About

My name is Mary. My blog is about my journey from a liberal + secular Catholic household to Judaism in college. I am currently converting to Judaism. A lot of my blog is about my issues with the Catholic Church. I never have nor will claim to be objective. These are simply my experiences. All conversions from any one religion to any other have a particular set of issues. I do believe that Catholicism to Judaism is a unique path with a unique set of issues, rooted in the historical antisemitism of the Catholic Church. It was difficult enough to come to terms with the mistakes of the Church. It was even more difficult to come to terms with the idea that the institution you were raised in persecuted and caused many problems for the people with whom you identify. Catholic converts to Judaism have to deal with all of the normal conversion issues, the pain of leaving the Church, the pain of the Church's history, and on top of that we then take on the pain of the Jewish people that has been caused by the Church. That sounds pretty bad... it feels pretty bad, too. You can read more about my Catholic background in the August 2011 archives.

Currently I am in my fourth year at a large university with a decent sized Jewish population. I hang out at Hillel on a regular basis. In fact, I interned there last year. I got to know the ins and outs of a Jewish non-profit and the Jewish community. Now, the internship is over and I am back to being a Friday night regular. On Saturday mornings I go to the synagogue where I am converting and attend a class there on Sundays.

I have a great group of friends, both Jews and non-Jews, who support me in this strange endeavor. My parents don't get it right now and I don't think my grandparents ever will. It's really hard to find the words to express to them why I am doing what I am doing, especially in a condensed way. But this blog is about creating a large narrative to answer that question. It is imperfect, like me, and it is honest, like me. What I have to say will no doubt make someone mad, but I am not writing for those people. I am writing for myself and anyone who cares to learn what it means to be Catholic enough for hell and to make a major life change because of it.