Mapping the Landscape of Catholic Voices
Seeing the Church Anew
Fr. Carl Chudy
Wayne, NJ (USA)
Born in 1957, practices every day
"What we thought about these things, say 100 years ago, is not how we see them today." Read more…
Stephanie Wong
Altadena, CA (USA)
Born in 1972, practices every day
"When I was growing up in Malaysia, the Catholic Church was the only religion in which you would see interracial marriages because it was only within Catholicism that those barriers of race were..." Read more…
Ben Callicoat
Tulsa, OK (USA)
Born in 1962, practices every day
"Surveying the state of the Catholic Church, I have confidence in God's mercy and His promise that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against her. It seems to me that our Church -- which has waxed..." Read more…
Rosie Delacruz
Cambridge, MA (USA)
Born in 1960, practices every day
"There are also wonderful parishes that create rich, genuine communities for church families to grow and expand." Read more…
Brian Stransky
Ann Arbor, MI (USA)
Born in 1971, practices every day
"Like many, I lived a sinful life outside of the Church for many years and even considered myself an athiest for a time. Once I rediscovered my faith..." Read more…
Aileen O'donoghue
Potsdam, NY (USA)
Born in 1958, practices every week
"I am an astronomer and came back to the Catholic church as a graduate student (I had grown up Catholic). I came back because I could not shake my sense of and longing for God, but the God I believe..." Read more…
Imelda Hinojosa
Hawthorne, CA (USA)
Born in 1959, practices every day
"I am deeply touched by the love shown for the female energy/representation of the Blessed Mother." Read more…
Leticia Velasquez
E Moriches, NY (USA)
Born in 1962, practices every day
"I am immensely grateful to be part of the ancient Roman Catholic Church, founded by Jesus Himself, which has been able to preserve Christ's Sacred Tradition free from error despite human failures..." Read more…
John Knutsen
Berkeley, CA (USA)
Born in 1969, practices every day
"I was born during the pontificate of Paul VI (truly a modern prophet) and raised in the turbulent years immediately following the Second Vatican Council. I walked away from the Church when I was..." Read more…
David Dixon
Altoona, IA (USA)
Born in 1976, practices every day
"Our church's history is filled with good and some bad stories but if the church had not existed, we'd live in a radically different culture today." Read more…
Tim Drake
Saint Joseph, MN (USA)
Born in 1967, practices every day
"I came to the Catholic Church not by birth, but by an adult conversion experience very much rooted in the centrality of the Eucharist - Christ's Body and Blood - broken and shared for us all. As a..." Read more…
Jef Murray
Decatur, GA (USA)
Born in 1960, practices every day
"Living as a faithful Catholic is like being in love. And the Church supports us in this love affair..." Read more…
Bonnie Amesquita
DeKalb, IL (USA)
Born in 1955, practices every day
"It's even my secret belief that a rosary that's been blessed feels different -- that once blessed, it allows me to hold it and the hand of God at the same time -- and it is responsible for me..." Read more…
Lorraine Murray
Decatur, GA (USA)
Born in 1947, practices every day
"When I returned to the Church in my forties, I found what I had lost during those 20 years, which was meaning, joy and hope. I also found forgiveness for the abortion." Read more…
Donna Campo
Wyndmoor, PA (USA)
Born in 1960, practices every day
"It is hard to express how moved I was by your presentation on the Catholic Church last Sunday. So many voices. So many stories. I am a cradle Catholic who grew up without a lot of the rules. My..." Read more…
Laura Northrup
Albany, NY (USA)
Born in 1981, practices every week
"What keeps me planted in Catholicism, even as I struggle with whether or not I believe in a single personal God, is knowing that it is a tie back to my ancestors..." Read more…
Harry Kelly
Alexandria, VA (USA)
Born in 1956, practices every week
"I grew up as a Catholic in Central Massachusetts during the 1960s, attending Catholic schools until I left for college. Virtually everyone I knew was a Catholic. I describe the faith as like..." Read more…
Hazel Philbrook
