CBB Review – Catholic by Choice

No two conversion stories are the same. Every person has their own unique story to how they were led to the Catholic faith. For some, the road to the Catholic Church can take years. Every conversion story is worth reading as the struggles and reasons for joining the Church can help us on our own faith journeys. Richard Cole details his own conversion story in Catholic by Choice: Why I Embraced the Faith, Joined the Church, and Embarked on the Adventure of a Lifetime. He offers a story sometimes filled with awe and wonder, sometimes with frustration, sometimes with humor but all of it a reminder of what each of us has in the Catholic Church.

As you progress through Richard’s book, you can almost feel the range of emotions he goes through along his journey. Richard tells all the details of his roller coaster ride including, dabbling in philosophy, church shopping a bout with alcohol abuse and the present from his wife that really was the catalyst for his conversion….a weekend retreat in a monastery. None of this makes his quest for the truth unique. In fact many people go through this in their own faith journeys. What is refreshing about the book is that Richard plainly outlines his doubts and fears and ultimately joy at becoming a Catholic. That’s what makes this book work. His desire to not hide anything about his own journey ultimately makes his story an example for others.

Even as you read the book, and although it is clearly written about his own journey, you somehow forget its about one man. You can see yourself in his experience. One particular event struck me about midway through the book. Richard was partaking of his daily, morning reading regimen:

I still prayed to God to open my heart, but underneath I was getting scared, and the more I read, the more I wanted to hide inside my reading. By February I was in a bind. Should I be reading less? More? Was I finding God or just turning into a Bible junkie, a church geek, chasing after one spiritual high after another?

One morning I closed my eyes and asked. “Jesus, what should I do?”I saw him holding me up….then the image went away. The next day, I looked up from my reading and asked him again, “What should I do?” I saw him standing in front of me…..”Believe in me”, he said, very simply, without any inflection.

Therein lies the essence of our experience as Catholics. A loving savior that wants nothing more than for each of us to believe in him and love him. Richard Cole’s story is his own story of how he came to believe in Christ and the fact that the Catholic Church was the Church he established. But it really is so much more than that. Its everyone’s story. A quest for the God of the universe who at times seems do far away yet is right there in front of each of us. This book is a gentle reminder to us all of the reality. Thank you Richard for sharing your story.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Loyola Press.