Eben Emerson, a former Church of Christ minister and missionary, was originally on The Journey Home in 2011.
In the decade and a half since that, Eben has some powerful insights to share about common mistakes new converts make, many of which are lessons he himself learned the hard way.
Eben's experience is hopefully a great encouragement to those of you who are new Catholics, and trying to take the steps to grow in your faith, maintain your relationships, and help loved ones understand your journey.
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Susan Sucher - Former Pentecostal
Although raised Methodist, Susan Sucher began attending an Assemblies of God youth group in her teens, which is where her faith really took off. As she and her husband were discerning marriage, they were also processing together some of the inconsistencies they’d been noticing in Pentecostal theology, particularly when it came to the Lord’s Supper.
She decided to explore the Catholic Church, and was surprised to find that it answered many of her questions. While she initially objected to Church teaching on contraception and women’s ordination, even those began to make sense to her, and she knew she had to become Catholic.
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Shane Page - Former Methodist Pastor
Shane Page was raised in a United Methodist family in North Carolina, and went on to become an elder and a pastor in a congregation there, serving 18 years in church leadership.
He didn’t grow up with any experience of Catholicism, and had almost no knowledge of it, but his desire to be as fully formed as possible in his faith led him to dive headfirst into questions of history, liturgy, and even the lives of the saints, especially St. Therese of Lisieux. In 2021, after resigning his ministry, he entered into full communion with the Catholic Church.
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Heidi Hess Saxton - Former Protestant Church Musician
Heidi had a strong faith life, and went to Azusa Pacific hoping to do some kind of ministry. She was leading music at a Baptist church and preparing for a mission trip to Europe when her pastor announced he was becoming Catholic.
This threw everything into question for her, and she began to wonder, if God was calling someone she deeply respected into the Catholic Church, what might that mean for the way she thought about Catholicism, and where she ought to be using her gifts? After an extended period of prayer and discernment, she ultimately felt that Jesus himself was calling her home to the Eucharist.
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Michael Garcia - Former United Pentecostal Pastor
Michael Garcia was baptized Catholic, but wandered a bit as a young man. When his brother got involved with a Oneness Pentecostal community, Michael was intrigued, and after exploring it, felt that this was the kind of community God was calling him to. He quickly began to sense a call to ministry, serving in a couple of different United Pentecostal congregations along the way.
However, when Michael visited Europe, he was struck by the ancient quality of Catholicism and began to wonder more deeply about the faith of his youth. He reached out to the Coming Home Network, and after a period of working with fellow pastors who had become Catholic, Michael and his wife came home to full communion with the Catholic Church.
JonMarc Grodi and his guests address the personal obstacles, doctrinal objections, and the irresistible attraction to the Church Jesus founded 2,000 years ago.
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