Virginia Lieto: Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story
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By Virginia Lieto
Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story is a compilation of 30 conversion stories written by Catholic authors. Some of the authors are “cradle Catholics” like me, while other authors found their way to the Catholic Church after a long, and sometimes winding journey. Yet, the variety of experiences all point to one thing: a love for Christ and His One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
As a Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) Coordinator, it is my responsibility to bring souls into full Communion with the Catholic Church. I walk with them on their journey. So, my heart was touched to read some of the stories in this book. For example, Cynthia Gill Bates writes of her conversion from Mormonism to Catholicism. She came to realize that when faith is lost, in a human being like Joseph Smith, who founded Mormonism, faith in that religion goes with it. She drives it home when she writes:
There are only two possible options: either Joseph Smith told the truth, or Joseph Smith lied. Either Joseph Smith was visited by God the Father and Jesus Christ, or he was not. Either the Book of Mormon is what it claims to be, or it is not. Period. (p. 105)
Now, it took two tries at the RCIA process, but Cynthia Gill Bates entered into full communion with the Catholic Church on Easter Sunday 2006. What brought her to the point of conversion? She wanted to receive the Eucharist. Her heart was pointed toward that love for Christ and His Church.
The impetus for Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story
Through Nancy Ward’s devoted efforts to bring stories like this one to life, we now have them all in one tapestry of love in Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story. Sharing conversion stories is Nancy Ward’s life’s work, as evidenced on her blog at JoyAlive,net. We all have a story to tell; whether we are cradle Catholics or converts to the faith. My “Leap of Faith” story, of a gradual conversion process, is included in this faith-inspiring book. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about the conversion stories of others. If you are an RCIA Coordinator, this book would serve you well in learning where people are coming from, to better guide them to where they need to be – in the loving arms of Jesus Christ and His One, Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. To get your copy, click here.
Virginia Lieto obtained her Master of Arts Degree in Pastoral Theology from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, where she now teaches five undergraduate courses for their Online Theology Program. She is the author of a children’s book on the virtue of patience. As a public speaker on the Catholic faith, she shares with the faithful ways of growing closer to God. And as a non-fiction editor, she helps bring self-published Catholic books to the marketplace. She is a contributing author to Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story: Tools, Tips and Testimonies.