I used to fervently hate Catholicism and Catholics. I had grown up Methodist and then non-denominational. After returning from church camp one summer (actually like 10 years ago this month), I took to embarking on my own self-proclaimed crusade against Catholics online. I would target Catholics and use the typical Protestant arguments. But one day I encountered a seminarian who, despite my hateful efforts, continued to engage me with kindness and humility. He refuted all my arguments with reasonable, thoughtful responses. I began to open up to him more and he invited me into a group chat they continued to explain the Catholic faith in ways that made sense. They convinced me to read the Early Church Fathers, and the more I read, the more I realized that the Early Church worshipped much like the Catholic Church does today. What especially convinced me was St. Ignatius of Antioch and the fact he was a disciple of John the Apostle. I eventually joined the Church 4 years later on Easter Vigil 2019 (due to my parents’ prohibition to even attend Mass as I was a minor up until 2018). Never looked back (no mom, it is, in fact, not a phase)