My Conversion Experience

When I was a baby I had water on the brain. I was operated on many times. I was expected to live only a few months. The doctors gave up hope. I was given medication to sooth the pain and that was it. But God had a different plan.

My mother, God bless her, prayed to Mary, our mother. She said, “If Joey throws up this medicine one more time I will not give it to him any more. I ask you to heal him.” Well, as she says, “He threw it all up. All the way across the room.” God healed me. I simple assume that Mary went to Jesus and asked him to heal me.

Anyway, as I grew up I was what you would call a good Catholic boy. I was in the choir, an alter boy, went to Catholic school, was on a team that served the poor, always attended Mass, never got into trouble, and I played sports—especially golf. My college roommate was Fuzzy Zoeller, the Masters and US Open Champion. Like him, I too, wanted to be a professional golfer.

But something happened one day. I went to a prayer meeting in my parish in May of 1971 to see a friend who had been involved in drugs. When I went only to see him, I met a new friend. I met Jesus. The experience was simply marvelous. Jesus filled with so much love. For the first time, I saw Jesus as a person, as a person who loved me and died for my sins.

Prior to that time, I actually rested my faith as a way of life. I went to church because I was supposed to, because my parents wanted me to, because I did not want to go to hell, and so Jesus might help me with my golf. That all changed when I met Jesus at the prayer meeting.

One of the first things I realized even at 18 years old was how much my life was about me. I went to confession and said, I lied a few times or I cussed a few times. That was it. But, after I met Jesus I saw how my mind was on my golf, my football, my food, my getting my way, my being happy, my getting the bigger portion, my being liked, my, my, my. Immediately, I also began to read the Scripture—which I had never done before. The Holy Spirit was released in my life the night I accepted Jesus. Everything that was supposed to happen at my confirmation happened. It was like Pentecost for me and I am eternally grateful.

Within a few months, I lost the desire to be a professional golfer. Growing in me was a desire to serve Jesus with my life—but I did not know exactly how. Within a few years I started the magazine, The Word Among Us (wau.org). I simply felt the Lord say, “You give  them something to eat (Matthew 13:16). Not knowing what I was doing, and with the help of the man who mentored me in my doctoral studies, Fr Francis Martin, WAU took off. Today, it is one of the largest Catholic publications in the world.

In the final analysis, meeting Jesus was the best thing that ever happened tome in my life. I want to serve him with all that I am for the rest of my life. I hope you find the articles on this website helpful. I wish you God’s blessings.