Dear CSD Family, there are times in life when blessings seem to rain down and this is one of them. Having Heather King agree to join us was a real treat. Then the Holy Spirit moved in the heart of my closest friend, a prolific writer and world class creative talent, Paul McCusker. Paul, has over 40 published works, including novels, plays, scripts, and lyrics. Paul helped us produce the videos that Fr. John and I provide on this site, and this amusing video below reveals one of his many talents (don’t miss the interview below the video to learn a little more about Paul).
So you are a convert?
I was received into the Catholic Church in 2007, but the journey began long before that.
What was the most compelling reality of the Church that drew you in?
Relationship and Truth. Relationship – because I wanted to grow deeper in my life with Jesus. Truth – because I found in the Catholic Church the fulfillment of the Truth Christ taught.
How does your Catholic faith influence your writing?
My faith pervades everything I write, whether it’s obvious or not. I can’t seem to escape it. Even when I’ve tried to.
Who is your favorite Catholic author?
For fiction: I don’t have one – yet. Particularly since I haven’t figured out what it means to be a “Catholic author.” Unlike the Evangelical Protestant market, which has plenty of “Christian authors”, the Catholic marketplace doesn’t seem to have any, or very many, in that category.
For non-fiction, it’s hard to choose between John Henry Newman, Robert Hugh Benson, Romano Guardini, Ronald Knox, Fr John Bartunek or Dan Burke, to name only a few.
How does Cardinal Newman’s statement, “To be deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant” relate to your journey?
As a Baptist, I had the mentality that there was the Church in the First Century, this ‘blip’ called the Reformation, and then Billy Graham (to misquote Richard Foster). That’s all I knew, or thought I needed to know. As an Anglican, I went back 500 years in history, which was just enough to suit what I was being taught. Then, on my own initiative, I decided to go further back, and Cardinal Newman’s words became true for me.
By the way, when a close friend in England learned that I was reading John Henry Newman as part of my journey, he told my wife that I was a goner. He said it was inevitable that I would become Catholic.
