The following is an incomplete list of notable individuals who

converted Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

from a different

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

or no religion.

Converts

A

* Hank Aaron: American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB), from 1954 through 1976; regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He and his wife first became interested in the faith after the birth of their first child. A friendship with a Catholic priest later helped lead to Hank and his wife's conversion in 1959. He was known to frequently read Thomas à Kempis' 15th-century book '' The Imitation of Christ'', which he kept in his locker. * Greg Abbott: 48th Governor of Texas * Creighton Abrams: U.S. Army General, converted while commanding US forces in Vietnam * Vladimir Abrikosov: Russian who became an Eastern-rite priest; husband to

Anna Abrikosova Anna Ivanovna Abrikosova (russian: Анна Ивановна Абрикосова; 23 January 1882 – 23 July 1936), later known as Mother Catherine of Siena, O.P. (russian: Екатери́на Сие́нская, transcribed Ekaterina Sienska ...

: Russian convert to Eastern-rite Catholicism who was imprisoned by the Soviets *

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...

: beatified person and Catholic martyr *

Mortimer J. Adler Mortimer Jerome Adler (December 28, 1902 – June 28, 2001) was an American philosopher, educator, encyclopedist, and popular author. As a philosopher he worked within the Aristotelian and Thomistic traditions. He lived for long stretches in N ...

: American philosopher, educator, and popular author; converted from agnosticism, after decades of interest in Thomism * Afonso I of Kongo: African king; although politically motivated he became quite pious * Sohrab Ahmari: Iranian-American columnist, editor, and author of nonfiction books. He is currently the op-ed editor of the ''New York Pos''t, a contributing editor of '' The Catholic Herald'', and a columnist for ''

First Things ''First Things'' (''FT'') is an ecumenical and conservative religious journal aimed at "advanc nga religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society". The magazine, which focuses on theology, liturgy, church history, religio ...

'' *

Leo Allatius Leo Allatius (Greek: Λέων Αλλάτιος, ''Leon Allatios'', Λιωνής Αλάτζης, ''Lionis Allatzis''; Italian: ''Leone Allacci, Allacio''; Latin: ''Leo Allatius, Allacius''; c. 1586 – January 19, 1669) was a Greek scholar, theolog ...

: Greek theologian *

Fanny Allen Frances Margaret "Fanny" Allen (November 13, 1784 – September 10, 1819) was the first New England woman to become a Catholic nun. The daughter of Revolutionary War officer Ethan Allen, she converted to Catholicism and entered the Montreal conve ...

: daughter of

Ethan Allen Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, lay theologian, American Revolutionary War patriot, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for ...

; became a nun *

Thomas William Allies Thomas William Allies (12 February 181317 June 1903) was an English historical writer specializing in religious subjects. He was one of the Anglican churchmen who joined the Roman Catholic Church in the early period of the Oxford Movement. Life A ...

: English writer *

Svetlana Alliluyeva Svetlana Iosifovna Alliluyeva, born Stalina (); ka, სვეტლანა იოსების ასული ალილუევა () (28 February 1926 – 22 November 2011), later known as Lana Peters, was the youngest child and only ...

: daughter of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

Mother Mary Alphonsa Rose Hawthorne Lathrop, also known as Mother Mary Alphonsa, (May 20, 1851 – July 9, 1926) was an American writer and religious leader. She was a Catholic religious sister, social worker, and foundress of the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne. ...

: daughter of

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...

, born "Rose Hawthorne"; became a nun and founder of St. Rose's Free Home for Incurable Cancer * Veit Amerbach: Lutheran theologian and humanist before conversion *

William Henry Anderdon William Henry Anderdon (26 December 1816 – 28 July 1890) was an English Jesuit and writer, born in London. After three years at King's College London, he matriculated at Oxford, when about nineteen, and entered Balliol College. Soon after, he ...

: English Jesuit and writer *

Władysław Anders ) , birth_name = Władysław Albert Anders , birth_date = , birth_place = Krośniewice-Błonie, Warsaw Governorate, Congress Poland, Russian Empire , death_date = , death_place = London, England, United Kingdom , serviceyears ...

: General in the Polish Army; later a politician with the Polish government-in-exile in London *

G. E. M. Anscombe Gertrude Elizabeth Margaret Anscombe (; 18 March 1919 – 5 January 2001), usually cited as G. E. M. Anscombe or Elizabeth Anscombe, was a British analytic philosopher. She wrote on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of action, ...

: British analytical philosopher and

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

who introduced the term " consequentialism" into the English language. Wife of

Peter Geach Peter Thomas Geach (29 March 1916 – 21 December 2013) was a British philosopher who was Professor of Logic at the University of Leeds. His areas of interest were philosophical logic, ethics, history of philosophy, philosophy of religion and t ...

* Francis Arinze: Nigerian

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

and Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments *

Gavin Ashenden Gavin Roy Pelham Ashenden (born 3 June 1954) is a British Catholic layman, author and commentator, and Associate Editor of the Catholic Herald. Formerly a priest of the Church of England, and subsequently a continuing Anglican bishop. He was a ...

: English writer, broadcaster and theologian. Former Chaplain to the Queen and Episcopalian bishop.Received December 2019. *

Audrey Assad Audrey Nicole Assad (born July 1, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released six studio albums and four EPs. Early life Audrey Assad's mother was from Virginia and her father is a Syrian-born refugee. She was raised Protestant, a ...

: American singer-songwriter and contemporary Christian music artist who has since distanced herself from Catholicism and even Christianity. *

Thomas Aufield Thomas Aufield (1552 – 6 July 1585), also called Thomas Alfield, was an English Roman Catholic martyr. He was born in Gloucestershire and educated at Eton College and King's College, Cambridge. He then converted to Roman Catholicism and in Sept ...

: English priest and martyr *

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Af ...

: theologian, philosopher, and the bishop of

Hippo Regius Hippo Regius (also known as Hippo or Hippone) is the ancient name of the modern city of Annaba, Algeria. It historically served as an important city for the Phoenicians, Berbers, Romans, and Vandals. Hippo was the capital city of the Vandal King ...

Numidia Numidia ( Berber: ''Inumiden''; 202–40 BC) was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians located in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up modern-day Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tunis ...

Roman North Africa Africa Proconsularis was a Roman province on the northern African coast that was established in 146 BC following the defeat of Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of present-day Tunisia, the northeast of Algeria, ...

. His writings influenced the development of Western philosophy and Western Christianity, and he is viewed as one of the most important

Church Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...

of the Latin Church in the Patristic Period. He was raised by a Catholic Mother,

Monica Monica may refer to: People *Monica (actress) (born 1987), Indian film actress *Monica (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Monica (singer) (born 1980), American R&B singer, songwriter, producer, ...

, but joined the Manichean sect before converting and being baptized into the Catholic faith at the age of 31.

B

Johann Christian Bach Johann Christian Bach (September 5, 1735 – January 1, 1782) was a German composer of the Classical period (music), Classical era, the eighteenth child of Johann Sebastian Bach, and the youngest of his eleven sons. After living in Italy for ...

: composer; youngest son of

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

Thomas Bailey Thomas or Tom Bailey may refer to: Sports * Tom Bailey (footballer) (1888–?), English footballer * Thomas Bailey (footballer, born 1904) (1904–1983), Welsh footballer * Tom Bailey (American football) (1949–2005), American football player * ...

: royalist and controversialist; his father was Anglican bishop

Lewis Bayly Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * " Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohea ...

Beryl Bainbridge Dame Beryl Margaret Bainbridge (21 November 1932 – 2 July 2010) was an English writer from Liverpool. She was primarily known for her works of psychological fiction, often macabre tales set among the English working class. Bainbridge won the ...

