Three months ago, I posted the following on the Ancient and Future Catholic Forum. The context of this post was a discussion between several people who were currently in the Charismatic Episcopal Church (CEC), as well as former CEC members. There was some concern over some problems in the CEC, and some people were considering moving to the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) as an alternative. I wanted to write a little about my reasons for converting, as well as my experiences so far. I will add that in the last couple of months, my wife and I have become more involved in our parish, and we are feeling more at home now.

After over 6 years as a member and seminarian in the CEC, I did choose the “Roman Catholic Option” last fall. However, it was not because of problems in the CEC. I had a good experience as a member of Bp. Myers’ parish, and I was not aware of most of the things I now sadly read about in this forum.

What led to my change was my concern for the unity of the church, and my conviction that just as the Bishop is the symbol of unity for the local church, the Pope is the symbol of unity for the Church world-wide. If there is going to be organizational unity in the whole Church, I believe it will only be as the Church gathers around the successor of Peter, who I believe to be the Bishop of Rome.

Although these convictions developed in me a few years ago, I remained in the CEC for several reasons. First, it was where God had placed me, and I had relationships that I believed were worth preserving. Second, I believed that the CEC was called by God to be a bridge to bring together the Protestant and Catholic sides of the church, and perhaps I could best work towards unity by serving in the CEC. Third, I believed that God was calling me to be a priest, and that was not something I could pursue in the RCC.

However, my circumstances changed, we moved from Sherman, and I found myself considering church options. The call to the RCC became strong in my heart again. Also, over the years I had not seen any progress in the relationship of the CEC with the RCC. Intercommunion with Rome seemed to no longer be a goal, and the picture of the CEC as a bridge to heal the division of the Church was fading. I came to the conclusion that I could not let my desire for the priesthood keep me from obeying the conviction in my heart to join the RCC.

Moving into the RCC has not been easy. My wife and I have had to go through a kind of culture shock as we’ve encountered this huge church that is so diverse. It is taking a while for us to find our place in it, but we’re making some progress. One priest advised me to give myself a couple of years to acclimate to the RCC before worrying too much about my vocation. Then I might consider pursuing the diaconate if I still believe God is calling me to ordination. In the mean time, I’m doing a lot of reading, and I’m trying to do some writing in order to crystallize my thoughts. We’ve found a parish that we like, and we’re starting to get involved. I’m receiving spiritual direction right now from a priest who is visiting from Nigeria for a year, and that has been a real blessing.

People have asked me about how I can accept the Marian dogmas or Papal Infallibility. I’m approaching Catholic doctrine in much the way I approached the scriptures when I was a teenager. After investigating the Christian faith when I was in High School, I became convicted that the Bible was the Word of God. There were things in the Bible I did not understand, but so much of it was clearly God’s Word that I accepted by faith that the rest of it was too. I had to admit that my own human understanding was limited, and I submitted my understanding to the authority of Scripture. As I did that, I saw my understanding begin to grow as my mind was conformed to God’s Word. Now I have a similar conviction regarding the authority of the Church, and I’m submitting my limited understanding to that authority. Even after less than a year of being in the RCC, I’m seeing the issues about Mary much differently, for example.

The other concern that people bring up about the RCC is the moral scandals and problems with liberalism. But if I compare the whole of the Protestant world with the whole of the Catholic world, I don’t see the Catholic world as any worse than the Protestants. The difference is as a Protestant, if I don’t like something, I can leave and find a denomination that suits me better. Most Protestants don’t see the problems in other denominations as being a part of their own problem. Although there continue to be individual departures and schismatic groups, for the most part, Catholics stick together and at least put up with their differences until they can be resolved.

Well, that concludes my little essay on my choice of the Roman Catholic Option. I still have great love for the CEC, and I mourn for the struggles that they’re in now. I also respect those who don’t share my convictions about the RCC. It took me many years to get to this place. Some of my CEC friends may come to share my convictions in the future, but if they don’t, I wish them well wherever their journey takes them.