[ronald reagan]

Where are all my catholics at??

I'm a late comer to the "party". I was raised in the rather conservative and orderly Church of Christ.. my father was a preacher and teacher, my grandpa an elder. I went every wednesday night and twice on sunday. Loved it too. Was baptised January 8th 2003. No regrets whatsoever.

But then came 2005, and I met my first fired up Catholic. We became fast friends. And it became my mission in life to convert him away from his 'heretical' beliefs. I spent the next 2 years doing the most intense studying I've ever done. I began reading the writings of the early church fathers... justin the martyr, Irenaeus, Ignatius, Polycarp, Clement of Rome, etc. And I dug deep into catholic dogmad.. the rationale, the ideas, the scriptures, the history.

And much like the book, Case Closed, about the JFK assassination... where the author set out to prove the conspiracy behind the assassination.. and realized as he was finishing up his research that he had actually proven his entire premise wrong. And ended up writing the definitive go-to guide to prove that LHO was the lone gunman. The same identical thing had happened to me regarding my faith. I had became catholic, once I learned the truth about what they believe, why they believe, and how to explain it.

Today I'm passionate about Apologetics and lively debate. I don't consider myself to be an evangelist, and prefer the Alcoholics Anonymous method of "attraction rather than promotion". But I'm ready at any moment to defend my faith, the catholic truths, and clear up misconceptions.

My story of conversion ends in Taji, Iraq in April 2010. In a 13th century Islamic mosque that had most of its roof missing from a bombing. The local elders of the village had allowed us to have our church service in the historical landmark.. and I converted on Holy Saturday! I did so under the assumed name of St Padre Pio. (I've read so much about this holy and amazing man... I'd give anything to be like him. Although I'll never come close!). The Brigade Surgeon (Colonel Aguila) was my sponsor and saw me through the whole process... presenting me to the priest in front of the congregation that morning. Father Wood's was a major... and interestingly enough, is one of the very few MARRIED priests in the Catholic church. So that was super unique and cool.

Anyways... Besides dedicating my life to Christ in 2003... converting to Catholicism was the single most important decision I ever made.

I love you all. Especially my non-catholic brothers and sisters in Christ. At the end of the day, we are still one body.