doctrines which is why I leaned more towards EO. Any recommendations of books that address the differences? I would love to hear any insight you may have. Feel free to email if it’s too lengthy for a blog comment. Thanks!
I’ll send you an email soon, Jennifer!
Hi Haley!
I just wanted to drop you a note and say thank you for telling your story (which is beautiful!) I love hearing how people come into the church and how they made that decision. I was baptized Catholic as a baby, so didn’t have much of a say, but most of the same reasons you mentioned above are some of the reasons I stay. (I love how you described finding beauty in the church.) I also appreciated that part of your journey took you down an academic path to learn about the faith. I went to a Catholic college and double majored in psychology and Catholic Studies. I wanted to learn more about my faith and take a critical look at what I believed.
Thank you for this wonderful comment, Vicky!
I got to your website in what seemed to be the most random way (meandering through Pinterest of course) but I know that God does everything for a reason. Today I happened to be facing some challenging thoughts concerning my faith, and your conversion story brought me to tears. Attending mass and receiving the sacraments is exactly what you described – like floating on an ocean of grace. God has once again revealed to me how very lucky I am to be a Catholic when I needed most to be reminded. Thank you so much for sharing your story, God bless you and your family!
Thank you, Katerina! I’m so glad this story was encouraging to you.
Oh my goodness, it was not Harry Potter or Pintrest that led me to your post but God. I feel so at home and comfortable reading your various posts. I can’t even describe how wonderful it is to find someone that seems to have soo much in common with me, and totally gets it, yet still knows how to be respectful of differences, and not judge. I have been dealing with this alot especially of late, and it is very frustrating, and then I come here and read and I feel content.
Thank you, Sarah! That is so kind and so wonderful to hear.
Dear Haley,
Thank you very much for sharing your moving story. God works in ever amazing ways, for example, in how He brought me to you when I most needed it! I can relate to much of what you have said here and in the rest of your blog, despite being a Protestant (I hope you don’t mind me saying it or writing here). You seem to read my mind at times! 🙂 I loved how you phrased the idea of Christians being on a journey, and how you described the ways in which your faith has changed you, has filled every aspect of your life. I am not a wife or a mother, but I hope one day I will have a family of my own in which God will also be the cornerstone, as it has been with my parents. I pray that the Lord will continue to bless you and your wonderful family, and the great job you do through this blog. It is a true inspiration and it makes me feel at home when I read it!
Miriam, I don’t mind at all! Thank you for this encouragement. It made my day. 🙂
Dear Haley –
Thanks so very much for sharing your story of faith! My husband and I were also raised Protestant (fundamentalist in his case), and we’ve really been struggling with the way Protestant churches work for the past year. We are sure of our Father’s love for us and for His church, but not of the way it is being displayed for the world to see. I’m not sure if the Catholic church is right for us, but the community seems more like what the Church should be in my mind. I would love your prayers for us. It sounds like we have a similar story. 🙂
Ginger, you will definitely be in my prayers as you search for the next step in your journey!
Found your blog on pinterest today and I’m so blessed by your words and the description of your conversion. I am just beginning the research process, but I find I am more and more drawn to the Catholic church every day, for so many reasons, many of which you described. Thank you for taking the time to write your story.
PS – Baylor girl??
Yes! Sic ’em, bears!
Hi! I found your blog today via your 10 books for girls post. I was drawn to your conversion story as well. Thank you for posting this. I would love to know what books you read at the beginning of your journey. I have lots of questions! I’m coming out of an evangelical church looking for more of a liturgical experience but have some concerns with the Catholic beliefs.
And congratulations on your newest blessing.
Blessings on your lovely family!
Rain, Daniel and I compiled some of the most influential books for us in this post: http://carrotsformichaelmas.com/2012/02/21/the-big-ol-catholic-reading-list/
But it’s a pretty long list of books, so I don’t want to overwhelm you! I might recommend Scott Hahn’s books (he’s also a convert). I really loved Signs of Life which I found to be really accessible coming from an Evangelical Protestant background. If you want to start out with something a little meatier (but denser) I would recommend some of the early Church Fathers (listed some good options in the post I mentioned above). Reading them really helped me get a sense of how Catholic doctrine was part of Christian thought from the very start and how it developed during those early centuries. I hope that’s helpful and please feel free to email me (haley.s.stewart (at) gmail (dot) com) if you have any more specific questions 🙂
And thank you! We are so excited about this new little guy (or gal!).