Portland, OR (USA)
Born in 1947, practices every day
"I became a Catholic when I was in graduate school in the early 1970's. It was not a time when religon and especially Catholicism was part of the popular culture of young people. From the time I..." Read more…
Patricia J Fontes
Hopkinton, RI (USA)
Born in 1936, practices every day
"Not very long ago, I read an article about what keeps young people in the Catholic Church. I was particularly struck by the comment of a 17-year-old who said something like this, "The main place..." Read more…
Carol Balaun
Cleveland, GA (USA)
Born in 1945, practices every day
"I am a "cradle Catholic from a devout family. I attended 12 years of Catholic school and three more years at Catholic colleges. In 1962, at age 17, I entered the convent and stayed for five years...." Read more…
Rick Cooley
Hagerstown, MD (USA)
Born in 1958, practices every day
"There are 22 Catholic Churches. I am not a Latin Rite, Roman Catholic. I am a Byzantine Rite, Ruthenian Catholic. Pope Paul VI was a Latin Rite, Ambrosian Catholic and not a Roman Catholic. It..." Read more…
Barb Mcrae
Ann Arbor, MI (USA)
Born in 1957, practices every day
"I was raised Roman Catholic and attended parochial schools for 12 years. In college, I joined the Presbyterian Church (USA) and am now an ordained minister. I am so glad for my RC roots. I am..." Read more…
Peter Solet
Marshall, NC (USA)
Born in 1944, practices every week
"I entered the church in 2002, at the age of 57, after a lifetime as an atheist. I come from a long line of atheists, beginning, as far as I know, with my father’s mother, Sonia Cohen. Her father..." Read more…
Suzy Shepard
Creve Coeur, MO (USA)
Born in 1949, practices every day
"I participate even though I have never been Catholic." Read more…
Tess Starecheski
Richmond, VT (USA)
Born in 1955, practices every day
"I was born and raised Catholic, remained "unchurched" for many years, and finally found my path. I am a Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Mystic (I know, quite a mouthful!). Here is my story:
When..." Read more…
Scott Pomfret
Boston, MA (USA)
Born in 1968, practices every day
"Sixty thousand people showed up in Yankee Stadium to celebrate Mass with Pope Benedict XVI. Tickets were in short supply. Several sold on Ebay for more than $200. According to newspaper reports,..." Read more…
Cecelia Lucas
Milwaukee, WI (USA)
Born in 1979, practices every day
"My understanding of the Catholic faith is deeper and richer now that I am not a practicing member of the Church than it was during all those years I called the faith my own. Attending a Catholic..." Read more…
Lisa Alekna
Westfield, MD (USA)
Born in 1962, practices every week
"All around the world today, Catholics will be able to partake of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist together. Grace brings us together, holds us together, despite the very real failings..." Read more…
Stacy Flood
Alpharetta, GA (USA)
Born in 1960, practices every day
"I go faithfully because Jesus is in the Eucharist and if Tim is with Jesus, he is also in the Eucharist. So for a brief moment every week, I get to hold Jesus and Tim in my hand. Can it get any..." Read more…
Mark Schultz
Minneapolis, MN (USA)
practices -----
"You know, my mom would always say, to all of us, you know, "You're born with great gifts. You're born blessed in this country. And you're born with great gifts of your own. Your job is to give it..." Read more…
Matt Federoff
Vail, AZ (USA)
Born in 1968, practices every day
"I am an adult convert to the Catholic Church, having previously been an evangelical protestant. The constancy of church teaching, history, deep traditions, intellectual rigor, and unwavering..." Read more…
Deborah Winarski
Chicago, IL (USA)
Born in 1966, practices every week
"I am Catholic, and I am lesbian. After twenty years of searching, I have found a parish where I can be acknowledged and welcomed for all of who I am -- without denial or fear. My parish is one of..." Read more…
Kathleen Lundquist
Portland, OR (USA)
Born in 1964, practices every day
"I am a convert to the Catholic faith from evangelicalism, and I was drawn by several things:
- The historical continuity of the Church in its interactions with culture.
