Posted on 03/30/2010 10:38:29 AM PDT by NYer
WASHINGTON, D.C., MARCH 29, 2010 (Zenit.org).- This Easter, thousands are planning to become Catholic, including a man who almost lost his life five times.
The U.S. bishops' conference shared the story of Jeremy Feldbusch, 30, from Blairsville, Pennsylvania, who is among the thousands preparing to enter the Church Saturday evening.
Feldbusch was in the armed services in Iraq, and on April 3, 2003, he was wounded with shrapnel from the conflict, which resulted in blindness in both eyes and traumatic brain injury.
He was expected to die shortly after, or if he lived, to sustain extensive brain damage. Doctors put him into a coma with a ventilator for six weeks in order to reduce brain swelling.
The medical professionals attempted to remove the ventilator five times, but on each attempt, Feldbusch "died" and had to be resuscitated. On the sixth try, he finally regained consciousness.
The patient, who had been baptized a Methodist, asked his father, "Why did God take my eyesight?"
His father replied with a different question, "Why did God let you live?"
The bishops' conference reported that through the process of rehabilitation, Feldbusch "began to think that things happen for a reason and resolved to spend his life helping other wounded service members."
He decided to enter the Catholic Church, and will be received on Saturday, the 7th anniversary of his life-changing injury in Iraq.
Growth
The conference press release noted that thousands more will join Feldbusch, with especially high numbers of new Catholics expected in the South and Southwest regions of the United States.
The Diocese of Dallas, Texas, is preparing to receive 3,000 new Catholics. Of these, 700 are catechumens (never before baptized) and 2,300 are candidates (already validly baptized into the Christian faith, but seeking full communion with the Church).
Also in Texas, the Archdiocese of San Antonio is reporting that 1,112 people will enter the Church. A good number of these are young people, who have already reached the age of reason, including 214 child catechumens and 124 candidates.
The Diocese of Forth Worth in that same state will welcome around the same number of new Catholics.
The Archdiocese of Atlanta is preparing for 1,800 new Church members, which is the largest group ever recorded for that region, the press release reported.
On the West Coast, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which is the largest diocese nationwide, will receive 2,400 new members.
In Seattle, 682 people will be baptized into the Church, and 479 welcomed into full communion.
The Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, will welcome 842 new Catholics.
Other dioceses who are expecting over a thousand new members are: Detroit, Michigan (1,225); Cincinnati, Ohio (1,049); Denver, Colorado (1,102); Arlington, Virginia (1,100); Washington, D.C. (1,150).
In the Archdiocese of Washington, 18 of those preparing to enter the Church are students from St. Augustine School, the oldest African American school in the nation's capital.
The conference communiqué noted that the Catholic Church, which is the largest denomination in the United States, with over 68 million members, has shown a 1.5% increase in membership numbers this past year.
That's not how it works...You don't get baptized anything...Unless you're of course, a Catholic...You can be baptized a Catholic, born a Catholic, or even buy the position of pope as history shows us...
Christian baptism is for those only who have repented and turned to Jesus as their Savior...Baptism is an outward sign that we have participated in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ...
Not as Methodists, or Baptists, but Christians...
We Christians do not have to wait for Easter to experience that power...We have that power 24/7...
Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
WELCOME HOME Brother!:)-^..^=
WELCOME NEW BELIEVERS!!!!:)=^..^=
When I read that article, what happened with that gentleman in question, his life changing injuires and also his decision to become Catholic both have had or will will happen on my birthday Saturday, PRIASE GOD. :)=^..^=
Really?
Methodists baptize babies by sprinkling.
Baptists only baptize "believers," not babies, and only by immersion.
Do you seriously want me to believe that a Methodist who joins a Baptist church won't be rebaptized?
Great story, thanks for the post!
After reading that excellent article, what is going on is truly a miracle.
Why so much anger and hate? This anger and hate is not from God. Be happy and rejoice, people are coming to faith in Christ and are becoming Chiristians.
.....And that is the most important thing. The gentleman and the other people who are coming into the Church come Holy Saturday are puting on Christ.
My parish church this year is not having anyone come into the Church, either by baptism or by being recieved, but the whole parish will instead by have its faith renewed. :)=^..^=
Call it what you like, but we consider it an exposure of another of Rome's propaganda programs: Poor little man dies and becomes a Catholic. ROFLOL
Wait till we bring out the, "Man sees the pope in bean dip and becomes a Presbyterian."
Sorry guys, your article is pure, unadulterated trash talk proving absolutely nothing. And, the article is not about the man dying. It's all about the poor schmuck getting roped into that vicious cult of Rome.
Frankly, we appreciate you keeping this open since it provides an opportunity to stand against that Vatican horde and say, "Papists are wrongheaded and teach errant theology. Watch out for their traps. And, run, don't walk, to the nearest Bible to read the real story." We will continue to do so.
Prayers lifted for you.
Please do not project what you might feel upon my words. I would be very happy to see or hear another man/woman coming to Christ alone. Problem...the Roman monstrosity has overlain the beauty of simple faith in Jesus with ten thousand ceremonies, superstitions and traditions of men. Their contraption does not qualify as Christian.
When they are willing to repent, turn their backs on sacerdotalism, indulgences, sacraments, pointy hats, popemobiles, gold, absolution of sin, hail marios, our fathers, genuflecting, and all of the other baggage that wrongly implies/states that grace can be conferred by men, then we will be willing to sit down. Until then, we stand and say, you wrongly believe they teach the Gospel.
Sometime read the first 9 chapters of the letter to the Romans from Paul. Therein you will find that grace is not a business transaction from which a man can derive the wages of faith. Rather, the only thing we really deserve as "wages" is death. But, when God determines the time is right, His Spirit breathes life into certain chosen souls dead from sin. Those men/women begin to live and realize that God has placed saving faith into their undeserving hearts, washed them clean and adopted them as children. It is a "once and for all time" event. We cry, "Abba, Daddy". We have been transported from the domain of darkness to His realm of light.
It is nothing we do, nothing we say, nothing we think that got us there. But, we have been rescued as Paul was on the road to Damascus. He did not say words, perform ceremonies, think, act, believe...he just stood there and was captured by the Son of God.
The Catholic Church has so wrongly lead its people to believe joining, doing, chanting, performing, sacramenting (is that a word?), or some other things which the leadership imposes will provide the rescue of that man/woman's soul. This creates a man-centered gospel. We are here to set that record straight. If you have been laid hold of, the way Paul describes, then you have been granted faith and you are a Christian. If you believe salvation is found following the prescriptions of Rome, you have been shut up into a dark room of self-generated religion. You may despise this message, but it is true.
For this reason we call on Rome to repent of her atrocities and darkness...if she can.
Thank you. Ping to post #35.
I believe “sacramenting” is a word. This fall I am going “sacrmenting” that is, to visit my sister in Sacramento Calif.
Did you baptize yourself?
I am astounded every time I think of the millions of Catholic sheep that don’t actually get into their Bibles and see what God is saying to them. Instead they take for Gospel what ever is thrown their way by the Church. Either they are too lazy to actually study their Bibles or they are so far gone into the cult of man made rules they can not see the light that is right before them. It’s like sitting in a dark room at night when there is a light switch only a few feet away. What a waste.
Conversion, in truth is ongoing, and not just a one time thing. Even when one has been baptized, one must put on Christ all the time. Just a reflection.
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