May his inspiring account also challenge each of us to continue to deepen our own Faith that we may also be able to affirm why we are Catholic.
Why I have Decided to Become Catholic
by Philip Mayer
Why would I, a young priest with a promising career in the Episcopal Church, want to leave a parish of caring people, a great group of supportive fellow priests and a godly bishop for an unknown world within the Catholic Church? Why would I want to leave the place where I had grown so richly in the faith and discovered the sacraments and church history? There is only one answer: out of love and devotion to Jesus Christ. Seek and you will find. I sought to learn more about the wonder and majesty of our Lord God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and found a treasury of insight in the teachings of the Catholic Church. I found myself falling head over heals for the bride of Christ, the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, united under the successor of St. Peter.
My journey to the Catholic church began in seminary where I first became somewhat intrigued with Catholicism. Another Episcopal priest and a good friend and mentor was on his way toward becoming convinced of the truth of the Catholic faith. He invited me to attend a group called Beer and Bull, in which a group of guys sat around, sipped scotch, smoked pipes and talked theology, philosophy, and politics. The leading personality of the group was an old professor by the name of Tom Howard who had been raised in a similarly devout protestant family, had become an Episcopalian as a young man and twenty years later converted to what he would happily describe with a wink and a sparkle in his eye, as “The true Church.” “Why would you become Catholic?” I asked him. I could not understand how someone as bright and intelligent as Tom Howard could ever become Catholic. It didn’t make any sense. “What did it for me was when Jesus said to Peter, ‘You are Rock and on this Rock I will build my church.’” That is all he said. He didn’t explain anything more. Yet, that was all it took. I was curious about Catholicism.
My curiosity led to the development of a greater understanding of Catholic teaching. I asked my theology professor if he would supervise me in an independent study course on Roman Catholic Theology. He said yes and recommended that I read a number of anti-Catholic books along with the list that Tom Howard recommended to me. Among other books I read The Development of Doctrine by Newman as well as sections of the Catholic Catechism. I came to see that I agreed with much of Catholic doctrine, yet my Protestant professor was still able to persuade me that the Catholic Church was not the true church. Also near that same time a brilliant Baptist friend of mine studying for a graduate degree in biblical languages, wrote an exegesis paper on Jesus’ affirmation of Peter as the rock. “What did you discover?” I asked him. He replied, “There’s no doubt that the rock Jesus was referring to, was Peter and that Peter was the early leader of the church. However I am not convinced that there was any sort of succession after Peter.” I thought it would be odd that Jesus would set up a leader without any provisions for future stable leadership for the Church, but I didn’t give it much thought amidst the demanding schedule of a graduate student. God was at work, yet I was still resistant. Though I came to understand and believe many Catholic doctrines, I was not convinced that the Catholic Church was the true church.
It was not until being ordained in the Episcopal Church and serving for a period of time that I would become convinced of the necessity of becoming Catholic. After seminary and ordination I was appointed pastor of a small mission parish. Life was going well and the parish was growing. In order to preach and teach with fresh vibrancy I read extensively and listened to many lectures and sermons, including those of Peter Kreeft, a Catholic professor from Boston College. I listened to an MP3 lecture from his website on women’s ordination. In the talk he described the Church as a mail carrier. The task of the Church is not to write the mail or to change the sacred deposit, but instead to protect it, keep it and, deliver it intact and unchanged. The Catholic Church was the only Church that had done just that, no matter what the consequences or criticisms-not only concerning ordination, but also transubstantiation, Mary, purgatory, confession, contraception and on and on. The Episcopal Church had not upheld these and many other historic teachings. All of a sudden everything made sense. I was shaken. I felt fear, for I knew that I needed to become Catholic. I would have to resign from my job. I had no idea what the future held, but I knew that I had to hold fast to the truth. I didn’t know what was coming next or what that path would look like, but the day was soon coming when I would become Catholic. I had discovered the true church.
My discoveries of the incredible insights within Catholic teaching began to pick up speed. I dove into the Catechism of the Catholic Church. What an amazing document-soaked in Scripture and the teachings of the church fathers. Ever since I was first introduced to the Catechism by my Protestant seminary professor I would often find myself dipping into this theological treasury for lecture preparations and sermon writing. The more I read, the more truth I discovered. I read straight through the Catechism, twice. It was awe inspiring. This was truth in all its fullness. I was discovering Father, Son and Holy Spirit as he had revealed himself through his Church with a clarity and a ring of authenticity that I had never before experienced. I was experiencing Jesus’ words in action: “My sheep hear my voice.” I was hearing his truth. From author Steve Ray I would gain further insight on why the Bible alone is an impossible position for any Christian to logically and practically hold, and of our need for an authoritative teaching office as taught by Scripture and the church fathers. The books and lectures of Scott Hahn revealed further biblical evidence for the office of the papacy, purgatory, and the Marian doctrines. I began listening to EWTN on the radio and downloading Fulton Sheen talks from the Internet. I longed to be part of the Catholic Church. The more I learned about Jesus Christ and his bride, the Church, the more I fell in love.
I have come to the conclusion that in order to fully serve my Lord, Jesus Christ I must submit myself to him by coming into the Church he founded. “He who listens to you, listens to me” Jesus said as he sent out the first leaders of the Church. The only way for me to fully listen to Jesus is by coming into the folds of the Catholic Church. I understand that the journey ahead will not be easy and that there are no guarantees, yet I trust that God will provide as I commit myself to his will. He has equipped me with a supportive wife who has also become convinced of the truth of the Catholic Church, as well as friends and family who are cheering us through this process. God has brought me along an incredible journey and blessed me immensely throughout. How can I thank him except by giving myself fully and following wherever he leads no matter what the cost?![]()
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