Introducing – Barrett Turner
Aug 5th, 2010 | By Tim A. Troutman | Category: Blog PostsOur second new contributor is Barrett Turner. Barrett was still a Protestant when he first commented at CTC. Now he’s in the doctoral program at Catholic University of America. Here’s Barrett’s bio:
Though raised United Methodist, Barrett was heavily influenced by Reformed University Fellowship and a local PCA church at the University of Virginia. During his time at Covenant Theological Seminary after college, he became increasingly intrigued and troubled by “the Catholic question”. As a result, he and his wife began a period of discernment and eventually RCIA. They were received into full communion with the Catholic Church by Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis at the 2010 Easter Vigil. Barrett is currently a doctoral student in moral theology at the Catholic University of America.
Barrett, welcome to the team!
Welcome! There you are at the site of one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. For two hours I could barely speak as we toured the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. That was just about a year ago. Three weeks later, my husband entered RCIA and is now a Catholic. That much influence of our blessed Mother was enough to soften his heart. Thanks be to God and to His mom!
Welcome on board as official CTC contributers, Barrett and David! We have so many gifted writers here, God be praised!
Barrett, Lord willing, either later this year, or sometime next year, I will be living just outside of D.C.! I hear that it’s a great place to be a Catholic, but I was a Reformed Baptist at the time that I lived there, so this will be a new experience! :-) I’m currently in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but I’m on a waiting list to move back into a disabled-accessible apartment complex, where I used to live, in Silver Spring, Maryland. How great it will be to have only a 30-minute subway ride to CUA and the Basilica! Perhaps we will meet up sometime!
Jill, thank you for the welcome. The Shrine is indeed beautiful. What I find most wonderful about the place are the numerous chapels dedicated by various ethnic/national groups within the Church to our Lady. There are African, Austrian, Byzantine-Ruthenian, Chinese, Cuban, Czech, Filipino, French, German, Guamanian, Indian, Irish, Italian, Korean, Latin American, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Slovak, Slovenian, and Vietnamese chapels. One can see the catholicity of the Body of Christ by walking through there! Every time I attend Mass at the Shrine, I’ve always been pleasantly surprised to see quite a number of different “peoples” in attendance, whether local folks or pilgrims.
I wish I had more space in my little bio above to say how important Mary’s help was during my conversion, though it was emotionally difficult at first for a conservative Protestant who has been trained to think that marian devotion is very, very wrong. Her spiritual motherhood is a blessed gift from Christ.
Christopher, it would be great to meet you if you make it out to DC. We could definitely tour the shrine. Thanks for your encouragement. Praise God for your own journey, as well!
Pax,
Barrett