- The beauty of Church..." Read more…
Gretchen Garrity
Corning, NY (USA)
Born in 1960, practices every day
"As a brand-new convert, I am resting in the Church's tradition and teaching authority." Read more…
Diane Gigantino Baltz
Charlottesville, VA (USA)
Born in 1981, practices every day
"The grace of forgiveness and the restoration of my relationship with God offered through the sacrament of Confession is a joy." Read more…
Daniel Horan
Manchester, NH (USA)
Born in 1977, practices every day
"Living in the Church is not always easy, but it is better than dying in the world." Read more…
Susan Farris
Springfield, VA (USA)
Born in 1963, practices every day
"As a convert who found the Catholic faith as a 44 year old, my hope is that everyone will be open to the sacrament of Reconciliation. This is an unutterably wonderful gift. My concern is that..." Read more…
Margaret Olivieri
Chevy Chase, MD (USA)
Born in 1982, practices every day
"My spiritual path began as soon as I became aware that I felt strange within the world. I had an innate sense that something was not quite right. At an early age I found myself hungry for the truth..." Read more…
Ila Sowins-Dunmire
Mesa, AZ (USA)
Born in 1958, practices every week
"I am a Returning Catholic, or should I say a Returned Catholic. What was missing in my life for so long was in the faith of my childhood. A community of people that love each other and are friends..." Read more…
Peter Zelchenko
Chicago, IL (USA)
Born in 1962, practices every day
"I married into a Catholic family. My Filipino mother-in-law's generation was quite devout, but my wife's generation had fallen away. If anything, I am more observant and hopeful about Catholicism..." Read more…
Patrick Beeman
Toledo, OH (USA)
Born in 1985, practices every day
"The attraction of Catholicism on a purely human level is encompassed by a rich tradition of philosophy, art, ethics, literature, theology, poetry, mysticism, and charitable service. How could one..." Read more…
Carl Dishneau
Jonesboro, GA (USA)
Born in 1967, practices every day
"I have been a Catholic since birth, raised in the faith, customs, and traditions. For several years after high school, I had fallen away and only attended Mass whenever convenient, giving it equal..." Read more…
Sarah Melissa Asbrey
Atlanta, GA (USA)
Born in 1978, practices every day
"As a convert to the Catholic Faith I feel that I have a different view and appreciation of the rich Tradition in the Catholic Church. The Catholic Faith is a universal faith that touches all of..." Read more…
Sarah Sheldon
Roswell, GA (USA)
Born in 1981, practices every day
"I will never forget the first time I stepped onto the piazza of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. I gasped as the arms of Bernini's architecture welcomed me, beckoned me. Even the arrogance of my..." Read more…
Claudia Mair Burney
Inkster, MI (USA)
Born in 1964, practices every day
"I take solace in the nearly 2000 years of Tradition, capital "t," informed by the Word of God -- this tradition that has inspired some of the world’s greatest thinkers. It's an ark of safety in a..." Read more…
Catherine Simms
Memphis, TN (USA)
practices every week
"I love the value the church places on both faith and reason. Pope John Paul echoed the words of many Catholics theologians when he said that "faith and reason are the two wings of truth." The..." Read more…
Michele Trepagnier
Austin, TX (USA)
Born in 1967, practices every day
"Catholicism was my childhood faith that I walked away from as a young adult. I spent many years searching for beauty, truth, and meaning in other places until I finally gave up in hopelessness...." Read more…
Sarah Hempel Irani
Frederick, MD (USA)
Born in 1977, practices every day
"I am not a member of the Catholic Church, but I have done a lot of work for them. See, I am a sculptor. I make traditional sculptures out of plaster, bronze and marble. It is hard to make a living..." Read more…
Hans Christoffersen
Cold Spring, MN (USA)
Born in 1955, practices every month
