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I Was Saved on September 29th 2007
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You know pretty much all there is needed to know up until my conversion, which has led me to create this site today. My Mother became a Catholic 20 years ago when she was 52. She had a conversion. After she became Catholic she prayed for me to be saved for 20 years. I fought her all the way, and was completely against Catholicism. I tried all my life to read the bible, and it would get me nowhere. My Mom told me all kinds of things to help me to know God. She told me to pray, and that if I didn’t let God let me into his life, or want to believe in God I would not understand the bible. She was right. God had been there for me all along. It was me who didn’t want to be there for him. But being a person God gave free will to, I was stubborn, and very ignorant especially of the Catholic faith and all that is Catholic. When I had decided a long time ago to be an Agnostic, I wanted proof that there was God, then I would believe. First of all, you don’t make bargains with God. I had something happen in the early 90’s that should have been the deal breaker right then and there. I knew at that moment there was evil, and satan did exist. But why wasn’t I seeing God?
Before September 29th, 2007 I had never been baptized. My Mom wanted to baptize me before I had had a major surgery in the late 90’s. I know her reasoning was out of love and faith and she wanted me to be saved in case I would die on the table. I was all ready to let her baptize me, and she wanted me to read something. I read what she showed me and I said “No, I can’t follow what is on that paper, I’m sorry”. I remember I had read the word “Catholic”. I now know it was probably either the Nicene Creed, or the Apostles Creed. I saw the hurt on her face and now knowing what I know, I know how much she loved the Church and wanted me to be saved at that time. I didn’t go through with being baptized because of that one word “Catholic.” 
Finally, at 52 years old, I started feeling like I wanted to learn about God and Jesus Christ. I wasn’t interested in going to church, after talking to a Protestant friend I was told that by reading the Protestant bibles, and being baptized in a Protestant church, I would be saved and immediately go to heaven when I died. This friend was also not pro-Catholic and had mentioned more than once that Catholics committed idolatry,, and that they were wrong about the Saints. My friend had told me that its wrong to make only certain people Saints, as we were all Saints when we died. There were other things my friend had objected to about Catholics, but I think you get the gist of it.
I felt that I had better get my ducks in a row, as I wasn’t getting any younger so I bought an NIV study bible. I had made plans to go on a trip that month to visit my family in my home state. I had not been back to my home state in several years. I also told my Mom that I would get baptized there, and I wanted to let her do it finally because I thought it would make her happy. But I told her I didn’t want to go to a Catholic church. (I was still fighting it). She has a good friend who was a Deacon that she has known since he was very young, and she always said such nice things about him. She had asked me if it was OK if I met him on my visit, and he spoke with me for a little while. I said sure, (and in my mind I thought, nope, wild horses couldn’t get me to want to be a Catholic)that I would like to meet him since he was her friend.
I met him and we had a very nice talk. He was very honest with me and said, it would be better if I were to attend a church of my choice where I live, and get baptized into my own community. He didn’t push Catholicism, or anything. He told me about his life and how he had gone to several different denominations before he was brought to the Catholic Church. He was very kind, intelligent, and I could feel he seemed very Holy. He recently was ordained a Priest.
At the time I was kind of disappointed because I had finally made the choice to make my Mom happy by getting baptized while I was there, but I thought, OK what my Mom’s Deacon friend had told me made sense, and I wasn’t in a big hurry.
It was getting towards the end of my family visit, and it was Friday evening Sep 28th. I was to leave and come home on that Saturday the 29th of September. We had a nice visit, and I was really tired. Its hard to visit everyone in a weeks time. So my Mom had a spare bedroom in the basement. I think it was a raining that evening too and cool outside. Well, being exhausted, I fell asleep really fast. I don’t know exactly what time it was, but I know it was after 1 am which would make it the 29th by then. I think it was around 3 am and I woke up very startled, and in a kind of panic. I was so fully and completely awake, it was the weirdest sensation. I always wake up very groggy and it takes me a good amount of caffeine to get going.
When I woke up with a start, I sat up and had a panicked urge to turn on the little portable TV that was on the table by the bed. It didn’t have satellite, or cable it was just local TV. But I felt that I must turn it on. So I did. I didn’t turn the channels, and I honestly don’t know what channel it was turned to, but there was His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI during the Feast of the Archangels ordaining six Bishops. I remember after Pope John Paul II had passed away, that I had watched the whole TV coverage of the election of Pope Benedict XVI. At that time, I had really felt good watching him and there was just something kind and loving in him, and I really was happy that he was elected. I watched Pope John Paul II’s funeral and was sad for all the Catholics that loved him, my Mom being one of them. 
