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Rebecca S. Jackson: A Conversion Story

The story of the road to my conversion from Orthodox Judaism to Charismatic Protestantism to Catholicism could fill up the pages of a reasonably sized book; however, in a nutshell I will outline the highlights of my journey.

The Earliest Years

I was born in Beth Israel Hospital in Lower Manhattan to Orthodox Jewish parents, Sam and Fanny Wahrsager in 1948. At the time of my birth, the post-war housing boom was just getting started and my parents were thrilled to have found a small apartment on St. Mark’s Avenue on the border of the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. It is ironic that this walk-up apartment was directly opposite St. Mary’s Catholic Church and Hospital. As I looked through the window of my living room that faced Rochester Avenue, I could see a cross and priests and nuns in habit strolling by on a daily basis.

Although we were Jewish, my late father – a World War II veteran -- always taught me to respect priests and nuns, because they are people of faith, and to stand up and offer them my seat on the bus and subway. My father would watch the late Bishop Sheen’s program on a regular basis and when I asked my father one evening why he chose Bishop Sheen’s program over the Jewish Milton Berle’s comedy hour he would answer emphatically: “Which of the two men talk about God?”

After three years of attending public schools, I was transferred to Crown Heights Yeshiva, an Orthodox Jewish primary school in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. It was at Crown Heights that I studied the Bible in its original Hebrew text and also began studies in Aramaic.
 A Subway Conversion

In 1961, after graduation, I continued these studies at the prestigious Yeshiva University High School on W. 58th Street in Manhattan. “Central Manhattan” -- as it was called -- was located a few blocks away from Power Memorial High School, a Catholic High School with a long tradition of excellence in Catholic secondary education. Every weekday morning, I would ride the subways to school along with students from Power Memorial and through the corners of my eyes, I would catch glimpses of students’ Catholic text books. The Seeds of Faith were being gradually sown and, at the age of sixteen, I became a Catholic in the silence of my heart. It would not be until April 1991 that my full conversion to the Catholic Church would take place.

George Soter, the Violin Maker

Starting at the age of eleven, I began to study the violin. It was at that time that I met the late George Soter, a Greek violinist who made his living as a violin repairman. He lived in the Astoria section of Queens – with his Hungarian wife, Marie and, although a devout Greek Orthodox, he would make a special time for me on occasional Sundays -- since I could not travel on the Sabbath -- to bring my violin for re-stringing. I once mentioned to him: “Mr. Soter, it is very kind of you to give up your Sunday to help me.” He answered, “I’m not giving anything up. This is where I must be. This is what God wants of me.” Years later, I grasped what he was saying. George was to be a quiet spokesman for Christianity. Not only did he show great kindness to me, but he was my first instructor in Christianity.

Colorado Springs and Christianity

In 1982, just a few months short of my 35th birthday, I enlisted in the US Army. Although I had graduated Brooklyn College with a B.A. in Germanic Languages and Literatures in 1970, because of my age I was not permitted to enroll in Officer Candidate School (OCS). Upon completion of basic training at Ft. Dix, New Jersey I was immediately transferred to my first duty station at Ft. Carson, CO in the shadow of Pikes Peak. On April 19, 1986, I came to Christianity at Victory Chapel, a Full Gospel Church in Colorado Springs. That summer, I was baptized in a metal wading pool by Pastor John Sanchez and his wife, Mary.
The Shroud of Turin: The Road to the Catholic Church

It was late one evening in April 1990 that I woke up in the middle of the night and switched on Trinity Broadcasting Network. It was Holy Week and the 1977 classic film on the Shroud of Turin, “The Silent Witness”, was being aired. Upon looking at the Face of the Man of the Shroud, my first reaction was: “He looks Jewish. He looks like my grandfather.” The next day, I called Dr. John Jackson who was prominently featured in the film because of his work on the Shroud and ironically, like me, lived in Colorado Springs. That meeting represented the start of my fifteen years of research into the First Century Jewish environment of the Shroud of Turin and my marriage to John in December 1992 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.

Following our first meeting, John invited me to attend the Santa Maria Holy Hour, a Eucharistic Adoration prayer group that met – and still meets -- every Thursday night at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Colorado Springs. I gladly accepted the invitation and I was so struck by the love and spirit of this Holy Hour that I decided to join the Catholic Church. It was at the Easter Vigil in April 1991 that I received the Sacrament of Confirmation from Bishop Richard C. Hanifen.

If I could pinpoint the most important influence on my conversion to the Catholic Church it would be the Shroud of Turin. Since my conversion, I have devoted my life to the Shroud and have spoken around the world about the special role that the Shroud has played in my spiritual life. Considering that The Lord Jesus said: “To the Jews first, then the Gentiles” I believe that the Shroud, the purported burial Cloth of Christ, is one of the most valuable evangelical tools that can be used to bring Jews to the Catholic Church.

For the past thirteen years, I have been the associate director of the Turin Shroud Center of Colorado. I feel honored to have spoken on the Jewish aspects of the Shroud at numerous international conferences. I have also been deeply involved in the conversion of Russia using the Shroud by coordinating – albeit from afar -- our branch office, Turin Shroud Center/Moscow, headed by a Russian Orthodox scientist, Alexander Belyakov. Having earned an MBA in Global Management, I am presently beginning studies for my Master’s in Religious Studies at the Catholic Distance University in Hamilton, VA.