When people ask me “Why are you Catholic?” my typical response is that it’s very similar to falling in love — there is an initial attraction, and with time, prayer and discernment, a conscious commitment can be made.
I was raised Lutheran and had never imagined that I would someday convert to Roman Catholicism; however, my time at a nondenominational college during my undergraduate years led to several invitations from the Lord to enter into a fuller understanding of who he is and to begin exploring the richness and beauty of the Catholic tradition.
I had experienced significant cognitive dissonance during the first semester of college; most concerning for me were the differences my theology courses were presenting and what I had been taught growing up in the Lutheran tradition. This struggle and confusion to find the truth led me on a quest to settle my own anxious heart and mind.
During my sophomore year, I took a sociology course as a requirement for my social studies education major. An assignment that I will forever be grateful for was the task to visit a worship service of a different faith tradition and then to write a report about the experience. My friend, Ryan, and I decided to visit a Catholic Mass.
I was completely captivated. Having grown up in a liturgical, Lutheran background, many aspects of the Catholic Mass were similar to what I had known. Yet there was something about the Mass that was on a whole new spiritual level. I had attended several Protestant and nondenominational churches during my freshman year of college; however, after every worship service, regardless of which church I had attended, something felt empty or seemed to be missing. I recall leaving the Mass not feeling as if something was missing. I knew that I had found my spiritual home.
My experience with the Mass, which was my initial attraction to the Catholic faith, led me to say yes to many subtle invitations from the Lord that eventually led me through RCIA (now OCIA) to full communion with the Church. I’ll forever be grateful for the wisdom and hospitality of Father Paul Feela, who guided me through the process and was truly a spiritual father for me. Live, Jesus, in our hearts forever!
Rasmussen, 34, is a member of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata. He enjoys running, hiking, road trips and checking out the live music scene in the Twin Cities.
