I was brought up (in the sense of reared, not vomited) Pentecostal by my mum, who was a very devout women. I attended Pentecostal churches faifthfully throughout my youth and my time at medical school, but during my last year at medical school and my first year as a doctor (houseman year) I started drifting away - I was seeing things that clearly weren't of God or even rationality - an epileptic lady being "exorcised" for being confused post-ictally, and the pressure of my workload told also.
I continued to go to other Charismatic churches intermittently, namely the Church of God of Prophecy where I stood out like a white person amongst 99% black people! Even this tailed off.
My wife and I decided to get married, and at that stage the only church we attended was Catholic mass sometimes. The curate was a lovely local man with Polish roots, Fr Stefan. He went through the Catholic faith preparing me for our full nuptials. He got special dispensation for me to have Communion, and from then on the seed was sown. It took 8 years and many trials to bring me to joining the Church tho. I had to be humbled before I really came back to God.
I have really benefitted from the guidance of our current curate. At one stage I got very discouraged because of things I was being told by people on certain Catholic websites. I really worry about people who do not speak out of love - how many people are turned off by what are fanatics?
I am active in the church at the moment, running a Bible Study/Lectio Divina group.
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Hi Jack
Welcome home!
I hear where you are coming from. I know the Church of God of Prophecy and attended the New Testament Church of God which I am sure you will be familiar with. So yes I am a Pentecostal to Catholicism covert. I too took a circuitous route namely travelling back through history... so I went to Reformed then Calvinist then Lutheran... after that the Church Fathers had their say and we (my wife and family) were recieved into Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Frimley, Easter 2006. I'm not sure when you arrived? However its great to hear you are active already. I would like to recommend a book that provides what I think is a foundation for 'ordinary & simple' but 'deep' spirituality... its 'Benedict and Therese, The Little Rule & The Little Way' by Dwight Longenecker (possibley Fr Longenecker by now)... it will be a blessing (amongst much law reading)
Every Blessing... David A
Happy Catholic converts, you were blessed by God, every conversion is such great blessing. Welcome home and I pray for greatest spiritual progress and perfection of your faith. God certainly loves you and you responded to His grace and love.
hi there i was reading an earlier post about how you came into the church, you made a statement that you stood out like"a white man in an all black church" why would you even use that as an example? many people of colour stand out each sundy as a small handfull at mass in a sea of white faces, but somehow these peole dont make it an issue when i have read on other blogs about their conversion to the church please remember that as much as you care for gays being discriminatd against you mus be careful in your use of lanuage regarding people you obviously see as different remember god has no colour bar, , god created a lovely garden of many flowers of many colours, please dont use race as an example of standing out if you find it uncomfortable then you need to reevaluate your christianty and catholosism, love every one colour dosent matter, and race is not even a real thing it was first used by margaret mead to separtate ethic groups, let us not be se apart at mass,congrats on your conversion, may god shouw you how it really works, you must leave some of that old stuff behind at mass we are a church universal. blessings
I was raised Pentecostal starting from the time I was 11 or 12. I never followed their rules until I was 17. I stayed in the church until I was 22. I always felt that God did not love me. That I would never be able to receive His love. Last year, when I was 24, I decided to follow a friend (her husband used to be a Pentecostal preacher) to a Reformed Baptist Church. They were really great. I learned a lot, but I still thought something was missing. I started to realize God loved me, but I just knew there had to be more to it. I just spoke with a Catholic person yesterday about all my questions. I also spoke to one of my roommates from college. It sounds just like what I have always envisioned. What really got me excited was that they believe in science!!! Yay!!! My only issue right now is the whole Pro-Life thing. Maybe I need it explained better. Because, I wouldn't want to die if I were giving birth. It would be hard if the child died...but I think the family would grieve for if the mother died. Anyways, I'm rambling. Thanks for having a post like this!!!
ann, not sure what you're driving at here at all
I was describing a church where 99% of the worshippers were black people - simple fact
why you go and preach to me about God having no colour bar beats me - very strange indeed
becca - the "pro-life" movement is often OTT and illogical, you're not the only person to have issues with it
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