Today, we’re thrilled to sit down with Christopher and Marina Lara, parishioners of the Basilica of San Albino, for a heartfelt conversation about their remarkable journey. Christopher, baptized Catholic, once embraced life as a Jehovah’s Witness, while Marina grew up immersed in the Jehovah’s Witness faith. Together, they’re opening up about their experiences in the Jehovah’s Witness community and the powerful pull that led them to the Catholic Church.
From the pain of losing connections with friends and family to the joy of welcoming their second child, their story is one of courage, faith, and transformation. Don’t miss this inspiring tale of love and rediscovery!
Finding Home: A Couple’s Courageous Leap from Jehovah’s Witnesses to Catholicism**
In the sun-drenched town of Mesilla, New Mexico, Christopher and Marina Lara are living proof that faith can lead you through the darkest valleys to a place of profound peace. Once devoted Jehovah’s Witnesses, they’ve embarked on a transformative journey to the Catholic Church, trading a world of rigid doctrine and shunning for the embrace of the Basilica of San Albino. Their story—woven with doubt, loss, and divine encounters—is a testament to the power of questioning, the strength of love, and the grace that awaits those who seek truth. As they prepare to welcome their second child, the Laras share how they broke free from a controlling faith and found a spiritual home that fills their hearts.
A Life Defined by Faith
For Marina, the Jehovah’s Witness faith was her entire world. Raised by baptized parents, she was steeped in devotion from childhood. “I was always looking to talk to people about God and teach my friends and place literature with them so that they could have a greater love for God through the congregation,” she recalls. Baptized at 16, later than she hoped due to her mother’s caution, Marina became a regular pioneer, dedicating herself fully to the organization’s demanding schedule of preaching and study. It was a life of purpose, but one that left little room for questioning.
Christopher’s path was different. Baptized Catholic as a baby, he joined the Witnesses at 19 after studying with them as a teenager. His father’s family had converted in the 1970s, and the faith offered a sense of structure and community. “I’m Christopher Lara, born and raised right here in Las Cruces,” he says, introducing himself as a respiratory therapist and father to a nearly 3-year-old son, with another baby on the way. Married to Marina for 13 years, their love story began not with a knock on the door, but a chance meeting at a friend’s house. “Sparks flew, and here we are,” he laughs.
Together, they were a zealous team, preaching in places like Utah and Texas, even building Kingdom Halls. But beneath their commitment, cracks began to form—doubts that would unravel their world and lead them to a faith they once feared.
The Seeds of Doubt
For Christopher, the first whispers of unease came from the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ teachings themselves. “I really was not very happy as a Jehovah’s Witness,” he admits. “I felt like there was something wrong.” He noticed inconsistencies, like the organization’s shifting interpretations of scripture, such as the “generation” prophecy, which changed multiple times during his tenure. “I’d read the Bible and see they were injecting themselves into it,” he says, citing Ezekiel’s Gog and Magog prophecy as an example. Meetings felt like sales seminars, with rehearsed pitches and a strict focus on Watchtower literature. “They’d say, ‘Make the truth your own,’ but only if it came from their Watchtower magazines.”
The birth of their son and the COVID-19 pandemic intensified his doubts. The Witnesses’ push for vaccines contradicted earlier teachings against promoting medical treatments, and Christopher began to question the organization’s control over his family. “I realized that if my son makes a mistake that teenagers make and they disfellowship him and they kick him out of the congregation and I can’t associate with him anymore, should an organization really have that much control over me and my family?” he reflects. He dove into philosophy, other holy books, and Christian thinkers, discovering saints like Teresa of Avila and the rich history of Catholic thought.
Marina, however, was steadfast—at first. “Chris has always been that big thinker,” she says. When he shared his doubts, she was confident in her faith. “I was so sure of being a witness and that I was in the right place, that I was like, ‘Go ahead and look. You’re going to come right back here. I’m not even worried.’” But Christopher’s questions—about *sola scriptura*, the early Church, and the Witnesses’ authority—began to resonate. “I was comfortable in the Witnesses’ world—it was peaceful, structured, and I attributed my happy life to it,” she says. Yet, unbeknownst to her, Christopher was praying the rosary for her conversion, and those prayers would soon bear fruit.
The Cost of Freedom
Leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses is not a simple departure—it’s a seismic rupture. The organization’s practice of shunning, or disfellowshipping, means those who leave are cut off from friends and family. For Marina, an extrovert whose life revolved around the congregation, the loss was devastating. “When we left, we lost almost everyone—friends I’d known since childhood, even some family,” she shares. Her mother, a devout Witness, struggled to reconcile their departure, pulling back from their joint food truck venture. “She was supposed to be the cook and she bailed on us,” Christopher explains. Their cashier, also a Witness, quit under parental pressure, forcing the couple to park the food truck. “We didn’t have the support we needed,” Marina says, her voice heavy with the memory.
Christopher faced similar scrutiny. His grandparents and a close friend, an elder, probed for signs of dissent. Even social media posts were reported—friends flagged him for using “Lord” instead of “Jehovah.” “It felt like a cult,” Marina notes, recalling the pressure to conform. Yet, a few friendships with others drifting away from the Witnesses offered a lifeline, helping them navigate the isolation.
