Where I Came From

I am a convert. That statement says a lot about who I am and what I believe. My background is similar to many; I come from a Latin Rite Catholic Father and a Protestant Mother. Both my parents decided that my brother and I would choose our own religiosity. This is the truth for many parents of different religious backgrounds. I attended a protestant church until the age of 5 (my family stopped attending) and then later in High School when I returned to church under my own fruition. The spirit gave me the wonderful gift of knowing there are many churches but only one true church. Most of my life I had gravitated toward a catholic truth. Growing up in the rural South I often encountered anti-Catholic sentiments, and often I would find myself defending the Catholic Church even though I wasn’t a member myself. Given the fact that I would often defend the Church I had little desire to become Catholic. As a teenager I looked around at Latin Catholic family, fellow peers who were Catholic and I was unimpressed at how they lived there lives. Not to say I didn’t have good Catholic role models but in most Catholics I knew I couldn’t see Christ. I often would attend Latin Liturgy growing up with family, friends. Sadly it was a Dark Knight for me because I didn’t feel God. It felt hollow, not hallow. As I grew in need of Christ I followed a protestant tradition. For a short time this fulfilled my spiritual needs but as time grew I started experiencing the same hollowness. As I grew and learned more and more about Christ and in my study of the Old Testament and the history of the church the great schism of 1054 I found I gravitated to a more Eastern Orthodox Theology. I then learned of the Byzantine Catholic Churches, the other 22 rites that are in communion with Rome. I found a small mission Byzantine Catholic Church near my school and went with an Orthodox Friend. My first experience with the Divine Liturgy was beyond reproach. It felt like coming home after being gone for a long time. For someone to say that who never experienced an eastern liturgy it was Divine. Shortly after I decided I wanted to be baptized and confirmed in the byzantine tradition… Since then I have continued to grow in faith deepen my relationship with God and grow as a Eastern Catholic…