Catherine Van der Horst — The First Vision 'Seemed So True and Real' at the Los Angeles Visitors' Center (c. 1970s)

Catherine (Cathy) Van der Horst's conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a powerful testament to the compelling truth of Joseph Smith's First Vision. Raised in a devout Catholic family of Irish and Dutch heritage in Wisconsin, Cathy had attended Catholic schools and developed a deep appreciation for the power of prayer. She went inactive in the Catholic Church around age 17 but still believed it to be the "one true church."

Years later, living in Southern California, Cathy visited the Los Angeles visitors' center of the LDS Church. She had no idea what the Mormons believed — "all I knew is they were pioneers, that's all I knew about the Mormons." But what she learned there changed her life.

At the visitors' center, Cathy heard for the first time the account of Joseph Smith's First Vision — how a young boy had knelt in a grove of trees and prayed to God to know which church was right, and how God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ appeared to him and answered his prayer.

Cathy's response was immediate and powerful. She said: "When I learned that Joseph Smith had knelt in a grove and prayed to God and God had answered his prayers, it seemed so true and real to me, I believed it. I said, 'This is something that I can build upon and grow with and go forward with.' It was a relief."

The First Vision resonated with Cathy's lifelong sense that God was a God who answers prayers. Her Catholic upbringing had taught her that God loves us, knows us, and cares about us. When she learned that God had actually appeared to a young man in answer to his prayer, it confirmed what she already intuitively believed about God's nature — that He is real, that He hears prayers, and that He answers them.

Cathy and her husband Peter, a devout Catholic from Holland who had moved to Canada and then the United States, both joined the Church. They saw the similarities between their Catholic faith and the restored gospel and embraced the additional truth they found.

Their conversion was not without cost. Cathy's mother was "horrified" that she would change from generations of Catholic tradition and was "mocking" of her new beliefs, asking "Why are you going to church again on Sunday?" Peter's parents distanced themselves. But over time, they saw the positive impact of the gospel on their children's lives.

Catherine Van der Horst's conversion is a powerful witness that the First Vision of Joseph Smith carries a compelling, confirming power. When she heard that God had answered a young boy's prayer, it "seemed so true and real" to her — so consistent with her understanding of God's nature that she believed it immediately. Her testimony stands as a reminder that the story of the First Vision, when shared with sincere seekers, carries its own witness of truth.