In 2025, we were privileged to share another year of incredible testimonies on EWTN’s The Journey Home. JonMarc Grodi was able interact with some amazing guests, who are living witnesses to the power of grace and the beauty of following Jesus.

According to site visits, social media activity and your feedback, here were the most popular Journey Home episodes from this year:

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10. Joshua and Teresa Mangels – Former Assemblies of God Ministers

After beginning a personal relationship with Jesus as a teenager, Joshua Mangels felt a call to ministry and eventually became an Assemblies of God pastor. As he studied the Church Fathers, he discovered a sacramental worldview that was completely new to him, and he had to know more. Initially, he and his wife hesitated to dig deeper for fear of risking their ministry. However as Joshua began teaching about the Fathers to his congregation, more of his members became interested in Catholicism. They connected with the Byzantine Eparchy of Phoenix, and some of the Mangels’ congregation entered the Catholic Church along with them. Watch their episode.

9. Michael Garcia – Former United Pentecostal Pastor

Michael Garcia was baptized Catholic, but wandered a bit as a young man. When his brother got involved with a Oneness Pentecostal community, Michael was intrigued, and after exploring it, felt that this was the kind of community God was calling him to. He quickly began to sense a call to ministry, serving in a couple of different United Pentecostal congregations along the way.

However, when Michael visited Europe, he was struck by the ancient quality of Catholicism and began to wonder more deeply about the faith of his youth. He reached out to the Coming Home Network, and after a period of working with fellow pastors who had become Catholic, Michael and his wife came home to full communion with the Catholic Church. Watch Michael’s episode.

8. Bishop James Conley – Former Baptist and Presbyterian

Bishop James Conley was raised Presbyterian, and studied Applied Humanities at Kansas University in the 1970’s, falling in love with the Great Books. That led him to become Catholic his junior year of college. He traveled Europe for a bit after that, considering a monastic vocation, before following a call to diocesan priesthood, and eventually becoming an ordained bishop. He has since become increasingly passionate about the importance of solid Catholic education, and a powerful voice in regard to caring for mental and spiritual health in the context of the sacramental life. Watch Bishop Conley’s episode.

7. Dr. Matthew Levering – Former Quaker

Matthew Levering was not raised in any particular faith, but his mom was a seeker. They had some experience of Quaker congregations, but more as a social movement than a religious one.

It was actually through reading fiction from Dostoevsky and Walker Percy and others that Matthew began to find himself developing something resembling a Christian worldview. In college, those questions were explored more deeply, leading him first to Christianity in general, which he looked into at the library at Duke Divinity School, and later to its fulness and completion in the Catholic Church. Watch Dr. Levering’s episode.

6. Fr. Michael Nixon – Former Hare Krishna

Fr. Michael Nixon was born in Hawaii to parents who were Hare Krishnas. When he was in elementary school, his whole family became Catholic, which was a radical change for him.

He began the process of discovery of the Catholic faith among fellow Catholics his age who had known all this stuff from birth, and that perspective as a child discovering Catholicism in the context of his family’s conversion led him to an openness to a call to the priesthood, and a desire to use his gifts to evangelize through new media. Watch Fr. Nixon’s episode.

5. Tsh Oxenreider – Former Evangelical and Anglican

Tsh Oxenreider was raised Evangelical, and even felt called to do missionary work, but her desire to grow deeper in her faith began to lead her toward liturgy and the sacraments, which she began exploring through the Anglican tradition.

However, she still felt as though God was calling her to deeper roots, and the more she prayed and discerned her way through her questions, the more she felt that the Holy Spirit was leading her to become Catholic. Watch Tsh’s episode.

4. Eddie Trask – Catholic Revert, Former Evangelical

Eddie Trask was raised Catholic, but by college, had fallen away from his faith. When he came back to Christianity, it was through Evangelical and non-denominational congregations, and it was through meeting his wife and going through some significant family struggles together that things really began to turn around. As they began to grow together in faith, they realized they needed a firmer foundation than what they were standing on, and that search for truth and stability led them and their family home to the Catholic Church. Watch Eddie’s episode.

3. Christopher O’Keefe – Former Mennonite Pastor

Christopher O’Keefe’s faith journey led him to give his life to God in service, working in prison ministry, and eventually becoming an ordained pastor in the Mennonite tradition. However, his desire to find a solid and stable apostolic authority, as well as a doctrine that would not change to accommodate cultural norms, led him to find a home in the Catholic Church. He entered into full communion at the Easter Vigil in 2022. Watch Christopher’s episode.

