Have you ever had a moment in your life when a light switch flipped on? When the last piece of the puzzle came together? One such moment happened for me during The Well Mentorship program in the spring of 2021. I was a Protestant who had signed up for The Well with a degree of nervousness. I had been following Blessed is She since 2018 and was longing to make connections with Catholic women who desired a deeper intimacy with our Lord. Most of my journey into the Church took place during the pandemic, making it difficult to find in-person Catholic connections. Although I had been discerning about becoming Catholic, I wasn’t quite ready to commit. I was a happy Protestant who loved Jesus. I had a strong faith and was active in the church I had called home for many years. I was content; investigating Catholicism was never on my radar, and it created a great deal of inner turmoil.
The Last Piece
After three years of much prayer, many tears, and wrestling with God, I was nearing the precipice. Which brings us to the spring of 2021, when I signed up for a session of The Well led by Megan Hjelmstad. Although I was nervous, I needn’t have been. Megan received each of us so beautifully and the women in the group were all so welcoming and made me feel at ease. Every week we would meet and share what the Lord was revealing to our hearts through the talks, workbook, and weekly assigned practices. The practice assigned for the second week was to go to the Sacrament of Confession. Since I was unable to go as a Protestant, Megan asked me to do some more research on this Sacrament. I had come to understand and accept Catholic teaching on a lot of the objections Protestants have to the Church. I was convinced about papal authority, purgatory, praying for the intercession of Saints, and veneration of the Blessed Mother. Because of Blessed is She I had been praying a daily Rosary for over a year. I was even convinced that the Eucharist was the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Surprisingly, I didn’t know much about Confession. And this, as it turns out, was the last piece of the puzzle.
The Light Switch
During that week, I finally understood how Confession works and why it works. I was stunned to realize that I could be assured, without a doubt, that my sins were forgiven and absolved. As a Protestant, I was taught that I should confess my sins to God, ask for His forgiveness, and believe in His grace. As a Catholic, I am also taught to do this. But I was missing something—the grace of the Sacrament. Confession was this wonderful gift Jesus gave us that I had been seeking for so long and couldn’t quite put my finger on. The words of Jesus to the Apostles in John 20:21-23 finally made sense:
[Jesus] said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Because the priest acts in persona Christi I would be able to know beyond a doubt that my sins were forgiven. With a contrite heart, I could confess my sins and actually hear the priest, who acts in the person of Christ, say the words: “Go in peace, the Lord has forgiven you.” The light switch flipped on and everything came together in that watershed moment!
Surrender and Sisterhood
Although understanding Confession was the last piece of the puzzle, I also needed support. One of the things holding me back was the fear of how family and friends would react. With the support of Megan and my Well sisters, I was finally able to say yes to our Lord’s invitation to come into the fullness of the faith. That moment of surrender flooded my being with a deep peace that I have since tried and failed to adequately describe. For the first time in my life, I tangibly experienced what Paul wrote about in Philippians 4:7: Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The joy and peace of that surrender has only grown deeper and stronger with time. I have never looked back.
After The Well, I contacted the deacon at the parish where I had made my first-ever Eucharistic Holy Hour during the first week of The Well. By the grace of God and through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, I was received into the Church on the Solemnity of the Assumption in 2021. The impact of The Well and Blessed is She on my life cannot be underscored enough. The beautiful friendships that have come about because of The Well and Blessed is She are pure gift.
Maybe you’re like I was—a nervous Protestant who is discerning and uncertain. Maybe you’re longing for deeper intimacy with Jesus. Maybe you’re looking for connection and friendship that is based on our Catholic faith. Consider coming to The Well. Come in the heat of the day to discover that Jesus is waiting for you. That He desires to give you the water that will become in you a spring of water welling up to eternal life (see John 4:14).
Ellie Wiebe loves being Catholic and falls more in love with Jesus and His Church all the time. She wishes it was autumn all year round and looks forward to her first pumpkin spice latte each year with great anticipation.
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