Update

It has been quite awhile since I have updated the site. At this point, I have taken the first step and completed the Rite of Acceptance into the faith. I did not sleep very much the week leading up to this event. For whatever reason, I was extremely nervous about taking this step.
It was a great morning. Being called into the Church and standing in front of the congregation was a very moving experience for me, even if I did flub my lines. Having Father Frank perform the ceremony meant a lot to me.

“Receive this sign of the cross on your forehead,
It is Christ Himself who strengthens with this
sign of His love,Learn to know and follow Him.


Since I am not updating the site regularly or with deep spiritual insights, I did want to at least list keep track of some of the books I have been reading which have really helped the process.

Recently completed
Why do Catholics do that? -by Kevin Orlon Johnson - This was ok - nothing earth shattering and just some basic information about the Church and it's teachings.

The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus - by Amy Jill Levine. This book was very interesting. The author is the professor of New Testament studies at Vanderbilt University. I am pasting the actual editorial review because it explains the book much better than I could. I do recommend reading this.

From Publishers Weekly
It is a simple truth that Jews and Christians should be close friends, since they share common roots and a basic ethical system. But the gulf between the groups seems vast. Levine, professor of New Testament studies at Vanderbilt, presents a strong and convincing case for understanding Jesus as "a Jew speaking to Jews," and for viewing Christianity as a Jewish movement that ultimately swept the world in its influence and authority. But with this expansion came an insidious anti-Jewish sentiment, fed by some New Testament texts (wrongly understood, the author urges) and the emerging political power of the Christian church. Levine does a masterful job of describing the subtleties of anti-Semitism, across the years and across the religious spectrum, from the conservative evangelical mission to convert the Jews to the liberation theologians who picture Jews as adherents to an older, less merciful religion. In the end, Levine offers a prescription for healing and mutual understanding; a chapter titled "Quo Vadis?" outlines steps that can be taken by Jews and Christians alike to bridge the divide that has caused so much suffering over the centuries. Written for the general public, this is an outstanding addition to the literature of interfaith dialogue. (Jan.)

RCIA Update Week 6

Finally - Some excitement.

This week we had a different Deacon present.


This was what I have been waiting for. Deacon Keith was energetic and truly excited about being here. He is well versed in Theology and historical facts but delivered it in a manner that "spoke to me"

He admitted that he headed up the RCIA program in his past so this may have explained his style.

Today's topic The Creed, The Trinity was well presented and the Deacon made the time fly by. He was engaging, open, and funny. Unlike the presenters thus far, when he went on a tangent, he quickly associated it back to the topic at hand. His analogies and "case in points" were topical and I am very thankful for week.

Next week we will have another presenter but this past week has renewed my excitement.

RCIA Update

It has been a few weeks since my last update. To be honest, the RCIA classes have been less than stellar thus far. Perhaps this is typical at this stage, (Inquiry) of the process, but it has been slow going. I think this is in part do to the presenters. For Weeks 2-5, the presenter who is a deacon of the church and a very educated man, but unfortunately also a bit boring.

The Topics have been
The Church, the House of the Lord
The Bible, the Old Testament
New Testament
The Church since Pentecost

Additionally, my sponsor (wife), and I just simply don't seem to have time to discuss things. We are so consumed with day to day activities, (work, school, kids, kids and kids) that this seems to be something that is taken for granted. Internally I am struggling about the entire process but to date have not communicated this.

As for the classes thus far. Still not much to comment on. I really do feel like I am on the right path and I continue to read everything I can. We attend Mass and class every weekend so.....Still going forward

RCIA Day 1 God's Call & Our Response

Well....After months of anticipation and a sull summer of reading everyghing I could get my hands on, RCIA has started. I must admit much nervousness / stress the days leading up to my first class.

As excited as I was to start the RCIA process, I must admit, I was more than a little disappointed. I really expected the first day to be an opportunity for the RCIA leaders (teacher/deacon, whomever) to be somewhat more welcoming. Sure there was the "congratulations" and "Good Luck on your journey" type comments however I was expecting more of the "Welcome to our faith" or "Here is what is great about being Catholic" type discussions.
Rather, we had a Deacon, who is a very likeable and intelligent individual, dive right into a deep discussion which I really believe were "off-topic"

I want to believe his intent was to focus on "God's Call & Our Response", however we spent 30 minutes dissecting a prayer by St. Augustine and dove into History lesson, Secular history of course, on the 4th century state of religion and religious persecution.

Honestly, I got more out of Catholism for Dummies. (A great book btw)

Needless to say, it left me a little discouraged but remain optimistic. Over the next 8 months, we will have many different presenters and speakers. I am looking forward to next week's topic as I know in my heart the path is right.

We'll see

A new day

Today was the beginning of a new day. Although I have been attending Mass for years with my wife and children, I did not fully participate nor appreciate every act , rite, prayer etc during the service. I have always been a supportive person, attended for the family, enjoyed the sermons and homilies but not really did NOT pay attention. As you know, I I recently decided to convert, and in doing so have thrown myself into the educational process as well as the spiritual process of becoming Catholic.

