Articles of Faith | On Being Catholic & the Bride of Christ

It's been a challenge for faithful Catholics in these last decades, maybe longer.  The sexual abuse that has occurred is such an abhorrent episode in the Church's history that has brought such pain to the victims and their families, and has deeply wounded the Catholic faithful. Yet, as Catholics, we don't turn our back to Jesus because of Judas. Brothers and Sisters, be not afraid! A purely human institution would have fallen because, in our sinful humanity, no human institution could survive for these 2,000 years. All power in heaven and earth has been given to Him, and Jesus will be with his Church, always, through the end of the age (Mt 28:19-20) - thanks be to God! For more about what it means to be Catholic in this time in history, and for wit and wisdom from Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC, on the Bride of Christ, please click on the image. Peace be with you!

Conversion Stories | Rose Sweet: Fallen Away Catholic

Raised the oldest of 9 children in a faithful Catholic family, Rose Sweet was swept up in her teens by the culture of the 1960s. The hurt she experienced from one bad relationship to another left her exhausted and in need of healing from the pain. It was her longing to find unconditional love that led her to an encounter with the fullness of the Christian faith; which ultimately led her to discover the fulfillment of her desires. We may not know what moves a fallen away Catholic, a former Atheist, or anyone to come home to faith in Jesus Christ, and to the fullness of the Christian faith in the church He founded - the Catholic Church. However, when our hearts are open to the touch of God's grace our lives can be transformed for all eternity. For more, click on the image to watch Rose's story, in her own words, here. Peace be with you!

Conversion Stories | Brandon Vogt: Former Evangelical

Raised in a faithful Evangelical tradition, Brandon Vogt found his stride at Florida State University as a Physics major before a switch to Mechanical Engineering. A friendship with young men of the Methodist tradition brought him to encounter Sacred Scripture. It was his desire to seek truth that led him to an encounter with the fullness of the Christian faith, which ultimately led him to find it. We may not know what moves a fallen away Catholic, a former Atheist, or anyone to come home to faith in Jesus Christ, and to the fullness of the Christian faith in the church He founded - the Catholic Church. However, when our hearts are open to the touch of God's grace our lives can be transformed for all eternity. For more, click on the image to watch Brandon's story here.

Conversion Stories | Fr. John Bartunek: former Atheist

A Stanford graduate, John Bartunek, grew up in an atheist background. In middle school and high school an encounter with Evangelical Christians sparked a love for Jesus and a restlessness nothing in the world could satisfy. By high school John's father seemingly put an end to his Christian friendships. On a college trip to Europe he encounters the beauty of Christian art and architecture, which forever changed this former atheist turned Evangelical Christian, and set him on the journey home to the Catholic Church. He even tells of his personal experience and relationship with Mel Gibson, as Father John accompanied the director and cast during the making of The Passion of the Christ; later writing a book of his first-hand accounts and exploits.

Catholics Come Home | Fallen Away Catholics

The story of the Prodigal Son, as we encounter in the Gospel of Luke (15:11-32), is one of the most poignant in all of literature. Sadly, there are many Catholics today who have fallen away from their faith. Each has a story of his own. Yet, by the sacramental power of one's baptism there remains a call unanswered - the yearning of a Father desiring the return of his child to the home of his baptismal birth. For more about this post, and for a 2 min video expressing the tender mercy that awaits at home in love's embrace, click on the image. Our father in heaven wants us home. He wants you home. If you’ve been away from the Church for one day, or for a lifetime, come home. Your family misses you. For more, please click on the image. Peace be with you!