Haley, thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I’ve read the post you linked and will be checking out many of your suggestions. Lots of food for thought.
Blessings,
Rain
Hi there, I hope I am in no way out-of-place commenting, but I’ve commented on this post before, so I got an email ;).
I am a new Catholic convert as well (last Easter!) and my husband and I went through a life-changing journey that led us from our Reformed Protestant church to the Catholic church. Here is a link to a debate we listened to that really finalized some things for us (albeit after we had been reading, researching, and praying for months). It just hit the nail on the head when we needed it the most.
Here is the link: https://store.patrickmadrid.com/what-still-divides-us-debate-mp3/
I hope this helps!
Haley, thank you so much for all your posts. They are feeding my intellectually starved mind. I was once an English major and have not taken the time to fully read a book (other than a children’s book) in a couple of years. I often make excuses for not reading, not writing and not being “a good Catholic.” (See, I’m not sure what side of the period that quote mark goes on.) But finding your site with all of your wonderful references to great works and deeper thinking is inspiring. I am glad to have found you. Thank you.
Thank you, Shelly! It is so easy for me to just watch Modern Family or something and then go to bed instead of picking up a book and feeding my brain after the kids go to bed. That’s one reason I posted my 2013 to read list! My wonderful readers can keep me accountable! 🙂
For us cradle Catholics, reading stories like yours help us reflect on and make sense of the profound meaning of our baptism. Paul VI called for a renewal of the (familiarity with/promotion of the) theology of baptism, and when I first heard that I found it surprising (haven’t we got that down, dear late Pope?) – yet in the few years since I’ve chewed on it more and more and see how fundamental it is. Infant baptism is a gift, says so much about love and family and Truth and ecclesiology, but requires an ongoing and conscious re-assimilating of one’s journey – which began before conscious memory. (However, for any Christian, this task is already implicit – “remembering” /learning “where” we’ve all come from!) Point being, thank you for sharing the profundity of it all, and helping me realize and articulate what I’ve been swimming in my whole life long, almost always far too ungratefully.
This is such a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing it.
What in St. Thomas Aquinas’s work were you trying to prove wrong? I ask because I also had a kind of intellectual reversion to the faith a few years ago that finally ended in a conversion of the heart. I’m always curious to see what other people tried to puzzle through before joyfully falling to their knees before the Truth.
God bless you and your family!
I think my problem was with St. Thomas’ claim that holiness makes us reflect God’s love more brightly, so holy souls would more brightly shine. I so wanted everybody to be THE SAME. Then I realized that might be more of an American ideal than a Christian one 🙂
My husband and I are both converts too. I just found your blog, it was great to read your conversion story. Congrats on your little girl! I’m pregnant with our fourth girl and due in June.
Thank you! I’m due at the end of May so we’re getting close!
Haley,
Thank you so very much for sharing your story. I am a recent Baptist convert, and I can identify with so much of what you experienced. It is comforting to know that my struggle and journey is one that others have also traveled. I am so happy to have found you!
Haley,
Your article about your children in mass was linked to an Orthodox group page I am a part of on Facebook. I am thrilled to find your blog. My husband also attended Baylor, and we came to that same point, “We have to become either Orthodox or Catholic”. We converted to Orthodoxy, but we love and respect the Catholic Church and wish the two churches could reunite. So much of your story sounds like ours. Thank you for sharing it.
