Welcome Fr. Al!

Fr. Jim Tucker of Dappled Things has this link on Fr. Al journey across the Tiber. Fr. Al of Pontifications reflects on his initiation and confirmation as a Roman Catholic. He witnesses to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist when he describes his first reception of the blessed Sacrament:

And then I received the Body and Blood of our Lord. This was a quiet, unemotional moment for me. There was too much grief for me to feel joy or exhiliration. But there was a peace. I was a Catholic. I was where God wanted me to be. And now I was being offered that which has been at the heart of my spiritual life since I became an adult practicing Christian—the Body and Blood of Christ. And I noted a difference, a subtle but real difference. The Episcopal Church is part of a tradition that is not quite sure what happens at the consecration. There are different schools of opinion within the Anglican Communion. Private judgment is determinative. Consequently, the intention of the liturgy and Church itself is uncertain. I have always believed that Christ converts the bread and wine into his Body and Blood and thus have adored and worshipped Christ under the species; but the fact remains that the Anglican Church is uncertain about the eucharistic transformation. This uncertainty necessarily informs the consciousness of every Episcopalian, even Anglo-Catholics.

But there is no uncertainty in the Catholic Church. The sacramental intention of the Church and her liturgy is clear. This is a Church that truly believes and confesses and prays the Real Presence.

The Body of Christ was given to me to eat. The Blood of Christ was given to me to drink. At that moment I knew that I now belong to the Church of the Body and Blood of Christ.

I thank God that he has united me to his Catholic Church.

God bless and keep you, Fr. Al. May his grace and inspiration bring your daughter Taryn across the Tiber to your side soon. Welcome home!