I woke up that morning, and my father was alive. By evening, he was gone. In a recent post, I shared the story of my loss and how it became the catalyst for a conversion that would take place over the course of the next 18 months.
I began to see things in the Catholic faith that intrigued me. The saints. The prayer life of the contemplatives. The teaching on suffering. The following June, I tried to find one of my father's friends, a priest on the ministerial board in town. I wanted to ask him a few questions. I had to understand what was happening to me.
Father Larry Brunette was no longer at the Catholic parish in the town where my father had been a Presbyterian pastor. After some research, I tracked him down at Holy Family parish in Granite City, Illinois. His voice was so calming, so encouraging. He told me how much he had thought of my father, how sorry he was for my loss. But the thing that would carry me through the pain was what he said next. All my questions came down to what I believed Jesus was saying in the Gospel of John chapter 6, he said. Then he suggested I read a book by Dr. Scott Hahn, a former Presbyterian pastor who had become Catholic (see interview on youtube - link below). I didn't know that ever happened! Presbyterian pastors, like dad, becoming Catholic? I felt a freedom, a great relief. Maybe Dad would understand this crazy thing that was happening to me. Maybe he was beyond the veil actually helping me to find my way. (By the way, there are actually about 1000 Protestant pastors who have made the journey into the Catholic Church in recent years. It's not that uncommon after all!)
Last summer, on June 29, 2008, I was invited to share my conversion story with a parish for the first time. There was joy that evening. My sadness and loss had transitioned into amazing joy. The name of the parish? Holy Family in Lawton, Oklahoma.
Yes, there is something about the Holy Family and it didn't just begin five years ago. It began over two thousand years ago . . . and it continues to change lives today.
Blessed Feast of the Holy Family!
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