: English novelist * Bessie Anstice Baker, Australian writer and philanthropist, author of ''A Modern Pilgrim's Progress'' *

Francis Asbury Baker Francis Asbury Baker (March 30, 1820 – April 4, 1865) was an American Catholic priest, missionary, and social worker, known as one of the founders of the Paulist Fathers in 1858. Life Francis Asbury Baker was born in Baltimore, Maryland o ...

: American priest, missionary, and social worker; one of the founders of the Paulist Fathers in 1858 *

Josephine Bakhita Josephine Margaret Bakhita, (ca. 1869 – 8 February 1947), was a Sudanese-Italian Canossian religious sister who lived in Italy for 45 years, after having been a slave in Sudan. In 2000, she was declared a saint, the first Black woman to r ...

: Sudanese-born former slave; became a

Canossian The Canossians are a family of two Catholic religious institutes and three affiliated lay associations that trace their origin to Magdalen of Canossa, a religious sister canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1988. Canossian family Canossian Daughte ...

Religious Sister A religious sister (abbreviated ''Sr.'' or Sist.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to pr ...

in Italy, living and working there for 45 years; in 2000 she was declared a

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

Banine Umm-El-Banine Assadoulaeff (Umm El-Banu Äsâdullayeva; 18 December 1905 – 23 October 1992) was a French writer of Azerbaijani people, Azerbaijani descent who wrote under the penname of Banine. Biography She was a granddaughter of Azerbaijan ...

: French writer of Azeri descent * Daniel Barber: An American priest of the Episcopal Church before his conversion to Catholicism * Maurice Baring: English intellectual, writer, and war correspondent *

Mark Barkworth Mark Barkworth (alias Mark Lambert) was a Catholic priest and martyr (c. 1572 – 1601). Born around 1572 at Searby, Lincolnshire, he studied for a time at Oxford, though no record remains of his stay there. Originally raised as a Protestant ...

: English Catholic priest, martyr, and beatified person * Barlaam of Seminara: involved in the Hesychast controversy as an opponent to Gregory Palamas, possibly a revert * Arthur Barnes: formerly an Anglican priest, who became a Catholic writer and the first Catholic chaplain of both Cambridge and Oxford Universities * Edwin Barnes: formerly an Anglican bishop *

Joan Bartlett Dame Joan Bartlett, S.S.I., O.B.E., D.S.G., (1 August 1911, Lancashire – 9 September 2002) was a prominent British convert to the Roman Catholic Church and the foundress of the Servite Secular Institute. During World War II Bartlett worked i ...

: foundress of the Servite Secular Institute * James Roosevelt Bayley: first bishop of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark The Archdiocese of Newark is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in northeastern New Jersey, United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of the Catholic parishes and schools in the New Jerse ...

and eighth Archbishop of Baltimore * Aubrey Beardsley: English illustrator and author; before his death, converted to Catholicism and renounced his erotic drawings *

Francis J. Beckwith Francis J. "Frank" Beckwith (born November 3, 1960) is an American philosopher, professor, scholar, speaker, writer, and lecturer. He is currently Professor of Philosophy & Church-State Studies, Affiliate Professor of Political Science and ...

: American philosopher,

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...

professor, and former president of the Evangelical Theological Society; technically a revert *

Jean Mohamed Ben Abdejlil Jean Mohamed Ben Abdeljlil, O.F.M. ( ar, جون محمد بن عبد الجليل) (alternative transcripts: Benabdeljlil or Abd al-Jalil; 1904 – 24 November 1979) was a Moroccan Catholic priest and a convert from Islam.François Pouillon ''D ...

: Moroccan scholar and Roman Catholic priest *

Benedict Mar Gregorios Benedict Mor Gregorios (1 February 1916 – 10 October 1994) was the second metropolitan archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. Life Gregorios or "Thangalathil Thirumeni" was born and raised in the Malankara Orthodox Church in Kalloo ...

: Metropolitan Archbishop of Trivandrum, 1955-1994 * Peter Benenson: founder of

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

group

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

Robert Hugh Benson Robert Hugh Benson AFSC KC*SG KGCHS (18 November 1871 – 19 October 1914) was an English Catholic priest and writer. First an Anglican priest, he was received into the Catholic Church in 1903 and ordained therein the next year. He wa ...

: English writer and theologian; son of an

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

Elizabeth Bentley Elizabeth Terrill Bentley (January 1, 1908 – December 3, 1963) was an American spy and member of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA). She served the Soviet Union from 1938 to 1945 until she defected from the Communist Party and Soviet intelligenc ...

: former Soviet spy who defected to the West; was converted by Archbishop

Fulton J. Sheen Fulton John Sheen (born Peter John Sheen, May 8, 1895 – December 9, 1979) was an American bishop of the Catholic Church known for his preaching and especially his work on television and radio. Ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria in 1 ...

* Bernard Berenson: American

art historian Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

specializing in

the Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

. *

Mary Kay Bergman Mary Kay Bergman (June 5, 1961 – November 11, 1999), also credited as Shannen Cassidy, was an American voice actress and voice-over teacher. She was the lead female voice actress on ''South Park'' from the show's 1997 debut until her death. Thr ...

: American voice actress *

Bernardo the Japanese was an early Japanese Christian convert of the 16th century, born in Kagoshima, and the first Japanese person to set foot in Europe. Bernardo was one of the first converts of Saint Francis Xavier, and one of his two disciples. Bernardo was baptiz ...

: one of the first Japanese people to visit Europe *

Jiao Bingzhen Jiao Bingzhen (), active 1689–1726) was a native of Jining, Shandong who became a noted painter and astronomer. He is one of the first Qing dynasty painters to blend traditional Chinese painting with western culture. He is also among the more si ...

: painter and astronomer *

Conrad Black Conrad Moffat Black, Baron Black of Crossharbour (born 25 August 1944), is a Canadian-born British former newspaper publisher, businessman, and writer. His father was businessman George Montegu Black II, who had significant holdings in Canadi ...

: Canadian-born historian, columnist, UK peer, and convicted felon for fraud; his conviction was overturned subsequently on appeal *

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...

: former

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...

; converted 22 December 2007, after stepping down as prime minister *

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fro ...

: Italian tenor *

Cherry Boone Cheryl Lynn "Cherry" Boone (born July 7, 1954), also known as Cherry Boone O'Neill, is an American writer, author, and singer. She and her three sisters formed the 1970s pop singing group, The Boones. Boone has spoken publicly about her experienc ...

: daughter of devoutly evangelical Christian entertainer

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...

; she went public about her battle with

anorexia nervosa Anorexia nervosa, often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by low weight, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. ''Anorexia'' is a term of Gr ...

* John Wilkes Booth: 19th-century actor; assassin of President Abraham Lincoln; his sister

Asia Booth Asia Frigga Booth Clarke (November 19, 1835 – May 16, 1888) was a 19th-century American writer. Early years Asia Frigga Booth was the eighth in Booth family, the family of ten children born to Junius Brutus Booth and his wife Mary Ann Holmes. ...

asserted in her 1874 memoir that Booth, baptized an Episcopalian at age 14, had become a Catholic; for the good of the Church during a notoriously anti-Catholic time in American history, Booth's conversion was not publicized * Robert Bork: American jurist and unsuccessful nominee to the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

; converted to Catholicism in 2003; his wife was a former Catholic nun *

Louis Bouyer Louis Bouyer, CO (17 February 1913 – 22 October 2004), was a French Catholic priest and former Lutheran minister who was received into the Catholic Church in 1939. During his religious career he was an influential theological thinker, especia ...

