Roseann  Sodaro French finds it hard to explain exactly what drew her to Catholicism, but she knows just how she feels when she steps into her new church.

Peaceful. Serene. Comforted.

"Going into Sacred Heart is like being home," said French, who was raised Presbyterian.  

More than a quarter of American adults practice a faith that is different from the one they were raised in, according to a recent survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

The Catholic Church has lost the most people because of those changes, the survey concluded. While 31 percent of adults say they were raised Catholic, about 24 percent now describe themselves as such.

But immigrants and converts have helped sustained the faith, the survey found. Almost half of immigrants to the United States are Catholic. Almost 3 percent of adults have converted to Catholicism.

French's father was Catholic, her mother Presbyterian. She always loved going to Mass with her dad. After both her parents died in the past year, she decided to convert. She took classes at Sacred Heart for people thinking about becoming Catholic, and was confirmed this past Easter Vigil.

"You can go into any Catholic church anywhere and it will be basically the same," said French, the retired director of an organization that works to keep kids in school. "To me, that's comforting."

For Dr. William Harris of Charleston, a childhood experience began a lifelong enchantment with the religion. He was 5 years old when he landed in a Catholic hospital.

"I was fascinated with the nuns," said Harris, a Richwood native who grew up a devout Methodist. "They were so pure and they were so kind and good and organized and efficient."

One night, the young Harris lay in bed, feeling sorry for himself. 

"Nobody loves me," he told the kindly Polish priest at the hospital.

The priest told him there was someone who loved him more than anyone else.

"He said, 'He is Jesus Christ and he will always be there for you,'" Harris recalled.

The priest carried Harris to a huge statue of Jesus and held him up as Harris gazed in awe.   

"That stayed with me my whole life," he said.

As a musician and history buff, Harris said he was drawn to studying Catholic music and the origins of early church. When his kids attended school at Charleston Catholic, Harris was enthralled by the "superb music" by the Sacred Heart organ player. 

Roseann  Sodaro French finds it hard to explain exactly what drew her to Catholicism, but she knows just how she feels when she steps into her new church.

Peaceful. Serene. Comforted.

"Going into Sacred Heart is like being home," said French, who was raised Presbyterian.  

More than a quarter of American adults practice a faith that is different from the one they were raised in, according to a recent survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

The Catholic Church has lost the most people because of those changes, the survey concluded. While 31 percent of adults say they were raised Catholic, about 24 percent now describe themselves as such.

But immigrants and converts have helped sustained the faith, the survey found. Almost half of immigrants to the United States are Catholic. Almost 3 percent of adults have converted to Catholicism.

French's father was Catholic, her mother Presbyterian. She always loved going to Mass with her dad. After both her parents died in the past year, she decided to convert. She took classes at Sacred Heart for people thinking about becoming Catholic, and was confirmed this past Easter Vigil.

"You can go into any Catholic church anywhere and it will be basically the same," said French, the retired director of an organization that works to keep kids in school. "To me, that's comforting."

For Dr. William Harris of Charleston, a childhood experience began a lifelong enchantment with the religion. He was 5 years old when he landed in a Catholic hospital.

"I was fascinated with the nuns," said Harris, a Richwood native who grew up a devout Methodist. "They were so pure and they were so kind and good and organized and efficient."

One night, the young Harris lay in bed, feeling sorry for himself. 

"Nobody loves me," he told the kindly Polish priest at the hospital.

The priest told him there was someone who loved him more than anyone else.

"He said, 'He is Jesus Christ and he will always be there for you,'" Harris recalled.

The priest carried Harris to a huge statue of Jesus and held him up as Harris gazed in awe.   

"That stayed with me my whole life," he said.

As a musician and history buff, Harris said he was drawn to studying Catholic music and the origins of early church. When his kids attended school at Charleston Catholic, Harris was enthralled by the "superb music" by the Sacred Heart organ player. 

He and his wife converted in 1995, and both now sing in the Sacred Heart choir.

"For me, Catholicism is just the right thing," he said. "The history, the music, the liturgy, the reverence, the quietness, the reflection." 

While Harris and French are enthusiastic about their faith, Monsignor P. Edward Sadie of Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral acknowledges that many who are born Catholics leave.

"I suspect that if all the fallen-away Catholics in Charleston came back to the church, I could start another parish," he said.

"A lot of Catholics stop practicing their faith after high school, in their college years," he said. "It's a certain rebellion against authority."

Some reject the church's teachings against homosexuality, premarital sex and abortion, he said: "A lot of people don't want to hear that." 

Sadie also points to two societal trends: individualism and "moral relativism."

American culture teaches people to be very individualistic, he said. 

"They want to be their own church," he said. "They don't like to have any structure except for themselves."

Moral relativism - which Pope Benedict XVI has denounced - is the mindset that "there is no absolute truth."

Statewide, the church is "probably stable," Sadie said. It is expanding Catholic schools and building larger churches, especially in the Eastern Panhandle. And the church is West Virginia's second-largest provider of social services, after the state itself. 

Sadie said he believes many Catholics do not fully understand church teachings. Catholics must do a better job educating both children and adults about the faith, he said.

French and Harris both say the decision to convert was a very personal one that simply felt right for them.  

As a doctor who treats geriatric patients, Harris emphasizes he believes health consists of three facets: physical, mental and spiritual health.  

Nurturing the spirit is just as important as caring for the body, whatever a person's beliefs are, he said. For him, it is Catholicism. For others, it might be something else.   

"I found my perfect match," he said. "Every Sunday, I cannot wait for the next Sunday to come."

 To contact staff writer Alison Knezevich, use e-mail or call 348-1240.