"The word "church" is important to any Catholic Christian of the Roman rite-for better and for worse! When I was young I believed I needed "the church" to keep me close to God. Evermore now, I need..." Read more…
Janice Mayer
Des Moines, IA (USA)
Born in 1954, practices every day
"I was born a “cradle Catholic.” About age 50, I publically announced to my family and close friend, my departure from the catholic faith. This departure came after a lifelong and constant..." Read more…
Mary Rose Maguire
Columbus, OH (USA)
Born in 1962, practices every week
"I have just recently returned to the Catholic Church after being away for 25 years. I was raised Catholic and attended Catholic schools and a Catholic university. After my mother passed away last..." Read more…
Joan Morris
Clarkesville, GA (USA)
Born in 1948, practices every day
"I had the faith of a child even though I was an adult." Read more…
Carole Zemont Ndiaye
Baltimore, MD (USA)
Born in 1945, practices every month
"Like thousands upon thousands of Catholics in the U.S., I spent half a lifetime away from the church -- pushed out the door by the exclusive, judgmental language and male-dominated and broken..." Read more…
Barbara Firmani
Seal Beach, CA (USA)
Born in 1954, practices every week
"I rejoined the Church in October 2005 after a long absence. We were going through a lawsuit at work and I needed something to counteract the negativity I was feeling. I look forward to going to my..." Read more…
Amy Pawlak
Milwaukee, WI (USA)
Born in 1983, practices every day
"My mother is Catholic and my father is Lutheran. I was raised WELS Lutheran, in an aging church with an older congregation. When I got to college I became more liberal and very apathetic -..." Read more…
Sylvia Mcgeary
Chatham, NJ (USA)
Born in 1951, practices every day
"I considered becoming a sister at one point during my high school years. But desire for children of my own was the deciding factor for me. " Read more…
Ted Snyder
St. Paul, MN (USA)
Born in 1947, practices every day
"I do not believe the answer is for disaffected lay people to walk away, but to find ways to continue to work for change while continuing to be faithful to our baptismal calling." Read more…
Martin Hagan
Pittsburgh, PA (USA)
Born in 1948, practices every day
"My children have asked me what it was like being a Catholic prior to Vatican II as compared to now. (The Second Vatican Council was in session as I was entering high school, and its changes were..." Read more…
Nancy Normandin
Lake George, NY (USA)
Born in 1953, practices every week
"God is found in many places. I serve Him best in the Catholic Church." Read more…
Michelle Dick
Kekaha, HI (USA)
Born in 1947, practices every week
"A life-long Catholic, I did know that I had to examine my faith to make it my own when I came of age. In the end, realizing that there is no way to logically prove the claims of any church, I chose..." Read more…
Pam Horner
Denver, CO (USA)
practices every day
"I could not get the beauty of the Mass out of my heart and mind and plan to return to the Church more regularly as I attended a family Mennonite church in a small rural Illinois town." Read more…
Marcia Enyart
Fairfax Station, VA (USA)
Born in 1954, practices every day
"I was raised Catholic and attended Catholic schools from second grade through high school. In addition to school I was blessed with a mother who tempered what I learned in school with acceptance of..." Read more…
Shekinah Samaya
Oakland, CA (USA)
Born in 1964, practices every day
"As a former Protestant clergywoman who formally converted to Roman Catholicism in 2007, I was and am deeply drawn to the unbroken continuity of an ancient -- yet thoroughly modern -- tradition that..." Read more…
Patricia Guilbeault
Boulder, CO (USA)
Born in 1946, practices every day
"My Catholic faith, as part of a local church community, helps me to face the evil in ourselves and in the social structures of the world. I question whether the U.S. Catholic hierarchy has really..." Read more…
Margaret Mariam Rosenthal
Jamaica Plain, MA (USA)
Born in 1947, practices every day
