Frank Jerry, Apologist
- Frank Jerry
comes to The Catholic Legate from his very popular
ministry, "Pillar of Truth Ministries" (PTM) which has
featured Art Sippo's work for years. An effective apologist in
his own right, Frank adds a keen mind and a deft hand in
e-pologetic banter. The Legate is very pleased to have
Frank and the rest of the PTM team join our crew. In his own
words...
My story is no different than many others. I was born in 1964 and grew up Catholic but like many, wandered away from my faith when I reached my teen years. After spending about 10 years away from the Church, I started to get the sense that there had to be more to life than the fleeting moments of joy which never seemed to last and eventually left me with an empty feeling inside. Well, to make a long story short, I eventually went out and bought a bible and began reading. This helped but I still knew there was something left that I had to do. At the time, I was living with a friend of mine who was a non-practicing Catholic and whose family had left the Catholic Church previously for a Fundamentalist church. Also during this time, I was given a video on a village in Bosnia called Medjugorje by a Catholic gentleman who owned a religious bookstore. I brought it over my parent's house and plopped it into the VCR not realizing the effect this special place would have on me for years to come. As I sat there and watched the story of 6 young people who were claiming to have apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I got this overwhelming sensation that I must go to see for myself. I began to read more on this alledged apparition site. Then, I got the nerve up to go back to confession after 10 years away from the sacrament. I remember well how afterwards it felt like a 100 lb sack had just been lifted off of my shoulders. I went to Mass that evening and received our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament once again!
The following year, I did go to Medjugorje and since then have been there 4 times. As I returned home, I found that many of my friends who were non-Catholics, and even some who claimed to be Catholics, started attacking the Church and it's teachings. They thought I was foolish for becoming a practicing Catholic once again. Instead of swallowing everything they said, I decided to do a little studying up myself. Though they didn't know it, my anti-Catholic friends were building my faith up more and more. I began to find myself no longer on the defensive, but now on the offensive. The truths of the Catholic Church were so great that I couldn't keep them to myself. I believe that this website is one of the fruits of Medjugorje. I hope it will lead others to know Christ and His Church. There's no place like Rome! I recognize and accept that the final authority regarding the apparitions at Medjugorje rests with the Holy See of Rome, to whose judgement I willingly submit. Also seen in the picture is my beautiful wife, Karla, who is the heart of this ministry. Our family grew by 1 on Valentine's Day 2002. On that day, our son, was born.