Catholics Come Home

Hey, Angels Eyes!

About my heavy drinking and going bad places.

In 1977 I recognized I had character traits common to alcoholics, although I'd always told Margaret I wasn't alcoholic, I just liked to get drunk. So, I joined AA for seventeen months into 1978. I then decided to try controlled drinking, mentioned early in the Big Book. I found I could limit myself to two drinks, the times I drank and kept that limit until I quit any drinking in July of '91, because of my medications.
After my return to the Catholic Church, I quit going to bad places.
I have since, by the grace of God, removed other bad activities (except for tobacco smoking) from my life.
I am now confessing sins of the heart, when I go to confession.

God loves you and yours,
Don

Good morning, Angels Eyes,

Thank you, for sharing your story with us. I'll share mine with you.

I was raised Southern Baptist and took Jesus for my Savior at age 11 and was baptized by immersion in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
I didn't feel any different being saved, but after a chain of events, my older half-brother quit molesting me that year. Looking back, I take it to heart that Jesus' salvation is real.
All through my school years, I got into less and less trouble and more active in music.
But, I felt empty as a Baptist.
I joined the USMC to leave home. At the LA USO, I met and dated a Catholic young woman. We paired up (because of the virtue of a Decree of Nullity in '86, we were never married ) February 27 of 1965. Because of my personal beliefs, I converted to Roman Catholic in 1968 and my Confirmation Mass helped me transition from former Marine to Soldier of Christ, because at that Mass, the Bishop touched each of my cheeks and dubbed me a Soldier of Christ. That action, and those words, penetrated my mind body and heart all the way back to my 2 1/2 year old beginning desire to be a soldier. Because that Baptist preacher had baptized me in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost in 1954, the Catholic Church recognized my childhood baptism in 1968.
I felt awkward at Confession and struggled to sing Gregorian Chant in Choir (I had sung in church choirs since 1960). But, I had no regrets converting to Catholic and now term the HRCC as the Church of my conversion.
In February of 1970, Margaret asked to end our relationship. After that, things are cloudy and life was a nightmare except for visitation rights with our daughter. We had adopted her after Margie's three miscarriages, the third of which almost killed her.
Sept 5 of 1970, my birthday, I was served with court papers. I had quit drinking and going out to bad places. I had told her I would never hit her again early 1970 and have not since raised my hand in anger to her nor any other person.
Later, I stayed with some friends in LA and studied Science of the Mind, which my tutor told me was White Witchcraft.
In June of 1971, the dissolution was final. By 1972, I was practicing a sect of Buddhism which had no idols. By 1973 Margie was married and they ran me out of California and I returned home to Texas.
One evening, my parents came to visit and mother wanted to see my evening devotions, which were in Japanese. She was much against my being Catholic. After I was done, father was cool and mother looked thoughtful and pointing to where it was, said, "Don, there's a Catholic Church right over on Cherry Lane."

I mailed my Buddhist shrine back to the temple in San Francisco, where I had got it and took thought. I knew I was messed up religious wise. So, I decided to Honor my parents, and went to church with them.
I was still practicing Science of the mind.
In 1974, Margaret's husband petitioned to adopt my daughter. Under duress, after three days and nights, I signed and mailed the petition back to him; I resumed heavy drinking and going to bad places. I had sent some child support payments from Texas to Margaret in Calif.
By 1975, I repented my practicing white witch craft, yielding all power to Jesus Christ. I had finished an eight month reading of the entire Holy Bible.
During my reading of the KJV, I noticed that each time the Ark of the Covenant was moved, captured and recovered, it was always written from and to where and by whom. Until the Babylonians took Jerusalem. Then, no more mention about the Ark of the Covenant.
I was always curious since that reading, of what happened to the Ark of the Covenant.
Basically, I tumbled from job to job, residence to residence and different denominations of churches until 1983.
In 1983, early January, I visited the Catholic Cathedral, here in Fort Worth. I was sad, for having missed Christmas, my favorite church service. As I entered the Cathedral, I saw Christmas decorations. "Oh," I thought, "they haven't taken down the decorations yet."
Then, during the homily, the priest explained that day was Epiphany, the day the three wise men came and worshiped the baby Jesus, also called "Little Christmas" in some European countries.
By the grace of God, I had not missed Christmas. I took this as a sign, and returned to our Church, no more to roam.
The Saint Joseph Edition of the Catholic Holy Bible revealed to me, what happened to the Ark of the Covenant. The prophet Jeremiah hid it and some instruments of the Temple in a room in a cave on a mountain, just before the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem. The prophet prophesied that the Ark and things with it would not be found until God came in glory during "that day" (second coming of Christ).
I made Confession, became very active at the Cathedral until two years ago. All the time I was out of Church recently, I was distressed at missing Church, because I decided to remain Catholic the summer of 1983. Any time, because of my earlier wanderings, I am distressed when I miss Mass. I desperately don't want to fall away, again.
I have found our Holy Roman Catholic Church to be full of the graces, mercies, love, truth and salvation of God, more so than any other denomination, practice or religion I've been to or done.

