Author: Sharon Manaj
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Welcome Home
I was up past midnight again — reading stories from other converts online. Not for information exactly, but because there’s something about recognizing your own journey in someone else’s words. The Catholic journey unfolds slowly. Quietly. Often in the middle of ordinary life — between school drop-offs, dinner dishes, and late-night moments when everything finally…
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My First Glimpses of the Catholic Church
My first touches with Catholicism were brief in my younger years. I remember being in middle school, going to Mass with a school friend. I was so lost with what was going on. We were packed into a pew with a group of students, and I remember the building more than anything else—old stone walls,…
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An Entire Chandelier Still to Discover
After Erjon’s baptism and Michael’s soon after, something shifted. Church had been a warm introduction — but I needed more. Roots. History. Truth solid enough to guide my family through hard decisions. So I started searching. One afternoon I clicked a link another Christian mom had shared about our Christian heritage. I grabbed my Bible…
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We Weren’t Looking for This
My husband grew up in Albania, where faith had been stripped from public life entirely. I had quietly lost mine somewhere between girlhood and adulthood. Then Erjon landed in emergency surgery on Halloween — appendicitis, a week in the hospital, everything upside down. Family rallied. And the friends we had made at church showed up…
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He Knew We Were Supposed To
I showed up to my son’s First Communion retreat empty-handed. I knew about the request all week but I just didn’t want to make the effort. Then Michael caught me from the back seat on the day of, with disbelief in his voice — “But Mom, we were supposed to!” In that moment the embarrassed…
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Two Weeks That Changed My Mind
What a Catholic school tour in October and two weeks at a classical charter school taught me about what I actually want for my boys.
Rooted at Home 