: French theologian; converted to Catholicism in 1939 * Jim Bowie:

American pioneer American pioneers were European American and African American settlers who migrated westward from the Thirteen Colonies and later United States to settle in and develop areas of North America that had previously been inhabited or used by Nati ...

, slave smuggler and trader, and

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. Bowie was baptized in San Antonio on April 28, 1828, sponsored by the

alcalde Alcalde (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian '' cabildo'' (the municipal council) a ...

(chief administrator) of the town, Juan Martín de Veramendi, and his wife, Josefa Navarro. His conversion was to take advantage of a land grant * John Randal Bradburne: warden of the leper colony at Mutoko, Rhodesia and a candidate for canonization *

William Maziere Brady William Maziere Brady (1825–1894) was an Irish priest, ecclesiastical historian and journalist who converted to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism. Life Born in Dublin, on 8 January 1825, he was a nephew of Sir Maziere Brady, 1st Baronet, Lo ...

: Irish historian and journalist, formerly a

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

priest *

Elinor Brent-Dyer Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (6 April 1894 – 20 September 1969) was an English writer of children's literature who wrote more than one hundred books during her lifetime, the most famous being the ''Chalet School'' series. Early life and education Br ...

: English writer * Alexander Briant: one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales * John Broadhurst: formerly an Anglican bishop *

Heywood Broun Heywood Campbell Broun Jr. (; December 7, 1888 – December 18, 1939) was an American journalist. He worked as a sportswriter, newspaper columnist, and editor in New York City. He founded the American Newspaper Guild, later known as The Newspaper ...

: sportswriter, columnist, author; was converted by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen *

George Mackay Brown George Mackay Brown (17 October 1921 – 13 April 1996) was a Scottish poet, author and dramatist with a distinctly Orcadian character. He is widely regarded as one of the great Scottish poets of the 20th century. Biography Early life and caree ...

: Scottish poet, author and dramatist from the Orkney Islands * Sam Brownback: Governor of Kansas *

Orestes Brownson Orestes Augustus Brownson (September 16, 1803 – April 17, 1876) was an American intellectual and activist, preacher, labor organizer, and noted Catholic convert and writer. Brownson was a publicist, a career which spanned his affiliation with ...

: American writer *

Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

: American jazz musician *

Elizabeth Bruenig Elizabeth Bruenig (' Stoker; born December 6, 1990) is an American journalist working as an opinion writer for ''The Atlantic''. She previously worked as an opinion writer for ''The New York Times,'' and as an opinion writer and editor for ''The ...

: American journalist working as an opinion writer for ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

''. *

David-Augustin de Brueys David-Augustin de Brueys (18 September 164125 November 1723) was a French theologian and playwright. He was born in Aix-en-Provence. His family was Calvinist, and he studied theology. After writing a critique of Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet's work, ...

: French theologian and dramatist * Ismaël Bullialdus: French astronomer; converted from Calvinism and became a Catholic priest * Andrew Burnham: formerly an Anglican bishop *

John Ellis Bush John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. Bush, who grew up in Houston, was the second son of former President George H. W. Bush a ...

: American politician, forty-third Governor of Florida *

Thomas Byles Thomas Roussel Davids Byles (26 February 1870 – 15 April 1912) was an English Catholic priest who was a passenger aboard the on its maiden voyage when it sank after striking an iceberg during the night of 14–15 April 1912. He was repo ...

: priest who died serving others on the RMS ''Titanic''

C

* Roy Campbell: South-African-born, English-based (later Portuguese-based) poet * Edmund Campion: Jesuit martyr who wrote ''Decem Rationes'', which denounced Anglicanism; one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales * Alexis Carrel:

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

surgeon and biologist who was awarded the

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, accord ...

in 1912Alexis Carrel, ''The Voyage to Lourdes'' (New York, Harper & Row, 1939). *

Rianti Cartwright Rianti Rhiannon Cartwright (born 22 September 1983) is an Indonesian actress, model, presenter and VJ. She's best known for her leading role as 'Aisha' in a romantic religious Indonesian hit movie ''Ayat-Ayat Cinta'' (''Verses of Love'') in 2008 ...

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

actress, model, presenter and VJ; two weeks before departure to the United States to get married, Rianti left the Muslim faith to become a baptized Catholic with the name Sophia Rianti Rhiannon Cartwright * Kenneth Clark: British art historian, museum director, and broadcaster. Converted shortly before his death. *

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

: King Charles signed a treaty with

King Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

in which he agreed to convert to Catholicism. His conversion occurred on his deathbed. *

G.K. Chesterton Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an English writer, philosopher, Christian apologist, and literary and art critic. He has been referred to as the "prince of paradox". Of his writing style, ''Time'' observed: "Wh ...

: British writer, journalist and essayist, known for his Christian apologetics ''

Orthodoxy Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churc ...

'', '' Heretics'' and ''

The Everlasting Man ''The Everlasting Man'' is a Christian apologetics book written by G. K. Chesterton, published in 1925. It is, to some extent, a deliberate rebuttal of H. G. Wells' ''The Outline of History'', disputing Wells' portrayals of human life and civi ...

'' * Christina, Queen of Sweden: seventeenth-century monarch * Djibril Cissé:

international footballer * Wesley Clark: U.S. Army General; former Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO; candidate for Democratic nomination for President in 2004 *

Buffalo Bill Cody William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but he lived for several years in ...

: American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. Converted the day before his death * Stephen Colbert: American comedian, writer, actor, political commentator, and host of

the Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second it ...

: he was raised in a religious household, later to depart to

atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...

in his youth. However, in his twenties, he returned, having a powerful conversion to

Emily Coleman Emily Holmes Coleman (1899–1974) was an American born writer, and a lifelong compulsive diary keeper. She also wrote a single novel, '' The Shutter of Snow'' (1930). This novel, about a woman who spends time in a mental hospital after the birth ...

: American-born writer; lifelong compulsive diary keeper *

Henry James Coleridge Henry James Coleridge (born 20 September 1822, in Devon, England; d. Roehampton, 13 April 1893) was a writer on religious affairs and preacher. He served as editor of ''The Month'' for over fifteen years. Life He was the son of Sir John Taylor C ...

: son of

John Taylor Coleridge Sir John Taylor Coleridge (9 July 1790 – 11 February 1876) was an English judge, the second son of Captain James Coleridge and nephew of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Life He was born at Tiverton, Devon, and was educated as a Colleger (K ...

; became a priest *

James Collinson James Collinson (9 May 1825 – 24 January 1881) was a Victorian painter who was a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood from 1848 to 1850. Life He was born at Mansfield, Nottinghamshire and was the son of a bookseller. He entered ...

: artist who briefly went back to Anglicanism in order to marry Christina Rossetti *

Constantine the African Constantine the African ( la, Constantinus Africanus; died before 1098/1099, Monte Cassino) was a physician who lived in the 11th century. The first part of his life was spent in Ifriqiya and the rest in Italy. He first arrived in Italy in the c ...

: Tunisian doctor who converted from Islam and became a Benedictine monk * Tim Conway: American comedian; converted to Catholicism because he said he liked the way the Church is structured *

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...

: American actor who converted to the Church late in life, saying, "that decision I made was the right one" *

Frederick Copleston Frederick Charles Copleston (10 April 1907 – 3 February 1994) was an English Roman Catholic Jesuit priest, philosopher, and historian of philosophy, best known for his influential multi-volume '' A History of Philosophy'' (1946–75). Copl ...

: English historian of philosophy and Jesuit priest * Gerty Cori: Czech-American

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...

who became the third woman, and first American woman, to win a

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

in science, and the first woman to be awarded the

Richard Crashaw Richard Crashaw (c. 1613 – 21 August 1649) was an English poet, teacher, High Church Anglican cleric and Roman Catholic convert, who was one of the major metaphysical poets in 17th-century English literature. Crashaw was the son of a famous A ...

