Jonathan Charters

I was born in southeast Alabama. I was raised in the Protestant faith, mainly Baptist and Pentecostal. When I was 18, after graduating high school, I enlisted in the U.S. Army. During that time in the Army, I really lost practicing and living out my faith.

I never lost faith in Jesus, but I wasn’t a good representative of Christianity. While stationed in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. I met my wife. Shortly after, I deployed to Afghanistan. I came home in April 2015 and married her in October of 2015. She is a cradle Catholic, so our theological talks were always interesting.

We had our first child in December of 2016. I left the Army in May 2023. It was a rough transition out. It was all I knew in terms of my life. I began to really spiral. I was going through substance problems, I was lustful, and I caused problems in my marriage.

I was at rock bottom. I sat at my kitchen table one night and just let it all out. I cried and screamed at God. At that moment, my daughter and son came around the corner and looked so concerned. They asked me, “Daddy, are you okay?”

It was in that moment that I truly believed I saw Jesus. At my lowest point, He was standing there, asking me if I was okay. I realized that I had to know pain and suffering so I could appreciate peace. I had to know what loneliness and isolation felt like, so I could understand and appreciate love. I let go of all my pain and suffering and hurt and I gave it to God. I submitted it all to him. I was trying to control an out-of-control life, so I let go.

After a lot of theological debating with my wife, I decided to give Mass a try. During that Mass, I truly felt the presence of Christ in the Church. Unlike anywhere else I had been. Seeing the Eucharist for the first time, the tradition, the veneration, everything about it felt right.

So I began to pray. Every single day. Asking God to lead me down his path. To show me his truth. I enrolled in OCIA and started my transition into Catholicism. In November 2025, I was selected with 11 other people to attend a Pilgrimage in Baltimore with Fr. Leo Patalinghug. God continued and continues to show me that I am on His path. I asked him to lead me, and here I am. I will be confirmed Catholic this Easter.

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