tprovince08Hi Patricia,
I know your post was directed to Professor Woods, but since this is on the General Discussion board, I thought I’d throw in my two cents. While I’m from the Orthodox tradition, I am a relatively new convert, so I know what it’s like to go through the process of being received into a new tradition. Especially in the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, it’s a big decision – a major commitment in many ways, as you well know.
While Dr. Woods can answer your important question much more thoroughly than I can, I would encourage you to keep praying about your decision to join the Catholic Church and think about why you believe this is where God is calling you. Every tradition has its shortcomings, but I think the most important thing to keep in mind is your spiritual life. The Church is ultimately a spiritual hospital and if you believe that the Catholic Church is indeed the ancient and Apostolic Church of the scriptures founded at Pentecost, helping you to be more like Christ each day, then by all means don’t miss out on where the Spirit of the Lord is leading you. As important as economics and politics can be, our spiritual life is even more important. I suppose what I’m saying all comes down to deciding what is best for you spiritually – try not to worry so much about the political and economic stuff for now.
Believe me, there are some issues I have with the current state of the Orthodox Church, but being received into the Holy Orthodox Catholic Church has been an incredible and generous blessing from the Lord. I’ll be praying for you – best regards as you make this decision.