Has anyone here actually converted to Catholicism? Or known anyone who has?

Question

What were your beliefs before?

What were your experiences during?

- Just curious, I have no desire to convert.

Midge out of curiosity, can you give me a link to your statistics? Thanks!

Answer 1

'My mom's mom's family are Irish catholic.
For the most part they are required to convert those they marry, many of these only in name then they have to sign papers to agree to raise the kids catholic. SO yes I've known a lot of catholic converts, but for reason of love of a potential spouse, not for love of the church.

They do get back out of the church when they divorce... unless they can annul their marriage.

Took some flannageling, but even after 10 years and a kid my aunt and uncle got an annulment. That one cracked me up. Yeah sure, that marriage really didn't count, it never happened and you can still be a proper catholic.

Answer 2

Yes, I have, from a fundamentalist Christian denomination. I had always felt there was something "missing" between what the New Testament said in many places (notably about baptism and Holy Communion, but there were others) and what was practiced/taught in my church. The best description of my inquiry experience during RCIA classes was that one by one all of the missing pieces fell into place.

Edited to add: As far as knowing anyone who has converted, in addition to those in my own RCIA class, I know two others very well: My own daughters. One married a Catholic and converted at that time. The other just came into the Church last Easter. I pray that the rest of my extended family, who all remain in evangelical Protestant churches, will also be drawn to the fullness of the Christian faith in the Church.

Answer 3

Midge - here you go...

In 2005, 73,684 people were received into full communion with the Catholic Church.9 In addition, 80,817 adults and 943,264 infants were baptized.

In 2005, 18,992 parishes in the 194 dioceses and eparchies (dioceses of the Eastern Catholic Church) of the United States serve the nation's 69.1 million Catholics. In 2005, 46 new parishes opened their doors.20 In 2000, the average parish had 3,254 members, or 1,269 households. In 2000, a typical non-Catholic congregation included approximately 303 members.

The average parish has grown about 10 percent per decade. Between 2000 and 2001, 165,924 additional households registered at Catholic parishes.

Read more at http://www.usccb.org/comm/cip.shtml#toc4

Answer 4

The Oct 22 edition of Newsweek has an article about Erik Prince, the owner of Blackwater, the private security firm recently in the news. He was raised a Calvinist Dutch Reformed, but he converted to Catholicism in 1992. He was married to a Catholic, and that may be why.

This is a very interesting move for the man who currently owns the most well trained and equipped private army in the world. This somehow does not seem a very Christian career. But, what do I know?

Answer 5

I was baptized a catholic. Now, I am converted to catholicism. I never went out of the Catholic church, but many times, I tend to live as if I were not a catholic. As I mature into faith, I am everyday converted into Catholicism.

You better watch www.ewtn.com, particularly the Journey Home program.

Answer 6

Yes, I did join the Catholic church. I studied for over two years; went to classes; and was confirmed, baptised and accepted into the Church and feel it was the most liberating day of my life.

The reasons are complicated I suppose; but I was raised by my 14th generation Scottish American family in the Presbyterian Church since 4 years old; however, always felt out of place and something wrong. When I was 12 I began accompanying my best friend to mass, and paying attention to the teachings of the Catholic church.

Also I studied the history of the Presbyterian church and found it was based on, and founded on, violence, and destruction. The beast who founded the "religious sect" murdered a priest by burning him to death; and he took a wife who was a 12 year old girl when he himself, Knox, was in his 60s. That was just about enough to turn me away from any sects who broke from the Catholic religion for so-called reasons of faith.

at any rate, I have always been happy and at peace with my religion and my God.

I hope this helps.

Answer 7

My brother-in-law came from "freer" religious experience to the tradition and stability of the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic church.

He equates the years of tradition as being authoritative, that we cannot possibly know ourselves without guidance from other men.

He likes the old way of writing, the old hymns and the pomp, circumstance and splendor of the church's history.

BTW. He has a Masters in Religion and was working toward a PhD thesis in religion.

Answer 8

I am a convert. Raised in a Christian family, though church was never attended (it wasn't refused, just never brought up).

When I moved out, I became a very strong atheist - I hated God for allowing children to starve, inocent people die in floods, violent crime, etc.

I started to study to find fault, but the more I studied the more I found fault with my thinking.

After some years of "soul searching" I found my way to the Catholic Church. That was almost 3 years ago - and I have never been more at peace with myself, my life and God.

Answer 9

Hello, I'm a convert to Catholicism. My parents were Protestant, but decided they wanted me to choose my religion so they didn't teach me about the faith, when I was a teenager I decided that I wanted to practice their faith. So I did, but after studying the writings of the Church fathers, and what early Christianity was about, then studying Catholicism I was convinced that it was the Church for me. What I've experienced is joy ever since I've become Catholic, and I thank God for bringing me to his Church.

Answer 10

yes, I know some. some have converted after they have studied Catholicism in the quest to discredit it, but ended up a Catholic anyway.

take Scott Hahn for example. he wrote the book "Rome Sweet Home", he used to be a Protestant minister. He studied Catholicism just to discredit the Catholic Church, but he ended up Catholic anyway. that's the most common case I heard of Catholic converts.