The church was dark but I could see the faces of my children illuminated by the light of their candles, lit from the Paschal candle. And my breath caught in my throat at how beautiful it was. This is the night, sang the priest from the Exsultet, an ancient chant only sung once a year, the night before Easter Sunday. We have the ambitious, some might say foolhardy, tradition of bringing our … [Read more...]
So, You’re Thinking of Converting to Catholicism…
I get a lot of questions from friends and readers who are interested in Catholicism but don’t know where to begin on their journey to learn more. As still a recent convert (class of 2010!) I’m no expert, but I’ll tell you a few things we’ve learned about crossing the Tiber. Pray Cover your spiritual journey in prayer. Pray that God will guide you. Pray the Rosary. Pray before the Blessed … [Read more...]
Our Conversion Story: Part III
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 … [Read more...]
Our Conversion Story: Part II
(In Which I Try to Prove St. Thomas Aquinas Wrong and Fail. Obviously.) (Catch up on Part I here.) In late high school I felt drawn to the Catholic Church for aesthetic reasons. But I ignored my attraction to it because I didn’t think the Church could possibly be true. I had so many misconceptions about Catholic doctrine from growing up as a southern Protestant gal. However, while I was … [Read more...]
Our Conversion Story: Part I
I have been putting off writing this post for two years. Because the story of our journey to the Catholic Church is really the story of our lives so…what to include? How to explain? Overwhelming. In my favorite novel, Brideshead Revisited, the main characters read a passage from a Father Brown story by Chesterton which becomes a theme in the book: “I caught him (the thief) with an unseen … [Read more...]
The Big Ol’ Catholic Reading List
Ok, so it’s not that big and it’s definitely not in the ballpark of comprehensive (would that even be possible?). But, in response to a reader’s request for resources on Catholic teaching, Catholic motherhood, Catholic blogs, and books that influenced our decision to convert, here’s…well, something. It's off the top of my head with a couple suggestions and notes from Daniel. I would LOVE your … [Read more...]
