Solid Foundations by Chad Torgerson I grew up in a suburb of Chicago and was raised in the Lutheran faith. My parents were not the most spiritual of people, but they wanted to make sure that my siblings and I were “exposed” to faith. Basically, the concept was to introduce us to Christianity but allow us to make our own decisions. After being confirmed, I never went back to that church. For years, I was agnostic at best. Based on what I was learning in school, religion did not make any sense to me. Science had become my religion of [...]

I’ve often described conversion as starting from a breach in the walls of our defenses. Normally our hearts and minds are ensconced in layers of barriers that form a wall of protection that prevents us from hearing and responding to the truth. By the working of grace, however, a breach can occur—an opportunity or moment of grace (as Blessed Newman would say)—through which truth can be seen or heard and then, again by grace, received, or freely rejected—for He never forces Himself upon us. Often, on the Journey Home program or in the conversion stories shared in this newsletter, some [...]

On May 1, 2011, with great joy, I confessed my faith, was confirmed as a Roman Catholic, and received my first Holy Communion at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Mesa, Arizona. The church was packed with over a thousand reverent people for the 10 a.m. Mass, which made it so joyful and welcoming. For a 68-year-old Mennonite, career pastor and missionary, this was a dramatic move!

The Ninth Annual Deep in History Conference explored the theme, “Stand Firm on Tradition: The Role of Sacred Tradition in the Life of the Church.” Please visit our store to order these talks in DVD, CD, or MP3 format!

Travis is the founder and Director of Mission:One Fellowship, an ecumenical ministry based at the University of Pennsylvania, which focuses on bringing Christians of various ecclesial affiliations together for the purposes of evangelization, outreach to the domestic and international poor, and building unity in the Body of Christ.  Travis has studied Theology at an advanced level at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Fuller Theological Seminary, and Seton Hall University.  He has been active in Catholic apologetics for many years as a radio host for an EWTN affiliate, and has appeared on EWTN and “Deep In Scripture” with the Coming Home Network International.  He regularly publishes articles on Mystical Theology on his blog, Soul of Castile (soulofcastile.com), which is primarily dedicated to helping recover and revitalize the discourse of Ascetical and Mystical Theology in the modern Church.  He is a member of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites in Philadelphia.