My name is Matthew Moss, single white conservative male, early 30's, which alone makes me politically incorrect.
I was baptised at 7 in a Baptist church in the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York. (BTW, if you've never travelled down the Hudson River in autumn, you're missing one incredible beautiful sight!) I went to church with my family until I was about 11, at which point my parents divorced (in part, due to one of them converting to Catholicism).
After that, I still believed but it was just something there, I didn't do much or think much about being a Christian. Until college, when I was active in Campus Crusade for Christ for a few years.
After college (graduated in 1993) began my "hobby" of moving and changing jobs somewhat regularly -- 10 moves in the last 12 years and 6 jobs! You'd think I'd have learned to travel light by now... but you'd be wrong. Initially, my faith was back to being "didn't do much / didn't think much" about it. It wasn't important. But there was this strange feeling, in part, that I never really felt like going to any Protestant churches; if I did go to church on a Sunday, I'd go to a Catholic church, even though I couldn't fully participate.
For a short while in '94, I went every Sunday to a Catholic church in Manhattan (can't remember the name) because I was part of the Gregorian Chant choir there! That lasted until the end of '94 when I moved to Texas.
Again, I kinda fell back into "I'm a Christian and that's about it." for a while, until the year 2000. I happened to be in Ontario at the time, and for some reason I just decided it was time I formally learned more -- I had learned bits and pieces here and there from my father and aunt. So I spoke to the priest at the Cathedral in London, Ontario. At that point, I joined the RCIA class, ending in my entering the Church at Easter 2001.
I never really had any profound experience, no lightning from heaven... I just kinda eased into my faith, and still continue to ease deeper into understanding.
My first year as a Catholic wasn't much different. I usually got to Sunday Mass, but confession only once or twice during the year.
But since that first year, things have been growing steadily. I pray much more now, rarely miss a Mass, confess regularly, and am beginning to read and study more. I even have a bit of a yearning for Holy Orders, but I need some time to pray more and possibly find a spiritual director.
I also lay claim to the unique position of the only Catholic nephew of Rosalind Moss.
I'm so happy...
Whew! How's that for an intro? Did I do it right?
I look forward to many fruitful conversations with many of you.
We have 6 children, 2 girls and 4 boys, ranging from 10 mos to 13 years. My favorite issues to talk about are those that involve family and/or children.
but I was desperate, so I tried it, and that was the second part of my journey. After my oldest was born, I decided I didnt' want to have to explain some of the words in the songs I listened to, so I started listening to Christian radio, but after a couple of years of being a generic Christian, I realized I wasn't getting any further, so I went to buy a Rosary, saw Home Sweet Rome, which explained the differences in theology, not to mention explaining Catholicism, so I immediately returned to the Catholic Church.
