Catholic Conversion Stories & Resources

About The Catholic Conversion Page

Are you drawn to the Catholic Church (East or West)? Do you feel something is lacking as a non-Christian or a Protestant? Do you feel called to convert to Catholicism? Are you unsure about converting from your own denomination and want more guidance? Are you afraid of converting? Do you need information that is not sugar-coated or full of obvious anti-Catholic bias? If you are asking these or similar questions, then this Catholic conversion page is for you! Even if you are just seeking and looking for more information, we hope this page helps you understand more about the Catholic Church. Please check out our expanding roster of Catholic Conversion stories.

Just as a note, we are aware that the term "conversion" is inadequate to describe the process whereby a Protestant becomes Catholic, since most Protestants are already baptized and committed followers of Jesus when they decide to become Catholic. More accurately, a Protestant is "entering into the fullness of the Apostolic faith" when he becomes Catholic, or perhaps we can say he is "fully reconciled with Christ's Church." Also, he is "entering into full communion with the Church." However, "conversion" is the popular term to describe the change, and we retain it for this reason.

Conversion Stories

We are now expanding our roster of Catholic Conversion stories to include stories by folks from all over the Catholic blogosphere, including our stories posted on the Ancient and Future Catholics site!

NEW Thank God I Made It Home by Kathleen Laplante
This is an engaging story of a Catholic revert who once asked, "Who does the Catholic Church think they are, telling me I can't have an abortion if I want one?" However, after struggles with depression, suicide, and going through a divorce, she returned to the Catholic Church, and now has replaced past hopelessness with Christ's joy.

Finally Catholic! My Conversion to the Catholic Church by David Bennett
David became Anglican in 2000 after being raised Evangelical Methodist. He converted to Catholicism in 2004. He is co-editor of this website.

My Journey to the Catholic Church by Jonathan Bennett
Jonathan joined the Anglican Communion in 2000 after being raised Methodist. He joined the Catholic Church in 2004. He is co-editor of this website

My Journey Back to the Catholic Church by Carmel Brizzi
Carmel was raised Catholic, but became a member of a non-denominational church. She reverted to the Catholic Church in 2004. She is an Ancient and Future Catholics contributor and blogger.

I: From Catholicism to Evangelicalism by Rosemarie
II: From Evangelicalism to Christian Feminism by Rosemarie
III: From Feminism to the Arms of Mary by Rosemarie
This is a fascinating and informative three part story of a cradle Catholic who explored evangelicalism, feminism, and then eventually returned to the Catholic Church as an educated, orthodox, Catholic.

My Return to the Faith of My Youth by Richard Evans
Richard Evans grew up Catholic, but "came out of the closet" in the early 1990s. He attended an evangelical Methodist church for a time, but returned to the Catholic Church in 2006. Richard regularly blogs at Richard's Ramblings.

My Personal Conversion Story by Russ Rentler
Russ was raised Catholic, but as a teen became involved in an anti-Catholic fundamentalist movement. He then landed in a charismatic church. Sadly, in the midst of his time in the charismatic movement, his wife passed away. This is a fascinating story about how Russ returned to the Catholic faith. He blogs at Crossed the Tiber and also has his own music site, Russ Rentler - Acoustic Minstrel.

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Converting

Converting to the Catholic Faith is a pretty big deal. There is still a lot of prejudice against Catholics, even in the 21st century. Some Protestants still insist that Catholics are not Christian, and converting to Catholicism is akin to converting to a cult. Thus, becoming Catholic can be extremely counter cultural. Here are a few things to consider before becoming Catholic. Note that these questions are primarily geared toward baptized Christians who have already made a basic profession of faith in Jesus Christ at baptism before becoming Catholic:

1. Can I Hold to All That the Church Teaches?
Becoming Catholic means that you consent to all that the Church teaches. This means that if you have deep reservations about Church teachings or morality, you should probably wait. The Catholic Church is not set up as a pick-and-choose, buffet style, religion. While we are always glad to welcome new members into our Church, it is important to join the Church on her own terms, and not one's own terms. Does this mean that we aren't allowed to ever have private doubts and concerns about Church Teaching? No. Doubt is natural, and everyone has doubts. The key is to continue to have faith that God has preserved Truth through the Church even when we may be struggling personally.

2. Can I Handle Catholic Morality and Practice?
While some Protestant denominations tend to emphasize mental assent to the exclusion of actions, the Catholic Church, like the early Church, requires both faith and action of her members. You are expected to avail yourself of the sacraments regularly, attend Mass every Sunday and on certain other days throughout the year (unless you are ill or have another just reason), confess your mortal sins before receiving communion, avoid artificial contraception, raise your children Catholic, and so on. While these things we have just mentioned actually draw many into the Church, because they reflect early Christian teaching and are truly radical and counter cultural, they may be too much for some people. We are not discouraging you from joining the Catholic Church, nor are we implying that our readers cannot handle the Church's requirements. We just want our readers to be aware of what is expected. We may not always live up to what God expects of us, but as Catholics we are expected to make an effort, and certainly we are not to dismiss the Church's morality and requirements as out-of-hand.

3. Am I Willing to Commit to the Time and Effort it Takes to Become Catholic?
For Anglicans and others whose former denominations have a lot in common with Catholicism, becoming Catholic could entail a simple service of reception into the Church, followed by confirmation either that day or later. For others, the process may involve a four to seven month long program called RCIA, the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. Technically, RCIA is meant for those who are unbaptized, although many Catholic parishes require all potential converts, baptized and unbaptized, to attend RCIA classes, because it is easier than developing multiple educational programs for converts. If you are unbaptized, or were baptized in a manner not recognized as valid by the Catholic Church, you may have to be baptized before joining. This means you must willingly accept Jesus as Lord and profess this before the Church and world at your baptism.

Basically, becoming Catholic may require some time and effort. As the saying goes, "the best things come to those who wait." It is well worth the wait, and in addition to (ideally) getting a solid grounding in the Catholic faith, you will develop friendships in RCIA that will last a lifetime. Don't feel too badly though, because in the early Church the catechesis process was three years long and very intense!

If you feel that you already possess a sufficient amount of knowledge about Catholicism, and are sufficiently spiritually and psychologically prepared for entry into the Catholic Church, and feel that RCIA would be redundant, you may wish to talk to your priest and discuss your options. As mentioned previously, RCIA is technically for the unbaptized.

4. Why Doesn't My RCIA Program Accurately Convey Actual Catholic Teaching?
Unfortunately, some RCIA programs have a reputation for watering down, or even downright denying, basic Catholic Teaching and morality. This is probably done to make the faith less offensive, or because the teachers do not accept Catholic Teaching themselves. However, the result is that many converts become frustrated with RCIA, because they are joining the Church because they believe that Catholic Teaching, even the controversial parts, are true and worth following. While being involved in this type of RCIA setting is frustrating, there are ways to make the situation more bearable. First, act as a charitable witness to true Catholic Teaching, offering an orthodox and factual perspective to counter incorrect teaching. Second, remember that no RCIA program is perfect, and be willing to recognize the positive aspects of your RCIA program, even if there are many negatives involved. Third, pray for your teachers, sponsors, and fellow candidates/catechumens. Fourth, if you feel the problem is particularly bad, discuss the issue with the parish clergy and explain your concerns.

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