When I was 13 years old, I moved to Wisconsin after my father had his first heart attack.

We went from having everything, to having nothing.

My mother had heard from a woman down in Texas that had been going to the Traditional Mass for years, driving many miles to do so, that there was a Mass up where we were moving to.

Right away, my mother wanted to go. So, she called the "diocese office," to find out where the Mass was. We'd been going to the Novus Ordo regularly. She was told on the phone with them, that there wasn't a Latin Mass in town.

We found out, almost two years later, that this was a blatant lie.

One day, I was at the swimming pool. I had my scapular on in the pool. There was a mildly retarded girl there, and she asked me, "Why do you have your scapular on in the pool. You know, you don't need to wear it." I replied, "I always wear it. Even in the shower, I wear it."

She said, "Where do you go to Church," I was still going to the novus ordo at the time. She said, "I go to a Latin Mass." And I went...

 :stare:

"Where is it? My mother has been looking for it!"

She told me, and I said, "Will you come outside when my mom gets here, and your mother and mine can talk?" "Sure!" She said.

When our mothers started talking, that next Sunday, we went to Mass.

It was Lent. It was an "Indult" Mass. The priest, and I know he was a real priest, was 82 or so, I think, and it was a High Mass. The confession line was so long. I'd never seen anything like it. The asperges was done, then the mass, with incense. Then Benediction, then the stations of the cross...

....

I remember nudging my mom everytime the priest would say, "We adore Thee, oh Christ, and we bless Thee." And I would turn to my mom, and whisper, "IS THIS ALMOST OVER WITH?"

This priest had had a couple of strokes, and was extremely slow. His sermon was really long, but very interesting. He had an amazing knowledge of the Old Testament.

Then we found out that Sunday, after the long Mass, that they had Catechism Class at the Church on Thursday evenings. My mother jumped at the opportunity, when she found out that they were teaching the Baltimore Catechism, which was not even close to anything we had in all our attendance at "catholic" schools through the years.

Some other time, I'll tell you how I made it to the independent Church I go to now. But this was the beginning of the beautiful gift that I received from God... the true Faith.

I became a true Catholic upon reading William Walsh's biography of Queen Isabella about 10 yrs ago.

When I was 13 years old, I moved to Wisconsin after my father had his first heart attack.

We went from having everything, to having nothing.

My mother had heard from a woman down in Texas that had been going to the Traditional Mass for years, driving many miles to do so, that there was a Mass up where we were moving to.

Right away, my mother wanted to go. So, she called the "diocese office," to find out where the Mass was. We'd been going to the Novus Ordo regularly. She was told on the phone with them, that there wasn't a Latin Mass in town.

We found out, almost two years later, that this was a blatant lie.

One day, I was at the swimming pool. I had my scapular on in the pool. There was a mildly retarded girl there, and she asked me, "Why do you have your scapular on in the pool. You know, you don't need to wear it." I replied, "I always wear it. Even in the shower, I wear it."

She said, "Where do you go to Church," I was still going to the novus ordo at the time. She said, "I go to a Latin Mass." And I went...

 :stare:

"Where is it? My mother has been looking for it!"

She told me, and I said, "Will you come outside when my mom gets here, and your mother and mine can talk?" "Sure!" She said.

When our mothers started talking, that next Sunday, we went to Mass.

It was Lent. It was an "Indult" Mass. The priest, and I know he was a real priest, was 82 or so, I think, and it was a High Mass. The confession line was so long. I'd never seen anything like it. The asperges was done, then the mass, with incense. Then Benediction, then the stations of the cross...

....

I remember nudging my mom everytime the priest would say, "We adore Thee, oh Christ, and we bless Thee." And I would turn to my mom, and whisper, "IS THIS ALMOST OVER WITH?"

This priest had had a couple of strokes, and was extremely slow. His sermon was really long, but very interesting. He had an amazing knowledge of the Old Testament.

Then we found out that Sunday, after the long Mass, that they had Catechism Class at the Church on Thursday evenings. My mother jumped at the opportunity, when she found out that they were teaching the Baltimore Catechism, which was not even close to anything we had in all our attendance at "catholic" schools through the years.

Some other time, I'll tell you how I made it to the independent Church I go to now. But this was the beginning of the beautiful gift that I received from God... the true Faith.

Wow that is a beautiful story!

About a year ago, I found out about the Latin Mass and traditional Catholicism, so a few months after I found out, I worked up the courage to attend High Mass at a FSSP parish about an hour away. The first thing walking in to the church  that I noticed was how crowded it was, how quiet, how many people were on their knees praying, and how long the confession line was (confession on Sundays always goes well into Holy Mass, usually ending before or in the beginning of the sermon). I remember the Asperges, the Kyrie, the Credo, and the Sanctus/Agnus Dei the most. It was so beautiful, it felt like Heaven on earth.

Now I am going to start going to a SSPX parish nearby (although the FSSP parish that I attend is without a doubt, one of the most solid, traditional Catholic parishes in the whole Western United States. 3 Masses a day, confession before every Mass, a school, Baltimore catechism, orthodox and edifying sermons, nice vestments, etc -- amazingly, the local ordinary never interferes with anything at all, I never see all the horror stories I hear about the indult at the church).

And the smell of the incense! I always love to smell it. It makes me feel at home.

I'm still trying to become a true Catholic.

The same here. First step is to increase prayer/penance and avoid mortal sin at all costs.

Also, in response to title of this thread....define what a "true Catholic" is!

What I meant by the title of the thread, was, when did you find out about the Traditional Mass? What brought you away from the Novus Ordo? When did you learn about the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Faith? When did you start receiving the TRUE Sacraments, and not the phony ones?

I was speaking to those that are Catholics: The ones that recognize the error that proceeded from the novelties introduced following the late 1950's. The ones that recognize the erroneous changes in the Church, so as to "destroy the faith of the people" as Bella Dodd so clearly said to all of us.

What I meant by the title of the thread, was, when did you find out about the Traditional Mass? What brought you away from the Novus Ordo? When did you learn about the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Faith? When did you start receiving the TRUE Sacraments, and not the phony ones?

I was speaking to those that are Catholics: The ones that recognize the error that proceeded from the novelties introduced following the late 1950's. The ones that recognize the erroneous changes in the Church, so as to "destroy the faith of the people" as Bella Dodd so clearly said to all of us.

gotcha, sort of...not sure why the assumption al NO sacrements are invalid, but when I was 16 or so, we briefly atetnd a SSPX chapel..after the fracas of 1988, left and bounced around, then went for severeal yrs to Eastern rite church, though did not change Rites.....then got disgusted and did not attend for yrs, then around 2004, began attending the TLM at my present Church.have been happy ever since...