For years I have stood when told to rise, sat went instructed to do so etc. however, today was the first Mass I have attended in years where I actually kneeled in prayer (yes, I actually prayed). Although still not comfortable with performing the signs of the cross, or using holy water, I am making strides. Who knows.. Next week I may actually memorize the spiritual communion prayer or others I have been learning about.

I continue to read and discuss the process with my family and really really am looking forward to beginning the RCIA process in September.

Diving In

The decision to become Catholic was not taken lightly so it was a huge relief to finally have someone to talk to about it. But just like anything else in life, once I make a decision to do something, I really get into it. Whether it be buying a lawn mower, new car or well converting to a new religion. (As mentioned above, I do not take this lightly but humor helps me get through the day)

Since I can not officially start the RCIA process until it begins in September, I am spending my time reading as much as possible.

I really enjoy researching and learning as much as possible. Having a slightly different view on things I am really looking forward to the classes to begin and have some intelligent conversations

There are literally hundreds of books out there to be read so I am looking for some basic recommendations - (Sure the Bible is one of them)

To give you an idea of what was covered thus far:
Catholicism for Dummies - Perfect for me!
The Catechism of the Catholic Church and This is our Faith - These will actually be covered during the RCIA but I was able to get a head start.
A Purpose Driven Life - This was a little heavy at this time. Good Stuff but a little heavy

Anyway - Thanks to all

The Discussion and Decision

After deliberating on how to approach my wife on the topic, it basically came down to
"We have to talk"

There is no real way for me to express in words our conversation. A few choice words were

Shocked
Surprised
Really???
Wow

The bottom line was that she was genuinely touched by my decision. Shocked and surprised that I had decided to do this on my own.

More importantly to me is that she has agreed to be my Sponsor!

Looking for Guidance

I quickly realized that surely, I could not be the only person wanting to go through this process. I am sure there have been others like me (Jews) who have converted and/or in the process.

Since I have not told ANYONE about my decision, including my wife, i needed some help

Thank goodness for the Internet. We all know the WWW is wealth of knowledge and sure enough, after a few keyword searches, I discovered a support group simply by accident.

There are hundreds of Catholic Forums out there but I wanted to find something a little more in line with my issue. I found the AHC. http://www.hebrewcatholic.org/ Now i have not navigated every page or read every article but i did immediately hit up the Support group with questions.

Simply knowing this group exists has helped and will help me along this journey.

To RCIA or Not?

After acknowledging my thoughts and knowing which direction I was leaning.... I finally decided to talk to my local church about RCIA to see if this is something I am really interested in.

While apprehensive and nervous. Although my wife teaches at the Pre-School, the kids attend the school, we attend weekly mass, and have many many friends at the Church, I realized, this would be the first time I was actually entering by myself.

It was a little disturbing but something I needed to follow through with. I met with Frank (the RCIA Coordinator) and we chatted for ~ 30 minutes. I had previously given a lot of thought to this meeting so did not have an overwhelming bunch of questions at this time. He was gracious and very informative.

At this point in time, only Frank, knows about my decision to become Catholic. I had not shared this with anyone and I was not fully aware of was the requirement of a sponsor. Although I can think of a few people who may be honored to act as my sponsor, I can NOT imagine going through this process without my wife being my sponsor.
Wonder what her reaction will be :-)

This should be an interesting evening.

First Post - Who I AM and Why

Here are the high-level details of who I am and why I am going through this process.

I am your typical "Good Jewish Boy" I was born and raised Jewish. I grew up attending Hebrew School and was Bar Mitzvah'd etc. My family was not overly religous and being a Jew was more about our Heritage rather than our religion. Sure we attended Temple on the high-holy days etc but not much else. However when it came to ordering Chinese Food and eating Bagels, we were right on top of things!!

Along the way, I married a beautiful girl, who just happens to be Catholic. We decided from day 1 that we would raise our children as Catholic. This was no so much a discussion rather it seemed the natural course of action. She attended Church fairly regularly and me.. not so much.

The kids thing its great having a Jewish Dad and a Catholic Mom. You can only imagine what our December's are like :-)

Regarding Church, I attend Mass fairly regularly. This started out strictly to be a supportive Dad and Husband. Initially it was more out of respect for my wife and wanting to impress the importance on Faith / Values to our Children.

However over time I actually looked forward to going.....

Here is where the story gets interesting.

During my oldest child's 1st communion (May 2008). Something hit close to home at that moment. Call it "grace, love or simply Peace, whatever it was it was very touching. It was a moving experience and upon some reflection I realized, it was not necessarily the first time I had this experience.

I have had this feeling at various times in my life and clearly recall it at each of my children's baptisms. I never thought much about it beyond those particular days. I figured it was just a feeling of "being caught up in the moment".

When I finally did pay attention to the feeling, I realized I have had this desire for a few years.
It was not until the most recent moment that I actually "listened" and decided to make a change.