We are a group of converts to the Catholic faith. We all come from various faith backgrounds but are united in our love of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
In a society that is increasingly anti-Christian, it seems like even Christians are leaving the teachings of Jesus behind.
I started reading the Bible more and more to answer questions and found that all the beliefs I was told that Catholics had that were “different” or “un-biblical” were actually quite the opposite - right there in black and white.
Andy, Former Methodist
“There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.”
Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
– St. Paul (Hebrews 13:8)
Through Holy Communion, He left us as the fulfillment of His promise: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (MT 20:28). We do this because Christ told us to: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” (John 6:54)
We strive to fulfill John 19:27, “Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother,’” and LUKE 1:48, “From now on will all ages call me blessed.”
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” (2 Tim 3:16)
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Eph 2:8) The Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30 depicts this as well. However, we also know “faith without works is dead.” (James 2:14-26)
Of all Christian denominations, there’s only one that has existed since the time of Christ. “Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.” – St. Paul (2 Thess. 2:15)
"As a middle schooler, I questioned the authority and validity of one man preaching his own opinion about Scripture. I also questioned the justice of the “once saved, always saved” Baptist doctrine. I attended a Mass with a friend, only by chance, and loved the liturgical form and respect of Sacred Scripture. Around the same time I stumbled upon a library book that showed the history of denominations, and it was obvious to anyone that the Catholic Church was first and sole for hundreds of years."
We’ve compiled a few questions people will often ask after attending Mass for the first time.
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. — John 12:32
Just as the Israelites had to look upon the snake that Moses lifted up in the desert to live, we know that we must look to Jesus in faith to live eternally (Numbers 21:4-9, John 3:14). The image of Jesus on the cross serves as a reminder for why we’re all gathered together, for we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 23-24).
Any English dictionary will show the etymology of ‘priest’ deriving from the Greek word ‘presbyter’ meaning ‘elder’ just as we read in the New Testament (Acts 14:23; 16:4; 20:17; 1 Timothy 5:17; Titus 1:5; et al).
For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. — Matthew 24:27
The priest doesn’t face away from the people. Rather, following the ancient Christian custom, the priest faces in the same direction as the people toward the east to symbolize our hopeful expectation of the second coming of our Lord.
While we do occasionally sing hymns, and praise music is great in other contexts, chant and polyphony have been handed down to us over the centuries by those Christians who knew how to foster a spirit of prayer and reverence in the worship of Almighty God. Listen for yourself to some of the music you can expect to hear each Sunday morning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyV01zXuW-A
In The Bible in a Year podcast, Fr. Mike Schmitz walks you through the entire Bible in 365 episodes, providing commentary, reflection, and prayer along the way.
Unlike any other Bible podcast, Ascension’s Bible in a Year podcast follows a reading plan inspired by The Great Adventure Bible Timeline, a ground-breaking approach to understanding salvation history developed by renowned Catholic Bible scholar Jeff Cavins. For each period in the timeline, Jeff will join Fr. Mike for a special episode that will help you understand the context of each reading.
With this podcast, you won’t just read the Bible in a year… you’ll finally understand how all the pieces of the Bible fit together to tell an amazing story that continues in your life today!
Scott Hahn was a Presbyterian minister, the top student in his seminary class, a
brilliant Scripture scholar, and militantly anti-Catholic… until he reluctantly began to discover that his enemy had all the right answers. His wife, Kimberly, also a top-notch theology student in the seminary, is the daughter of a well-known Protestant minister, and went through a tremendous dark night of the soul after Scott converted to Catholicism. Their conversion story and love for the Church has captured the hearts and minds of thousands of lukewarm Catholics and brought them back into
an active participation in the Church.
The Pope, devotion to Mary, confession… just where are these topics in the Bible? Why does the Catholic Church seem to focus on so many things that aren’t Scriptural?
Or so thought former Protestant pastor John Bergsma.
Stunned by Scripture: How the Bible Made Me Catholic, is an engaging examination of the things Dr. Bergsma once considered obstacles to ever becoming Catholic himself. Over an eighteen-month
spiritual journey, Bergsma was stunned again and again by the biblical support he found for even the stickiest teachings of the Catholic Church.
Weaving his personal story into clear explanations of Catholic teachings as found in Scripture, Dr. Bergsma explores seven key Catholic doctrines, including:
The Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul is one of several parishes of the Catholic Church in the Chattanooga area. Other Catholic parishes include: Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St. Stephen in Chattanooga, St. Jude in Hixson, Holy Spirit in Soddy-Daisy, St. Augustine in Signal Mountain, St. Therese in Cleveland, Our Lady of the Mount in Lookout Mountain, GA, and St. Gerard Majella in Ft. Oglethorpe, GA, as well as the UTC Newman Center. We highly encourage people wherever they find the Catholic faith to pursue it.
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