That’s my prayer, too, Maribel! (Love your name, by the way, it’s on my list of girl names I hope to use someday!) Such a funny thing to happen when you attend the world’s largest Baptist university! 🙂
Dear Haley, I am not converted Catholic and I am not American. I was born and raised Catholic in a small European country where Catholicism is part of the national identity. However, no one in my family truly lived the faith nor knew anything about Catholicism. That’s why the Church is in big crisis in Europe today (pray for us!) As a teenager I wanted to get to know God and that journey-which is still in the progress-is the the holiest thing in my life. I love how you said that being Catholic is not being comfortable – quite the opposite. That’s how I see my life: freshly married, conceived a boy a month after the wedding, lost my job due to this fact is not what can be considered comfortable. However, I know God keeps His hand over my family. This baby is gift for God and from God because we would have not been opened to life if we hadn’t found God’s love in Catholic Church. I have still 8 more weeks until the birth – can wait to meet the little miracle God gave us!
Congratulations on your pregnancy! You’re just a month ahead of me 🙂 What a precious blessing.
Hi! I found your blog through a pinterest post about why daughters shouldn’t read Twilight and found myself wanting to know more about this person who feels the same way I do. I truly believe everything happens for a reason and I know that I was meant to read your conversion post today. My husband and I were raised Methodist (him) and Baptist (me) and were pretty active in church throughout our childhood, but we have never felt comfortable anywhere since we started college, got married, etc. We have just relocated to a new town and one of my fervent goals is to find a church where we feel at home again. I have been toying with the idea of researching Catholicism and I truly appreciate your candid post of your conversion – thank you!
Thank you, Jessica. I hope you and your husband find a church home soon. I know how hard it is to feel “in-between”!
What a beautiful conversion story! I am a cradle Catholic but when I met my husband he was agnostic; watching his conversion story unfold leading up to our engagement and wedding has left such a wonderful impression on my heart and I LOVE hearing other people’s stories!!! May God bless you and your family. 🙂
Thank you, Stephanie 🙂 I hopped on over to your blog. Congrats on your pregnancy!
Hi!
I just want to add my comment to the myriad of others saying thank you for sharing your story. I am a Baptist who flirts with the idea of converting to Catholicism, but I’m not sure that I have enough boldness yet to face the response of my friends and family (and many other things, but it is a long story – although my husband is Catholic so that’s a plus). When you wrote,
I think that’s exactly where I am right now. I’m just trying to be patient, waiting, searching, praying. I’m glad someone else has been there. 🙂
That’s a difficult place to be, Sarah! Praying for you as you wait 🙂
Thanks Haley!
How did you deal with telling friends and family?
Looking back, I think we should have given them more warning. Although it seemed obvious to us what path we were on, it wasn’t as clear to our loved ones and came as a surprise. I’d be happy to discuss the experience over email, but I don’t really talk about it on my blog out of respect for family members. Feel free to shoot me an email!
i feel solidarity, sisters! haley, looking back i feel the same way, but don’t know what “warning” would look like. maybe i will have more clarity next easter. we are still adjusting to the dust that settled afterwards, but i will say that where god gave us some great sorrows, he also gave us even greater joys! our blessings and fervency as converted catholics does not compare to where we were just a few years ago. may god bless you, sarah, on your journey (and always)!
I just stumbled on your blog and have found all of your conversion stories to be uplifting. I’m a cradle Catholic from a family of cradle Catholics who are descended from a long line of Catholics. I haven’t quite been affected personally by others’ conversion stories to the faith, but I have been impacted by the conversion of my extended family out of the Catholic faith. It has hurt to have the division in our family. I’ve unobtrusively read my grandparents’ witness in which they said that they are sorry some of their children are going to hell (that is, the Catholic children). My grandmother has once-in-a-blue moon shown up at my parents’ house to loudly argue about how the Church is the whore of Babylon (I say argue, but she never gave my parents her ear for their counter arguments). There are more instances, but these two stand out the strongest. My mom has always had a strained relationship with her prideful and bi-polar mother; after the conversion out of the Catholic Church, the relationship worsened. My immediate Catholic family has never acted in any other way toward our extended family than to show love and pray for patience. We hold out hope that my grandparents will become less prideful and come back before they pass away; after they come back, hopefully the dominoes will fall and the rest of my aunts and uncles will come back too.