"I had to wait to become Catholic. I grew up in a Jewish suburban home with an angry, punishing God and the God of the Catholic Church didn't sound any better. But with post Vatican II, a more..." Read more…
Judy Aiello
Volin, SD (USA)
Born in 1939, practices every day
"I grew up in a country Methodist church, attended an interdenominational Bible school, and as a musician, played organ and piano in many different church denominations, including pentecostal...." Read more…
Patty Thorsen
St. Paul, MN (USA)
Born in 1960, practices every day
"As a convert to Catholicism from the Universalist-Unitarian fellowship, I have a deep appreciation for the rich prayers within the Catholic traditions. Especially moving to me are the Hail Mary,..." Read more…
Mary Westervelt
Berwyn, PA (USA)
Born in 1952, practices every week
"I am not Catholic; I am currently part of a Presbyterian community. However, I have enjoyed and have learned from three books by Catholic authors, or about Catholic characters..." Read more…
Mark Griffin
Fairfax, VA (USA)
Born in 1950, practices occasionally
"I learned a long time ago a lesson that "we" are the Church not the clergy." Read more…
Joe Oca
Olympia, WA (USA)
Born in 1952, practices every day
"I was born into the Catholic religion. I didn't think about being a Catholic until I started going to Catholic school, which I did for 8 years. They scared the hell into me, but I think they also..." Read more…
Marita Hoffart
Minot, ND (USA)
Born in 1939, practices every week
"I struggle with Church. Following the 1960's changes in Church, I have always been on the cutting edge of lay involvement in liturgy and all matters of church. Three years ago our pastor retired..." Read more…
Cyndy Goodson
Macon, GA (USA)
Born in 1956, practices every day
" I have wrestled with sharing my reflections on this topic. However, I feel it necessary to respond, although it is with excruciating pain and deep sadness that I do so.
When I was in high..." Read more…
Paula Sullivan
Tulsa, OK (USA)
Born in 1942, practices every day
"I was born into the Catholic faith in 1942. I was a public school student in Connecticut in the late 1940s and was treated with disdain by the nuns who taught us the catchecism on Sunday..." Read more…
Kathy Defonso
Weston, FL (USA)
Born in 1939, practices every day
"Exactly what you just stated. As I sat glued to the TV last weekend, preparing to NOT like Benedict XVI so much, I found myself first of all, rejoicing in my faith, and that same faith, exhibited..." Read more…
Alan Sullivan
Fairfax Station, VA (USA)
Born in 1948, practices every week
"I have only recently become aware of how simple my religious life has been since my childhood almost sixty years ago. Born and raised as a "cradle Catholic," I attended Catholic schools and..." Read more…
Sara Burns
Cincinnati, OH (USA)
Born in 1978, practices every day
"I came home to the Catholic Church in 2007. I was raised in a protestant denomination but never really believed in all the doctrines preached there. I am grateful for my upbringing in that I..." Read more…
Ellen Ritchey
Athens, GA (USA)
Born in 1958, practices every week
"I joined the Catholic Church as an adult, 18 years ago. It is an interesting position to hold, when talking with people who made the choice to leave the Church. There are things I don't..." Read more…
David La May
SEATTLE, WA (USA)
Born in 1974, practices every day
"The beauty of the Church is in what it believes -- what it teaches. It teaches that God created everything so that it might discover Him, accept His love, return love to Him, and live with Him in a..." Read more…
Wayne Schell
Jerseyville, IL (USA)
Born in 1949, practices every week
"I find myself doubting more than I ever have in my life. I wonder if the Catholic Church is really guided by The Holy Spirit. The Church seems off course to me. I find that the liturgy of the mass..." Read more…
Julian Malcolm
Fredericksburg, VA (USA)
Born in 1973, practices every day
"My wife and I converted to the Catholic Church just under four years ago. My experience of Catholicism has been the constant reminder that only the infinite will suffice.
