Falling in love with the Catholic Church

I grew up in a small Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware. Every Sunday, my mother would make sure that all five of my brothers and sisters and I were dressed in our Sunday best and march us down the street toward our little church. My grandparents, aunts and uncles attended and sang in the choir so there was always a warm feeling of fellowship and love. I often cried during the sermon, and one day I asked my mother why. Perhaps a seed was planted that day when she told me, “It’s the Holy Spirit touching your heart and moving you to tears.”

After my husband and I married and had our first child, we both felt a strong desire to raise our children as Christians. My husband kindly agreed to go to our local Presbyterian Church even though he is a cradle Catholic.

When I was pregnant with our second child, my husband and I decided that we would like to raise our family in the country. When we realized that his company had a position in Maine, we enthusiastically planned a trip. We knew right away that Maine was where we wanted to live and decided to relocate. Once settled, we began our search for a new church home and joined the local Congregational Church in our area.

Drastic change

The people were warm, friendly and very supportive of our growing young family. There was a wholesome environment and we were very happy there. In a few years, our pastor moved on and a new couple came to pastor the church. Slowly, the congregation shifted and the doctrine that was being taught changed quite drastically.

Over the next few years, our family visited several different churches. They were all warm and inviting but there was a common thread throughout – none of them shared the same teaching and each one had a different interpretation of the Bible.

One afternoon I expressed this very thought to my husband. He looked up at me and said, “Why don’t we try the Catholic Church?”

Catholic Mass and EWTN

Shortly thereafter, we attended our first Catholic Mass as a family. By then, we had five children in our growing clan. I began reading everything that I could get my hands on about the Catholic faith and found EWTN to be an unfailing resource of knowledge and truth. I constantly listened to Catholic radio and began to pray the rosary. With God’s grace, I slowly debunked every assumption that I ever heard about the Catholic Church. I fell in love with Her richness and beauty.

We came into the Church in the Spring of 2008. We now have nine children, and our family is consecrated to Jesus and Mary. I made a promise to Our Lady that I would share the many graces that I have received as God inspires me to do so. I began a blog dedicated to Our Lady and the Holy Spirit entitled Gifts and Fruits with Mary as an attempt to fulfill my promise.

Celeste Smith

Celeste Smith is a wife and homeschooling mother of nine children. She enjoys spending time with her family in their old country home in Maine. A convert to the Catholic faith, Celeste came into the Church with her family in 2008 and has been on fire ever since. Answering a call to evangelize through writing and sharing her faith stories, she recently published Amelia and the Dark Night, a book based on finding God through fear, and A Mother’s Little Way; Rosary Meditations Inspired by Saint Therese of Lisieux, which can be found on Amazon, as well as writing for her blog, Gifts and Fruits with Mary. www.giftsandfruitswithmary.com.