: English poet; son of a staunch anti-Catholic father

D

* Lorenzo Da Ponte: Italian writer and poet; converted from Judaism on his father's remarriage * Kim Dae-jung

President of South Korea The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (often abbreviated to POTROK or POSK; ), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Korea. The president leads the State Council, and is ...

: 2000 1998-2003; 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient *

Christopher Davenport Francis Davenport, O.M.R., also known as Father Francis of Saint Clare, (1598 – 31 May 1680) was an English Catholic theologian, a Recollect friar and royal chaplain. Life He was born Christopher Davenport in Coventry, England, in 1598, t ...

: Recollect friar whose efforts to show that the

Thirty-Nine Articles The Thirty-nine Articles of Religion (commonly abbreviated as the Thirty-nine Articles or the XXXIX Articles) are the historically defining statements of doctrines and practices of the Church of England with respect to the controversies of the ...

could be interpreted more in accordance with Catholic teaching caused controversy among fellow Catholics * Dominique Dawes: Olympic gold medalist *

Christopher Dawson Christopher Henry Dawson (12 October 188925 May 1970) was a British independent scholar, who wrote many books on cultural history and Christendom. Dawson has been called "the greatest English-speaking Catholic historian of the twentieth century ...

: British independent scholar, who wrote many books on cultural history and Christendom. Dawson has been called "the greatest English-speaking Catholic historian of the twentieth century". He converted to Catholicism in 1909 * Dorothy Day: social activist and

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

; founder of the

Catholic Worker ''Catholic Worker'' is a newspaper published seven times a year by the flagship Catholic Worker community in New York City. The newspaper was started by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin to make people aware of church teaching on social justice. Hist ...

movement; was raised nominally Episcopalian *

: French theologian *

Regina Derieva Regina Derieva ( rus, Реги́на Ио́сифовна Дери́ева, p=rʲɪˈɡʲinə ɪˈosʲɪfəvnə dʲɪˈrʲijɪvə, a=Ryegina Iosifovna Dyeriyeva.ru.vorb.oga; February 7, 1949 – December 11, 2013) was an Odessa-born Russian poet a ...

: Russian poet *

Alfred Döblin Bruno Alfred Döblin (; 10 August 1878 – 26 June 1957) was a German novelist, essayist, and doctor, best known for his novel '' Berlin Alexanderplatz'' (1929). A prolific writer whose œuvre spans more than half a century and a wide variety of ...

: German expressionist novelist, best known for ''

Berlin Alexanderplatz ''Berlin Alexanderplatz'' () is a 1929 novel by Alfred Döblin. It is considered one of the most important and innovative works of the Weimar Republic. In a 2002 poll of 100 noted writers the book was named among the top 100 books of all time. ...

'' * Catherine Doherty: Canadian pioneer of social justice; converted from Russian Christianity * Diana Dors: actress who was once called a "wayward hussy" by the

Geoffrey Fisher Geoffrey Francis Fisher, Baron Fisher of Lambeth, (5 May 1887 – 15 September 1972) was an English Anglican priest, and 99th Archbishop of Canterbury, serving from 1945 to 1961. From a long line of parish priests, Fisher was educated at Marlb ...

; in the 1970s she converted to Catholicism and had a Catholic funeral * Ross Douthat: American conservative political analyst, blogger, author and opinion columnist at ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' *

David Paul Drach David Paul Drach (born Strasbourg, 6 March 1791; died at the end of January, 1868, Rome) was a Catholic convert from Judaism, and librarian of the College of Propaganda in Rome. Life Drach received his first instruction at the hands of his fathe ...

: French Talmudic scholar and librarian of the College of Propaganda in Rome *

Augusta Theodosia Drane Augusta Theodosia Drane (28 December 1823 – 29 April 1894) was an English writer and Roman Catholic nun.Anselm Nye: "Drane, Augusta Theodosia..." ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, 2004)Retrieved 28 December 2018./ref> She beca ...

: English writer and theologian, also known as Mother Francis Raphael, O.S.D *

John Dryden '' John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the per ...

: English poet, literary critic, and playwright *

Avery Dulles Avery Robert Dulles (; 1918–2008) was an American Jesuit priest, theologian, and cardinal of the Catholic Church. Dulles served on the faculty of Woodstock College from 1960 to 1974, of the Catholic University of America from 1974 to 1988, a ...

: American

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

theologian, professor at

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

; son of former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles * Michael Dummett: British Analytic philosophy, Analytic philosopher who devised the Quota Borda system * Faye Dunaway: American actress * Joseph Dutton: veteran of the American Civil War who worked with Father Damien

E

* Dawn Eden Goldstein, Dawn Eden: rock journalist of Jewish ethnicity; was agnostic, now a Catholic concerned with the moral values of chastity * Martin Eisengrein: German theologian and polemicist * Ulf Ekman: Swedish charismatic pastor and founder of the Livets Ord congregation of the Word of Faith movement in Uppsala, Sweden * Black Elk: Oglala Lakota, Oglala medicine man * Veit Erbermann: German theologian and controversialist * William Everson (poet), William Everson: Beat poet whose parents were Church of Christ, Scientist, Christian Scientists; took the name Brother Antoninus in the 18 years he spent as a Dominican Order, Dominican * Thomas Ewing: U.S. Senator from Ohio; served as Secretary of the Treasury and first Secretary of the Interior; foster brother of William Tecumseh Sherman

F

* Frederick William Faber: English theologian and hymnwriter * Lola Falana: dancer and actress who became a Catholic evangelist after converting; founded The Lambs of God Ministry * Fan Shouyi (or Luigi Fan): first known Chinese person to travel to Europe, return, and write an account of his travels. In 1717, he was ordained as a priest and would eventually be an interpreter for the Chinese emperor and as a missionary in his native China. * Leonid Feodorov: exarch of the Russian Greek Catholic Church; Gulag survivor; beatified by Pope John Paul II * Ronald Firbank: British novelist * Sir Henry Fletcher, 3rd Baronet, of Hutton le Forest: converted and spent his last years in a monastery * Kasper Franck: German theologian and controversialist * Antonia Fraser: British historian, biographer and novelist; her parents converted when she was young * Johann Jakob Froberger: German composer * André Frossard: French journalist and essayist * Georgiana Fullerton: English novelist; converted in 1846 when she was in her 30s * Allan Fung: American politician

G

* Ivan Gagarin: Russian Jesuit and writer of aristocratic origin * Maggie Gallagher: conservative activist; a founder of the National Organization for Marriage * Mark Galli: American author, former editor of ''Christianity Today'', and former Evangelical Protestant minister *

: English philosopher and professor of logic at the University of Leeds. Husband of Elizabeth Anscombe * Edmund Gennings and John Gennings: brothers; Edmund was a priest and martyr who converted at sixteen; his death lead to John's conversion; John restored the English province of Franciscan friars * Elizabeth Fox-Genovese: historian; founder of the Institute of Women's Studies; wife of Eugene D. Genovese * Eugene D. Genovese: historian; was once an atheist and Marxism, Marxist * Fathia Ghali: daughter of King Fuad I of Egypt and his Queen, Nazli Sabri; in 1950, both mother and daughter converted to Catholicism from Islam; this enraged King Farouk, who forbade them from returning to Egypt; after his death, they asked President Anwar Sadat to restore their passports, which he did * Vladimir Ghika: Romanian nobleman who became a Catholic monsignor and political dissident * Richard Gilmour: bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland * Newt Gingrich: American politician; Speaker of the United States House of Representatives * Rumer Godden: English author of ''Black Narcissus'' and the 1972 Whitbread Awards, 1972 Whitbread Award winner ''The Diddakoi''; converted to Catholicism in 1968, which inspired the book ''In This House of Brede'' *Jonathan Goodall: Anglican Bishop of Ebbsfleet from 2013 to 2021, converted in September 2021 * John Gother: English Roman Catholic convert, priest and controversialist * John Willem Gran: former Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo, Bishop of Oslo; had been an atheist working in the film industry * Graham Greene: British writer whose Catholicism influenced novels like ''The Power and the Glory'', although in later life he once referred to himself as a "Catholic atheist" * Wilton Daniel Gregory: American Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, Archbishop of Washington, 2019–present * Moritz Gudenus: German priest * Alec Guinness: British actor, after whom the Catholic Association of Performing Arts (UK) named an award * Ruffa Gutierrez: Filipino people, Filipina actress, model and former beauty queen; converted from Christianity to Islam back to Christianity

