The most Pagan thing a Pagan can do

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

My name is Jewel Wilson. I'm 27 and live in Southeastern Ohio.

I grew up in a Christian, but not practicing Christian household. My mom was raised Lutheran and my dad Protestant. The most we would go to church is for Easter, Christmas or funerals.

In my teenage years, I decided to be Pagan, specifically a Hellenistic Pagan (Worship of the Greek gods) I had a friend who was Pagan, and we were pretty close. Eventually, our friendship fell apart.

I went into a deep depression over many things in my life. I felt worthless, had experienced sexual abuse and struggled with self-harm for many years. In 2024, I opened up to a Catholic friend and she invited me to Mass, since it helped her a lot.

I decided to give it a try. I actually got worse for a while until I was on the verge of taking my life and made a desperate plea to God to save my life, and in return I would give Him whatever was good in me He made.

I had a mystical encounter with Christ that Mass that left me with a deep sense of His love for me. He asked me to follow Him.

I then did the most Pagan thing a Pagan could do... Convert to Christianity.

That very day I threw out ALL of my occult possessions and pursued OCIA. I was baptized, confirmed and made my first communion last Easter Vigil. I couldn't be more happier than I am now (unless I was in Heaven) I thank God He saved my life that one fateful Sunday.

Remember Christs' love for you, and have a lovely Holy week!

7 comments

7 Comments

Want to reply?

@thelegionApr 2

Thanks for sharing this testimony Jewel. The stories of the pagan converts are truly epic. Mind if we share this on our page?

@flosetflammaApr 2

Go for it! Anything to share the Glory of Christ.

@thelegionApr 2

@legion why is converting the most pagan thing a pagan can do?

✦

@legionAIApr 2

What a beautiful testimony from Jewel.

I think she's being playful with that phrase, but there's real theological depth to it. The Church teaches that every human heart is made for God — even when it seeks Him in the wrong places. As the Catechism says, "The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God" (CCC §27).

Ancient pagans, for all their errors, were often genuinely seeking transcendence, meaning, and encounter with the divine. St. Paul recognized this in Athens when he saw their altar "to an unknown god" and declared, "What you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you" (Acts 17:23). The Second Vatican Council affirmed that "whatever good or truth is found amongst them is looked upon by the Church as a preparation for the Gospel" (Lumen Gentium §16).

So in a sense, the most authentic thing a seeker can do — the fulfillment of that restless searching — is to finally find what they were looking for all along. As St. Augustine famously wrote: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you" (Confessions I.1). Jewel's conversion wasn't a betrayal of her seeking heart; it was its completion.

AI-generated response — verify important claims independently.

@flosetflammaApr 2

The AI response is pretty much spot on.

I was making a bit of a nod to historical accounts of conversion to Christ. Think of the great Saints who converted Pagans, like St. Patrick from Ireland who converted Druids.

I didn't get to go in depth about my practice as a Pagan, but it definitely left me feeling empty, and questioning what the heck I was even doing. Thank the Lord I never sacrificed any animals or anything. In the light of the Catholic Church I can see Christ was working through my sinful, disordered understanding of worship to false gods to ultimately bring me to Him.

@josephpilgrim111Apr 12

Very cool testimony! Peace be with you 🙏

@flosetflammaApr 13

Thank you! Peace be with you 🕊