COULD YOU EVER BECOME A CATHOLIC?

Perhaps you’ve seen the huge crowds Pope John Paul II always seems to draw on his visits around the world or maybe you’ve been impressed by the way young people relate to this old man and you’re curious to know why. Maybe you have a close friend or relative who’s Catholic and you’d like to know what makes them tick. It may be a church affair, a wedding, a funeral, a baptism, a celebration of the Mass that has you wondering. Or perhaps you’ve heard in the media something about the Church’s teaching on divorce, abortion, contraception, euthanasia, homosexuality, and other issues and you’d like to know why the Catholic Church holds fast to its own teachings while the rest of the world seems to be marching to another drummer. What is it that makes the Catholic Church so unique? Why would anyone want to be a Catholic? Could you ever become a Catholic? Then the real issues begin to emerge: What would be expected of me? What would my family and friends say? What about my kids, my spouse, my in-laws? How does someone become a Catholic? Why might I need an annulment from an earlier marriage and how would I go about getting one? Then there’s always the matter of Confession. All of these questions and many more are addressed in this book by individuals who have asked them too. The ultimate decision as to what you will do with your life is always a free choice which no one, not even God, will force you to make. Still, if you were ever curious about who converts to Catholicism and why, or whether you could ever become a Catholic, you will find much to ponder here.

About the Author: A graduate of Canisius College and freelance writer whose articles have appeared in the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, McCall’s, Redbook, Ladies’ Home Journal, Our Sunday Visitor and Catholic Digest, Lorene Hanley Duquin is the prize-winning author of the highly-acclaimed work chronicling the life of Catherine de Hueck Doherty, They Called Her the Baroness (Alba House, 1995, 1999). Long active in the “Come Home Lecture Series” sponsored by her home diocese of Buffalo, New York, Lori is also the author of Could You Ever Come Back to the Catholic Church? (Alba House, 1997) and, with her son Christopher, Could You Ever Become a Catholic Priest? (Alba House, 1998). She and her husband are the parents of four college-age children.