In 1991, he did something strange for a Protestant. He prayed to Mary asking for her intercession so that he might become a Catholic.
In 1992 he realized that his prayer was being answered. He had started to explore the Internet on his computer and there he met Catholics who obviously loved Christ.
He also read John Henry Newman's Apologia Pro Vita Sua. (Newman lived in the 19th century. He was originally an Anglican clergyman and converted to Catholicism in 1851 and was ordained as a priest and later became a Cardinal. His conversion brought many other Anglican priests and laymen into the Catholic Church. Many of these Anglican priests were later ordained as Catholic priests.)
Through the Internet, he was able to borrow tapes by Scott Hahn, who originally had been a very anti-Catholic Evangelical who started reading Catholic books in 1983. After much studying, Scott entered the Church at Easter 1986.
The article says that he wanted to talk to someone. One Catholic on the Internet had consistently written him messages that moved him to tears. But he was afraid to write to him personally.
Finally on his birthday September 22, 1993, he wrote the letter.
His response was very kind and helpful and soon he had a number of very special Catholic Internet friends.
He, his wife, and three of his children entered the Church Christmas Eve of 1995. His oldest son is in RCIA and expects to enter the Church on Holy Saturday, 1996.
You can read the whole story on page 34 of the September 1995 issue of the Catholic Digest.
The author's name is John Thayer Jensen and his email address is j.jensen@auckland.ac.nz
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