Many converts say how hard their relationships became after their conversions from the family’s faith to an alien one. In my case, it seems odd to me that for all that my extended family converted out, they are the ones who are hostile towards us, almost like we are the converts who caused the inevitable division. So, I have the same experiences converts would have with their familial relationships, except I’m not a convert 😉
I am not catholic but I found this story quite beautiful. I love reading how God moves and threads all of us in this tapestry. My journey lately has been to see that the body is not limited to one denomination, four walls and a building. So liberating to see the workings of His hands in ways I was shut off from. I’ve grown up in various churches, protestant denominations- but as an adult have struggled to think that we (often baptist) think we’re the only ones who’ve got it right. My husband isn’t quite there yet, (he’s also a cop so very black and white personality by nature) but I recently took a stand to leave our baptist church and visit a missionary alliance (gasp!) body where it has been refreshing to just sit and breathe and see God move within a body that just wants to be used and connect with other body parts. Thank you for sharing your journey; it was beautifully written and moving. I look forward to the day in our walk where God shows us the right “church” home for our family.
Thank you, Megan! Prayers and love to your family as you continue this journey together. 🙂
What a beautiful, open, and simple story of your conversion. My husband was Confirmed and our son was Baptized at the 2010 Easter Vigil as well.
I love your story and your blog! I’ll be sure to bookmark it so I can read more! My husband and I also came into the Church together, in 2002. Since then I’ve found that’s fairly unusual, since often someone converts to join their spouse. We came from Baptist and Lutheran backgrounds. Your conversion story and your description of the “why” really resonated with me. Thanks for sharing!
This has been an incredible series of posts on your conversion. My husband and I have been Protestants our whole lives and have recently shared a similar experience with the Catholic Church as you. We can’t really say where it began, researching questions we’d always held I guess and didn’t seem to be answered until we looked into Catholicism. Thank you for sharing this lovely story. I love the part when you said someone said that they were glad you found something that you felt comfortable with, and your response! Exactly! What I’m learning more and more about the Catholic faith is that it isn’t about what feels right or how convenient it is for you, but how we were made to live for Christ, that involves sacrifice. The Catholic church was in fact what He intended church to be. We begin RCIA at the end of May this year. I can’t wait to begin this journey! Thank you for sharing your life!
I’m so excited for you, Tabitha! Welcome home! 🙂
After reading something I recently wrote on why I have packed in my architectural career in order to be home with my children and possibly homeschool them, a friend guided me to your blog today and it has been such a blessing!
2010 was the year my husband and I converted too…it was a big year for us: we got engaged, married, were received into the Church, and a day before the year was done, exactly 9 months after our wedding day, I gave birth to our first son!
Thank you for your blog. It’s lovely to read the quotes I love and your posts are so encouraging to this little young South African momma.
Thank you so much, Kate!
You are a beautiful writer, thank you for taking the time to share your gift with the rest of us that can relate but are unable to put the words together like you do!
This post on your conversion story, however, saddened me… enough that I have to try poking a little, not to antagonize, but maybe to get you to look another direction if your heart is still open.
First, when you initially experienced uneasiness with the idea of being “saved,” or knowing how a person can be certain they’re saved, or church doctrines, the beginnings of church, how it started, when it started, why it started and the purpose of a church, did you research the Bible to see if God talks about any of that? Opening that big book can be daunting, but there are many study tools available that make it easier to highlight a particular subject (avoid the commentaries at the beginning of a study, stick to only the Word of God. Commentaries are nice for taking you deeper, but only when they agree with what you already know from the Bible.) One study tool that I like to use is blueletterbible.org Just now I searched “saved” and it brought up tons of verses. I would stick to the New Testament… like, “skip to the end!” :)… where things are more spelled out for us. Just skimming through the list, I saw a handful of verses that asked the question “who then can be saved?” or “what must I do to be saved?” Those would be good sections to research. You can click on any verse in the list and it will take you to that passage. And if it’s not making sense, you can easily change the version to one easier to read, or if you want to make sure you’re getting the true, naked Word, you can click on any word and it will give you the Hebrew or Greek text and definition (for the serious skeptics!)
