BaptistConversion Stories

Fr. Dave Harris: Former Southern Baptist Minister

February 27, 2012 No Comments

A lifelong resident of Kentucky, Fr. Dave Harris shares his faith journey with Marcus.  He spent his first 18 years in the Cumberland Gap region, a predominantly Southern Baptist area.  Fr. Dave developed a strong love for God and for nature while being active in the local Southern Baptist church.  He went on for degrees in mechanical engineering and a master’s in Business Administration from the University of Kentucky, where he met his wife to be.  After several years working in the  field, Fr. Dave accepted a calling to the ministry and entered seminary in Louisville.  He pastored for several years and then decided to return to secular employment in order to spend more time with his family.  Over the next decade, Fr. Dave found himself being drawn into Catholicism through the lives of the saints and studying its spirituality.  He entered the church in 2002 and got very involved in the various parish ministries.  Over time, the Church discerned a calling to the priesthood for him and in 2008 following seminary training, Fr. Dave was ordained a Catholic priest with an exception to the celibate rule as granted by the Vatican.