How a joyful protestant became a joyful catholic

To begin with, let me tell you a little about myself. I am a born-again Christian who accepted Jesus as my personal savior over 36 years ago. I had a radical transformational experience with Jesus overwhelming me with his love, grace, acceptance, and joy! My life verse is Luke 5:24-25, (Jesus) said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, rise pick up your mat and go home. And the paralytic immediately rose up before them and picked up his bed and went home, glorifying God.”  The verse spoke of my need for emotional healing from a difficult childhood and the need to learn to walk on my new legs as I glorified God for his strength, love, and grace.

I fully entered my relationship with Jesus, giving him everything I am and faithfully serving Him. Like many of you, my faith journey includes potholes and wonderful pathways. Early in my nursing career, the Lord placed a passion in my heart to encourage Christian nurses to live out their faith personally and professionally. I started my business, nurses4him.org, and published books and articles. I was overwhelmed with joy when the Lord connected my passion and work to a global nursing ministry called Nurses Christian Fellowship International or NCFI in 2010. Learn more by visiting the page Encouraging International Christian Nurses.

My faith journey has always included bits and pieces of Catholicism, like multicolored cobblestones. My first nursing friend is a devout catholic, and my family would attend Christmas Eve Mass with her and her family. The Good Friday services with the stations of the cross enriched my faith during Passion Week. I discovered the Divine Office about 13 years ago. Even know, I enjoy virtually praying with brothers and sisters from around the world.

Many saints have impacted me, with St. Teresa of Calcutta or Mother Teresa being my favorite. Her love and service to the poor and suffering have guided my nursing practice. In addition, my favorite Christian nursing author is Sr. Mary Elizabeth O’Brien, whose research and publications in Spiritual Care continues to guide my practice and teaching. She is my Spiritual Nurse Mentor and I have written a review of one of her many books. The Lord has infused my faith journey with many great Christians and Catholics.

I loved my church, even though it wasn’t perfect. I love my bible study friends/prayer partners, and I loved my ministry to Christian nurses. All was well. Then, approximately two years ago, the Lord radically altered my faith journey by sending me down a new path.

The first step on the path was being convicted of a deficit of God’s truth in my life. See my posting Moral Courage for Pro-Life. At about the same time, my husband, who grew up in a Catholic and Protestant home, had always held a deep reverence for God, especially regarding the church. Over the years, having served as a Protestant pastor and a theologian, he longed for the reverence he remembered from his youth, which is greatly lacking in today’s modern Evangelical worship service. He discerned the Holy Spirit was leading him to return to the Catholic faith so that he could once again give God his devoted reverence.

Initially, I alternated attending Mass with my husband and attending my protestant church. At times, when I attended Mass, the Lord would quicken my heart or he would bang on my spirit. When the Lord would bang on my spirit, I would find myself weeping in Mass. Sometimes, if I looked at the crucifix above the altar, I would become emotional or teary-eyed during a song. Other times, I would have full-fledged weeping. It began with The Spiritual Communion. Since the Mass I attended was live-streamed, the Priest would pause before communion to lead everyone in saying The Spiritual Communion Prayer written by St. Alphonsus Liguori. There I would be on my knees reciting the prayer out loud and start weeping:

My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if you were already there, and I unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.

Even today, when I say, “I love you above all things” my spirit soars with love for God.  Later on, when I discovered I could go forward during communion and receive a blessing from the priest, I could barely make it back to my pew before weeping.

Needless to say, the Lord was working in my heart and calling me to Catholicism. I am not naturally an obedient person, thus I would argue with God by saying, “I am a happy protestant. I don’t want to change churches.” Other times, I would demand from God, “Why now? If you wanted me to be Catholic, why didn’t you lead me earlier?” While I was arguing with God I would get on my knees try to submit my heart, mind, and spirit to His ways through repeating (through tears and turmoil):

“(Jesus) you are the author and perfector of my faith.” (Hebrews 12:2)
“May it be done to me according to thy will.” (Luke 1:38).  

When I finally stopped arguing with God and could listen to Him, He spoke clearly and said, “I want you to love me through the liturgies and traditions of the Catholic church.” Of course, I relented, not out of fanatical obedience, instead out of love. How can I tell Jesus “No.” Like Peter’s bold statement, “Where else can I go, you are the Son of God.” (John 6:68-69), where would I go or live without Him.

The weeping wasn’t over. I wept through my meeting with the priest and with the director of RCIA. I continued to weep at times during Mass, during my RCIA classes, and other times. The Lord has always moved me to experience Him through tears.

Yet, my journey had just begun. I had to receive an annulment from my first marriage, which from my understanding, happened quite quickly–Praise the Lord. Since there was no baptismal record, I needed to receive all three sacraments. So, in 2024. I left the cross (a symbol of Christianity) and went to the crucifix (a symbol of Catholicism). Where the Lord will lead, I have no idea. In the meantime, I am enjoying learning how to love God through the vast liturgies, 2000 years of traditions, and immeasurable advice from the saints.