H

* Theodor Haecker: German writer, translator and cultural critic * Kimberly Hahn: former Presbyterian; theologian, apologist and author of many books * Scott Hahn: former Presbyterian minister; theologian, scripture scholar and author of many books * Jeffrey Hamm: British fascist leader; converted by the renegade Catholic priest Fr. Clement Russell; succeeded Oswald Mosley as head of the British Union of Fascists * Thomas Morton Harper: Jesuit priest, philosopher, theologian and preacher * Chris Haw: theologian and author of numerous books, including ''From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart'', which detailed his conversion away from evangelical Protestantism * Anna Haycraft: raised in Auguste Comte's atheistic "church of humanity", but became a conservative Catholic in adulthood * Bill Hayden: Australian politician and Governor-General of Australia, converted from atheism at age 85 after retirement from public office. * Carlton J. H. Hayes: American ambassador to Spain; helped found the American Catholic Historical Association; co-chair of the National Conference for Community and Justice, National Conference of Christians and Jews * Susan Hayward: Academy Award-winning American actress who helped found a church * Isaac Hecker: founder of the Paulist Fathers * Elisabeth Hesselblad: raised Lutheran; after her conversion, became a nun; beatified by Pope John Paul II on 9 April 2000; recognized by Yad Vashem in 2004 as one of the Righteous Among the Nations for her work in helping Jews during World War II * Dietrich von Hildebrand: German theologian * H.H. Holmes: Chicago serial killer portrayed in Erik Larson's ''The Devil in the White City''; allegedly converted in Philadelphia's Moyamensing Prison, about a week before he was executed in 1896 * Walter Hooper: trustee and literary advisor of the estate of C.S. Lewis * James Hope-Scott: English lawyer connected to the Oxford Movement * Gerard Manley Hopkins: English poet and Catholic priest * Deal Hudson: Philosopher, publisher, political activist; converted from Southern Baptist to Catholicism at age 34. * Francis Hsu (Chen-Ping): third Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, bishop of Hong Kong, and the first Chinese one; a convert from Methodism * Arcadio Huang: Chinese Christian convert, and brought to Paris by the Missions étrangères. He took a pioneering role in the teaching of the Chinese language in France around 1715. * Allen Hunt: American radio personality; former Methodist pastor * E. Howard Hunt: American spy and novelist * Reinhard Hütter: American theologian

I

* Laura Ingraham: American broadcaster and political commentator * Princess Irene of the Netherlands: her conversion, related to her marrying a Carlism, Carlist, became something of a national issue * Vyacheslav Ivanov (poet), Vyacheslav Ivanov: poet and playwright associated with Russian symbolism; received into the Catholic Church in 1926 * Levi Silliman Ives: Episcopal Church of the USA Bishop of North Carolina

J

* James II of England: King of England and Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685 until he was deposed in the Glorious Revolution, Revolution of 1688. He was the last Catholic monarch of England, Scotland and Ireland; his reign is now remembered primarily for struggles over religious tolerance. He converted from Anglicanism to Catholicism in 1668 or 1669 * Bobby Jindal: American politician who served as the 55th Governor of Louisiana from 2008 to 2016; converted in his teens * Gwen John: artist; Auguste Rodin's lover; after the relationship she had a religious conversion and did portraits of nuns * Abby Johnson (activist), Abby Johnson: former Planned Parenthood clinic director; converted to Catholicism in 2011, two years after her anti-abortion conversion in 2009 * Bobby Jones (golfer), Bobby Jones: Golf pioneer. Converted on his deathbed in 1971 * * * * James Earl Jones: American actor who converted during his service in the U.S. Army * Walter B. Jones: U.S. politician; Member of the United States House of Representatives * Nirmala Joshi: Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity, 1997-2009 * Johannes Jørgensen: Danish writer, known for his biographies of Catholic saints *Ernst Jünger: decorated German soldier, author, and Entomology, entomologist who became publicly known for his World War I memoir ''Storm of Steel''. Converted shortly before his death at the age of 102

K

* Nicholas Kao Se Tseien: world's oldest priest * Katharine, Duchess of Kent: first member of the British royal family to convert to Catholicism for more than 300 years * Joyce Kilmer: American journalist, poet, literary critic, lecturer and editor * Yuna Kim: South Korean figure skater and Olympic gold medalist * Russell Kirk: American historian, moralist and figure in Conservatism in the United States, US Conservatism * Sister Gregory Kirkus: English Roman Catholic nun, educator, historian and archivist * Harm Klueting: priest and historian; had been Lutheran and had two children *Ronald Knox: English Catholic priest, theologian, author, and radio broadcaster. Ordained an Anglican priest in 1912, Knox converted to Catholicism in 1917. He is known for his translation of the bible, the Knox Bible, published in 1955 * Dean Koontz: American novelist known for thrillers and suspense; converted in college * Knud Karl Krogh-Tonning: Norwegian; had been a Lutheran professor of theology * Albert Küchler: Danish painter who became a Franciscan friar * Lawrence Kudlow: CNBC host and business columnist * Sigiswald Kuijken: Belgian violinist, violist and conductor * William Kurelek: Canadian painter * Stephan Kuttner: expert in Canon law (Catholic Church), canon law * Demetrios Kydones: Byzantine theologian, writer and statesman

L

* Shia LaBeouf: American actor, performance artist, and filmmaker; converted following an extended period preparing for a role playing Padre Pio * Charlie Landsborough: singer songwriter * Karl Landsteiner: Austrian biologist and physician; received the 1930

