Why did I become a Catholic? Well, here it is in a nutshell.

It was twenty-five years ago (when I was 30 ½ years old) that I was baptized and confirmed Catholic. Sometimes looking back I find it difficult to distinguish between what prompted the change then and what would have prompted the change now if it hadn't then, if you know what I mean.

I had been born and raised Seventh Day Adventist. I was teaching the kindergarten Sabbath School Lesson when I was ten and the Youth Sabbath School Lesson when I was 18 and the Adult Sabbath School Lesson by the time I was 22. I attended Broadview Academy and Andrews University (where I minored -- actually took a second major -- in religion), served in my local church as Sabbath School Superintendent and Dorcas Leader. I gave Bible studies and assisted in Evangelistic series. Occasionally I was even asked by the pastor to preach in his absence. Just as Paul could say that he was a Pharisee among Pharisees, I could safely say that I was an Adventist among Adventists.

Was I happy? No. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I prayed and read the Bible and read EGW, I experienced no spiritual growth. I could stand in a corner with my eyes closed and my hands folded and still fall into sin. It occurred to me that if I was in a constant state of sin no matter what I did, why bother? I was tired of always being different from my friends and colleagues and since I constantly sinned anyway, why continue being different, why always be an outsider? So I left the denomination.

Now as I am sure you know, to have been a member of the One True Church and to have left it, meant that I was damned. But I figured, I was damned even before I left anyway.

I had a friend who was a devout Catholic who had a close friend who was a priest. And it happened that some months after I left the denomination, we had lunch with Fr. Tom and he and I fell into conversation. He was the first priest I'd ever spoken to in my life. Of course, the subject turned to religion. In the course of our discussion, I learned something that I had never thought possible, many of the Catholic beliefs that SDAs scoff at as the traditions of man were in fact based in Scripture. This interested me greatly. Now since I knew that I was already damned, I didn't think that I could get anymore damned by studying with a priest, so Fr. Tom and I began to study together. We had a great time, he would prove a point by quoting a text of Scripture and I would supply the text and quote another.

As we studied together, things like transubstantiation and confession and the role of Mary were just so obviously true, that I couldn't understand how I could have been blind to them in all my years of Bible study! Actually, in my youth as I studied the Bible some of these doctrines seemed to be true and these questions occurred to me, but since the SDA denomination had provided an explanation (even though it didn't really satisfy me), I had not questioned further. After all, why would I question the teachings of the One True Church?

As I studied with Fr. Tom I realized that I was not damned. I realized that the rules of conduct that the denomination held me too, were the traditions of man, not the laws of God, such irony since that is what the SDAs always accuse the Catholics of. I realized that God had provided avenues of grace for us that would draw us ever closer to Him.

The three doctrines that made me realize that I had to become Catholic, were Eucharist, confession and the role of Mary. Later as I came to understand other doctrines, the Teaching Authority of the Church and the Apostolic Succession also became important to me and made me glad that I am a Catholic.

Marsha