Orthodox converts on tumblr. Why did I convert/ I am planning to convert to Orthodoxy (Part 10)

Our dear friend John, shared with us his touching journey to Orthodoxy. As he mentions, “there is no end to ones journey in Orthodoxy, even for those born into the faith, every day is a new day and a new experience  in ones walk with God.” May his story touches every single of you as it touched my soul and gave me strength…

From Catholicism to Orthodoxy is a big change for me, I used to be a devout Catholic attending Mass at least 5 times a week.

I did not go looking for anything new, I was happy as a Catholic, It just happened; the Holy Spirit was calling me to the Holy Orthodox Church.

A couple of years ago I went to the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Piraeus just to look around, while I was there the service of vespers started so I stayed a little, it was very daunting at first, the old women were crossing themselves from the ground upwards what seemed like hundreds of times, it made no sense to me so I left.

From that time onwards I had this nagging voice in my head saying go back. So six months later while I was in the city I went to Αγία Ειρήνη (Saint Irene) for vespers, this time I stayed until the end and I had enjoyed it, I felt the Joy that I had always felt at mass.

I spoke to the priest there father Thomas the Deacon John acted as translator for us, I asked him many questions, he gave me the book The Orthodox Church, I finished reading it in 2 days.

My eyes had become opened and my heart was searching, I had become aware for the first time that something was missing in the Catholic Church and I had never realized it until that very moment.

I started to read the Matins, the Divine Liturgy, Vespers and the Akathist hymns in English, and I noticed the pure liturgical beauty that was missing in the Mass, These services and liturgical ways had really been preserved in the Orthodox church that the West had lost a long time ago.

I was at last free from the legalistic approach; I was able to let the Holy Spirit work inside of me without constraints. My heart was willing to be changed from the inside.

The Orthodox way is Mystical in a certain way, it isn’t just about going to church, it is a way of life, it is about the Holy Spirit working in you and with you, and Just as it had done with the apostle’s and the church fathers.

Well 2 years later I am a catechumen and will be received into the Orthodox Church in the very near future.

You asked about my conversion story, I believe that there is no end to ones journey in Orthodoxy, even for those born into the faith, every day is a new day and a new experience  in ones walk with God. Every day we grow in Christ, we grow in the church and we grow in faith, getting stronger each new day.

You ask! Did I convert to Orthodoxy? My answer is NO, I did not. The Holy Spirit pulled and nudged me, Jesus Passion saved me and taught me how to love, and it was God the Blessed Holy Trinity that converted me. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God” Ephesians 2:8 (RSV)

(Emphasis mine)

Orthodox converts on tumblr. Why did I convert/ I am planning to convert to Orthodoxy (Part 9)

Oud dear friend theminorprophet shared with us the reasons why he chose Orthodox Christianity as his spiritual home:

I’ve spent the last 5 years studying Orthodoxy, reading the Fathers, learning the Liturgy, praying and asking for guidance. About a year ago, I knew my heart was changed, and that the Orthodox Church was my new home. I knew that I had been called there by God. I was baptized this summer in a Russian church in Michigan, and I’m as happy as can be now! It’s been a long and slow road, but I thank God that He brought me here. I am at home now.

If you have a story like this, please send it here or here

Orthodox converts on tumblr. Why did I convert/ I am planning to convert to Orthodoxy (Part 8)

Daniel shared with us the reasons why he chose Orthodoxy as his spiritual home:

“I converted to Orthodoxy since I found that it is the only form of Christianity which has a clear historic link to its origins in the Early Church. Whilst I could see though historical study that others such as Rome abandoned this historic communion for political gains I found a clear understanding of the importance of maintaining the teachings and practices of the Early Church fathers in Orthodoxy.”

If you have a story like this, please send it here or here

Orthodox converts on tumblr. Why did I convert/ I am planning to convert to Orthodoxy (Part 7)

adamthenorman, a former Catholic share with us his impressions of his first Divine Liturgy:

First Experience with the Divine Liturgy

I attended my first liturgy this past Sunday and I was astounded! The sincerity of the tradition and the unity of the Orthodox faithful chanting hymns from the days of the Byzantine Empire truly made me feel the presence of Christ in our midst. Everyone was lovely there (and most were converts from Protestantism and Catholicism) and I have found my new spiritual home. Within a few weeks, I will be starting my education as a catechumen so that I may make my conversion official with the sacrament of baptism :D

You can find out more about his conversion at his beautiful blog

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Orthodox converts on tumblr. Why did I convert/ I am planning to convert to Orthodoxy (Part 6)

Another good friend, extractinglifefromliving shared with us his opinion about Orthodox Christianity, as well as the reasons why he converted:

