CHNetwork Presents

Rakhi McCormick was raised Hindu, and Rae-Mi LeRoy's studies of Buddhism and Yoga brought her to the Sedona desert on a spiritual search.
Each of them came to Catholic Christianity in their own unique way; and they share how their experience of prayer in their previous traditions was redirected and expanded through the treasury of prayer and devotions they found in Catholicism.
If you come from a background like Rakhi or Rae-Mi, and are looking to get started with Christian prayer, we'd love to meet you!
The Coming Home Network was established in 1993 to help inquiring clergy and laity of various faiths -- or even no faith at all -- with fellowship, resources, and encouragement as they explore the possibility of becoming Catholic.
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Both Christopher O'Keefe and Dr. Matthew Wiseman came from families whose love of the Scriptures led them to embrace the Hebrew Roots Movement, an expression of Christianity that takes very seriously the commandments of God the Old Testament, and has a unique way of understanding of what Christ meant when He said that He did not come to abolish the law, but fulfill it.
They share how this reverence for the Hebrew Scriptures cultivated in them a desire to truly honor history and tradition; but also how their frustration with the way authority functioned in that world led them to go deeper, and brought them to a place they never imagined they'd end up: the Catholic Church.
More of Matthew's story 
More of Chris's story 
More of their conversations together about Messianic Christianity and Catholicism
Matthew's book, The Two Jerusalems
The Coming Home Network was established to help inquiring clergy and laity of various faiths -- or even no faith at all -- with fellowship, resources, and encouragement as they explore the possibility of becoming Catholic.
Find out more about our work: https://www.chnetwork.org
Join our FREE Online Community: https://community.chnetwork.org
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Support our mission: https://www.chnetwork.org/compass

Catholics and many other liturgically-oriented Christian traditions use a lectionary model, following a three-year cycle of readings, which means the whole Church is reading the same Scriptures together every Sunday throughout the year.
For those Christians who come from a background where the pastor picks out the readings each week, this can be a bit of an adjustment!
Matt Swaim talks to Ken Ogorek, co-author of the Breaking the Bread series, about what the lectionary is, how it works, and the benefits of reading the Scriptures together as a Church throughout the year.
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More on Breaking the Bread, a lectionary devotional by Ken Ogorek and Scott Hahn: https://stpaulcenter.com/store/breaking-the-bread-a-biblical-devotional-for-catholics-year-a
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In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI issued Anglicanorum coetibus, a historic move that provided a unique new avenue for Christians from the Anglican world to join the Catholic Church while keeping elements of their liturgical patrimony.
As the first head of the Personal Ordinariate in the United States and Canada, Msgr. Jeffrey Steenson shares his background as a bishop in the Episcopal Church, the meetings with then-Cardinal Ratzinger that laid the foundation for Anglicanorum coetibus, and what it was like to have a front row seat to this extraordinary moment in Christian history. NOTE: This conversation was recorded shortly before the appointment of Archbishop Sarah Mullally to the See of Canterbury, but we decided to leave the comments about the lengthy vacancy of that office in the episode because of their pertinence to the overall discussion. More about the Ordinariate: https://www.ordinariate.net
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Do Catholics believe in the Rapture? If not, what *do* Catholics believe about the end of the world? Matt Swaim, Carl Olson, and Dr. Paul Thigpen each came from Evangelical Christian backgrounds where there were lots of theories about how to understand the End Times, from Hal Lindsey to the "Left Behind" series. Now that they're Catholic, they reflect on some elements of the history of the dispensationalist theology that helped popularize belief in the Rapture, and look at some of the things that the Catholic Church formally teaches about what will happen when Jesus comes again in glory to judge the living and the dead. Carl's book, "Will Catholics Be 'Left Behind'?": https://www.amazon.com/Will-Catholics-Left-Behind-Apologetics/dp/0898709504 Paul's book, "The Rapture Trap": https://www.amazon.com/Rapture-Trap-Catholic-Response-Times/dp/0965922820 More stories and resources: https://www.chnetwork.org Our Online Community: https://www.chnetwork.org/community Support our work: https://www.chnetwork.org/compass

Growing up Baptist, both Sonja Corbitt and Dr. Annie Bullock loved Jesus and Scripture, but at times found themselves in conflict with their pastors as they sought to share their gifts within the churches they attended, specifically because they were women. So why on earth would they join the Catholic Church, given its clear and unwavering commitment to an all-male priesthood?
Sonja and Annie discuss that conundrum, and look at a number of other factors -- including the role of Mary in salvation history -- that led them to believe they could not only fit in the Catholic Church, but that their unique gifts to teach and lead could flourish there as well.
Dr. Annie Bullock on The Journey Home
Sonja Corbitt on The Journey Home
Sonja's website: sonjacorbitt.com
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It doesn't happen to everyone, but it's happened to enough people to warrant a discussion: Why do so many people who come from Evangelical backgrounds feel drawn to explore history and liturgy through the Anglican tradition?
And why do so many of those same people feel ultimately drawn to the Catholic Faith?
Matt Swaim talks to Andrew Petiprin, who grew up Evangelical, became an Anglican priest, and then later entered the Catholic Church.
They discuss some of the themes that commonly come up for people who travel this specific path of faith, and how now as Catholics they look back on appreciation for the Evangelical and Anglican ideas and spirituality that helped to form them.
Andrew Petiprin's site: https://www.andrewpetiprin.com
The Spe Salvi Institute: https://www.spesalviinstitute.com
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As writers of fiction and converts to Catholicism from Evangelical backgrounds, Rhonda Ortiz and Lorelei Savaryn talk to Matt Swaim about their perspective on the literary imagination as Catholics compared to how they understood creative writing in their previous Christian experience.
They reflect on some of the Christian authors who have been most influential to them in this regard, and how their experience of the sacramental life has informed the way they approach their fiction writing.
Rhonda's books: https://rhondaortiz.com/the-molly-chase-series
Lorelei's books: https://loreleisavaryn.com/books/
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Many of our CHNetwork members will be observing Advent for the first time this year. They often have lots of questions: How does one distinguish Advent from Christmas? How can I help my family enter into this season in a spirit of prayer and hope? And how does it all fit into the bigger Catholic concept of the liturgical year? Matt Swaim talks Lauren De Witt (a Baptist preacher's kid), and CHNetwork's Rakhi McCormick (who grew up Hindu) about how they've incorporated Advent and the liturgical calendar into their family life since they've become Catholic.
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When someone begins to be open to the possibility of some kind of purification process between this life and heaven, often many practical questions arise: How does it work? Does it hurt? How long does it take? Is it avoidable? Matt Swaim talks to Karlo Broussard, author of "Purgatory is for Real," to tackle some of the common questions that come up among people who have come to accept the basic theological premise of Purgatory, but are curious about how the whole picture fits together. Karlo's book, Purgatory is for Real: https://shop.catholic.com/purgatory-is-for-real/
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