There are 150,000 people joining the Catholic Church this week in the US. We’ve already mentioned Newt Gingrich, but the Curt Jester points to another one that is worth noticing:
The Scharbachs, practicing Anglicans for the last several years, believe they have found that sense of belonging in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the Roman Catholic Church, which the family hopes to join during Easter Vigil at next-door Holy Cross parish.
“We’ve always thought that this is the only church that has remained steadfast on moral issues and has a worldwide witness to that,” Mrs. Scharbach said. “It’s a worldwide voice saying, ‘This is wrong.’ ”
Asked why this is the time for him and his family to convert, Mr. Scharbach offered a simple answer: “The magisterium – to be in communion with the Holy See.”
Just months ago, Mr. Scharbach was a promising Anglican priest at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Rosemont, near Philadelphia.
His bottom line is however the most significant:
“I realized I can live without being Roman Catholic, but I couldn’t die without being Roman Catholic,” Mr. Scharbach said.
That’s what it all comes down to. And if the Anchoress is right we will need people of strength for what is coming:
Just be ready, is all I am saying. And practice prayer – which is the most subversive of liberties; it can never be taken from you, and is a source of power and strength. Train yourself in prayer. Begin now, so that you are a fit, skilled practitioner when the need arises.
You never know the day or hour.
