Thanks so much for sharing your conversion story with us. Turning this into an "it's all about me" story, it was perfectly timed for us. Jay and I have wanted to attend RCIA to teach us about our faith, but have been unable to because of the need for a babysitter. Since we'll be moving close to family, we'll get to go now! Thanks for the inadvertent reminder
Julie M. | Homepage | 01.16.05 - 10:21 pm | #

Tears in my eyes. Great story and thank you for making my Sunday night. I love to hear conversion stories. God Bless.
Skip James | Homepage | 01.16.05 - 10:58 pm | #

Oh Julie, I'm so glad you put this here! As a Protestant, I've never heard a Catholic convert share a story in this way...it's such a wonderful testimony.
Kim in ON | Homepage | 01.17.05 - 6:39 am | #

This is a great story. Thanks for posting it.
Janet | Homepage | 01.17.05 - 8:09 am | #

Wonderful, wonderful story! Isn't it amazing how God impacts the lives of others when we're not even looking? I can't wait to post my full story. I am definitely going to start on the convert blogroll idea - we all need to hear these stories.
Rebecca | Homepage | 01.17.05 - 8:31 am | #

I didn't know the full story. Love the stuff about the house and your father-in-law (I call him Grandpa).
little john | 01.17.05 - 8:44 am | #

Great story!
Robert Duncan | Homepage | 01.17.05 - 9:00 am | #

made me cry - thanks Julie.
kalanna | Homepage | 01.17.05 - 9:34 am | #

I love this story. I, too, am glad you finally posted it. Such a wonderful witness.
deb | 01.17.05 - 10:22 am | #

It's the detail that God drew you without intensive reading/study that especially touches me and reminds me that He really is in control!

Thanks for the story.
Therese Z | Homepage | 01.17.05 - 12:20 pm | #

Thanks for posting this.

I especially enjoyed your describing
"Yearning for the Eucharist that became an actual physical ache" and that long wait in RCIA.
Jeff Miller | Homepage | 01.17.05 - 1:25 pm | #

No wonder you are such a happy Catholic!

"Here I am, Lord."
Donna | Homepage | 01.17.05 - 3:37 pm | #

Beautiful story! Thank you very much for posting it! God bless you and your whole family! B-)
Jeff | 01.17.05 - 5:58 pm | #

I have joyful tears running down my face. What a wonderful gift your father-in-law gave you and himself!
Jenne | Homepage | 01.17.05 - 6:01 pm | #

What a neat story!!
Elena | Homepage | 01.18.05 - 6:28 am | #

WOW. That was absolutely awesome to read. Thank you SO Much for posting that. It was just amazing. The whole thing was utterly amazing from your little girl influencing you guys to go to Mass which then influenced the father in law etc. etc. A chain of events. That is so utterly cool!!!!!! I just love it!!!
Holly | Homepage | 01.18.05 - 8:48 am | #

Great story! It was good to hear it again. From looking at the other comments, you continue to touch the lives of many people. You are very special!
Kathy Luedke | 01.18.05 - 9:41 am | #

Kathy, I've said it before and I'll say it again ... God used YOU to touch me, break my heart open at the CRHP retreat. I will always be grateful that you answered the call to be the Reconciliation Witness.
Julie D. | Homepage | 01.18.05 - 10:01 am | #

I love your conversion story...so powerful! I didn't realize that it had been 6 yrs. b/w accepting God and becoming Catholic...amazing. All I can say is that I'm so glad that I'm on this faith journey w/ you!
Holly Hartfiel | 01.18.05 - 10:05 am | #

What a great faith and conversion story! Better late than never, as they say...

The one constant that I have found out about faith in God and Christ, it constantly needs to be renewed. There are times in my own life when I have doubted God, and I am a pretty faithfilled believer. Sometimes, in order for your faith to be strengthened, it needs to be torn down to its bare bones and rebuilt. It is like a remodeling of sorts...the faith gets 'old and worn down' by daily life's trials, and then the faith gets torn down and rebuilt, to be more beautiful and stronger than ever.

Crazy? Maybe. Real? Yes, to me, at least.

