Ian Mahood
My parents raised me, along with my three siblings, in the Protestant Evangelical tradition. After graduating high school, I attended university and obtained a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. During this time, I was increasingly drawn to the liturgical and sacramental dimensions of the faith. I didn't even have categories for these things at the time, but I had some intuitive sense of their existence.
Over the course of several years, I attended a series of protestant churches that were increasingly traditional and liturgical. This paved the way for my conversion. I also became friends with some practicing Catholics, and these friends were able to answer many of my questions. I remember two things from this time. First, discovering Catholicism was a very natural process. I was continually amazed that the truths of the Church affirmed my nature. On multiple occasions I found myself thinking, “I always knew this to be true – I just never knew what this was”.
Second, during my undergrad, I spent a lot of time at the Catholic college on campus. My motives for studying there were mixed. It was relatively quiet; it had a nice library; I secretly wanted to be around Catholics. But most of all, I loved praying in the chapel – especially in a small alcove in the Chapel’s back corner. There was a box in the little alcove – a small ornate box with a lamp shining on it. I often wondered what was in the box, but I never asked anyone. I just prayed.
I learned how to pray in that alcove – a deep prayer from the depths of my heart.
After I finished my undergrad, I went to law school. Halfway through law, on December 28, 2014, I was received into the Church. At some point after I converted, I thought back to my time in the college Chapel and realized that the box in the alcove was in fact a tabernacle. I had been praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament without any idea. Despite my ignorance, Jesus opened my heart and drew me to himself.