Conversion & Testimony

When I knelt in the monastery chapel after entering through the enclosure door to begin my postulancy, Mother read the traditional prayer for this moment: “O Mary, my good Mother, behold at your feet this child whom the charms of your Holy Rosary have drawn into this dear solitude . .... Read more

It should have been the happiest day of my life. And, it was — until I made the phone call home. It started with the excitement of, “I am engaged! I am getting married!” and ended heavily with, “Do you denounce the Catholic Church? You know you are giving up your rights to... Read more

Motherhood is never easy — don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! It looks a little different for every woman, but for more of us than not, our journey to and through motherhood can be a challenge. Mine certainly has... Read more

My journey to baptism started with a plunge into water. My wife and I were awakened late at night by an odd sound. We stumbled downstairs to investigate, but finding nothing amiss, went back to our room. Then we heard the crash. We jumped up and peered out the windows, but saw only the dark and... Read more

Editor’s note: The following essay by Dr. Thomas Howard, who died this past week at the age of 85, was originally a lecture given at Gordon College in June 1995.  It appears in the collection The Night Is Far Spent: A Treasury of Thomas Howard. My guess is that a great... Read more

American Catholics have grown accustomed, over the last 30 or 40 years, to the wonderful and moving stories of those who have converted to the Catholic faith, particularly from various Protestant denominations. Some of these stories have become quite well known, such as that of Scott and... Read more

Friends are not usually mentors.  Relationships with friends are horizontal relationships between equals; relationships with mentors are vertical relationships with role models.  I have had many friends and many mentors but only three people in my life have been both friends and... Read more

There has never been a time in my life when I was not surrounded by a faith centered on the Eucharist/Lord’s Supper/Breaking of Bread. I would eventually come home to the fullness of this faith. I was born in Syracuse, New York, the second of three sons in my family. My parents had an... Read more

Over the past week, scores of articles have been published on various aspects of Amy Coney Barrett’s character—her fitness as a judicial nominee, her acumen as a scholar, and her unapologetic commitment to the Catholic faith. But long before I had reason to consider any of these qualities,... Read more

Seyed Mohammad Mahdi comes originally from Iran, a country in which religious freedom does not exist and where possession of a Bible can mean a death sentence. Mahdi was forced to leave Iran and is now living as a refugee in Spain. He shares his personal witness in an interview with Aid to the... Read more