I’ve heard it said..." Read more…
Bev Beltramo
Grosse Ile, MI (USA)
Born in 1960, practices every day
"Not unlike so very many others, I have had a love/hate relationship with Catholicism my whole life. I left the church for many years: I believed the Church was hierarchical and sexist. As proof..." Read more…
Beth Weir
Milford, OH (USA)
Born in 1965, practices every day
"I am 43 years old and a cradle Catholic. I attended Catholic grade and high school, and consider being Catholic part of my identity, my heritage. That doesn't mean, though, that I have or do always..." Read more…
Suzy Nauman
Arlington, MA (USA)
Born in 1959, practices every week
"I am a "cradle Catholic", born 6th in a family of 11 children. My early childhood memories include the pre-Vatican II Latin mass and Catholic culture, and later, the excitement and "fresh air" of..." Read more…
Pat (Patricia) Shechter
Boston, MA (USA)
Born in 1950, practices every week
"There is so much that I love about the Catholic Church -- The Sacraments; the two thousand year old tradition of monasticism and prayer; the Communion of Saints; its mystical tradition; Gregorian..." Read more…
Phil Dekoning
Bozeman, MT (USA)
Born in 1975, practices rarely
"I'm 32 years old and, if asked about my religion, I describe myself as a "recovering Catholic." And I mean that in the sense that, just as a recovering alcoholic doesn't drink, a recovering..." Read more…
Therese Reilly
Holliston, MA (USA)
Born in 1961, practices every week
"I take solace in the fact that Christ died for me so that I could live in peace forever with Him. I take solace in the fact that anyone can follow Christ and live with Him forever in heaven. My..." Read more…
Ellen Tietjen
Raritan, NJ (USA)
Born in 1968, practices every day
"I find it beautiful that it doesn't compromise its doctrines and dogmas at the whims of society. Right is right and wrong is wrong, regardless of how many say otherwise. She doesn't change her..." Read more…
Betty Ford
Ocean Pines, MD (USA)
Born in 1935, practices every day
"When I was young, Catholic Church meant institution, hierarchy, rules and regulations, going to church. I grew up immersed in these things. When they became second nature to me, I began to explore..." Read more…
Peggy Kerr
Mount Vernon, IA (USA)
Born in 1955, practices every month
"My family and I are converts to the Catholic Church. When our children were still in school we relocated to a town that did not have an ELCA Lutheran Church, the type of church we were raised,..." Read more…
Kathleen Smith
Anderson, IN (USA)
Born in 1938, practices every day
"What I find most beautiful and gives me the greatest solace in the Catholic faith that I profess is the glimpses of God's love that I discover when I open myself to life and all that it lays at my..." Read more…
James Paul
St. Louis, MO (USA)
Born in 1970, practices every week
"The history of the Catholic Church is full of long-standing and rich tradition and positive action, but it also reveals many less-than-compassionate and -inclusive aspects -- sometimes including an..." Read more…
Renne Ford
Irvine, CA (USA)
Born in 1960, practices every day
"One of my earliest memories consists at sixteen speaking audibly to the large crucifix in my local Catholic church saying,"Jesus your a loser, everything I am being taught in school, being modeled..." Read more…
Jesse Benedict
Buford, GA (USA)
Born in 1980, practices every day
"Thank you for the opportunity. I was born and baptized Catholic. My mother was raised Catholic. My father, well, has always avoided spirituality. I was brought back to the Catholic church after..." Read more…
Patricia Kevin
Shelton, WA (USA)
Born in 1938, practices every week
"The rich history of truly amazing souls and leaders such as Thomas Merton, Oscar Romero, Mother Theresa, Hildegarde of Bingen, St. Francis whom are wonderful life models for us all. My prayer is..." Read more…
Ron Wall
Calgary, CA
Born in 1959, practices every day
"I am a recent convert to the Catholic Church. What I find most beautiful is the Real Presence of Christ celebrated in the Eucharist. As the great Flannery O'Connor once said, "if the Eucharist is..." Read more…
Angela Miotto
Greenbelt, MD (USA)
Born in 1938, practices every day
