Catholic Converts Not Shaken by Scandal
W A S H I N G T O N, April 10 -- Some 150,000 Americans will officially become Catholics this Holy Saturday, celebrating a time, in the Christian world, of repentance and renewal. The large number of those converting to Roman Catholicism comes despite the sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the church over the past few years.
Catholic clergy and scholars say those who come into the church have various reasons for doing so. Some are inspired by family members who are Catholic, while others find the church as they explore faith groups until they feel at home.
And still more are those who were baptized but never really practiced until adulthood.
"People come to church on their own terms," said David Gibson, author of The Coming Catholic Church. "They find something beyond the priest or bishop or even the pope that they find attractive about Catholicism."
Gibson attributes the numbers of those joining the church to the idea that in uncertain times, Americans find a "real anchor" in the Catholic faith.
Conversion Tradition
Each year on Holy Saturday — the day before Easter, when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus — the Catholic Church receives many men and women wishing to convert. New members are welcomed through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, in which non-baptized men and women are officially recognized as a members of the church.
They must complete a process of conversion as they study the Gospel, profess faith in Jesus Christ and receive the sacraments of baptism, Holy Eucharist, and confirmation. For some, the entire process may take several years.
Jessica Olivas, 21, is one of the thousands becoming a Catholic today. She began her journey three years ago as an Army private in South Korea, where she started attending Mass.
"It was such a welcoming," she said, "I knew that was it for me and I really wanted to be a full-fledged Catholic from then and there."
Now living near Tacoma, Wash., Olivas says she spent a tremendous amount of time learning everything there was to know about the religion. Although she was not baptized early in life, Olivas comes from a family with Catholic roots.
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