October 15, 2007
Marcus Grodi welcomes Fr. Erik J. Richtsteig, a former Mormon
Posted on 10/15/2007 8:21:52 AM PDT by NYer
Marcus Grodi welcomes Fr. Erik J. Richtsteig, a former Mormon
Conversion Story: Fr. Erik J. Richtsteig
I was born in Cedar City, Utah in June of 1965. My dad was a Marine Corps Artillery Officer and mom was a housewife. My dad's father was a Lutheran boy from Chicago who married a Mormon girl from Utah and eventually converted. The other three sides of the family are all of pioneer Mormon stock. (Through one of them, though, I am descended from Emperor Heinrich the Fowler and his wife St. Mathilda.)
When I was six months old, dad was killed in action in Vietnam. His body was not found until nine years later. Mom fell away from the practice of the Mormon faith when I was about three due to an unfortunate incident with our Mormon bishop. (A bishop is their equivalent of a pastor.) I went to church and their religious education
sporadically until I was about eight. I considered myself Mormon, even though I was never baptized.
I had some Catholic relatives. My mom's sister married a Catholic and converted. They later became Protestant through the influence of the dark side of the Charismatic Movement. The first times I went to Mass, at about nine, I went with them. I still remember these occasions vividly.
I remember being fascinated by portrayals of the Catholic Church and priests in the media. (It was a good thing I wasn't born twenty years later.) I have always been a fan of horror movies. And who was Dracula and the Devil afraid of in the movies? The priest with his crucifix. This was not my motive for converting, but it did catch my attention and caused me to read about the Catholic Church. I also paid attention to more realistic movies like Keys to the Kingdom and The Cardinal. Being a Sci-Fi/Fantasy geek, I was also influenced by the Narnia series and, later Tolkien.
The more I learned about the Faith the more it made sense. The Eucharist, the Papacy, and the Trinity simply made sense to me. Eventually, I decided that it made sense that the Church founded by Jesus would have been around since Jesus was on Earth and be one Church. Only the Catholic Church could make this claim. When I was about ten, I decided in my heart that I was going to be Catholic.
The election of Pope John Paul II made a profound impact on me. The pageantry and ritual fascinated me. He fascinated me. It was about this time that it occurred to me that I should be a priest. I just needed to follow through with it. It is hard to convert when you are a kid and unable to drive to church.
On Christmas break of my sophomore year of high school, I decided to hop a bus and visit the Cathedral of the Madeline in Salt Lake. I vividly remember walking in the door for the first time, seeing the statues and stained glass, and smelling the traces of Christmas incense. I sat down in a pew. I think I prayed though I thought at the time I was just thinking. The thought came into my head: Do it! Become Catholic. I walked over to the Rectory and asked to see a priest. I told him, I wanted to be a Catholic. A few weeks later I was in instruction class. (This was prior to RCIA.) I was
Baptized, Confirmed, and received First Holy Communion at the Easter Vigil of 1981. I received these sacraments from Bishop William Weigand, now of Sacramento, who also ordained me.
I was planning on going to the seminary right after high school, but several things scared me off including my pastor leaving the priesthood and getting married. I obtained Bachelor's and Master's degrees in philosophy for the University of Utah. I was working on a Doctorate in Medieval Philosophy at Marquette when I realized I was just delaying the inevitable and applied to study for the priesthood.
I was sent to Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon. I was ordained to the priesthood on June 25, 1994. It hasn't always been easy nor should it have been. The priesthood is about sharing in the Cross of Christ. I would do it again in a minute. I was able to baptize my mother when I was a deacon in 1993. I was also able to baptize her mother two years before she died in 2000. In 2002, I was blessed with being able to meet John Paul II in a semi-private audience.
Father Erik J. Richtsteig
Videat Dominus et requirat.
2 Paralipomenon 24:22
For those who enjoy this program.
It is wonderful that he was able to save his own mother and grandmother.
**I was sent to Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon.**
Mount Angel Seminary is well and growing by the day. At this time they have built a new instruction and dorm hall — Annunciation Hall. I believe from the last information I remember getting that there are over 100 students for the priesthood to be ordained this year.............25 of them diocesan priests. (Up from two this last year!)
We have a wonderful gentleman in our parish who is also a convert from Mormonism. His story is one of wonder! Wow!
The last convert you posted about didn't stay Catholic for long. Fr. Richtsteig's conversion story fits right in with the "Journey Home" program's other featured "converts" - "fringe member (or non-member) starts out illiterate and ignorant of his/her own confession, who gain publicity and fame on EWTN by making a public(ized) conversion to Catholicism." My favorite one of these was the tale of Presbyterian/Pentecostal/Baptist multiple-church-splitting Donut Repair Man, who's decades-old evangelical toddler kids' program is getting syndication checks from EWTN after going off the air on evangelical stations more than a decade ago. Who'd a thunk he's convert? Wot a ko-inky-dink!
I can't wait to hear what my LDS friends think of this one.
I can assure you that Fr. Richtsteig is very much still a Catholic, since I assisted at Mass at his parish in Utah 3 months ago.
I don’t understand why you seem to viciously attack Father’s faith journey. Could you not have shown some respect and perhaps left your cynicism of Catholicism or perhaps your general cynical malaise elsewhere...even for a moment. There was no need for such an acerbic vent except to perhaps express hatred of Father’s faith.
As we like to say, better an active Catholic than an inactive Mormon!
He converted his MORMON mother and grandmother. They were obviously more steeped in Mormonism than Fr. Richtsteig.
I say it is a wonderful thing when Mormons convert to Christianity....and Roman Catholicism is Christian IMO (although I would assume many man-made doctrines have slipped into practice as they have in all religions, since all religions have men who interfere - - we are all sinners, even the men who lead churches.)
Just so you know, the Donut man’s programs were on EWTN before he became a Catholic.
Thank you Alex for sharing Fr. Erik J. Richtsteig journey it is always good when one is earnestly seeking the Lord.
I'm not surprised at such conversions from Mormonism to Roman Catholicism, both ultimately depend on human works for salvation.
His is one of my favorite blogs.
I don’t think I’ll catch the show tonight but I’ll tivo one of the rebroadcasts.
I’m not surprised at such conversions from Mormonism to Roman Catholicism, both ultimately depend on human works for salvation.
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I was wondering how long before someone would bring up their opinion that we are both cults.
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I was wondering how long before someone would bring up their opinion that we are both cults.
Please show me where anything is said about Mormonism and Roman Catholicism being "cults" as you have dishonestly misrepresented?
I said both ultimately depend on human works for salvation, with no mention of "cults" at all.
Why would you want to try to attribute something to me that I did not say? Trying to use smear tactics are ye?
Why would you want to try to attribute something to me that I did not say? Trying to use smear tactics are ye?
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I’m not surprised at such conversions from Mormonism to Roman Catholicism, both ultimately depend on human works for salvation.
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sorry, just remembering how often you and others match ‘works’ to cults.
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