2. Dr. Brian Duncan – Former Baptist Minister

Dr. Brian Duncan graduated high school early and went straight into Baptist ministry training. On fire for Jesus, he was constantly seeking deeper resources to help him teach the faith, which led him to discover the Church Fathers.

Teaching from them caused problems in his independent Baptist congregation, so he spent a little time in a Reformed Baptist church, which also didn’t work out. Disillusioned, he sought a house church environment, at which point he realized it was time for him to stop trying to reinvent and reclaim the Christianity of the early Church; and what he’d been trying to rebuild on his own initiative was present in its fulness right in front of him in the Catholic Faith. Watch Brian’s episode.

1. Justine Callis – Former Non-Denominational Evangelical Christian

Justine Callis was raised in a Christian home, and became a successful gymnast. Her athletic pursuits led her to Arizona, where she plugged into an Evangelical megachurch and her faith began to grow. She also worked in Evangelical campus ministry at Arizona State, where she was coaching.

When she met Catholics who were on fire for their faith, it shocked her; she’d thought Catholicism was a “dead religion.” She began to explore Catholicism, especially the doctrine of the Eucharist and the concept of a Magisterium, and over the course of two years of prayer and study, discerned that God was calling her to become Catholic. Watch Justine’s episode.

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Thank you for joining us for another great year! And we can’t wait to share another one full of great Journey Home episodes in 2025…

To support our work into the new year, please consider an end-of-year gift today!

View the Top 10 episodes from previous years: 2016 – 2017 – 2018 – 2019 – 2020 – 2021 – 2022 – 2023 – 2024

As we close the book on 2025, it gives us an opportunity to revisit some of the most popular content that we were blessed to publish in the past year. And there was a lot of it!

Here were the Top 10 most popular videos and/or series that we published in 2025:

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10. A Methodist Pastor’s Hunger for the Eucharist – Deep in Christ

JonMarc Grodi spoke with former Methodist pastor Keith Nester about how his relationship with Christ has continued to grow since entering the Catholic Church.

They discuss many topics, from the process that led Keith to become Catholic, to the prayers and devotions that Keith has come to love since entering the Church.

Keith talks specifically about how receiving Jesus in the Eucharist has transformed his Christian life, and what he has learned about what it means to have a relationship with Jesus through the sacraments that He established. Watch the episode.

 

9. The History of the Sign of the Cross – Deep in Christ Short

It’s one of the most recognizable gestures in any religion; but what are the origins of the Sign of the Cross?

JonMarc Grodi talks to Dr. Jim Papandrea, author of Praying Like the Early Church, about how the Sign of the Cross is discussed in the earliest available Christian texts, and why many believers continue to observe this visible form of prayer even today. Watch the video.

 

8. Signposts – Bobbyjon Bauman

Bobbyjon Bauman had a major awakening of faith when he encountered the non-denominational work of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in college, and went on to pursue a call to ministry.

But that raised a complicated question for him: which denomination should he be ordained in?

Bobbyjon shares how that question led him to several years of extended prayer and study, including years of seminary formation. Ultimately, it was what he found in the witness of the earliest Christians that helped him to understand where to find his true spiritual home. Watch Bobbyjon’s story.

 

7. Signposts – Sharon Ripley

Sharon Ripley had an experience of a variety of forms of Christianity growing up, and even went to Catholic schools, but it wasn’t until her 40’s, when she felt that her life was missing something, that she decided to get serious about finding a church home.

Sharon immediately found a nurturing Christian community in the A.M.E. Church that formed her in intercessory prayer and a theology of the Holy Spirit, and she even served in children’s ministry.

However, in her continuing ministry formation, her study of the New Testament, especially John’s Gospel, began to lead her more and more to the conviction that Jesus truly was calling her to receive him in a unique way in Holy Communion in the Catholic Church. Watch Sharon’s story.

 

6. Our Last Sermons as Pastors – On the Journey with Matt, Ken and Kenny

There are certain things that only clergy converts to Catholicism can truly relate to — such as planning your last sermon before resigning from ministry. In this episode, Ken and Kenny share how that last sermon played out for each of them, as well as who they were most afraid to tell about their decision to become Catholic, and which pastor convert was most helpful to them personally as they entered the Church. Watch the episode.