I don’t mean to give a course on studying the Bible, but I want to encourage all readers that it is VERY easy peasy to do!!! And it’s what God intended… He did not give us the Bible to confuse us or keep things a mystery. He has fully exposed Himself in His Word and He invites seekers in. That book is loaded with Him, who He is, what we are, and what He has to do with us. It is complex, but it is also plain-old SIMPLE.
Lastly, as food for thought, the church is not meant to be a place where we must go to have access to God. That is such an Old Testament idea, where God instructed the Israelites to build a tabernacle, within which God could dwell in a very protected place that only the High Priest could access, but where people could go to offer their sacrifices of worship, via the priests. When Christ died (He was the final sacrifice), the curtain that veiled the Holiest of Holies inside the tabernacle, where God dwelt, was torn in half (all the Gospels except John mention that). In other words, opened up, all can enter! Hebrews 10:19 says, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter the holiest BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS…” No longer via the priests or church or religious ordinances, but by Christ we have access to God. Our eternal security and position before God should be found in the perfect and complete work of Christ, not in which church we go to.
Ok, the hubs just walked in the door and baby’s nap is over, so my time is up! Thank you for allowing responses, I LOVE to think about these things so I very much enjoyed my afternoon and hope I didn’t offend or come across harshly.
No need to worry about offending me, Joey! Your comment was kind and loving in every way. I think you’ve highlighted two main issues: one is Holy Scripture and the other is the authority of the Church. Studying the Bible is of course crucial to every Christian’s spiritual life. The matter is, how do you interpret it? I have to disagree that it is simple to sort of theology by just sitting down and opening the Bible. If it was crystal clear as to how Scripture should be interpreted…well…there wouldn’t be so many Christian denominations all disagreeing with each other about what it means. One of the things I love about the Catholic faith is that the Church offers us the historical interpretation of Scripture as understood from the days of the Apostles to now. And there is more Scripture read at every Mass than at any service I ever attended growing up Protestant. I love how much my faith loves and reveres the Bible.
As to your second concern, I’m not sure exactly what you’re getting at. Catholic theology would whole-heartedly agree that Christ is our one and only access to God. But we do believe that the Catholic Church is the Church Christ instituted.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Brilliant, loving, charitable answer! Love your story and your courageous witness.
What a beautiful story. As a cradle Catholic, it is refreshing and invigorating to my faith to read conversion stories. I remember once thinking (in my very young adulthood) that no sane person would CONVERT to the Catholic Church. Too many rules and too old fashioned. I’m so glad that I was wrong, and stories like this help me see why. Welcome home!
I found this article very insightful and similar to my conversion(with a slightly different ending). I myself grew up protestant/American Evangelical in a Pentecostal denomination. However as I graduated from highschool and left for the Military, I was drawn to the Confessional Lutheran Faith of my ancestors. Some of us like to refer to ourselves as Evangelical Catholics as 0ur foundation is rooted in Holy Scripture which is outlined in the Three Ecumenical Creeds where we are made his children in Holy Baptism, and our faith is strengthened with his True Body and Blood in the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
I stumbled across your site and I’m so glad I did! I am married to a non practicing Catholic and I haven’t followed any particular religion, often just trying to live some sort of ‘spiritual life’ whatever that means. Recently I found myself drawn to Catholicism but felt uncomfortable due to having all those stereotypical views on what Catholics are like and how ‘out of date’ the church seems to be. It was refreshing to read your story as well as your other articles to see that Catholicism can be relevent and uplifting and can work in a modern family context. Thank you for taking the time to share it.
What a beautiful story! Thank-you for sharing it.
I was raised nominally Catholic, but strayed in my youth only to hook up with Pentecostals in my late teens. I reverted to the Church when I was 25, after a long, hard struggle. I was tired, and I felt like how I imagined Jacob felt when he was wrestling that angel.
Catholicism is funny – it’s one of those things that the more you actually know and understand about it (and I mean really know, not just what you think you know!), the more it rings true and good and beautiful.
