What I Was Before I Became a Catholic
I was raised in the Anglican communion. I attended a Catholic Church for about 15 years before converting.
At university I belonged to a Christian group that had an evangelical base. A couple of formerly Anglican friends introduced me to the idea of apostolic succession.
Why I Converted to Catholicism
A friend gave me a booklet called Confessions of a Roman Catholic. This built on the ideas already forming inside me.
I became convinced that the Church Jesus established was a teaching Church. A Church that taught with authority. (The Anglicans didn't really seem to teach at all.)
Once I accepted the Catholic Church as the Body of Christ I was able to overcome my theological objections that I had from my life as a Protestant. I simply accepted the Church teachings as being God's teachings.
How I Converted to Catholicism
I approached my parish priest. He told me that I didn't need to worry about a lot of catechism like in the old days.
I left and ended up at a parish that celebrates the Tridentine Mass exclusively. (I connected to that parish through the same friend who gave me that little booklet.) I was taught by a priest from the Fraternity of St. Peter. I was received into the Church one evening in May 1996 and received the Body and Blood of our Lord at a Latin Mass immediately following.
Advice
- Seek out an orthodox priest.
- Pray for understanding and guidance.
- Accept that Church teaching is from God Himself, even if not in the Bible. (Remember that the Church existed before it assembled the New Testament.)
- In the same vein, not all apostolic tradition was/is being recorded in the Bible.
