Joyful Searching

One year ago, I was in India.
One year ago, my grandmother was alive.
And one year ago, I was still a Protestant.

What am I getting at you may ask? Well my point might be that "alot can happen in a year," or the nifty observation that "things change."

Actually, I wanted to point out that I fully believe that God has a plan for our lives and although we may not know what it is - He does - and that's all that matters.

Sometimes life takes us beautiful (or scary) places , where we meet interesting (or disturbing) people, and somehow that changes us for the better (or worse). The bottom line is that we all have a personal journey that we make- so no matter where you are coming from - true joy will come when one listens to God in the little things and then begins searching His will out.

We don't need to know exactly what God's plan for our life is, but obedience to Christ is a good place to start.

Last summer, one year ago, I was in India studying Hindi in Jaipur. While there, I probably called my (current) parish 3 times via Skype trying to decipher which day the RCIA classes would start in the fall (I was a bit enthusiatic) - but I could not get Catholicism out of my system or the question of "Is this God's will for me to become a Catholic?" out of my mind.

Luckily, I had brought 5 books with me, and quickly went through all of them. I turned to the wonders of the internet to quench my thirst for knowledge of the Catholic Church (which I was beginning to believe held the fullness of the Christian faith), and for solace in the testimonies of former Protestants that had made the same leap I was considering...to become a Catholic.

This blog exists to highlight some of those wonderful resources (see sidebar) - but I also want to say how humbled I have been to see all types of different people and different countries (Singapore, Nigeria, Mexico, England, Malta, France, Indonesia, China, Brazil, Phillipines, New Zealand, India, Sri Lanka, Canada, Germany and etc) whom have made contact with this website.

It has been a blessing to witness the search terms used by those that arrive here. I imagine those are some of the same Google searches that I made myself - a year ago, while I was trying to understand why there was such this intense desire to learn about Catholicism going on inside of me. It is fantastic that this website has been coming up on the first page of google for searches such as:

• becoming catholic my journey
• how does a protestant become a catholic
• protestants becoming catholic
• why do protestants become catholic
• RCIA classes

and my FAVORITE search goes to someone from Cincinnati, OHIO who searched for:

• how to explain why im becoming catholic

EXACTLY!  It's not a simple thing to explain to others, but it is important. Further, I have done very little to promote this website - but it has definitely been a blessing to me - and I hope to you. For those whom have contacted me - thank you so much. It is wonderful to be able to hear from you. If you visit the site - and have something to say - please feel free to comment 0R email me at dcmeolsen@gmail.com.

Thanks! And joyful searching to you...

An Ecumenical Calling

Over the past year, I have intensely studied the tenets of Catholicism. I accomplished this primarily through the reading of texts dealing with Catholic apologetics. And as I have said previously - this journey has been thrilling.

I believe that apologetics are so important, as they can illuminate different ways of understanding certain scripture or tradition. However, I also believe that one does need to be careful of overindulging in apologetics. Thankfully, there was a natural movement for me from apologetics to "the most thrilling part of this whole journey" - that of cracking open the Bible, and reading through the scripture from a Catholic perspective, and learning things about Jesus, the Apostles, and Mary that I never saw before.

Somehow these things were never emphasized for me, OR I just missed them. But in the Catholic tradition, I found Jesus Christ in a way that really spoke volumes to me. The Biblical texts that I came across were so convincing and convicting, that despite those in my family that sulked regarding this decision to become Catholic- I had a strong inner assurance that there was no other position for me to take.

Year 1 has naturally flowed into Year 2 of continued study -and recently I am focusing more on readings that have to do with ecumenical work and dialouge.

