For the first 30 years of my life, I was blissfully unaware of the Catholic church. My only knowledge of the church came from movies like "The Cardinal" and "Going My Way"--not the best perspective necessarily. As an adult, traveling in Europe, I also visited a number of cathedrals, enthralled by their timeless beauty and incredible size, but again I never really paid much attention to the fact that while I came as a curious sightseer, others came to pray and participate in the Mass.
All of this changed, quite abruptly, in 1979. In the Year of the Three Popes, I suddenly found myself with an overwhelming urge to explore the Roman Catholic church. As I was raised in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion church, I found this desire puzzling to say the least, as well as confusing. I knew not how …