 

5. Purgatory –  On the Journey with Matt, Ken, and Kenny

There are a lot of strange and confusing ideas out there about Purgatory, from pop culture, to literature, and more, and many of them come by way of myth, misunderstanding, and even memes.

So what does the Catholic Church actually officially teach about Purgatory? And how does that square with the Scriptures and what they have to say to us about heaven, hell, the nature of salvation, and the universal call to holiness? Watch the series.

 

4. Catholicism, the Rapture, and the End of the World – CHNetwork Presents

Do Catholics believe in the Rapture? If not, what *do* Catholics believe about the end of the world?

Matt Swaim, Carl Olson, and Dr. Paul Thigpen each came from Evangelical Christian backgrounds where there were lots of theories about how to understand the End Times, from Hal Lindsey to the “Left Behind” series.

Now that they’re Catholic, they reflect on some elements of the history of the dispensationalist theology that helped popularize belief in the Rapture, and look at some of the things that the Catholic Church formally teaches about what will happen when Jesus comes again in glory to judge the living and the dead. Watch the episode.

3. Signposts – Roger Maxson

As a young man, Roger Maxson felt the Lord calling him into ministry, and he began to attend a Baptist seminary so that he could be formed to teach and preach the Gospel and minister to a world desperately in need of Jesus.

However, when debates arose over key doctrines even within his Baptist world, he decided to take a step back and look at Christianity with fresh eyes; not just by studying outside the faith to better understand critiques of it, but also deep into history to hear how faithful Christians had articulated it over time.

What he found was surprising and convicting, and while at first scary, these discoveries eventually helped Roger realize something true and beautiful and good about the kind of Church that Jesus meant to build from the beginning. Watch Roger’s story.

2. A Methodist Pastor Discovers the Immaculate Conception – Shane Page

While Shane Page was studying to become a Methodist pastor, he wanted to understand the incarnation of Jesus as clearly as possible. This led him to do a deep dive into the way that Christ’s humanity and divinity had been discussed throughout Christian history, and he was surprised to discover how much of that conversation reflected on Mary’s being set apart for the unique purpose of bearing the Son of God.

Shane shares how this research led him to discover many more passages in Scripture that connected to Mary’s role, not only in giving birth to Jesus, but in showing us all what it means to be a Christian. Watch Shane’s video.

 

1. Sola Scriptura 2.0 – On the Journey with Matt, Ken, and Kenny

When Ken Hensley and Kenny Burchard were Protestant pastors, they believed and taught what many Christians profess: the doctrine of sola Scriptura, which holds that the Bible alone is the sole and sufficient rule of faith.

Along with fellow Catholic convert Matt Swaim, they begin a series unpacking the basic conditions and consequences of sola Scriptura, and share the ways that each of them began to question its workability, its historicity, and whether or not it was even a biblically sound doctrine. Watch the series.

 

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We were thrilled to be able to share so much wonderful video content in 2025! With the help of your generous support, we hope to continue to share a lot more of it in 2026. Happy New Year!

It’s been another great year of sharing conversion testimonies and other articles! We have lots of favorites, but here were the ten most popular among our readers in 2025:

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10. No Longer a None – Rae-Mi LeRoy

“In June 2016, about a week before I was going to attend a Buddhist Retreat, I had a dream of Jesus. I woke up completely confused. I thought, ‘Why would Jesus come to me? I do not pray or go to church. He must have gotten lost!'” Read Rae-Mi’s story.

9. Authority, Adoration, and Assent – Barry Hamlin

“While churches were shut down, we watched services together most Sundays online on the couch. We would typically watch her Mass at 8:00am, and then watch my church service at 9:30am. I remember thinking that, while I could get much out of my church service sitting at home on the couch, Annette’s experience was fundamentally different. You couldn’t replicate the Mass and the Eucharist with an online service.” Read Barry’s story.

8. Papal Transitions as Moments of Conversion

The funeral of one pope and the election of another can spark lots of questions among non-Catholics. What is the Church? What constitutes legitimate Christian authority? How does what I am seeing unfold compare to the historical and hierarchical experience of my own faith tradition?

These questions can open up seekers of good will to the possibility of wanting to know about Catholicism beyond the mere practical mechanics of a conclave.

In fact, several of our Coming Home Network members have shared that witnessing a papal transition has played a significant role in causing them to consider taking a fresh look at the Catholic Church. Read their stories.

