Transcript

At age 17, I joined the, uh, local Baptist church in my community.

I was a part of the Methodist, the Pentecostal, the Episcopalian, and I even had six years as an atheist.

I grew up, uh, in a military family.

We would go into the city and I would see Habited Sisters, and I didn't know who they were.

They were wearing black and, honestly, without any information, I thought they were witches.

So, right away, there was a mystery.

I felt they had something that we didn't have.

For over 800 years, Dominicans have been handing down the faith, and we're blessed to be doing that with you here in this program.

The name of the program, Credo, it means I believe.

It wasn't just simply moving from one church to another.

I was, I was leaving behind the tradition and the culture.

We can recognize the Catholic Church as the true church, founded by Christ.

My mom sent me an article from the newspaper, and, you know, they would give the, the year that these churches were founded.

And you get to the Catholic Church and it says, Jesus Christ, year one.

And I'm like, Well, what are we doing then?

What is going on here?

Christ never lost his humanity.

He's one of us.

He knows what it's like to hurt.

He knows what it's like to be joyful.

He knows what it's like to have a mother, to love children and take 'em into his arms.

In the mass, we are all invited to participate in the unique self-offering of Jesus by uniting our own lives to his in love.

I did try to convince him to go to church with me every Sunday.

Honestly, it was like pulling teeth.

As a priest sitting in the confessional, you hear people who are trying to grow in holiness.

I was terrified at the prospect of my first confession.

Even right now, I'm just halfway through RCIA, so I'm not Catholic yet, but Catholicism looked like a big, safe ship because it has not moved on these cultural issues out of the sanctity of life, the sanctity of marriage.

We have been married, uh, 57 years.

So we do view marriage as, as sacred.

These issues can be very challenging ones, but Jesus gives us the promise of the aid of the Holy Spirit.

Open your hearts to his grace.

He's already taken the initiative in your life.

He's called you and brought you to this point.

See people of every color, ethnic background, and they're all there worshiping the same Lord, Jesus Christ.

It's a beautiful thing and I'm reminded again and again what the meaning of the word Catholic is.

It's universal, and I never found that anywhere else until I became Catholic.