Your story just got to reminding me about that cycle in my own life; we all make 'deals' with God, and we all doubt our faith at one point or another, if we are honest with ourselves. It is how we rebuild and renew and strengthen that faith that counts with God.
John B. | Homepage | 01.18.05 - 6:21 pm | #

love your story
isn't it amazing how god finds each of us?
alicia | Homepage | 01.18.05 - 7:09 pm | #

What a great story. Thanks so much for telling it. I can especially agree with your devouring books comment at the end. Once I started reading about Catholicism, I couldn't stop. Peter Kreeft is on my top ten list as well! God Bless!
jordan | Homepage | 01.18.05 - 9:53 pm | #

Wonderful. Just wonderful.

Thank you.
MamaT | Homepage | 01.18.05 - 10:54 pm | #

I casually stopped by to read the story after reading Jeff Miller's weblog. Boy (... Girl?), was I surprised to see St. Thomas Aquinas and "Fr. B." mentioned! Maybe I saw you once or many times at Mass during this time. One just never knows what is really happening just around the corner (I live on Matilda) ... or in the next pew! Thinking about that, I remember praying for the others at Mass; I guess I had better keep doing that!

I was so happy to hear that the school made a real difference in your family's lives as well. As you know, that is a big investment for the parish in many ways.

Thanks for posting your story.
Daniel Muller | 01.19.05 - 5:09 pm | #

A very moving story. Welcome to the mystical Body of Christ and thank you for posting your journey. The Holy Spirit is moving where It wills, thanks be to God.

Pray Holy Mother of God, that we may all be made worthy of the promises of your son Jesus Christ.

Gadzooks,. Now I have tears in my eyes.
John the Mad | Homepage | 01.21.05 - 9:54 am | #

Julie,
This is a great story. I love hearing people's story that take God and faith seriously.

Well done.
Wayne
QandAblogger | Homepage | 04.21.05 - 1:23 pm | #

Ahhhhh!!!! So cool--- I know EXACTLY the ache you had for the Eucharist!!! Isn't God so good! I had to wait two years---but the Holy Spirit knew what I needed--- I will never, ever doubt that Christ is really there. I noticed also that we both came home the same day--- Easter Vigil 2000--- Praised be God forever!
keli | Homepage | 05.21.05 - 8:19 pm | #

I didn't notice that Keli! And here we are five years later "meeting" through CRHP witnesses. Very cool and God is SO GOOD to us!
Julie D. | Homepage | 05.21.05 - 10:19 pm | #

Thanks for linking me to this post. So many different ways to God. Children, and I know this as one who ministers with kids, are so very often the key that turns the most stubborn or apathetic heart. I am so pleased for your whole family. I pray that my whole family will find our way home in one piece. God bless you Julie.
saintos | Homepage | 05.31.05 - 8:36 pm | #

What a wonderful story! I am about to begin the RCIA program as a sponsor for a friend of mine and am really looking forward to sharing in her faith journey. I am always praying that my husband of 10 years will utlimatley choose to convert as well (since he attends mass with me every Sunday anyway). Thank you for sharing your faith journey.
Marcy | 07.26.05 - 11:05 am | #

Wonderful story, Julie. Brought tears to my eyes to read it. And I have a similiar story about a house sale...the one I'm living in now is (I have no doubt) a gift from God!
The Anchoress | Homepage | 07.26.05 - 4:57 pm | #

Wow Julie, that's a very touching conversion story. Glad to read it.

God bless.
ukok | Homepage | 08.24.05 - 9:54 am | #

Thank you ukok -- I found yours equally touching and have been meaning to link to it for the longest. Perhaps I will get a chance to do so soon.
Julie D. | Homepage | 08.24.05 - 10:06 am | #

Beautiful Story Julie! Welcome home! God works in mysterious but wonderful ways.
Mike | 08.27.05 - 3:15 pm | #

Thank you for sharing your beautiful story! I am a convert myself, and conversion stories are my favorite reading. They always have something new to teach us about God and his Church. Praise God! And praise his sweet agents, especially the Beautiful Mother and St. Peter!
Petra Mehen | 08.31.05 - 8:44 am | #

God is good

thanks for sharing this (and for the link to it via Penni's)
lorna | Homepage | 09.30.05 - 1:52 pm | #

well im posting this quite a long time after your post but i just cant help telling you how wonderful that story was! it was really touching. ive only known you had a blog for a couple of weeks and i never knew what it was. i was searching google for a picture of the Virgin Mary and somehow stumbled across it. The pic it had up that was linking me to it was a bit grain-y for my purposes so I decided to look around to see if you had any mroe. Then I saw your name.. "Julie D."... and i thought... "Hey I know a Julie D who said she had a blog..." and then I saw this. And I read Tom's name. And now the rest is history. I've added this to my bookmarks. Can't wait to start reading!
laura h | 02.13.06 - 10:44 am | #