; converted from Judaism to Roman Catholicism in 1890Anna L. Staudacher: ''"... meldet den Austritt aus dem mosaischen Glauben". 18000 Austritte aus dem Judentum in Wien, 1868–1914: Namen – Quellen – Daten''. Peter Lang, Frankfurt, 2009, , p. 349 * Joseph Lane: Territorial Governor of Oregon; first U.S. Senator from Oregon; pro-slavery Democratic candidate for US Vice President in 1860; openly sympathetic to the Confederacy during the Civil War; studied Catholic doctrine and converted with his family in 1867 *John Lawe, Wisconsin Territory fur trader and land magnate. Lawe, who was of Jewish background, was baptised a Protestant, and had served as vestryman and treasurer of Wisconsin's first Episcopalianism, Episcopalian church, was reported to have made a deathbed conversion to Catholicism, and was buried in a Catholic cemetery next to his wife Thérèse. Local speculation was that the purpose of his conversion was to allow this burial. * Halldór Laxness: Icelandic writer; received the 1955 Nobel Prize in Literature; converted in 1923; left the Church, but returned at the end of his life * Graham Leonard: former Anglican Bishop of London * Ignace Lepp: French psychiatrist whose parents were freethinkers; joined the Communist party at age fifteen; broke with the party in 1937 and eventually became a Catholic priest * Shane Leslie: Irish-born diplomat and writer. He was a first cousin of Winston Churchill * Dilwyn Lewis: Welsh clothes designer and priest * Li Yingshi: Ming-era Chinese military officer and a renowned mathematician, astrologer and feng shui expert, who was among the first Chinese literati to become Christian * Francis Libermann: venerated Catholic, raised in Orthodox Judaism; has been called "the second founder of the Holy Ghost Fathers" * Antonio Ligabue: Italian painter of Swiss birth *Luca Lionello: being an atheist for 40 years, this Italian actor converted when he was part of the cast of the 2004 epic drama The Passion of the Christ, playing Judas Iscariot, Judas Ischkariot * William Lockhart (priest), William Lockhart: first member of the Oxford Movement to convert and become a Catholic priest * James Longstreet: Confederate general turned Republican "scalawag" * Frederick Lucas: Quaker who converted and founded ''The Tablet'' * Clare Boothe Luce: American playwright, editor, politician, and diplomat; wife of Time-Life founder Henry Luce;worked on the screenplay of the nun-themed film ''Come to the Stable''; became a Dames of Malta, Dame of Malta * Arnold Lunn: skier, mountaineer, and writer; agnostic; wrote ''Roman Converts'', which took a critical view of Catholicism and the converts to it; later converted to Catholicism due to debating with converts, and became an apologist for the faith * Jean-Marie Lustiger: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Paris, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Paris, 1981-2005; a Cardinal * James Patterson Lyke: Roman Catholic Archbishop of Atlanta, 1991-1992 * Jan Lipšanský, Jan Lipsansky: Czech writer

M

* Alasdair MacIntyre: Virtue ethics, virtue ethicist and moral philosopher * Gustav Mahler: Austrian composer; converted from Judaism. There is disagreement whether his conversion was a genuine or pragmatic one to overcome institutional and professional barriers against Jews * Enrique de Malaca: Malay race, Malay slave of Ferdinand Magellan; converted to Roman Catholicism after being purchased in 1511 * Henry Edward Manning: English Anglican clergyman who became a Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Westminster * Gabriel Marcel: leading Christian existentialism, Christian existentialist; his upbringing was agnostic * Jacques Maritain: French Thomist philosopher; helped form the basis for international law and human rights law in his writings; also laid the intellectual foundation for the Christian democratic movement * Taylor Marshall: American former Anglican priest, now a Catholic author and YouTuber/podcaster. * Tobie Matthew: Member of English Parliament who became a Catholic priest * Robert L. May: creator of ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer''; converted from Judaism after marrying his second wife, a Catholic. * James McAuley: Australian poet; converted in 1952 * Claude McKay: bisexual Jamaican poet; went from Communist-leaning atheist to an active Catholic Christian after a stroke * Gavin McInnes: Canadian far-right activist. Founder of the Proud Boys. * Marshall McLuhan: Canadian philosopher of communication theory; coined the terms "the medium is the message" and "global village (term), global village"; converted in 1937 after reading the works of

* Thomas Merton: American Trappist monk and spiritual writer * Vittorio Messori: Italian journalist and writer called the "most translated Catholic writer in the world" by Sandro Magister; before his conversion in 1964 he had a "perspective as a secularist and agnostic" * Alice Meynell: poet and suffragist * Czesław Miłosz: poet, prose writer, translator and diplomat; awarded the Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the 1980 Nobel Prize in LiteratureHaven, Cynthia L., "'A Sacred Vision': An Interview with Czesław Miłosz", in Haven, Cynthia L. (ed.), ''Czesław Miłosz: Conversations''. University Press of Mississippi, 2006, p. 145. * John Brande Morris: priest, writer, student of Patristics, Patristic theology, and scholar of the Syriac language * Henry Morse: one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales * Malcolm Muggeridge: British journalist and author who went from agnosticism to the Catholic Church * William Munk: English physician and medical historian remembered chiefly for "Munk's Roll", a biographical reference work on the Royal College of Physicians.

N

* Takashi Nagai: physician specializing in radiology; author of ''The Bells of Nagasaki'' * Bernard Nathanson: Jewish convert and medical doctor; a founding member of NARAL; he later recanted and became an anti-abortion proponent *Michael Nazir-Ali: Anglican Bishop of Rochester from 1994 to 2009. Currently the director of the Oxford Centre for Training, Research, Advocacy and Dialogue. Converted to Catholicism in 2021, ordained a priest for the Anglican Ordinariate * Patricia Neal: won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in ''Hud (1963 film), Hud'' * Dasha Nekrasova: a Belarusian-American actress, filmmaker, and podcast host known for Succession (TV series), Succession, The Scary of Sixty-First, and Red Scare (podcast), Red Scare podcast. * Knut Ansgar Nelson: Danish-born convert who was a bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Stockholm * Irène Némirovsky: author of the controversial ''David Golder'', autobiographical ''Le Vin de solitude'', and posthumous success ''Suite française (Irène Némirovsky), Suite française'' * Richard John Neuhaus: priest; founder and editor of the journal ''

'' * John Henry Newman: English priest and cardinal, former Anglican priest, famous for his autobiographical book ''Apologia Pro Vita Sua'' in which he details his reasons for converting * Keith Newton (prelate), Keith Newton: formerly an Anglican bishop * Donald Nicholl: British historian and theologian who has been described as "one of the most widely influential of modern Christian thinkers" * Barthold Nihus: German convert who became a bishop and controversialist * Robert Novak: American journalist and political commentator; raised Jewish, but practiced no religion for many years before converting to Catholicism in the last years of his life * Alfred Noyes: English poet, best known for "The Highwayman (poem), The Highwayman"; dealt with his conversion in ''The Unknown God''; ''The Last Voyage'', in his ''The Torch-Bearers'' trilogy, was influenced by his conversion

O

* Frederick Oakeley: priest and author known for his translation of "Adeste Fideles" into English as "O Come, All Ye Faithful" * John M. Oesterreicher: Jewish convert who became a monsignor and a leading advocate of Jewish-Catholic reconciliation * William E. Orchard: liturgist, pacifist and ecumenicist; before becoming a Catholic priest he was a Protestant minister * Johann Friedrich Overbeck: German painter in the Nazarene movement of religious art

P

* Paul the Apostle: a well known figure of persecuting the Early Church, claimed a powerful conversion based on an Vision (spirituality), apparition of Jesus of Nazareth * Coventry Patmore: English poet and critic known for ''The Angel in the House'' * Joseph Pearce: anti-Catholic and agnostic British National Front member; became a devoted Catholic writer with a series on EWTN * Vladimir Pecherin: Russian convert and priest whose memoirs were controversial for criticizing both the Russian government and the Catholic Church of his time * Charles Péguy: French poet, essayist, and editor; went from an agnostic humanist to a pro-Republic Catholic * Walker Percy: Laetare Medal-winning author of ''The Moviegoer'' and ''Love in the Ruins'' * Sarah Peter: American philanthropist; daughter of Ohio governor Thomas Worthington (governor), Thomas Worthington * Johann Pistorius: German controversialist and historian * John Hungerford Pollen (senior), John Hungerford Pollen: wrote for ''The Tablet''; Professor of Fine Arts at the Catholic University of Ireland * Ramesh Ponnuru: American conservative political pundit and journalist * Kirsten Powers: American political analyst & fox news columnist. * Agni Pratistha:

actress, model and former beauty queen; elected Puteri Indonesia 2006; converted to

after marriage, although initially denied rumors of conversion * Vincent Price: American actor; converted to Catholicism to marry his third wife, Australian actress Coral Browne (she became an American citizen for him); he reportedly lost interest in the faith after her death * Erik Prince: founder of Academi, Blackwater Worldwide * Augustus Pugin: English-born architect, designer and theorist of design; known for Gothic Revival architecture; advocate for reviving the Catholic Church in England

