To make it short, I had a Catholic girlfriend who wouldn't become Church of Christ with me, so I decided to read the Catechism to show her how wrong it was. Ha!!
So, the bumpersticker version is, I was converted by reading the Catechism, though the story goes much deeper, such as having conversations with my CoC minister about things we saw in Scripture but didn't know quite what to do with. My first one was "therefore confess your sins one to another". Also, I was listening to about three or four hours of radio preachers daily. I respected (still do!) these men, yet heard them have sometimes wildly varying views on matters which were not minor. Each seemed to have good points, but when their views were taken all the way to the wall they would inevitably show cracks, or violate another point of faith. So I was on a journey of sorts when I met the girl. Reading the Catechism was pretty much the big kill-shot for me. Also, studying Western Civ. in college opened my mind to what I'd experienced in six years overseas as a military member. I saw a historical scope too large to be contained in my home church. I have to say, I do miss my little white church on the hill which I grew up in, and the people there. I don't pretend that leaving that little tight-knit community was easy at all. I love those people more than they'll ever know and miss that family aspect I had with them. Being in a parish of 1600 in an area of 250,000 is very different than belonging to a community of 125 in a town of 1200.
I'm happy to be home in the Catholic faith, and am so glad to finally be in a place where it all makes sense, and where I have all the tools to become what God made me to be, an adopted child and little brother to Jesus and a child of Mary.
It's good to be home.