Stepping into the Unknown
Embracing Catholicism was a leap into a world the Witnesses had demonized. “I’d been told Catholics were idol-worshippers who prayed to Mary and saints,” Christopher says. Yet, his search for truth led him to Catholic conversion stories, like one on *The Journey Home*, that resonated deeply. He began praying the rosary in a hospital chapel, unaware that the Blessed Sacrament was present. A deacon named Lonnie offered reassurance: “The original Christians used to go into the catacombs and pray and hide. So remember to some degree that’s what you’re doing.” Vivid experiences—like smelling incense in his dusty truck or a dream of being lifted into the sky—confirmed his path. “I knew that from the dream it was God,” he says. “He was answering my prayers.”
Marina’s transition was more daunting. “I’d never been in a Catholic church and just thinking about it made my heart race,” she admits. Witnesses view crucifixes as glorifying a murder weapon and old churches as demonic. After sending their disassociation letter, she was in limbo, not ready to embrace Catholicism. But one day, she joined Christopher at the Newman Center. “I was braced for something scary, but it was peaceful, packed with all kinds of people—young, old, familiar faces,” she recalls. “I didn’t burst into flames!” The warmth of the community and the reverence of the Mass began to dismantle her fears.
A New Spiritual Home
What sealed their commitment to Catholicism? For Marina, it was Mary. “As a Witness, she was just a side character,” she says. “Now I understand the importance of the role she plays and just getting to know her as a mother, as the mother of Jesus.” Praying the rosary convicted her: “I couldn’t say it any better. And I want to say these things and I want her help.” Stories like Our Lady of Guadalupe deepened her connection, offering a model for raising her son.
For Christopher, it was the Eucharist. “The graces, the encounter with Jesus, the Eucharist that he’s there in the church. I didn’t find that as a Jehovah’s Witness,” he says. The tangible presence of Christ transformed his life, a grace he found nowhere else. “I didn’t find any other eastern religions that I was learning about, but that I see him in my life.”
Rewriting the Narrative
The Witnesses’ teachings posed significant hurdles. Their belief that only 144,000 go to heaven, with others earning a paradise earth through works, clashed with Catholic theology. Marina found the shift liberating: “Once the idea of going to heaven became realistic, it made so much more sense. If given the choice to meet God or stay on earth, why would I not want to be as close to God as I could?” Receiving Communion made God’s presence real, unlike the Witnesses’ practice of passing the bread and wine without partaking.
Christopher longed to meet Jesus: “I had this desire to meet him. I wanted to see him. I wanted to ask him questions, see what he looked like.” Heaven became “this place of bliss and extraordinary views,” far surpassing the Witnesses’ earthly paradise.
The Witnesses’ doctrine that Jesus is Michael the Archangel was another obstacle. Christopher unraveled it through study: “Learning about the Trinity was key. I discovered Christians have believed in it since the early centuries, while the Witnesses’ Michael doctrine came 2,000 years later.” Marina struggled longer, praying to St. Michael while equating him with Jesus. “It took a while,” she says, but understanding the Trinity clarified Jesus’ divine nature. “Just realizing that Jesus is his own person and there’s God and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, and there are separate entities than God, which like Michael, the Archangel and Raphael,” she explains.
The Witnesses’ persecution complex—viewing suffering as proof of their truth—also required unlearning. Marina discovered Catholics’ long history of persecution: “I had never really heard about other Christians being persecuted.” A talk on suffering with grace shifted her perspective. “I felt such a release of anxiety. I had never had so much peace,” she says. Daily Mass became a source of joy, not obligation. “God doesn’t love me despite my errors. It’s just a proof of his love that he can love someone like me.”
A Message to the World
As they stand firm in their Catholic faith, the Laras offer wisdom to others. To those searching, Christopher advises: “Come to God humbly and recognize that you don’t know everything, that there’s a lot that you don’t know, and you should seek out good sources.” Marina echoes: “Pray and listen for where God’s drawing you to and learning about the teachings of the church and not basing it off of people you may know who are part of the church.”
For Catholics seeking a deeper connection, Marina suggests: “Live for Jesus. Daily Mass has made such a big difference. It gets me ready in the morning and then it kind of sets up my day.” Christopher urges: “Seek Him in the Eucharist. Be open to an encounter.”
Their message to the world is clear. Christopher declares: “Christianity is true. And how do we know that? Because there’s a lot of documentation, there’s proof, there’s evidence, there’s archeological evidence.” Marina’s words resonate with hope: “God loves you personally. When you see a crucifix, know Jesus suffered for *you*—your mistakes, your life. He’s extending his hand, waiting for yours. Take it, put in the work, and let His love draw you closer.”
A Beacon of Hope
Christopher and Marina’s journey is a beacon for anyone wrestling with doubt or seeking truth. Despite losing friends, family, and their livelihood, they’ve found a faith that fills them with purpose and peace. As they await their second child, they’re rooted in the Catholic Church, living proof that even the hardest paths can lead to grace. “God is extending his hand and he just is waiting for your hand,” Marina says, a reminder that the search for truth is always worth the cost.