I started life as an Anglican - the High Church version.  We said the Creed, knelt for Holy Communion and even had incense on occasion.  I learnt the Catechism by rote and was confirmed wearing a white dress, veil and gloves by a Bishop sitting on what seemed like a ‘huge’ chair.  He touched me lightly with his white, gloved hands and I had to answer the questions he had for me then I was confirmed, at least this is how I remember an event of over 30 years ago.

I stopped going to Church before I entered Grade 8 and didn't darken the doors again until a very brief return in my 18th year.  Again I stopped attending services and it wasn't until I met my husband who was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ( Mormons) that I seriously began considering religion again.

I took the Missionary Discussions and a few weeks before we married I was re-baptised, by full immersion into the Mormon church.  That was in November of 1981.

Life as a Mormon woman is busy.  The vast majority of members are given positions or jobs to do in their ward ( a ward is similar to a Parish)  At any one time I held down at least two positions on top of supporting my husband in his various Priesthood responsibilities.  (all Mormon boys from the age of 12 are given 'the Priesthood')  His occupation had long hours and was stressful, this coupled with his Church work kept him away from me and our children to a large extent.

I could go on and on about my Mormon experience but that is probably not what you want to hear.  Suffice to say that many, many things had started to prick my conscience.  Changes in doctrine, the hiding of church history, horrendous gossip, the unrighteous dominion of men over women etc etc  The last straw was the imminent baptism of our daughter.  (Mormons baptise children when they turn 8)  Something just wouldn't let me do it.  I felt to the core of my being that I couldn't let 'them' get their hands on my child.  We stopped attending the Mormon church in about September of 1990 and never returned.

We remained unchurched until roughly 1995/6.  Some difficult things were happening in our family and for the first time since 1990 I started to pray again.  I began with The Lords Prayer.  I hadn't said this prayer since I was a child since it is banned as a repetitious prayer in the mormon church.  I prayed it over and over and over.  Suddenly I felt a real tug towards re-establishing my relationship with God.  I started with the Anglican church, but I wasn't satisfied.  It seemed to me that some of their recent concessions to what seemed  to be minority pressure groups was inconsistent with the gospel.

My children had been attending Catholic school for some years.  We felt that Catholic moral teaching was closest to what we believed as Mormons.  Even after leaving the Mormon church we did not throw the baby out with the bath water as far as morals were concerned.

So it was that at the end of year Mass for our second daughter that I ‘knew’ I must make a profession of faith in the Catholic Church.  I sought out a Priest and I made that Profession of Faith while my youngest daughter was Baptised.

It was during this time that we got connected to the internet, and I began studying Mormon history and Catholic history.  As I read and studied I shared what I was learning with my husband and after much thought he and our son were Baptised in 1997,  I just couldn't get enough of The Early Church Fathers and became convinced that the Catholic Church was the Church founded by Jesus Christ.  I was so excited that I had found the truth.  I shared my enthusiasm with my eldest daughter.  Soon she and her husband joined the Catholic faith. (they have gone on to have seven children!)

The internet was such a rich source of information for me as I read voraciously.  I studied the arguments and counter-arguments and in the end I became not just spiritually norished but intellectually fed as well.

The Catholic Church holds the fullness of Christ’s revelation.  The successor of Peter leads, guides and directs us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  The Blessed Mother of Christ Jesus holds us close.

What else could I need?