I wish that I could say my conversion to Catholicism came like a lightning strike and one morning I just woke up and knew that it was I needed to do.  It would make it more exciting to share my story if I had a single moment in which I could focus on, however my process to becoming baptized was a slow, gradual journey. It is funny how when you look back on life you can see signs that you were missing, and as I reflect on my past and it is easy to understand my desire to explore becoming a Catholic.

Faith and religion was always an important part of my life. My mom took me to church every Sunday when I was young, and when she eventually stopped attending I continued to go on my own with support from my family and friends. My grandfather was a Baptist preacher and my grandparents were missionaries in Mexico throughout my childhood. I was part of the church choir, church band, youth group and attended mission trips. I loved being a part of a church and having God as a focus in my life. 

However as I enter college things had changed in my church and I was having trouble getting past the judgmental tone that members had towards others in the church. Members would criticize people’s pasts even as they tried to get their lives back on the right path. I had trouble understanding how they could judge when everybody has their own sins. Eventually I stopped attending church but I always continued to pray daily. I still knew that God was a part of my life but that my church was not the right place to lead me closer to Him.

I remember eating lunch in my high school cafeteria (probably eating a big, juicy cheeseburger on a Friday in Lent) and questioning one of my best friends who was Catholic about her religion. I specifically asked why she didn’t eat meat on Fridays and my answer was ‘we just do.’ There were many times I asked a question and was met with a lack of enthusiasm about her religion and was left without answers. I guess I could say that I had an interest in exploring the Catholic Church back in high school although that thought never crossed my mind in a concrete way.

My senior year of college I started dating my (now) wife who began to answer some of those questions my friends couldn’t. She didn’t have reservations about sharing her beliefs with me and many of my questions regarding Catholics began to get answered. Throughout our dating and engagement I attended Mass with her and her family occasionally such as on holidays and weddings and I began to feel welcomed. I had a sense that I was not being judged because it was not my church or my religion and felt comfortable. My wife knew that faith was a focal point in my life even though I wasn’t attending my services weekly anymore and encouraged me to find a new church to call home but never pressured me to make it her church. Once we were married I did attend almost weekly with her and loved learning and exploring more deeply the Catholic Church and its practices. Watching my daughters get baptized were amazing days. Watching them as toddlers begin to sing along at Mass (or as they got pulled to the park in their wagon) really showed me how powerful Mass was and all that it provided in a person’s life. I had begun to learn my prayers (Hail Mary, Sign of the Cross, etc.) as we taught my daughters.  I loved being able to teach them about their faith.

Eventually the call to officially inquire about the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) became so strong that I couldn’t keep it inside. I vocalized this thought at a crazy dinner with a newborn crying and a kitchen under renovation. That week I called Ss. Robert & William and signed up to attend the RCIA meetings. It was a wonderful process in which I could share my thoughts, ask questions and really put God back as the focal point in my life. The weekly meetings always spurred wonderful conversations that would last the week long and in some ways really helped me to connect with my wife as we developed a deeper sense of faith together as a couple. 

Finally the Easter Vigil came and it was like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders. The decision to become Catholic was validated by my comfort and excitement to end a 30 year journey and start a brand new one. Getting baptized, confirmed and receiving the Eucharist for the first time was amazing and I felt like a new person. I guess that getting baptized as an adult (because they forgot to baptize me as a baby, as my daughters told people) really helps you realize the power of the Sacraments and makes you filled with the wonder and awe of the Holy Spirit. 

I am constantly amazed by how God moves in our lives. You may not realize it right away but God has a reason for everything.  I feel that God gave me people to help lead me to my faith and I hope to do the same for other people. I never once felt pressured to become Catholic and I hope that by being open about my religion and engaging in conversations with others that I will plant the seed for them to explore God in their life as well. This taught me that the best way to evangelize is to be yourself and to not judge others. God is using you in ways that you may never understand. Allow yourself to be open to discuss and to bring people closer to the faith that may already be inside.