I converted to Christianity (atheist prior) when I was 18. That same year, I began attending the University of South Carolina (studying philosophy with a concentration in Christian theology). I quickly developed a passion for Biblical Greek. The beauty of the language and the culture pointed me ever so more in the direction of Christ and His Holy Word. As a result, I knew there were strong connections between Christ & traditions that were first established as a component of Greek Culture before even coming to study Orthodoxy itself. I encountered an individual in one of my religion courses who happened to be Greek Orthodox - we began discussing the tradition of the faith and he was patient and kind in pointing me in the direction of the Truth - we evaluated the claims the Orthodox Church makes (the One True Church) alongside one another…his kindness assisted me in gaining an understanding of how the Orthodox Church functions and how it was ordained by Christ in function in the way that it does. I’m thankful for him and for the rich tradition of the faith the Orthodox Church has preserved. i am a Orthodox convert (:

If you have a story like this, please send it here or here

Orthodox converts on tumblr. Why did I convert/ I am planning to convert to Orthodoxy (Part 5)

Submitted by Karcy:

Why I converted to Eastern Orthodoxy (the short version)

I came to Eastern Orthodoxy while researching Christian history and the search for the historical Jesus, following a crisis of faith that happened as a consequence of a friend’s disappearance while he was hiking (wow, that was condensed!). It was a very dark time for me. During this time I stumbled upon a path called Eastern Orthodoxy, which I discovered mostly through the Net. I was really attracted to the concept of theosis (deification), the ikon of She Who is More Spacious than the Heavens (which, to me, represented how an uncontainable and incomprehensible God allows Himself to be understood and contained), and the idea that everything in human experience — sound, sights, movement, time and place — is transformed into a ‘language’ to glorify God. I was also convinced that this is the oldest and most authentic form of the Christian faith. I met up with some Eastern Orthodox converts in Kuala Lumpur, and was baptized and accepted into the Church last Pascha / Easter. My patron saint is St. Catherine of Sinai / Alexandria. Before this I was raised in the Church of England (Anglican), and identified as Protestant.

(This is the short version. There’s a lot more about my conversion experience but I don’t think a single paragraph, or even a single blog entry, would be able to encapsulate all that I had thought, felt, and been through — although this has been the most condensed paragraph I’ve written about this, lol!)

If you have a story like this, please send it here or here

Orthodox converts on tumblr. Why did I convert/ I am planning to convert to Orthodoxy (Part 4)

A friend of ours that wants to remain anonymous, shared the reasons why he wants to convert to Orthodoxy:

The reasons I will convert to Orthodoxy are various, and some seem really important and some seem less important, but somehow they all matter equally. I really want to be at the very start of Christianity, I want to be part of an ancient Christianity where things have not changed, so you are part of a tradition that reaches back to the Church Fathers, to Byzantium, to the Holy Apostles, and to Jesus Christ Himself. This connection is really important to me. But also a large part of it is that the Orthodox church is so wonderfully beautiful, transcendentally beautiful, with music and icons and frescoes and beautiful buildings all together to the glory of the Lord. Icons are really important to me, and that is another reason. It’s also that I believe that, in a lot of Protestant churches, and even in some Anglican and Roman Catholic churches, things aren’t being done in accordance with tradition. Tradition is very important to me. I believe the holy tradition and liturgy is a gift from God and should be embraced and followed. I also just want to be a part of the Orthodox church just because I think it’s right. I believe it is right, but I can’t really explain it. I just think it is the right way.

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Orthodox converts on tumblr. Why did I convert/ I am planning to convert to Orthodoxy (Part 3)

James shared with us the reason why he chose Orthodox Christianity:

What made me decide to convert was experiencing a service at an Orthodox Church. I immediately knew I was somewhere holy and I felt the need to join in with the worship even though I did not understand what was happening. After reading the history of the Church, the Orthodox Church could truly support the claim that the Orthodox Church is the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Christ which has preserved the faith despite suffering for it immensely.

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Orthodox converts on tumblr. Why did I convert/ I am planning to convert to Orthodoxy (Part 2)

Another friend of ours shares with us how he met Orthodoxy:

“My interest concerning Orthodoxy was conceived after reading several books authored by Orthodox Christians and also attending Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy. Eastern Christianity was something I never had the slightest clue existed until only recently, and I thank God that it was revealed to me. I was exposed to a faith that truly exemplified Christ’s teaching. I was shown a church that had a history of unrivaled adherence to blotting out heresy and keeping the true faith of the church fathers alive. Even though my participation at Divine Liturgy did not exceed standing and sitting, I felt as if it was the most (spiritually) involved I’d ever been at a worship service. The spiritual depth and truth of the Christian faith was revealed to me through the Orthodox Church, and it’s something I truly wish to partake in for the rest of my life.”

If you have a story like this, please send it here or here

Orthodox converts on tumblr. Why did I convert/ I am planning to convert to Orthodoxy (Part 1)

In these post series, our friends who converted to Orthodoxy will tell us the reason why they chose Orthodoxy.

Tom, a former Catholic shares with us the following:

hi, i wanted to convert to orthodoxy for many reasons but mainly because i remember reading in Acts how the apostles did things together in a pretty democratic way. when i read more history of the ecumenical councils it seemed wrong that the western church (rome; i was raised catholic) was trying to circumvent all the other bishops and patriarchates. there are lots of other reasons but this is just one that applies to me as a former catholic.

Thank you my dearest friend! May God bless you and keep you!