Thanks for leaving the link to your story. I love conversion stories & wish more Catholic blog time was devoted to them. God continue to bless you & your fam as he calls us all one soul at time, one step at a time!
GTB | 09.05.06 - 11:42 am | #

Beautiful story! Thanks for your sharing. I am a convert, too. My husband and I came Home on 2/3/04 and on 5/14/06 he went all the way Home - only up. Those two years and three months and ll days were the happiest in our 46 years of marriage. Isn't it wonderful?

I have sent your sharing out to many! It is a blessing. Love in the Lamb, Terry
Terry | 11.13.06 - 3:52 pm | #

Terry, what a wonderful story. I know you must miss him so much but what a great comfort and joy it must be to feel secure in the knowledge that he is waiting to welcome you Home too.
Julie D. | Homepage | 11.13.06 - 7:34 pm | #

What a great story! God is so good. I'm thinking and blogging about conversions today, and am including your story. Thank you!
Karen Edmisten | Homepage | 01.25.07 - 7:58 am | #

Thanks Karen!
Julie | Homepage | 01.25.07 - 8:50 am | #

that is soul stirring
bryn | 02.01.07 - 3:33 pm | #

I was very moved. Thank you for sharing that. I'm looking for somewhere to go on a prayer/spritual retreat and that has really motivated me to get cracking - God's waiting for me!
Levanah | Homepage | 02.25.07 - 8:36 am | #

Wonderful! This is unlike any other "conversion story" that I have heard, though I suspect that there may be many more like it. Thank you for sharing it.
Abbey | Homepage | 05.10.07 - 8:23 pm | #

You know, I think that it is great that God has blessed you so greatly.

May you continue in your faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
for by Him, we truly have Salvation.

Amen and God Bless!
Brendan Burnett | 09.14.07 - 5:09 am | #

Beautiful story!
Jay | Homepage | 03.16.08 - 5:22 pm | #

Wow this is so beautiful!! God bless you abundantly. It's great how good comes out of so many things, like bad schools and teachers. This is why suffering is used for good since only God knows everything. We only see a small puzzle piece. =)

I pray that you are still as devout and hungry for the Eucharist as ever!
Yesenia | Homepage | 03.26.08 - 11:26 pm | #

Great story! Wish you could convince my wife. She's gone to Mass with me even before we were married, now 25 years. Kids raised as Catholics, but she has no interest. Now with the recent scandals, she doesn't attend Mass with us anymore. She believes you have to "be raised like that" to believe. I keep praying....
Jack | 04.04.08 - 5:35 pm | #

I laughed out loud when I read the part about your little daughter not accepting your excuses. God bless the little children. They truly are a blessing. Your story is inspiring.
Ed
Ed | 05.26.08 - 4:22 pm | #

Being a cradle Catholic, it was very easy for me to take my Catholic Faith for granted. And I always find joy and peace in reading stories of conversion of other people. Thank you so much for sharing this.
K8 | 11.09.08 - 11:37 pm | #

I was a cradle Catholic and wandered away during my teens. I recently decided to return to the Church and I've been reading Happy Catholic for a few weeks now. I went to Confession and received Communion tonight at the first Mass I've attended in over 20 years. Your story is an inspiration and you are a blessing.
Helen | 11.15.08 - 8:58 pm | #

Helen, welcome back (if a convert may have the boldness to say such)! And thank you so much for your kind words.
Julie D. | Homepage | 11.16.08 - 10:41 am | #

What a story! Inspiring stuff, from this fellow Catholic in Washington,DC

I will be checking out this blog more often!

Christopher
Christopher | 05.12.09 - 8:30 pm | #

What a wonderful conversion story! I'm so glad I found it. Pax†
Paul | 11.03.09 - 8:05 pm | #

Thank you for your conversion story AND for your wonderful great blog, it lights my day.
I became RC in 1981, after aching for the Eucharist at least 13 years. Long story short, I am always happy to be Catholic, too!
Norma | 11.16.09 - 2:37 pm | #

Hi Norma ... thank you!
Julie D. | 11.16.09 - 3:10 pm | #