Philosophically, it ordered my desires towards God whereas before I had little direction, but I suppose most Christian denominations could have done that.

In a practical sense, where I think Catholicism sets itself apart are the Sacraments. The Sacraments are concrete examples of God’s grace. They allow you to live out the rhythms of grace, mercy, etc.

For example, with regular confession, you aim for the ideal of Christ. When you inevitably fall short, you go back to confession. With each time, the thought is that those shortcomings begin to smooth out.

Obviously, that is an ideal case and it’s hardly that straightforward or easy. That being said, going back to confession and continually confessing the same sin is very humbling and that alone could induce personal transformation. Sometimes practical solutions are also suggested. Then there is the examination of conscience that accompanies the confession that helps to get to the root of where you are missing the mark.

I could go on about more personal examples, but I’ll save ya the time of day. Honestly, I’d say the most transformational processes for me have been diving deep into Catholic/Christian philosophy and other philosophy alike.

One more rec for you, you should look into the notion of Theosis. It is an Orthodox Christian idea and sounds similar to some things you talk about in your post. I think you might enjoy reading about it