If you have closely followed my blog - then I suspect you may recall that I took the name of "Maria Elisabeth," for my confirmation name, after Maria Elisabeth Hesselbled. I am currently finishing up a book called "The Most Extraordinary Woman in Rome" based on her life. As a convert from Lutheranism to Catholicism - ecumenical work was high on her priority list. In her writings she wrote:

We must nourish a great love for God and our neighbors; a strong love, an ardent love, a love that burns away imperfections, a love that gently bears an act of impatience, or a bitter word, a love that lets an inadvertence or act of neglect pass without comment, a love that lends itself readily to an act of charity.~Blessed Maria Elisabeth Hesselblad

Her ecumenical spirit resulted in turning her convents into guesthouses open to all faiths, special prayers for unity in the body of Christ, interreligious meetings, a willingness to start convents abroad in places such as India, and in assisting Jews during the Holocaust. One Jewish family that sought refuge in her convent spoke these words about her:

"Mother Elisabetta restored our full dignity, welcoming us and totally respecting our life and religion."
~Piero Piperno

Today, Mother Elisabeth's order continues her work and legacy. This wonderfully strong woman has definitely been inspiring me recently.

Another ecumenical type book I have been reading recently is "Rediscovering Mary: Insights from the Gospels" by Tina Beattie. I discovered this book, and a handful of other Catholic books at a used book store in Boston while on my recent trip. As a recent convert to Catholicism, I am still in the process of discovering the possibilities for a close relationship/devotion to Mary, and thought this book may come in handy. The author, also a convert to Catholicism, highlights many interesting ways to understand Mary and her activity in scripture. Respecting Mary is something that I think many Protestant brothers and sisters could find common ground on.

Finding an appropriate way to dialouge with those that have opposite views is so important. My friend Dawn Eden (author of The Thrill of the Chaste), recently co-wrote an article for Busted Halo entitled, "Catholics and the Culture of Hate" - which is primarily about Catholic vs Catholic dialouge on heated topics within Catholicism - and recommends charity in interactions and dialouge. I believe that ecumenical dialouge calls for this same charity - if not more.

Although I have been reassured on a daily basis of my decision to become Catholic - I definitely could have shown more charity to others during my initial passionate interactions on the topic of Catholicism. Luckily, my family has been very patient and kind towards any of my failings when I initially dialouged with them on these matters.

Speaking of common ground and ecumenicism - I came across samples of a wonderful DVD entitled "Common Ground: What Protestants and Catholics Can Learn from Each Other" that I hope to order ASAP. These following snippets are wonderful and I can't wait to watch the entire dialouge. This conversation, between a preist and protestant minister, has been applauded by many for the graciousness of both men to listen and try and understand where the other is coming from - without watering down the truth.

Sisters of St. Birgitta

I recently took a trip north to visit some friends over the July 4th weekend in Boston.

Along the way - I stopped in Darien, Connecticut to visit with the Sisters of St. Birgitta - also known as the Order of the Most Holy Savior of Saint Bridget - whose foundress, Blessed Maria Elisabeth Hesselbled - I had taken as my confirmation name.

After taking the decision to use Maria Elisabeth for my confirmation name - I searched and found that there was one convent in the U.S. and it happened to be about 5 minutes from my close friend's home in Stamford, CT.

I emailed the Sisters and recieved a friendly reply. Their correspondence and encouragement continued throughout my RCIA process, and these nuns, who wear a most interesting habit, sent me a wonderful confirmation gift including a beautiful rosary.

I wasn't sure what to expect as I set off to reach them in Darien. As I got closer - I did get pretty excited to meet them. There are currently 6 sisters living there, 3 from Mexico, and 3 from India. They were very warm and friendly - and I was happy to have a chance to speak with almost all of them.

The convent which functions as a guest house (in fulfilling their charism of hospitality & ecumenical work) is a beautiful Victorian mansion that overlooks the Long Island sound. Attached to the side of the house is a wonderful chapel where daily mass and prayers go on. They have a retired monsignor that lives there and provides the daily mass - Rev. Msgr. Robert McCormick (he used to be the Catholic Chaplain at West Point). Many locals attend daily/weekly mass there.

If one is thinking about a vocation to the religious life of a Sister - please consider this order - and read more about them at their websites. And if you live in the NYC metro area or will be traveling to the NYC metro area - I can give an excellent recommendation for the Convent of St. Birgitta. It is also a great place for a personal or group retreat!