Wow. With a few minor differences, this is almost exactly our story. We came into the Church at Easter 2010 also, only, I was pregnant with our fourth child at that time. We had been “church hopping” since our first was born though, from non denominational, to baptist, to bible and Nazarene churches. It was our classes at our charismatic university that led our hearts to question what we had always known. Loved reading and relating to your conversion! Just found your blog today, and I’m looking forward to seeing more! Keep telling the story!
Hi there! We converted on Easter 2011, so just a year behind you. I could see many similarities in our stories. I, too, reached a point after studying church history where I realized I could never be a protestant again. The circumstances of our conversion are such that I just cannot doubt God led us straight into the arms of His Church! I’ve never burned with evangelical zeal- even growing up as an evangelical protestant (my parents were in Campus Crusade for Christ for 20 years!) and I never wanted to go out on missions or evangelizing. Now, people can’t shut me up. 🙂
Hi Haley. This series of conversion story posts is so beautiful, thank you for sharing it. I am in RCIA now and will be baptized, confirmed, and receive my first communion at this year’s Easter Vigil. I came to the Church from a place of unbelief, so I have been amazed to find how much I feel at peace having finally found Truth within it. Thank you again for sharing your story. – Amy
So excited for you, Amy! I’ll be thinking of you at the Easter Vigil!
Hi Haley! Thank you for sharing your story. I recently found your website through a friend’s recommendation and I’m enjoying reading about your faith and family.
I’d be interested to hear about what drew you and your husband to Catholicism as opposed to Easterm Orthodoxy (you mentioned that Orthodoxy was at least an option on the table at one point). My husband and I joined the Orthorox church (both of us from Evangelical backgrounds) almost four years ago, and I’m always interested to learn about how others decided which path was best for them.
Haley, I just got done reading your conversion story and I resonate with so many of the things you said! After several years in the Anglican church, my husband and I are converting–being confirmed tonight at the Easter vigil! We are so grateful to God for leading us home to the Church that Jesus founded! And I wanted to tell you that I’ve been reading your blog for a couple of years now, and your posts have been instrumental in leading me to Catholicism. So, thank you. God bless you and your family!
Oh congrats! So excited for you for tonight! Welcome home!!!
Loved reading your story. My husband is catholic but has not been practicing since I met him 13 years ago. I grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness which was very spiritually damaging. I have always felt a “tug” toward the Catholic Church however. Now we have a baby girl and we are making the decision to have her baptized and I will be converting. I have so much to learn! Any advice? Even though it feels right … it’s really terrifying!
Thanks for your conversion story. I have just re-read it. I first came across it over a year ago when I was thinking of becoming Catholic. I felt the same inexorable pull towards the Catholic church and finally gave in to it at the end of last year. I can’t say everything’s fine. In fact, it’s been a struggle although there are some things which I am less worried about. I wish I’d followed your suggestion of writing a letter to my family and giving them time to digest it. Just after I phoned to tell them about my decision, a storm damaged our phone line and it wasn’t fixed for a month. One of my friends said, ‘Don’t try to tell me that wasn’t Divine Intervention.’ I couldn’t keep this journey to myself. I was helped by other people’s blogs and so I started one myself to write, from a Scottish point of view, about how I travelled from Calvinism to Catholicism. As they come up, I throw in bits about my life as a mother. We also try to grow some of our own food although we only have a very short growing season.
I also grew up Baptist (daughter of a minister, in fact), and then, in college, was on the brink of conversion to Orthodoxy. I became a Catechumen, navigated family concerns, and found a community and Grace in the Church. Ultimately though, I fell short of confirmation. The family fallout really took the wind out of my sails and made me question my faith entirely- as in, I shaved my head, moved to NYC and then to East Africa, spent a lot of time smoking. The upheaval upended me. But, I’m getting off topic. All this to ask: you mentioned Orthodoxy and I would love to know what lead you and your husband to convert to Catholicism instead. Would you be willing to share more about that specifically?
