Growing up, I was happy in my ELCA Lutheran church. Yet, I was always a little restless, asking questions no one in my church would answer. When I went to college in South Dakota, I joined an interdenominational Christian group and was amazed by how differently various denominations interpreted the Bible. Sometimes, the interpretations were so contradictory I didn’t know what to believe. This prompted me to become nondenominational, exploring different denominations for a few years before moving to Mankato for graduate school. But the one church I never thought I would join was a Catholic one. I believed many untrue things about Catholicism. The only reason I went to mass at the Newman Center for the first time was because it was close to my apartment and I didn’t have a car. Then, someone talked to me after mass and invited me to a Bible study led by Julia Bressler, who welcomed all my questions. The Bible study sparked my curiosity, eventually leading me to join RCIA the next year. The deeper I dug into the history of Christianity, the more I found that the church of the apostles looked like Catholicism. Through prayer and study, I started to love the eucharist and decided to be confirmed in the Church. I am excited to have converted to Catholicism. However, it’s also a complicated time for me. I still have a lot of feelings and thoughts left over from my protestant upbringing. This can be really confusing sometimes, especially when my friends or mentors express disappointment or concern about my choice to become Catholic. Yet, while I’m still working through some things, I am excited for the next chapter of my journey and grateful to everyone at the Newman Center for their help and guidance over the last couple of years. 8 By Leah Alsaker, MNSU Grad Student
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