Jeg leste i dag (hos National Catholic Register) noen interessante kommentarer etter påskehøytidens dåp av svært mange konvertitter – langt flere i en del andre land enn i Norge:
The Church around the world welcomes thousands of new Catholics at the Easter vigil.
On average, more than 100,000 adults enter the Church in the United States every year. They come from every walk of life and every age group. Some arrive in the Church after many years of personal struggle, and some come at the very end of their lives. Others are moved to become Catholic because of the examples of saints, priests, religious, and exemplary laypeople and family members who give witness to Christ Jesus.
In the end, of course, they reach the same conclusion as another famous convert, Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman: “Regarding Christianity, 10,000 difficulties do not make one doubt.”
And to be sure, many converts are encouraged in their own journeys to Catholicism by the models of more famous converts.
Movie stars, poets, novelists, musicians, philosophers, scientists and even queens were convinced in their consciences that they must become Catholic. …
Jeg tar med noen få personer fra listen:
Malcolm Muggeridge (1903-1990): British journalist, satirist and author. He became a Catholic in 1982 with his wife, Kitty, largely through the influence of St. Teresa of Calcutta.
Bernard Nathanson (1926-2011): American medical doctor and a founding member of NARAL Pro-Choice America who joined the pro-life movement in the 1970s.
Richard John Neuhaus (1936-2009): Former Lutheran pastor, writer, theologian and founder and editor of the journal First Things.
Sigrid Undset (1882-1949): Norwegian novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928.
Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966): English writer famed for his novel Brideshead Revisited (1945).
John Wayne (1907-1979): Academy Award-winning actor beloved for his roles in westerns and war movies.
Evelyn Waugh skrev jeg nylig om, og nevnte da også Sigrid Undset og G. K. Chesterton (som de visst har glemt her). Jeg måtte google John Wayne; han konvertere visst to dager før han døde i 1979.