Hello one and all. I came to this board after hearing Mr. Ray on EWTN radio last week.

I am a 30 year old man who has been a Catholic since May 2002. It felt like coming home when I joined the Church, before I had been a Presbyterian (PCUSA) I went there because that is where my family went and where I knew people. At that time I was a Jack Chick anti-catholic do to lies I had been told about the church.

Well, I had been dissatisfied with the PCUSA for a long time they were too liberal in my opinion and I wanted something that more matched my core feelings. Little did I know that would end up being Catholicism.

I carried on my anti-catholic rantings on a bulliten board online and one day someone got fed up with it and asked me to go to mass with them or shut up about it, so I did. I think Gods hand was in it looking back on things because that day at mass they had a baptism.

After the mass was over I had more questions then answers. Where was this evil faith people had been telling me about? It was not there. I asked my friend for resources to look into and read some books on the faith. I can list those if you like but won't for now. So I joined the RCIA with the intent of learning more about the church and just kept on going through it until confirmation.

Now I am married to a Catholic woman and we have a son who is fast approaching a year old. He was baptised in the church and will be raised in it. Also his Grandma who is 66 years old has decided to join as well when our parish has its next convert class.

All this and no less then 5 years ago I was bashing the church, God knew where I needed to be, it just took a while for me to understand it.

I look forward to talking with all of you here and God Bless.

Mike

Welcome home Mike.

Welcome home, Mike. Glad to see you posting here.

Thank you both. I look forward to getting to know the group here and honing my apologetic skills.

Hi Mike, welcome to DCF! I love reading conversion stories like yours. My husband and I also converted in 2002, at the Easter vigil. Glad you are here.

Mike - I truly believe that the majority of anti-Catholic rantings are from people who don't even know the Church. How blessed are you that God worked so powerfully in your life - and that you listened!

Welcome home!

helene

Welcome!

Hi, Mike! Welcome to the board and to the Church! I liked reading your story, too.

Thank you one and all. I am actually where I feel I need to be. Today I just turned 30 and I am glad that I did not wait too long in my life to make this decision. One day when I had nothing better to do I put this page up, http://webpages.charter.net/mcgoughm/ctc.htm it is part conversion story and part apologetics site.

Another project I am working on right now is writing a refutation of an article that this Presbyterian minister wrote. It is rather long as he cites the typical lies touted by Boettner and others. Once done before I email him the link I will post it here so that my felllow brothers and sisters in faith can help me refine it if they so choose.

One thing I am looking forward to is my sons first communion, that is many years down the line but the sunday before last they had first communion at our parish and my soul just feels awesome when I see the children taking their first communion and think of Thomas doing that when he is older....

Welcome Mike. Thanks for sharing your story. It encourages me to keep praying for anti Catholics that I come accross.

God bless
Therese

Do keep praying for them, those that are not too far gone are still within grasp. I doubt very much that the Boettners, Jack Chicks, and other poor souls will ever be able to be reached but it does not hurt to try.

Welcome home!