7. My Lord and My God – Gary Wiley

“Upon graduation in 1983, I accepted the pastorate of a newly-formed congregation church in Michigan. Four years later, in 1987, Charlotte and I sensed that it was time to take that important step to go overseas. We were appointed by the Wesleyan Church to serve as missionaries in Peru. We left the United States with our two young daughters for the country of Costa Rica to learn Spanish.” Read Gary’s story.

6. Love is the Only Reasonable Response – Jasmin Johnson

“I was a committed Methodist; after all, I was married to the pastor. I engaged in a mediocre, comfortable Christianity, never facing the difficult things of life in myself or others. I paid little attention to those childhood experiences, and a false self evolved — a glittering facade of my true, sunny personality. I was proud of the shiny persona I had developed. As the years ticked by, though, the separation between that glittering image and the true self became greater. Life was busy, and I never stopped to recognize how lost I had become.” Read Jasmin’s story.

5. Eiji Tsuburaya: The Catholic Convert Behind Godzilla

“One of my fondest memories growing up in the 1980s was the weekly Saturday afternoon creature double feature that used to play on our local UHF station in Detroit. My favorite movies during this time were the Godzilla films. While there were many ‘fathers’ of the Godzilla franchise, it was really one man’s imagination and creativity which gave Godzilla the look and personality that has made him the ‘mon-star’ I grew to love — Eiji Tsuburaya, special effects master and convert to the Catholic Faith.” Read the article.

4. From Satanist to Saint: The Story of Bartolo Longo

Over the past 30+ years, we’ve assisted clergy from every background imaginable on their journey to the Catholic Faith.

But perhaps no clergy conversion story is more dramatic than that of Bartolo Longo, a former satanic priest, whose feast day is October 5th and who was formally canonized by Pope Leo XIV on October 19th, 2025. Read his story.

3. Finding my Family of Faith – Heidi Hess Saxton

“I began playing piano and directing the choir of a small Baptist church in Orange, California. It was a wonderful, close-knit church with a pastor who had been serving there for seventeen years. It was my favorite ‘gig’ of the week… until just before I left on a summer outreach program to Poland, when the pastor announced from the pulpit that he was resigning his position in order to become Catholic. No one saw it coming, least of all me!” Read Heidi’s story.

2. The Challenge that Led Me to Catholicism – Joshua Morris

“In 2018, we joined the launch team of a multi-ethnic Non-denominational church being planted in Duluth, GA. My wife and I served as the directors of the childrens’ ministry, while I also occasionally preached on Sundays. The church was remarkable; it combined what we considered the best from the ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ traditions within Protestantism. It was deeply grounded in the Scriptures, with a theology steeped in grace, while also insisting we take social justice seriously… Most of my friends were from this church; the last thing I wanted was to leave these friends and the congregation that I loved.” Read Joshua’s story.

1. From Jesus People to Vineyard Pastor to Catholic – Steve Sjogren

“I once heard John Wimber, leader of the Vineyard movement, comment that the greatest tragedy in the history of the church was her division into factions due to the Reformation, as championed by Martin Luther. God used all that happened on the Protestant side and the later Counter-reformation launched among Catholics, but overall, it resembled a tragic divorce. Coming to the macro picture of God’s work on earth was a paradigm shift — a correction from my version of the church to something closer to God’s big picture invitation.” Read Steve’s story.

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2025 was a year of great stories, and  this list only scratches the surface. To view our full archive of written stories from the past year and beyond, visit chnetwork.org/story.

Read the Top 10 articles and stories from previous years: 2024 – 2023 – 2022 – 2021

And if you’re interested in submitting your own written testimony for us to review and see if it’s a fit for our readership, please let us know! You can find our written story submission guidelines here.

Got a question about the Catholic Faith, or need assistance on your journey? Consider joining our Online Community, or feel free to contact us for support. The Coming Home Network exists to help converts, “reverts,” those on the journey, and those who are just curious – we’d love to hear from you!

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The latest from CHNetwork

This week’s episode of The Journey Home was an encore of our conversation with Dr. Kenneth Calvert about his path to the Catholic Faith.

We featured the written story of Paul de Partee, who was moved to become Catholic after visiting a Christmas Midnight Mass.

We also shared an Insights video from Fr. Sebastian Walshe encouraging those who visit us at Mass this Christmas to keep coming back.