Is that the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche in St Augustine? I live about 40 minutes north of there, and since our drawing to the Church, it’s become one of our favorite places. We love to go and walk the grounds. It’s so peaceful and beautiful. I feel so blessed to live somewhere so close to the roots of Catholicism in America. I think God just giggles when He looks at how far I’ve come. I was super Baptist…but the Holy Spirit got a hold of my heart and wouldn’t let go. I’m so thrilled that we have followed His leading.
Yes it is! We love going there!
Amazing story! My journey was very similar, but when I got to the Catholic or Orthodox fork in the road, I went east. I’ve been Orthodox for almost five years now.
Conversion stories are a difficult narrative genre to share, but thank you for sharing yours so beautifully!
-Sarah
Your comment of going east at the fork was cute, I liked it! Though the Catholic Church has Eastern Rites as well for sure! The east is so RICH!
When I look at the reasons on both sides of the doctrinal differences of Orthodox and Catholic, I found it gives me confidence in the Catholic doctrines with the help of St. Augustine’s work. I really can’t wait until are churches are in full communion though. It will come!
I love this description too! We went West, primarily because the nearest Orthodox Church is 4 hours from us.
My husband and I grew up Southern Baptist, my husband was even the music minister at the Baptist church for 6 years before we separately came to the conclusion we needed to convert. We joined RCIA and will be confirmed this Easter. this blog post resonated with me- I will be in tears this Easter Vigil. Pray for me and my family as we enter the church this Saturday
Prayers, Marriah! <3
Thank you for your story. I’m in New Zealand and am at the very beginning of becoming Catholic. I have a rather messy history, I’m happily married to a man who has been married before and I have a daughter from a previous relationship (I wasn’t married in that relationship). My hubby was raised Catholic but doesn’t really believe anymore (his Mum wasn’t a great role model for the faith) and I was not raised with religion at all except for my Oma who is Roman Catholic. I am also from a broken home.
I have been attending church off and on for about a year, had a meeting with the pastor a while ago, and had a brief talk about my marriage. I have attended a few other denominational churches to see what they were all about but something in me believes that Catholicism is the True faith and church and I came back every time.
I’m always searching for stories of people entering the Catholic Church as adults but can’t seem to find ones like what I’m about to embark on.
Thank you again for sharing your conversion story and God bless
Praying for you, Kristy! Don’t hesitate to shoot me an email if you ever need to. It can take me awhile to reply but I will get back to you eventually! <3
I just happened to come across your blog today. I converted almost a year ago (September 3, 2016) and grew up nondenominational. Similar that I felt that I should be a missionary and actually took steps to being overseas for a time. In high school and even then I felt drawn to the Catholic Church but didn’t do anything about it because my family dislikes Catholics. I met my (now) husband at work and he is a a very strong Catholic. Through questions that I asked him when we first started dating and then eventually making the decision to meet with a Priest in the area for individual questions, I became Catholic right before we got married.
I feel a little in limbo right now because my old friends can’t understand why I made the decision, my family is extremely upset (even though they did show up to my confirmation) and the only Catholic friends that I do have are my husbands and we are expecting our first child in August.
I’m curious as to how your family took the change along with them not being considered for god-parents. We want both to be Catholic. Thank you for writing your story as I’m continuing to figure out mine.
I’ll shoot you an email, Sarah!
I love your blog and would love to read some of the history of our Church. As a cradle Catholic who is only now (in my 50s) enjoying the rich history and the Graces we obtain from Her Sacraments. I have read (and love) Pilgrim Church and recommend it to others. What other books on the Church Fathers do you recommend?
What an incredible story. I got chills reading it. Thank you for sharing. I look forward to reading more of your writing.
I am years late to reading this, but it has given me actual chills. I (and to some degree, my husband) am considering (more than considering…more like trying to stop resisting) conversion, and your story is beautiful. Mine is different, of course, and leaving my own faith tradition (Episcopalian) for one with very different social/political (and again, maybe not so different in a lot of ways) doctrine from our current church and social circle is terrifying and also almost irresistible. Thank you for sharing your story, and please, if you get a moment, pray for us.