"As an almost 70-year-old "cradle Catholic", I find my spiritual anchor in the Sacramental life of the Church, particularly the Eucharist. The joy I find in this very treasured gift of Jesus is..." Read more…
Francis Burns
Grand Rapids, MI (USA)
Born in 1963, practices every week
"Last week, I listened to your program on Humanism with interest. I found your request for feedback on Catholicism intriguing because I am a former Catholic, who is now an agnostic. For most of my..." Read more…
Marie Thompson
Vicksburg, MS (USA)
Born in 1957, practices every day
"I am a born again Catholic. What I mean by that is that for a while in my life I just followed. I remembered traditions from my childhood by never really thought about it. In the pass 12-15 years I..." Read more…
Carroll, Rev. Mrowicki
Linden, NJ (USA)
Born in 1940, practices every day
"I am a married Catholic priest performing weddings for Catholics and mixed faith couples who cannot obtain their local priest to do their ceremony since they want it outside the church building. I..." Read more…
Robert Brown
St. Charles, MO (USA)
Born in 1957, practices every week
"I grew up Roman Catholic in a family that has been RC as far back as we can trace our geneaology to 16th century Germany. I went to a Catholic grade school and remained active in the Church through..." Read more…
Roger Hoskin
Falls Church, VA (USA)
Born in 1947, practices every week
"I am not Catholic. My forebearers were excommunicated from the Catholic Church over 400 years ago when the English Church broke away. As far as I'm concerned, the issue is settled.
As one from..." Read more…
Daniel Seifert
Harrisonburg, VA (USA)
Born in 1959, practices every day
"From early childhood, my life was surrounded by religious symbols, authority, practices, and community. The interplay of these elements worked interdependently to raise my consciousness of the..." Read more…
Gloria Lozano
San Antonio, TX (USA)
Born in 1944, practices every day
"I was raised Catholic and even though I have attended various non-Catholic churches/services during my lifetime, I feel that Catholicism is ingrained in my very being. I married a non-Catholic and..." Read more…
Constance Stannard
Coralville, IA (USA)
Born in 1951, practices every day
"I grew up in the Church, and took it for granted in my life. Then I married a divorced man, outside the Church, and found how much I missed full communion with it. Eventually, through a..." Read more…
Sue Bielenberg
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
Born in 1965, practices every day
"I converted to Catholicism because of the opportunity for close union with the creator thru the sacraments, meditation, and community observances made to focus the mind and soul on the Eternal. I..." Read more…
Casey Rousseau
W Hartford, CT (USA)
Born in 1970, practices every day
"I was shunned by the Catholic church as a child. Since my mother, a devout Catholic in her youth and again now in late middle age, was disheartened by the church around the time she discovered she..." Read more…
Terry Zimmerman
Glen Ellyn, IL (USA)
Born in 1956, practices every day
"When I returned to the faith of my childhood about five years ago with a whole heart for a change, instead of picking and choosing what seemed comfortable and convenient to believe, I was overjoyed..." Read more…
Renee Laughery
Prior Lake, MN (USA)
Born in 1967, practices every day
"As a cradle Catholic, I find my faith to be the very core of my existence. Through the Church's teachings, I have found an intense sense of freedom and love, that I haven't found anywhere else...." Read more…
Jennifer Matous
Steubenville, OH (USA)
Born in 1984, practices every day
"While there are many parts about the Catholic faith in which I am continually inspired by and take comfort in, I have a particularly strong devotion to the Eucharist. Being able to be in the..." Read more…
Maureen O'brien
Suburbanbanshee@Gmail.Com, OH (USA)
Born in 1970, practices every day
"Being Catholic is a thing of great joy and certainty. God is real, He loves us, He fought death and sin for us, and He won! We are the Church that He founded, and He's given us an invitation to..." Read more…
Patricia Ernst
Canton, MI (USA)
Born in 1943, practices every day
