A question for only those in this group:

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8. Grew up Catholic, now an Episcopalian

I was baptized as an infant into the Catholic church, and was a Catholic up until about 1.5 years ago. I had been fairly active in the local Catholic parish, doing almost everything except saying Mass. Back in 2005 when the Cardinals in their rather infinite wisdom gave us Benedict I wasn't happy. I had a friend in the church I went to who said that he was considering leaving then. I decided to make the best of it and continue on in the Catholic church, however I continued to consider leaving myself off and on for the next several years.

In early 2012 I wasn't able to go to Mass for several weeks due to work and going to visit family out of town. It was about then that the USCCB mounted the soapbox about how that mean and evil President was persecuting them. I found I couldn't bring myself to go back to the Catholic church. I went to the local Episcopal Church a couple weeks later, and pretty soon was going there or to another Episcopal Church a short distance away almost every week I didn't have to work. The Episcopal Church felt like a much better fit for me, and last summer I finally went to the rector and asked how to go about being received into the Episcopal Church. She said if I wanted to be received there would be inquirer classes in the fall and when the Bishop came to visit in November I could be received. Last November I was formally received into the Episcopal Church.

It just feels so much more comfortable going there, I don't have to hide my feelings anymore about certain things - abortion, gay marriage, and so on. Services don't feel like the campaign rallies. Sure there may not be as many cars come Sunday morning surrounding our church, and the church may seem empty compared to most of the Catholic parishes in the area. But I am reminded of how when two or three gather in Christ's name that he is with them (Matt 18:20), and how true that is in my new parish. We might not have strength in numbers but He is with us. Also, in the Episcopal Church the Eucharist is treated as the gifts of God for the people of God, and all baptized people are welcome to share in it, rather than just the members of the church who agree with everything the leadership says.