KEVIN LOWRY:<\/strong> I felt compelled to share the incredible joy that is the gospel \u2013 despite having spent years trying to run in the opposite direction. I absolutely love being Catholic! It has made sense out of everything in my life. It hasn\u2019t made things easier, mind you, but I have found fulfillment in ways I never expected.<\/p>\nI also wanted to write a book that would encourage Catholics, and at the same time be accessible to those who wouldn\u2019t normally pick up a Catholic book \u2013 including skeptics, fallen-away Catholics and non-Catholic Christians. My conversion caused a radical transformation of every aspect of my life \u2013 and for that I\u2019m incredibly grateful. Yet I was really resistant, especially early in the journey \u2013 I really was dragged kicking and screaming many times along the way! I thought my Catholic friends were nuts.<\/p>\n
My discovery of the truths of the Church came as a shock, and the process took a looooong time. That\u2019s why I included the second part of the book, describing several \u201cstumbling blocks\u201d that people tend to get hung up on \u2013 such as confession. I get why people think it\u2019s unnecessary, or even sacrilegious. But I\u2019ve attempted to illustrate why the Church\u2019s take actually makes sense, and how confession is a powerful source of grace with hugely practical, positive consequences for our lives.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
PETE:<\/strong> To write about one\u2019s conversion takes a certain amount of bravery. After all you are leaving some potential dirty laundry hanging so-to-speak. How hard was this project for you?<\/em><\/p>\nKEVIN LOWRY:<\/strong> Yeah, I felt pretty vulnerable telling some of the stories in the book. Yet I wanted to draw readers in through the stories and keep them engaged to read about the stumbling blocks.<\/p>\nEven more so, I wanted to provide a sense of hope to fellow sinners \u2013 that God can and does use our missteps, stupidity, and even sinfulness to draw us closer to Himself. The crux of conversion, at some level, is recognizing the love and mercy offered to us by God. It\u2019s sufficient for all of us, and it changes everything. So even though I look back with regret on some of the dumb things I did as a young man, if the story inspires even one person, it\u2019s worth it.<\/p>\n
Think of the ripple effects of conversion! Despite all the bad things going on in the world that we can all point to, conversion causes us to participate in God\u2019s very life \u2013 both now and in eternity. So despite my misgivings about the dirty laundry hanging out there, I have great confidence that God can use it all for His glory. Besides, I haven\u2019t lost any friends yet!<\/p>\n
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PETE:<\/strong> Two-part question. In brief, as I know the full details are in the book. This is for those you have yet to read it. What drew you to the Church and what keeps you there?<\/em><\/p>\nKEVIN LOWRY:<\/strong> I was drawn to the Church by God, acting through ordinary events and people such as my parents, who have prayed for me throughout my life. I\u2019ve been told that I did a great job picking my parents \u2013 my mom is a warm, enthusiastic, caring person, and my dad is an incredibly smart and faithful guy. He was a Presbyterian minister, academic (Ph.D. in business) and through an amazing confluence of circumstances, my parents sent me to Franciscan University in Steubenville \u2013 twice (I got kicked out the first time around).<\/p>\nThe tipping point in my conversion was having to take a course that was all about an encyclical called Humanae Vitae. It dealt with birth control, and I felt completely insulted \u2013 until I had to learn the material well enough to pass the class. Then my dad had the opportunity to meet Pope John Paul II in a private audience at the Vatican. Then my friend Scott Hahn gave me a rosary, and I began praying it. Whew, what a ride. There\u2019s a lot more to it, of course\u2026 so I invite your readers to pick up the book!<\/p>\n
What keeps me in the Church? That\u2019s easy. To quote St. Peter, \u201cLord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.\u201d (John 6:68) Being Catholic is the toughest way to be a Christian \u2013 but it\u2019s also the most rewarding, by a long shot.<\/p>\n
I spent years trying to remake God in my own image \u2013 acting as judge and jury on every issue, choosing how I should believe and how I should act. In becoming Catholic, I discovered that I had it backwards. I need to conform myself to God, not the other way around. The Church, I have come to see, offers the surest way we can approach Him in humility and be transformed through the sacraments. And if God created the sacraments for our benefit, we need to embrace them with everything we\u2019ve got.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
PETE:<\/strong> By telling your conversion story, what do you hope people walk away with?<\/em><\/p>\nKEVIN LOWRY:<\/strong> Inspiration. I hope that this book acts as a catalyst for conversion \u2013 whether it\u2019s that initial crack in the door, or encouragement to deepen an already intimate walk with Christ. My fervent prayer is that the Holy Spirit uses the book to touch hearts.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
PETE:<\/strong> Time for my signature ending question. This is a blog about books. What books are currently on your bookshelf to read?<\/em><\/p>\nKEVIN LOWRY:<\/strong> The Joy of Full Surrender by Jean-Pierre de Caussade. I\u2019m not really smart enough to understand it all, but it\u2019s an amazing book. Champions of the Rosary by Fr. Donald Calloway, who I met for the first time recently. He was a rebellious kid too, so we get one other. Autumn Meditations by Fr. John Bartunek, which I read recently, was tremendous. A couple years ago, I read the manuscript for my dear friend Fr. Alfred McBride\u2019s autobiography, All I Own I Owe \u2013 and now I want to read the final book that resulted.<\/p>\nI\u2019m also privileged to be on the Board of Our Sunday Visitor, so my reading list from them runneth over. Little Sins Mean a Lot by Elizabeth Scalia is at the top of that list. Books really do change our lives!<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kevin Lowry is a convert to Catholicism and the son of a former Presbyterian minister. He and his wife Kathi met at Franciscan University, where they discovered the richness and beauty of the faith. After spending time as spiritual nomads, the couple met Scott and Kimberly Hahn, and faced the inevitable. They entered the Catholic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1689,"featured_media":5800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[1206,88,8],"class_list":["post-5799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interview","tag-how-god-hauled-me-kicking-and-screaming-into-the-catholic-church","tag-kevin-lowry","tag-our-sunday-visitor"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a>Kevin Lowry is a convert to Catholicism and the son of a former Presbyterian minister. He and his wife Kathi met at Franciscan University, where they discovered the richness and beauty of the faith. After spending time as spiritual nomads, the couple met Scott and Kimberly Hahn, and faced the inevitable. They entered the Catholic Church at Easter Vigil, 1992.<\/p>\n