By Victoria Arruda
“I am a better mother, wife, friend, daughter, and person because of [my Catholic faith.]”
Nora Jensen was raised in a Wiccan family that not only rejected Christianity, but also mocked people of faith.
In a conversation with JonMarc Grodi for EWTN ’s “The Journey Home,” Jensen shares her powerful testimony and how she began her conversion journey to Catholicism after attending Holy Mass.
Born in Colorado, Nora says that her family was very close-knit, but far from Christian. Her parents were both raised Christian, but both had left their faith and did not pass it on. On the contrary, they taught her family to reject it.
“I believed in God, but it was kind of– God created things and then moved on. It wasn’t a personal God or anything like that. I had a deep devotion to angels, but I don’t know where these beliefs came from. They weren’t through my parents,” says Nora.
“Family was the most important thing for us,” she explains, “but when it came to Christianity, we just looked down on Christians, mocked them, and made fun of them, especially Jesus. It was just a name to scoff at. That was passed on.”
When Nora was 11, her parents told her and her brother that they were both Wiccan witches and “could use magic.” At this point, her interest in learning and practicing magic arose.
“They got me a book on Wicca for me to read. It was geared towards teenagers,” she said. “[It said] that Christians would try to convert me.”
She added, “That was my bible. I learned from that book, mainly.”
For Nora, New Age ideology can appeal to many people because it gives a false sense of control. In addition to spell casting, she also dabbled into tarot card reading and Ouija boards.
“There is no such thing as white magic or black magic. It’s all black because it’s not from God.”
During college, Nora began to take an interest in other things, making new friends and leaving her practices aside for a while. Until a moment came when she felt empty.
“I realized this was a God-sized hole. Maybe it was because of the moral compass I had. I knew people filled this void with drugs, sex, alcohol or partying and I hadn’t done those things, but I knew enough not to start. So I thought: ‘I need to find God, but where is He?’”
It was only after she started dating Dane, a Catholic, that Nora began to learn a little more about the Catholic Church and felt her rejection gradually diminish. But it all still seemed a little meaningless at that moment.
For her, more than conversations or discussions about religion, one of the things that impacted her the most was meeting Dane’s family. “They lived such a beautiful life and I was sure that this came from the faith they practiced.”
Nora’s First Experience at the Holy Mass
Dane then decided to take Nora to Holy Mass for the first time at the Colorado Springs Cathedral. There she experienced one of the key moments in her conversion.
“People were very welcoming and smiling, and happy that I was there,” she explains.
Despite having no knowledge of the Eucharist or liturgy, she imitated what her boyfriend was doing and said that the most significant moment was the sign of peace.
“When the deacon said, ‘Let us give each other the sign of peace,’ I just looked at Dane and said, ‘What is this?’ Then he looked at me and said, ‘Peace be with you,’ and he gave me a hug.
“And I watched him turn to the people around him and give them the sign of peace, so I turned to the people around me, and they were already turned toward me– several people were with their hands outstretched and they shook my hand and said, ‘Peace be with you.’
“And I thought, ‘I have made fun of you people and have mocked you and your God. Why are you wishing me peace?’ And they don’t know that, but I knew it. Jesus knew it. And I felt like my soul was beared open and we were just looking at it.
“I felt like, ‘How are you not striking me down in your house?’ I just felt so ashamed to be shaking these people’s hands and have them be so kind.”
“But then I felt just this love coming from outside of me–toward me–from God, from Jesus. His love and His mercy. And I thought, ‘Oh my gosh. This is God. This is what is filling the hole. And I knew, I am home.”
She and Dane were married, and she, although not yet Catholic, had agreed to raise her children in the faith. Four years later, Nora, pregnant with her first child, entered the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RICA) to be formally received into the Catholic Church.
“Learning about the rich 2,000-year history and traditions of the Catholic Church, its meaning and purpose of bringing us back to God, made me want to be part of Jesus’ family, His Church,” she says.
“The sacraments, especially Reconciliation and the Eucharist are the tangible ways in which God can touch and heal us, just as Jesus did when he walked the earth, even as he uses his priests to remain in persona Christi.”
Nora and her son were baptized on Easter Vigil in 2015, a day that will remain forever etched in her memory.
“What I love about the Catholic Church is there’s no shortage of learning about it. My hunger is insatiable.”
“I love my faith; I love the Catholic Church and I love Jesus. I am a better mother, wife, friend, daughter and person because of it.”
“Although my family was not thrilled with my conversion, especially one person who begged me not to become Catholic, I have a great relationship with them and we have very interesting discussions about faith, which I value. I pray daily for my family, as many of them are still trapped in the New Age. I pray that my testimony and God’s grace will help soften their hearts, and I hope that one day they will allow Jesus to open the door to bring them home too.”
This story was first published by Churchpop, EWTN Norway`s news partner.