R

* Brent Robbins: Associate Professor of Psychology at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania * Marie-Alphonse Ratisbonne: co-founder of the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion, which originally worked to convert Jewish people like himself * Marie Theodor Ratisbonne: co-founder of the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion; converted before his brother * Sally Read: Eric Gregory Award-winning poet who converted to Catholicism * Joseph Warren Revere (general), Joseph Warren Revere: American Union (American Civil War), Union army General and grandson of Paul Revere; converted in 1862 during the Civil War * William Reynolds (theologian), William Reynolds: English Roman Catholic theologian and Biblical scholar * Dewi Rezer:

model of French descent; converted to Roman Catholicism * Anthony Rhodes: English writer * Paul Richardson (priest), Paul Richardson: formerly an Anglican bishop * Knute Rockne: Norwegian-American Notre Dame football coach, 1918-1930; converted from Lutheranism * Alban Roe: Benedictine; one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales * Lila Rose: American president of anti-abortion organization Live Action (organization), Live Action * Sylvester Horton Rosecrans: first bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus * William Rosecrans: Sylvester's brother, a Union Army general in the American Civil War * Anthony Ross (Catholic Priest), Anthony Ross: Scottish priest who served as Rector of the University of Edinburgh from 1979 to 1982 * Jonathan Roumie: American actor best known for playing the role of Jesus, Jesus Christ in television series The Chosen (TV series), ''The Chosen'''''' * Joseph Rovan: historian, member of the French Resistance, adviser on Franco-German relations * Giuni Russo: Italian singer-songwriter, developed a devotion to Saint Teresa of Avila * Richard Rutt: Catholic Monsignor, member of the House of Lords, served as a missionary to Korea and as Bishop of Daejon in the Anglican Church of Korea and the Suffragan Bishop of Turo in the Church of England, prominent Korean Studies Scholar

S

* Nazli Sabri: Queen of Egypt; mother of King Farouk of Egypt * Siegfried Sassoon: English poet, writer and soldier; converted in 1957 * Joseph Saurin: French mathematician and Calvinist minister * Paul Schenck: converted from Judaism to Episcopalianism to Catholicism; currently a Catholic priest and anti-abortion activist * Heinrich Schlier: German theologian * Roy Schoeman: former Harvard Professor, lecturer, and Jewish convert to Catholicism * Dutch Schultz (Arthur Flegenheimer): American mobster; converted to Catholicism during his second trial, convinced that Jesus Christ had spared him jail time; after being fatally shot by underworld rivals, he asked to see a priest and was given the last rites; his mother insisted on dressing him in a Jewish prayer shawl prior to his interment in the Catholic Gate of Heaven Cemetery * E. F. Schumacher: economic thinker known for ''Small Is Beautiful''; his ''A Guide for the Perplexed'' criticizes what he termed "Materialism, materialistic scientism;" went from atheism to Buddhism to Catholicism * Countess of Ségur: French writer of Russian birth * John Sergeant (priest), John Sergeant: English priest, controversialist and theologian * Elizabeth Ann Seton: first native-born citizen of the United States to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church * Frances Shand Kydd: mother of Diana, Princess of Wales * Michael Shen Fu-Tsung, Michael Alphonsius Shen Fu-Tsung: Qing Dynasty bureaucrat who toured Europe; he was featured in a painting titled "The Chinese Convert" by Godfrey Kneller * Frank Sheed: Australian-born lawyer, writer, publisher, Catholic apologist and speaker. Raised by a Scottish Presbyterian father, he later converted at age 16, and devoted his life to defending the Catholic faith, mostly from Protestant critics. * William Tecumseh Sherman: Civil War General, was born into a Presbyterian family but raised in a Catholic household by foster parents after his father died. Sherman attended the Catholic Church until the outbreak of the Civil War, which destroyed his faith. His wife and children were Catholic and one son, Thomas Ewing Sherman, became a Jesuit priest. * Ralph Sherwin: one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales * Frederick Charles Shrady: American religious artist, primarily of sculpture * Angelus Silesius: German Catholic priest and physician, known as a mystic and religious poet * David Silk (priest), David Silk: formerly an Anglican bishop * Richard Simpson (writer), Richard Simpson: literary writer and scholar; wrote a biography of Edmund Campion * Edith Sitwell: British poet and critic * Delia Smith: English cook and television presenter; her books ''A Feast for Lent'' and ''A Feast for Advent'' involve Catholicism * Timo Soini: politician who leads the Euroscepticism, Eurosceptic True Finns party; converted during the time of Pope John Paul II *Lauren Southern: Canadian political activist and YouTuber. * Reinhard Sorge: expressionist playwright who went from Friedrich Nietzsche, Nietzschean to Catholic * Wesley Sneijder: Dutch soccer player * Etsuro Sotoo: Japanese sculptor * Muriel Spark: Scottish novelist, author of ''The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (novel), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie;'' Penelope Fitzgerald states that Spark said that after her conversion she was better able to, "see human existence as a whole, as a novelist needs to do" *Britney Spears: American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Was raised Baptist before converting in 2021 * Ignatius Spencer: son of George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer; became a Passionists, Passionist priest and worked for the conversion of England to the Catholic faith * Adrienne von Speyr: Swiss medical doctor and later Catholic mystic * Henri Spondanus: French jurist, historian, continuator of the Annales Ecclesiastici, and Roman Catholic Diocese of Pamiers, Bishop of Pamiers * Barbara Stanwyck: American actress, model, and dancer * Friedrich Staphylus: German theologian who drew up several opinions on reform for the Council of Trent despite not attending * Ellen Gates Starr: a founder of Hull House who became an Oblate of the Third Order of St. Benedict * Jeffrey N. Steenson: first ordinary to the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter; former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande * Edith Stein: Phenomenology (philosophy), phenomenologist Jewish philosopher who converted to Catholicism and then became a Discalced Carmelite nun; declared a saint by John Paul II * Göran Stenius: Swedish-Finnish writer whose ''Klockorna i Rom'' (''The Bells of Rome'') has been praised as a post-war religious novel * Nicolas Steno: pioneer in geology and anatomy who converted from Lutheranism; became a bishop, wrote spiritual works, and was beatified in 1988 * Karl Stern: German-Canadian neurologist and psychiatrist; his book ''Pillar of Fire'' concerns his conversion * John Lawson Stoddard: divinity student who became an agnostic and "scientific humanist;" later converted to Catholicism * Sven Stolpe: Swedish convert and writer * R. J. Stove: Australian writer, editor, and composer; raised atheist as the son of David Stove * Su Xuelin: Chinese author and scholar whose semi-autobiographical novel ''Bitter Heart'' discusses her introduction to and conversion to Catholicism * Graham Sutherland: English artist who did religious art and had a fascination with Christ's crucifixion * Halliday Sutherland: doctor, tuberculosis pioneer, best-selling author and defendant in the 1923 libel trial, Stopes v. Sutherland. Converted in 1919. * Robert Sutton (martyr), Robert Sutton: English priest and martyr * Sophie Swetchine: Russian salon-holder and mystic * Susie Forrest Swift (Sister M. Imelda Teresa; 1862–1916), American editor, Salvation Army worker, Catholic nun * Karel Schulz: Czech writer

