A 10-Year Journey to the Church: Eric Lupo's Story of Becoming Catholic

If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would end up becoming Catholic, I would have probably laughed at you. Growing up in a devout non-denominational Christian home, I have multiple memories of myself when I was younger trying to argue with Catholics to make them see the error of their ways. However, life doesn’t always go the way you think it will. While working on my master’s degree in my previous home state of Florida, I had a crisis of faith and began to doubt very seriously if I had good reasons to stay a Christian at all. While on this journey, I was struck by one of the best arguments I’d heard for God’s existence which was made by a Catholic. This did not lead me right into the Church, but I look back now and can see that this was a pivotal moment for me.
 
However, as I was trying to figure out whether God existed, the resurrection of Jesus really happened, etcetera, I remember reading some information from a Protestant website about evidence related to Jesus’ resurrection and the author mentioned the writings of the early Christians that came after the apostles. I was amazed that we had writings from people who lived close to the time of the apostles, as I had no idea these writings existed! While growing up I’d learned of Martin Luther, Saint Augustine’s name may have been mentioned here and there, but Church history was largely unknown to me.
 
I ordered a compilation of the Apostolic fathers which included writings from Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, the Didache and others. As I read them, I realized that the way they spoke about Christianity sounded different from my local non-denominational church as well as the way I thought about faith related topics growing up. They talked about bishops, the Eucharist was spoken of in a more realistic way, rather than purely symbolic. I continued to read and learn more about early Christianity, ecumenical councils, the debate over the papacy among other things. This also did not lead me to convert right away, but began to open up my perspective more. Although I’d eventually come to believe I had good reasons to stay a Christian, I’d also become unconvinced of the doctrine that most Protestant’s accept known as Sola Scriptura, where scripture alone is the only infallible source of authority for the Church.
 
Once one is no longer a believer in Sola Scriptura, the question of authority then opens up to which apostolic church has the best reasons and historical claims behind them. At this point, I’d learned a lot more about the Eastern Orthodox Church and was very intrigued by it and began attending a beautiful, Greek Orthodox parish. I came to love the Divine Liturgy and met some wonderful people while attending. Although I was leaning heavily towards joining the Orthodox Church, I still kept the door slightly open to Catholicism, as well; I’d not fully ruled it out.
 
I stayed in limbo between whether I should join the Orthodox or Catholic Church for multiple years and during that time, moved to Arlington, Va., to work in Washington, D.C. While attending a weekend event hosted by the Thomistic Institute, I met a Catholic there who would eventually become my friend who invited me to check out St. Ann Catholic Church. I attended the young adult evening Mass and it was absolutely a beautiful experience. I also became connected with others through the ARK ministry. As I continued researching, contemplating and wrestling with which church to join, the issue that largely helped lead me toward choosing the Catholic Church was the office of the papacy.
 
While the history between the churches of the East and West is messy and nuanced, I came to realize that the Catholic model was closer to the historic church based on biblical texts, ecumenical councils and the testimony of saints venerated by both communities. While there is certainly much more I could write about this topic, I’ll keep things succinct. I ended up joining Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) through St. Ann, and I’m thankful to Msgr. Watkins for giving us his time and guiding our group. I was received into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil in April 2025. Praise be to God!