We are nearing the end of July, but before we do, Desiree is here to tell us why she loves being Catholic. Desiree is a recent convert to the Catholic Faith. As I read her answers, I had to go ask her one more question: What was it that converted her? The answer basically boils down to wrestling with the Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura--the Bible alone--as the sole authority on Christian beliefs. She came to see that Sola Scriptura just doesn't work and that journey led her to the Catholic Faith. I was so happy to hear about her favorite part of the Mass because it's mine, too. I simply can't say it without tearing up. But, I'll let you read on to see what I'm talking about. Please enjoy her great responses! Welcome home, Desiree!

1. Are you a cradle Catholic or a convert? If a convert, where did you convert from?

I'm a convert from a conservative Presbyterian church; my family and I came into the Church at the Easter Vigil in 2016.

2. Who is your favorite saint and why?

That's a hard question! Only having been Catholic for a couple of years, I know that there are a lot of amazing saints that I haven't gotten to know yet. One of my favorites is St. Mary Magdalene - I chose her as my Confirmation saint. To me, she embodies what I see as the foundational goal of my life - beyond any of my vocations as wife, mother, writer, who I really pray and strive to be is simply one who loves and follows Jesus with passion and unrelenting faith through all seasons.

3. What has been your favorite Catholic place that you've visited and why? Where do you hope to visit?

I think my favorite so far is the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City, Utah. It's where we had our Rite of Welcome as new converts, and it was a lovely introduction to cathedrals for me. I remember being really struck by the beauty of it and by the fact that I was becoming a part of this - that I, personally, belonged there in that amazing place.

I would really love to visit Assisi. I am in formation to be a Secular Franciscan, and I hope to one day take the pilgrimage from Assisi to Rome.

4. Besides the Eucharist, what is your favorite part of the Mass?

The prayer: "Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed."

I had been through a rough few years before we became Catholic, and the ones since have been even harder. In the early days of visiting Mass, this prayer jumped out at me as I heard a man behind me praying it with great fervor and sincerity. It struck my heart as summarizing exactly what I needed - interior healing. And, like in our physical lives, healing is not something we need once, we need it over and over as life takes its toll on us.

Being able to pray this prayer in the powerful and moving context of the Mass is a privilege which I rarely fail to appreciate even when I have multiple children getting very squirmy. The healing that Jesus gives us through the Mass is such a priceless treasure.

5. What is a myth or misconception you hear frequently about the Catholic Church? What's the truth of it?

Oh, goodness. I used to believe a great many of them myself! One big one is this idea that Catholics don't really believe in anything - they're just going through the motions of empty superstitious rituals. This is a really common belief among Protestants. We had no idea at all the depth of the Catholic faith.

The truth, of course, is much different, and it doesn't take much beyond hanging around the Church to realize that in reality, Catholics have a lively Christian faith. These days, it's amazing to me that I could have had such a misconception - when you look at the history and testimony of the saints, combined with the passionate faith of currently living Catholics, it's not hard to see that whether you agree with Catholic teaching or not, there have been and still are rank upon rank of Catholics who are very far from insincere.

6. Why do you love being Catholic?

I love so many things! I love the saints, Mary, Catholic prayer, the Secular Franciscan Order, the Sacraments (especially Reconciliation and the Mass. What a privilege!).

I love being a part of the original and ancient Church. After years of distress over the terrible divisions that exist in the Protestant world and wondering if they can ever be healed, it's such a privilege to be Catholic and to have the Magisterium with the authority of the Holy Spirit to interpret the Bible and guide the Church in unity. Divisions within the Church exist, of course, but we still hold together. Opinions about doctrine exist, but we all know the boundaries that have been established through the guidance of the Spirit, and that to be Catholic we have to respect those. We know that we can't just up and start our own church and have any excuse for thinking that it's going to be a legitimate thing to do.

I also, maybe oddly, love the reversal of point of view that I have had. I feel that it's a really valuable thing to have seen the same issue from opposite sides of the aisle, so to speak. It gives me an ability to really understand not just the Protestant perspective, but also to have experienced how different the same practice or historical event can look depending on one's point of view. It's an opportunity not everyone has, and it helps me not to feel that the years I spent as a non-Catholic were somehow wasted.

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