Do You Know A Convert When You See One?

[Perigrina]

I was talking with some people before Mass today about catechisms and said something like, "I really like the Baltimore Catechism (even though we think of it as a children's catechism).  Maybe it's because I'm a convert."

 

Somebody replied, "No kidding."

 

So I answered, "You mean you can tell  I'm a convert?"

 

And he said, "Yes, you can always recognize a convert."

 

Making allowances for it being an exaggeration, do you think it is usually possible to tell that a person is a convert to Catholicism?

[PhuturePriest]

I know a lot of converts who are on fire, just as I know a lot of cradle Catholics who are on fire. That being said, I also know people on both sides who are very lukewarm. One of my friends is a convert, but I'm afraid he's not very pious these days, and doesn't go to Mass, as far as I am aware.

[chrysostom]

I know a convert when I look in the mirror.  :P

 

What is a convert?  I think you refer to adult converts who once were without Holy Mother Church but for various reasons have been received into her arms.  Now this is often accompanied by a zeal for various teachings or aspects of the Church.  But it is best if the change in religious identity is accompanied by a conversion of heart.  But of course this isn't the kind of conversion limited to them, but occurs (and should occur) in cradle Catholics as well.

[Luigi]

I can't tell by looking, especially on first glance or anything like that. But I can figure it out fairly quickly if I talk to them for any length of time. I guess what alerts me is they don't catch certain what-you-might-call second-tier references - they know the important terms for the main theological concepts and so forth, but they don't the finer details or older terms or alternate terms.

 

They may not know the difference between nuns and women religious, or they know the Dominican order but not know that sisters are (often) grouped into congregations (or provinces for men), or they may not know the difference between a monk, a friar, and a secular priest. 

 

Or if I say, "My grandmother was born on March 19th, so her middle name is Josephine," they may not get the connection. Not every Catholic knows every saint's feast day but there are a few that mostly everybody knows. 

 

 

But I have to say that some Catholics are missing this same kind of information, too. It usually indicates that they were raised in a lukewarm Catholic family - went to Church and did what was required, but not much  more than that, weren't involved in the parish, that kind of thing. 

 

 

 

 

[Ash Wednesday]

Converts are those well-dressed people you see after mass carrying the Scott Hahn books beaming and vigorously shaking people's hands. They usually have a bible too, and cradle Catholics stare at it in awe and wonder because they've never seen someone actually bring one to mass before.

 

 

 

 

 

Just kidding. By looking at someone, I wouldn't know.

 

 

[mortify ii]

Converts tend to know more

[Credo in Deum]

No.