"I am anchored in the community of faith that gathers to celebrate God's Presence among us. My hope is the universal hope for peace promised by Jesus and gifted to us on his departure from earth...." Read more…
Rosemary Amend
Neosho, MO (USA)
Born in 1948, practices every day
"I am a recent Catholic convert because I was seeking the truth. Not just "a truth" or "my truth", but "THE truth". The same Jesus Christ who said, "I and the Father are one." also said "I am THE..." Read more…
Tom Mcguire
Detroit, MI (USA)
practices -----
"I was ordained a Priest, 1967, in Maryknoll, a Catholic mission group, sent to Hong Kong, 1969, married my Cantonese teacher, Florence Ying=pin Tsang. Because I married, I was forced to leave the..." Read more…
John Wright
Centreville, VA (USA)
Born in 1961, practices every day
"After a lifetime of atheism, I have just joined the Catholic Church this Easter, so I have been a member for less than a week at the time of this writing. What drew me to the Church was her wisdom...." Read more…
Marty Major
Fort Collins, CO (USA)
Born in 1957, practices every day
"I take solace in our Holy Father, Pope Benedict, his leadership, his teaching, and his management. As a convert for now over 20 years, the Catholic Church is a mainstay in my family's life..." Read more…
Ken Colston
St. Louis, MO (USA)
Born in 1956, practices every day
"As a lapsed Southern Baptist and humanistic atheist, I was drawn to the Roman Catholic Church's principled and unambiguous defence of human life from conception to natural death after the birth of..." Read more…
Henry Marino
Malden, MA (USA)
Born in 1971, practices every day
"Being a part of campus ministry in a Catholic school, I have opportunity to attend funerals. Most often I attend Catholic funerals, but on occasion I attend a non-Catholic one. I invariably leave..." Read more…
Thomas Dunbar
Radford, VA (USA)
Born in 1950, practices every week
"For many years, as a charismatic Protestant, I'd pray "More, Lord" only to find that the "more" is there in the Catholic Church, with it's wonderful depth and breadth. I'm active in my local..." Read more…
Irving Warner
Fife, WA (USA)
Born in 1941, practices occasionally
"I am a lapsed Catholic, but actually came to the faith at 14 years of age, and departed it as a practicing Catholic at age 18. I'm now 67, a writer, and interested in numerous things historical,..." Read more…
Patricia Barrett
Frederick, MD (USA)
Born in 1946, practices every day
"I was raised Roman Catholic by a very devout mother who attended daily Mass, holy days and all the sacraments, donating to the church, all kinds of volunteer work, taking me along. The first page..." Read more…
Annette Crawford
Princeton, MN (USA)
Born in 1961, practices every day
"As a Catholic from birth, my personal faith and belief in the Catholic faith has involved a life of questions, trials, and ultimate growth. Being a Catholic is a way of life. We are raised to think..." Read more…
Martin Walsh
Glendale, MO (USA)
Born in 1940, practices every week
"God is. We exist because God wishes it, not vice versa. We have to find who God is. Different people find a different God because of their heritage and experience. I am old enough to remember when..." Read more…
Louise Le Mottee
Hobart, AU
Born in 1969, practices every day
"The crux of the Catholic faith is the astoundingly "good news" that God loves us all and has died to save us, giving us the chance to live with Him for eternity! I left my faith in my early teens..." Read more…
John Graham
Greenville, OH (USA)
Born in 1948, practices every week
"I was raised in the evangelical tradition and served as a minister for 12 years -- far removed from Catholic traditions as possible. But I felt there was a need for more tradition, more sense of..." Read more…
Irena Valles
Orange, CT (USA)
Born in 1941, practices every week
"I have only recently been introduced to the Catholic Church by my new boyfriend, who is a faithful, fully practicing member of his Catholic Church. I am a Protestant, born and raised in northern..." Read more…
Steven John Bosch
Floral Park, NY (USA)
Born in 1956, practices every week
"I remain a Roman Catholic because in no other religion am I offered a way through to God. Fear of God, I think, is better understood, by me anyway, as the knowledge that I cannot and never will..." Read more…