Converts

[CatholicAgrarian]

My wife and I were both raised as evengelical protestants. We converted during college. What first compelled us to convert was a realization that the history of the Church is so massive and beautiful its almost beyond comprehension, and what we had previously considered to be Christianity was so pale as to be almost nothing in comparison. Once we finally got inside the true Church it became apparent  that the parishes we attended had all but severed their ties with their heritage and what had first drawn us to become Catholic - what a great day it was when we attended our first Old Mass.

[spasiisochrani]

 

I asked this forum for some advice when the NO priest told me I would have to be re-confirmed. That just did not sit well with me, and people here gave me sound advice to write my Bishop. So I did, and asked His Excellency for advice after laying out my case.  I received three options, to join the local FSSP Latin Rite church, to join the local Ukrainian Catholic Eastern Rite church or to join a local NO parish which is much more Traditional than most. I visited all 3 and wound up being received into the Catholic church through confession and profession of faith at the little tiny Ukrainian mission. But since it is a mission, it only has Sunday services every other week, so I wind up at the FSSP church some too. I am well on my way to being at least mildly conversant in both Traditional Eastern and Traditional Western rite, which I find very wonderful. God is amazing!

NewCatholic

 

You got this advice from the local Roman-rite bishop?  That's really encouraging.  And it's great that you found a home in the Catholic Church where you can worship in both the Byzantine and Latin rites.  Welcome home.

[NewCatholic]

Yes, Spasiisochroni, I did get this good advice from the local RC Bishop. If I told youI live in Lincoln, Nebraska USA would that help any   ??

 

Thank God for His many wonderful blessings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[aquinas138]

Yes, Spasiisochroni, I did get this good advice from the local RC Bishop. If I told youI live in Lincoln, Nebraska USA would that help any   ??

 

Thank God for His many wonderful blessings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, that explains it all!  Bishop Bruskewitz is one of the good guys.

[charlesh]

I was born to Evangelicals who had converted from Lutheranism (mother) and Baptist (father). I was raised in an evangelical ("non-denominational") church, you know, white guys rockin' out in the "black gospel" tradition. The preaching was good--no fluff or love banners or feel-goodies.

My first experience with Catholics was a N.O. service (midnight mass) with a "praise and worship" service that was a cheap wannabe rip-off imitation of what I grew up with. I knew instinctively that it was all phony. Sometime afterward, when I received faith (through unrelated events), I was kind of relieved, because I thought that being Catholic meant I could live and act however I pleased. But I already knew mainstream Catholicism was a departure from immemorial Catholicism, and I wanted to find the real thing. I knew that Original Sin, the Incarnation, Mary, and the rosary, would have a prominent place in the real thing.

After finding FishEaters and some other online resources, I had a better idea where to look. Then I found a TLM parish (independent) close to my home. They're a bunch of crazed fanatics that worship statues, but at least I don't have to jump up and down and sing "Shine, Jesus, Shine!"

[Augustine]

 

I started exploring my own faith, at the time Southern Baptist, when my pastor at the time asked me to be a deacon in his church. I decided I should better understand my faith and why we believe what I believed before being 'ordained'.  I soon found out I wasn't baptist at all, but Catholic. I decided that to understand why I believe what I believe I should refute what I don't believe. Problem was that I couldn't refute the Catholic Church; I had to accept her as the true Church.

 

Before converting I thought all Catholic parishes looked like traditional cross shaped buildings with statues and high alters, like the two Catholic Churches I visited on two separate occasions as a child as a 'tourist' to see the pretty building. When I choose the parish I wanted to attend RCIA at I choose the only traditionally built parish near me because it actually looked Catholic. Since converting I've become more and more traditional to the point that I prefer to go to the pre Vatican II indult mass that my parish offers, though if I cannot make it to the 08:00 Tridentine mass because of my work schedule I will still go to the latter Novus Ordo. I'm finding my self more and more falling in love with the Traditional mass...it actually feels Catholic. I can feel the history and timelessness of worship at that mass.

[Robb]

My story is not of conversion but rather re- version back to the faith.  In 1999-2000, I became increasingly disgruntled at the way my local RC parish (and the Church in general) was progressing.  I then decided to join the Russian Orthodox Church and was eventually baptized into a ROCOR parish. 

 

If you know anything about ROCOR then you will realize that they are hesitant to accept the validity of Catholic sacraments.  This meant that the priest (a former Jesuit who personally believed in the validity of RC sacraments)  decided to re baptize me.  I went to the ROCOR parish for a while and a Serbian Orthodox parish when I was in the Midwest. 

 

I eventually reverted back early in 2002.  AS much as I tried to be Orthodox, my heart was still hung up with the Latin west and our glorious Catholic system (Pope and all).  However I still didn't like the changes in the Church and immediately gravitated towards tradition (which I was sympathetic towards even before my Orthodox conversion).  

 

BOB

 

PS.  Here's a question that may give some theologians ulcers.  Since the Orthodox Church has valid sacraments and I (having already been christened a Catholic in infant hood) was re baptized - what did the baptism do?  It was valid but what happens if your baptized twice???

[Archbishop_10K]

PS.  Here's a question that may give some theologians ulcers.  Since the Orthodox Church has valid sacraments and I (having already been christened a Catholic in infant hood) was re baptized - what did the baptism do?  It was valid but what happens if your baptized twice???

From my understanding, nothing happened, except for a sacrilege in the sense that the re-baptism was an act of denying that the Holy Ghost already came to you before. There's no such thing as re-baptism; either the Holy Ghost washed your sins away, or He didn't. This was probably taken care of in the confessional when you reverted to Catholicism, but I'd check with a priest anyway just in case.

[Robb]

Would it be considered my fault though since I was only doing what the Orthodox priest insisted on?  Is sacrilege still sacrilege even if you don't desire to commit it?

 

Bob

[aquinas138]

Would it be considered my fault though since I was only doing what the Orthodox priest insisted on?  Is sacrilege still sacrilege even if you don't desire to commit it?

 

Bob

It's still objectively sacrilege, but if you acted in good faith, I doubt you'd actually be guilty of sacrilege.  Bring it up in confession, though I wouldn't get bent out of shape over it since you were obviously not intending to commit sacrilege.