T

* John B. Tabb: American poet, priest, and educator *Hara Takashi ( 原敬): Japanese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1918 to 1921. Baptized at the age of 17 * John Michael Talbot: American Roman Catholic singer-songwriter-guitarist, once a secular musician in the group Mason Proffit * Allen Tate: American poet, essayist and social commentator, and Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress * Frances Margaret Taylor: founded the Poor Servants of the Mother of God * Kateri Tekakwitha: Catholic saint informally known as "Lily of the Mohawks" * Tabariji, Tabaraji of Ternate:

sultan; converted to Roman Catholicism after 1534; baptised with the name Dom Manuel * Elliot Griffin Thomas: third bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Thomas * John Sparrow David Thompson: first Catholic to be Prime Minister of Canada * Meletius Tipaldi: Eastern Catholic bishop, from Orthodox Christianity. * Alice B. Toklas: American-born member of the Parisian avant-garde of the early 20th century; had once been Gertrude Stein's lover * Edith Tolkien: Englishwoman, known as the wife and Muses, muse of novelist J. R. R. Tolkien. Converted in 1913 in order to marry her husband *Mabel Tolkien: Mother of English writer, poet, philologist, and academic J. R. R. Tolkien. Converted from being a Baptist in 1900 * Meriol Trevor: British biographer, novelist and children's writer * Lou Tseng-Tsiang: Chinese Premier and diplomat who became a Benedictine abbot and priest "Pierre-Célestin" * Hasekura Tsunenaga: Samurai and Keichō diplomat who toured Europe * Rajah Tupas: Filipino people, Filipino prince and son of the Rajah Humabon; converted with his family by Ferdinand Magellan, Magellan * Malcolm Turnbull: 29th Prime Minister of Australia. * Julia Gardiner Tyler: second wife of President of the United States, U.S. President John Tyler

U

* Barry Ulanov: editor of ''Metronome magazine, Metronome'' magazine; a founder of the St. Thomas More Society; Mary Lou Williams's godfather * Kaspar Ulenberg: theological writer and translator of the Bible who had previously been Lutheran * Sigrid Undset: Norwegian Nobel laureate who had previously been agnostic

V

* Sheldon Vanauken: author of'' A Severe Mercy''; a contributing editor of the ''New Oxford Review'' * J. D. Vance: American author and venture capitalist known for his memoir ''Hillbilly Elegy'' * Bill Veeck: American baseball team owner * Johann Emanuel Veith: Bohemian Roman Catholic preacher * Jean-Baptiste Ventura: soldier, mercenary and adventurer of Jewish origin * Aubrey Thomas de Vere: Victorian era poet and critic. * Johannes Vermeer: Dutch Golden Age painter * Adrian Vermeule: American legal scholar and law professor at Harvard Law School * Mother Veronica of the Passion: founder of the Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel * Karl Freiherr von Vogelsang: politician and editor of the Catholic newspaper ''Das Vaterland'' * Simeon Vratanja: Eastern Catholic bishop

W

* Empress Dowager Wang (Southern Ming), The Empress Dowager Wang of the Southern Ming, Southern Ming Dynasty and mother of the Yongli Emperor * William George Ward: theologian, philosopher, lecturer in mathematics *E. I. Watkin: English writer on poetry, philosophy, aesthetics, history, and religion. Friend of Christopher Dawson. Converted in 1908 from Anglicanism * Evelyn Waugh: English writer; his ''Brideshead Revisited'' concerns an aristocratic Catholic family * John Wayne: American actor, known for his roles in war films and Westerns; converted to the Catholic Church shortly before his death. * Zacharias Werner: German poet, dramatist and preacher * Eustace White: one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales * E. T. Whittaker: English mathematician who was awarded the cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice in 1935 * Ann Widdecombe: former British Conservative Party politician; novelist since 2000 * Chelsea Olivia Wijaya: Indonesian actress and model; born in the Protestant religion * Robert William Wilcox: soldier and politician in 19th century Hawaii. * Oscar Wilde: Irish writer and poet; converted on his deathbed * Mary Lou Williams: List of jazz pianists, jazz pianist; after conversion, wrote and performed some religious jazz music like ''Black Christ of the Andes'' * Paul Williams (philosopher), Paul Williams: academic who was raised Anglican and lived as a Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhist for twenty years before becoming Catholic * Tennessee Williams: American playwright; converted in his later years as his life spiralled downwards * Sigi Wimala:

model and actress, converted to Catholicism after marriage * Lord Nicholas Windsor: son of Catholic convert Katharine, Duchess of Kent; anti-abortion writer * Gene Wolfe: Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award, Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master in science fiction and fantasy * John Woodcock (martyr), John Woodcock: among the Eighty-five martyrs of England and Wales * Thomas Woods: American historian and Austrian School economist; wrote ''How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization'' * John Ching Hsiung Wu: wrote ''Chinese Humanism and Christian spirituality''; has been called "one of China's chief lay exponents of Catholic ideas" * Wu Li: Chinese painter and poet who became one of the first Chinese Jesuit priests * John C. Wright (author), John C. Wright: science fiction author who went from atheist to Catholic; wrote Chapter 1 of the book ''Atheist to Catholic: 11 Stories of Conversion'', edited by Rebecca Vitz Cherico * John Michael Wright: portrait painter in the Baroque style

X

* Xu Guangqi: Chinese scholar-bureaucrat, agricultural scientist, astronomer, and mathematician during the Ming Dynasty; classed as one of the Three Pillars of Chinese Catholicism

Y

* Shigeru Yoshida (吉田茂): Japanese diplomat and politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1946 to 1947 and from 1948 to 1954. He was baptized on his deathbed, having hid his Catholicism throughout most of his life. His funeral was held in St. Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo

Z

* Israel Zolli: until converting from Judaism to Catholicism in February 1945, Zolli was the chief rabbi in Rome, Italy's Jewish community from 1940 to 1945

Former Catholics who had been converts

* Magdi Allam: converted in 2008, but left in 2013 to protest what he deemed its "globalism", "weakness", and "soft stance against Islam" * Margaret Anna Cusack: Anglican nun who converted to Catholicism; founded The Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, and later left due to conflict with a bishop; later became a critic of the Hierarchy of the Catholic Church, Church's hierarchy and the Society of Jesus; her order survived in the Catholic Church * Rod Dreher: writer and blogger; raised Methodist before converting to Catholicism; converted to Eastern Orthodoxy in 2006 * Henry Ford II: converted by Archbishop

; twice divorced; later ceased practicing the faith, although he received the last rites of the Catholic Church on his deathbed; his funeral was Episcopalian * Ernest Hemingway: Converted to marry his second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer. He subsequently divorced Pfeiffer and ceased practicing the faith. He received Catholic graveside services because his family requested it. Also, the fact that his death was a suicide was concealed initially. Ex-Catholics and people who committed suicide were not buried according to Catholic rites. * Ammon Hennacy: Christian anarchist and activist who was Catholic from 1952 to 1965; his essay "On Leaving the Catholic Church" concerns his formal renunciation of the religion * David Kirk (activist), David Kirk: Baptist by upbringing; converted to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in 1953 and became a Melkite priest in 1964; became Eastern Orthodox in 2004 * Otto Klemperer: German conductor. Converted to Catholicism, but returned to Judaism near the end of his life. * Robert Lowell: United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry who won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry twice; left the faith by 1951 * Walter M. Miller, Jr.: author of ''A Canticle for Leibowitz''; converted after his experiences in World War II; later renounced the faith * Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Franco-Swiss philosopher, writer and political theorist who converted to Catholicism as a young man but later apostated to Calvinism in 1754

References

External links

Historic Catholic Converts to Catholicism Produced
by EWTN hosted by Fr. Charles Connor – Real Audio {{lists of converts Lists of religious converts, Catholicism Lists of Roman Catholics, Converts Converts to Catholicism, *

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See also

References

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