Catholic Church' Hidden Treasures - Allen R. Hunt (Former Protestant Pastor)

Photo Source: Roaming Catholics

Read Allen R. Hunt's Conversion Story from Methodist to Catholicism!

“I am a Catholic priest and I am married.”

Who says Catholic Church do not have married priests?

Marysville church's Catholic priest brings along his wife

By Julie Muhlstein
Herald Writer
Published: Saturday, May 28, 2016

Karin McMicheal with her husband, the Rev. Tom McMichael, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Marysville. McMichael converted from the Lutheran Church and has served St. Mary's for a year.

MARYSVILLE — When the Rev. Tom McMichael arrived at St. Mary Catholic Church in January, he had already introduced himself in a “Pastor's Page” letter on the parish website. In his note, he wrote of looking forward “with joy and hope” to serving at the church. And he added a surprising detail: “I am a Catholic priest and I am married.”

In his office at the Marysville parish, the 55-year-old McMichael talked Thursday about his journey, from serving 17 years as a Lutheran pastor to a time of deep spiritual discernment. That led him, along with his Lutheran wife, Karin McMichael, to convert to Roman Catholicism. On Jan. 10, 2009, he was ordained as a Catholic priest at St. James Cathedral in Seattle.

“I attribute it to the Holy Spirit,” McMichael said. “I truly felt a call to the priesthood.”

Greg Magnoni is a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Seattle, which oversees all of Western Washington's Catholic parishes. He said it's not unprecedented for married men to serve as priests. In the past, Magnoni said, several widowers have been ordained.

The first married clergy to make the transition in the United States were Episcopalian priests who petitioned Pope John Paul II about 35 years ago. McMichael is now one of about 200 Latin rite married priests in the United States. Most are former Lutheran and Episcopal clergy.

He was appointed to serve at St. Mary's after the Archdiocese of Seattle reassigned the Rev. Dwight Lewis, a popular priest administrator at the Marysville parish. McMichael said his tenure in Marysville will last at least until June 30, 2017.

Just before coming to Marysville, McMichael served five Catholic churches in Skagit County, primarily St. Charles in Burlington and Sacred Heart in La Conner.

Conversion Story of a Former Iglesia Ni Cristo member to Catholicism, now a Resilient Catholic Defender!

Sean Nathaniel: A Story of Family's Conversion to Catholic Faith that Rooted from Dad’s Smashing of the Virgin Mary’s Image

By: Sean Nathaniel
Source: JesusChristMinistry blog

The sequence of events pertaining to his Dad’s ultimate conversion to Catholicism is still fresh to his memories. Back then, he was eight years old and had no religion, who could not be baptized because he was not at the right age yet based on their doctrine.

Formerly his father was a baptized Catholic but converted to Iglesia ni Cristo, while her mother was a Catholic who was constrained of conversion as their marriage was not sanctioned once without their affiliation to the sect mentioned.

While it is true that they were devoted to their worship services, searching everything inscribed in the Scriptures had not driven him yet considering his age at eight so he just allowed the flow and be tied in with.

Nevertheless, he could sense that his Mom’s association and devotions were simply twisted by somebody’s arm than heartfelt.

One day, his mother turned to be sickly.

Perplexed as he was, his Dad told his Mom to see a doctor for a check up, and so she did.

Back home after her check up, he noticed from his room’s window of his teary-eyed Mom.

At about 5pm coming from the office, his Dad approached his Mom with a kiss on her cheek, offered a snack and conversed.

His Mom desired to have a vacation to see his grandmother as she missed her, which his Dad granted provided that it was only for 6 days.

Out of assertiveness, he was also given the go-ahead to so he joined the 6-day vacation.

It was Monday when they went to his Granny’s place and in high spirits because at last he would get a view of the farm for the first time.

Former Lutheran Pastor: “Why I Am Becoming Catholic …” -Aleteia

Source: Aleteia
Russell E. Saltzman
March 18, 2016

Just in time for Holy Week, embracing the Church for its density: "There is a 'there' there."

For thirty years I labored away in parish ministry as a Lutheran pastor. Then for another four years, I was a district dean for the North American Lutheran Church (a supervisory work I enjoyed about as much as tooth decay).

Now, as I write this in the run-up to Holy Week, I am about to become a Roman Catholic, along with my wife; me for the first time and her for the second.

You may blame her for my conversion (though I think of it as a natural transition, as you’ll see). She was raised Roman Catholic and became Lutheran. Her father was raised Lutheran and became Catholic. Life is a darn strange thing at times. Her father died two years ago, and in the throes of watching that good man give up his life to ALS, she felt a tug back to her childhood faith.

To my surprise — hers too, I think — I said I’d tag along. Actually, it wasn’t much of a surprise to me. From seminary on as I became enmeshed in the Lutheran confessional documents from the sixteenth century, I progressively became more catholic in my thinking. What I sought for my faith was an ecclesial density; the feeling that there is a “there” there. The state of Lutheran church bodies in America simply does not approach it.

But it isn’t only out of disappointment as a Lutheran that I am becoming Roman Catholic. There is conviction behind this move. That rises along several avenues.

1) Some of my seminary class work, back in the late 1970s, was done at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Ohio. I had classes in Sacramentology and Marian studies, taught by two old school Jesuits. I found myself in a classroom, the lone Lutheran surrounded by a horde of Salesian seminarians. It was exciting.

Journey Home - Former Prot. Minister - Marcus with Dcn Alex Jones