“I was raised in a Protestant household and brought up in a family that loves Christ. I had nothing to compare the Catholic faith to as I grew up, other than a few acquaintances and what I had heard in the media. This created a limited and ignorant perception of Catholicism as I knew it, and I never explored it further growing up. My wife and I raised three daughters in the Rogue Valley, and we attended a couple of local Protestant churches while they were young over the years. As my daughters attended high school our church attendance diminished, and my faith became dry. I still believed in Jesus Christ and his love for me, but I did not focus on growing my relationship with him. In late 2017, our family moved to the west Medford area. During that time, I worked as a volunteer board member on a local non-profit in downtown Medford. My frequent travels caused me to drive by Sacred Heart Church. It sounds strange to me even as I type this, but I heard an internal voice say to me as I drove by one evening that I needed to visit this church. This was counter-intuitive for me. I knew no one from this parish, was never invited by anyone to come, and the only Catholic church I had ever been in was for a funeral. Furthermore, I am not an outgoing person, and I am often quite content in keeping to a routine and maintaining my network of life relatively minimal and mundane. Change is not easy for anyone, but for me, Catholicism would be a huge difference! For several months, I successfully talked myself out of attending Sacred Heart. However, every time I drove by, I felt a pull. Funny as it sounds, I think I even drove through the parking lot a few times while my heart raced. Not sure why I did that, but I have never felt like wanting to be somewhere and not be somewhere at the same time. During those months of trying to talk myself out of not attending Sacred Heart Church, I decided to read a couple of books about conversion, including Crossing the Tiber by Stephen Ray and Rome Sweet Home by Scott Hahn. Neither of these books were recommended to me, and I still to this day do not know how exactly I came across these two! These books cut right through me. Both books articulated many of the conflicts I had spiritually and emotionally about Protestantism and Catholicism. Not only that, but both books gave me the history and knowledge that the Catholic Church was truly the Historical Church. I could not believe I had never heard or learned any of this in my 47 years. Early in 2019, a lady that works with my wife asked if we were Catholic one day while she visited when she saw a statue of the Virgin Mary in our landscaping that was given to me by my children on Father’s Day about 5 years earlier. My wife explained we were not but that I had been reading some books about Catholicism. The next week the woman brought a book titled Why We’re Catholic by Horn and said, “My husband wants to give this to your husband.” Amazing! In April of 2019 I attended my first Mass at Sacred Heart. I had no idea what to expect. That it was beautiful, strange, and wonderful is the best way I can describe it. Every week I attended; I could not wait until the next Mass. In June I made an appointment with Ann and to ask about attending the upcoming RCIA classes in September so I could learn more about faith, how I could become Catholic, and what that looked like. I really appreciated that she listened to my concerns and one of my biggest fears – perhaps the biggest: explaining my conversion and this journey to my family! The RCIA program has been one of the most exciting, fulfilling, and overwhelming experiences. There is so much to learn in such a short time, but everyone made it so enjoyable. I looked forward to every class and am so grateful for the opportunity. The staff, Team support, and the priests have helped lay a phenomenal foundation for me, and I have been given such a desire to draw closer to my Redeemer. While I have so much to learn about the faith, I genuinely believe that Catholicism gives me the best opportunity to be the best version of myself. Thank you, Jesus!"