God loves all of you and yours, lurkers, too,
Don

Greetings everyone

I really wanted to join this group to hopefully hear stories of why others have 'returned home'.

I grew up Catholic and after leaving school, although still Catholic began to drift a little as the teenage years took hold.
In my early 20's I attended a Pentacostal church with a friend from work and felt I had 'found God' again. I was over the moon! It was the happiest time of my life until my Sister (now Atheist) found the negative in it and warned me they brainwash you among other things. She offered the occult as a more (apparently?) fun lifestyle/Religion.

I got deeper and deeper into the Occult, then after about 5 years, Spiritualism, and a little bit of Buddhism and Taoism also. I was completely into it all, and even started doing readings for people with Oracle cards, worked with crystals, Reiki and Drum healing.

I thought I was happy, but I felt empty still. I found myself still searching for something.

It was only when we decided to Baptise our son that slowly, very slowly I become interested again in the Catholic Church.

This last year I have battled with Spiritual warfare. I have stuggled to find who I am and prayed a lot for forgiveness and love of the God I so wanted to believe in once again.

Since returning home, I have felt endless peace. (Tears well up in my eyes as I type this) It seems strange that all these years I searched for God.....but I always had him in my life. He was giving me the signs all along that I kept asking for. It was him, all along. He was my light.

I want to be a good Catholic, but feel I am almost back to the beginning of my spiritual journey. So, I could have some questions for those here in the group if that's ok.

Look forward to some interesing chat's,
God Bless you all.

Good afternoon, magdalen angel,

Thanks for posting and mentioning The Scarlet Thread. I haven't read it, but you described the heart of it well, from what you wrote.

God loves you and yours,
Don

Hello all, Regarding missing mass I found it a big problem every sunday as I have faith but found it tempting to make any old excuse not to go until I read a book called the scarlet thread which helped me understand everything better and also I was told that when we attend mass we are actually at the foot of the cross (in time). I think once we understand the importance of being at that place with Jesus we will find it hard to miss mass. I also aways think of old N... sniggering in the corner when I have yet again failed to get to mass.

Good afternoon, all,

Missed Church again and am depressed. Please pray for me.

God loves all of you, lurkers, too,
Don

Good afternoon, all,

Alright, I made it to early Mass, today!

Thank you for your prayers. All of you are in my prayers.

God loves all of you, lurkers, too,
Don

Good evening all,

Well, I missed last Sunday. Please pray that I make it this Sunday.

God loves all of you, lurkers, too,
Don

Good morning, all,

Hi, GKCT,
Looks like you and me are the only ones up and about this morning, smile.

In my senior year of High School, the Spirit asked me if I wanted to preach (I was Southern Baptist, then). I answered, "No, because preaching is hard on families and I want a family." I had known some preachers' kids.

After my conversion to Catholic,
and then fell away from the church, I 'bootlegged' the Gospel, in answer to that call.
After I returned to the Church of my conversion (Catholic) and was asked to read, I have come to answer that call as a Reader. Because, if I were a preacher, I'd just read a good section of scripture, and let the scripture be the sermon.

If the powers that be where you read make no distinction between Reader and Lector, then, don't worry about it.

God loves you,
Don

I thought I wanted to be a nun while in high school, but my parents put the brakes on that. Guess my intentions were not that strong. But when I think back on it, maybe I should have pushed it.

So, I guess I should be called a reader, we are not ordained. But everyone calls us lectors.