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CONVERTS AND CONVERSION

The National Catholic Register shared the story of a father and son, who both went through journeys of recovery from addiction on their way to the diaconate.

And Dr. Jeff Mirus shared what GK Chesterton wrote to his wife when she finally entered the Catholic Church.

APOLOGETICS PICKS OF THE WEEK

Elizabeth Scalia looked at 5 major moments from Pope Leo in 2025.

And John Grondelski reflected on getting to sing the Gloria at Mass again now that we’re in the Christmas season.

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A member who’s celebrating their family coming to Mass with them, another member who’s finally beginning to understand the Catholic perspective on Mary, and all our members who are celebrating their first Christmas as Catholics — these are just a few of the people we are praying for and working with at The Coming Home Network. Please help us continue to support those on the journey by visiting chnetwork.org/donate today!

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“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.”

St. John the Apostle
Feast Day: December 27th

Got a question about the Catholic Faith, or need assistance on your journey? Consider joining our Online Community, or feel free to contact us for support. The Coming Home Network exists to help converts, “reverts,” those on the journey, and those who are just curious – we’d love to hear from you!

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The latest from CHNetwork

This week’s episode of The Journey Home was a great discussion with former Evangelical youth minister Chris Kellam about his journey to the Catholic Faith.

Former Wesleyan pastor Luke Nelson shared how embracing Advent has given him a deeper appreciation of Christmas.

In a new episode of On the Journey, Matt, Ken, and Kenny looked at how justification is discussed in the New Testament.

We shared a special message and invitation from JonMarc Grodi for those of you visiting a Catholic Mass for the first time this Christmas.

You can now support our mission at the Coming Home Network using the free estate planning tools at MyCatholicWill.com/CHNetwork.

Journeys Home 3: Pentecostals and Charismatics is now available in our online store. Get your copy today: chnetwork.org/jh3

And are you participating in OCIA at your parish? Let us know how we can support you!

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CONVERTS AND CONVERSION

Scott Weeman joined Catholic Answers to discuss helpful thoughts for people whose turn toward the Church involves addiction recovery.

Meanwhile, Catholic World Reported reflected on the influx of converts on college campuses.

Bishop James Conley shared some thoughts on conversion and the power of literature.

And at Catholic Rural Life, Hazel Jordan continued to reflect on animals in the Christmas story, this time focusing on camels.

APOLOGETICS PICKS OF THE WEEK

The Indiana Hoosier Catholic Community celebrated one of their own, Fernando Mendoza, winning this year’s Heisman Trophy.

And some Protestant scholars have responded to the recent Vatican document clarifying certain Marian titles.

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A member inviting a friend to Mass for the first time this Christmas, a convert member who’s dealing with health issues that are making it difficult to plug into their parish, and all our members who are continuing through OCIA — these are just a few of the people we are praying for and working with at The Coming Home Network. Please help us continue to support those on the journey by visiting chnetwork.org/donate today!

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“With God’s help, you will find time to do it all.”

St. Peter Canisius
Feast Day: December 21st

This Christmas may be the first time that you’ve decided to visit a Catholic parish for Mass; or it may be the first time you’ve joined us for Mass in a long time.

Either way, we’re so glad you’ve chosen to worship with us!

And if this Christmas marks a new beginning in your journey of faith, we’d love to walk with you and help you take the next right step as you grow in your relationship with Christ.

The Coming Home Network is a family of Catholic believers, and most of us are either converts to the Faith, or have come back to the sacraments after many years away.

We know that you probably have lots of questions; many of those questions are ones that we’ve wrestled with ourselves along the way. We would love to meet you and help you along your journey of faith!

Join our FREE Online Community: community.chnetwork.org

Find more ways to connect: chnetwork.org/connection

Matt, Ken, and Kenny continue their discussion about one of the most important questions a Christian can ask: what is the Gospel?

Former Baptist pastor Ken Hensley looks at how St. Paul reflects on the nature of justification in his Epistles, to see how it compares with the Reformed and Catholic understandings of how we are saved.

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A serious Christian his whole life, Chris Kellam went on mission trips as a teenager and followed a call to youth ministry. When a friend of his announced he was becoming Catholic, it rocked Chris’s foundations, and he began to explore this utterly foreign form of Christianity that his friend had entered into. The more he studied and prayed, the more he fell in love with the Church, and ended up, along with his wife, entering into full communion at the Easter Vigil in 2021.