But it ended there, and I never gave it another thought until then the very moment I was watching Pope Benedict XVI on the TV. The camera was showing the six priests he was ordaining into Bishops. It was a beautiful very long ceremony. I was fascinated by him putting a special mitre hat hat on each ordained Bishop, they got a special book and then their own large cross to hold. (I didn’t know the correct terms at the time of these things). The 6 Priests all lay prostrate in front of Pope Benedict XVI, before he had ordained them. The footage kept showing everything in this great St. Peters Basilica, and I was watching this whole thing with an interest like nothing I’d ever felt before. Then, the camera came close finally and showed a close-up shot of Pope Benedict’s face and I felt like he was looking right through me! When I could look straight into his eyes, I felt like I was there on my knees in front of him and an overwhelming feeling like some kind of light seemed to go from his eyes, through the TV, and right into my soul. At that very moment of my life, the void that I had all of my life was completely gone, I felt an overwhelming feeling of love for this beautiful man and what had come through him into me I knew was Jesus Christ. When the void left me I started sobbing uncontrollably, and I was happy for the first time in what I felt was my whole life. I felt absolute love and I felt absolutely loved by God. I knew right then and there, that I was going to become a Roman Catholic, and that all the prayers my Mom had prayed for the last 20 years had come true.
I finished watching the Feast of the Archangels and turned the TV off, and I went outside and thanked God for what had just happened. I cried some more, and I knew my Mom needed to sleep and it was still not dawn yet, but I could not sleep. I cried so much, I couldn’t cry anymore. I went and looked at my Moms books, and even though I had no clue to what these books were, ironically I grabbed her “Catechism of the Catholic Church” and some other books I wanted to read. I set the books next to her computer.
When she woke up, I was awake, and I think she asked me why those books were by the computer, or I had asked to borrow the books. I think she had a funny look on her face at that time. I told her “Mom, I am going to become a Roman Catholic” can I borrow those books? And then I saw the happiness on her face and it was wonderful. She has helped me with my education, helped me to understand what the RCIA process was. When I got back home, the first thing I did was to find my wonderful Roman Catholic Church in my small town. I asked them to give me some Holy Water so I could put it all over my house. I registered and made an appointment to attend the RCIA classes that had just started a couple of weeks before. The next thing I did was to order a beautiful Rosary from Rome, and it was blessed by Pope Benedict XVI and I use it for Praying the Rosary. I attended the RCIA classes, met some wonderful people, love my Church, and my Priest is exactly what I was looking for. Very traditional, very conservative and he is what I feel all Priests should be like. He still has a good sense of humor, and I believe even though a person is Christian, they can still have a sense of humor.
My Priest, and the Teachers who taught us during the RCIA process were very good and knowledgeable, and my class and I were baptized, confirmed and had our first communion Easter of 2008. I have been given grace from God, he has been very good to me, and blessed me with knowledge to read the bible and now understand it with the help from the Church and its tradition. I have many books, 5 Catholic Bibles, two of Pope Benedict XVI’s books, and I thirst for more and more.
After my class and I attended our baptism, confirmation and first communion ceremony last Easter, I drove home and was spiritually intoxicated. I still am, and if this conversion would have happened to me when I was younger and had not had kids, I know I would have ended up in Rome belonging to a convent or order there for the rest of my life. That is not in Gods plan, as I have wonderful children and grandchildren and a very decent frugal home. He wants me to be here, and if I hadn’t ended up here, I would have never found this wonderful Church, and maybe I might not be here telling you this. 
I understand what it means to carry my cross, as I am happy to, I am a very different person than I was before, I died and was reborn. And I love that little white haired 81 year old Holy Father, who is ‘Peter” who Jesus Christ came through to give me another chance. I am not afraid of death, I am not afraid of satan, and believe me, he comes after you when you are going through RCIA process before you are baptized with God’s seal and even after, because by belonging to God, you have really ticked satan off. I finally understand how my Mom felt 20 years ago, and I only hope that my children and grandchildren will become Catholics someday with Gods grace and prayers.
So, if I speak a lot about our Holy Father, and have references to him and his writings, books, etc., now you can know why I feel the way I do. I am still very new, and have a lot to learn, and Im learning more and more each page I put on this site, and I want the world to know how I feel and how important the Catholic Church is. My baptism name is Benedetto, in honor of Pope Benedict XVI. Even to this day, when I hear him speak on the Catholic Radio, see his portrait, or see him on the TV, I cannot help but feel love, get teary-eyed, and I see a glow around him. He is indeed the Vicar of Christ. He is my Angel who saved my life and brought me to Jesus Christ. Its hard to believe it will be a year on this September 29th, and I will never ever forget this. The top photo on this page, is what his face looked like, at the Feast of the Archangels, when the camera zoomed in on his face that early morning. I just hope and pray those who need it will see it and be saved. (the photo is not from that event).
Go HERE to read His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI homily for September 29th, 2007.
note: I will never capitalize the name of satan for obvious reasons. He is not worthy of it.
I found these photos on the www, and if any of them are copyrighted to you and you would let me add it to the photos please let me know and I will give proper credit. If you own these photos and want them removed I will do so. Please Contact me, if these belong to you.
I have imbedded this beautiful video that someone had made in honor of the late Pope John Paul II. It is wonderful. Grab your kleenex first.