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EXCLUSIVE: Vice President JD Vance said years spent chasing academic, professional and financial success ultimately left him searching for something deeper, leading him back to Christianity and eventually to the Catholic faith he practices today.
“I was really worried about where I went to school and what kind of job I had and what kind of money that I made. But I felt like that wasn’t making me a good person, whereas the Christians in my life seem to have it figured out,” Vance told Digital in an interview as his new memoir, “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith,” hit bookshelves.
Whether they were rich or poor, whatever their background or education was. They were just much better people; they were much more gracious and much more kind.”
Vance’s book debuted on Tuesday, recounting the path that took him from a Protestant childhood to atheism — and ultimately to the Catholic faith he embraces today. Vance’s reflections come as he is increasingly regarded as one of the Republican Party’s strongest potential presidential candidates for 2028.
JD VANCE RELEASING BOOK ABOUT FAITH JOURNEY, CONVERSION TO CATHOLICISM
Vice President JD Vance and his family, including wife Usha Vance and their three children, pose for a photo outside the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, on April 23, 2025. (Kenny Holston/Pool/Reuters)
“There have been so many people who have been very good to me, but I just felt at home in the churches that I was going to with my Catholic friends and that’s a big part of why I converted,” Vance told Digital.
He came to believe that the joy, kindness and character he saw in the Christians around him stemmed from their faith.
“Some of those people call the Catholic Church their home. So I’d go to church with them or I’d talk to them about various things that were on my mind… sometimes God puts people in front of you,” said Vance.
SECOND LADY USHA VANCE ON MOTHER’S DAY AND WHAT SHE STRIVES FOR AS A MOM
Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance attend the Commander-in-Chief Ball in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
He shared that he loves how American Christianity is “dynamic” with the various denominations.
Vance drew headlines in October when he spoke out about his wife’s Hindu faith, sharing his desire for her to convert.
“Do I hope eventually that she is somehow moved by the same thing that I was moved by in church? Yeah, I honestly do wish that,” Vance said at the time.
In his book, the vice president points out that it is his wife who helps usher the children off to Sunday Mass even though she does not practice Catholicism.
JD VANCE DEFENDS WIFE USHA AGAINST ‘DISGRACEFUL’ ATTACKS OVER INDIAN HERITAGE: SHE’S ‘WAY OUT OF THEIR LEAGUE’
In his new book ‘Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith,’ VP JD Vance recounts his spiritual journey and how his wife supports his Catholic faith life. ( Digital)
“Usha and I talk about everything. She really is my best friend, and she’s the most interesting person,” said Vance.
The Vances have three children, Ewan, 8, Vivek, 5, and Mirabel, 4, and are expecting a fourth child in July.
Vance said he was surprised by the backlash to his comments last year, arguing that it is “common sense” to want the people you love to share your faith.
Illinois Democratic representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, who is Indian-American himself, took aim at the vice president.
“At a time when Hindu and Indian-American communities are confronting a climate of rising prejudice, talk of mass deportations, and growing anti-Hindu sentiment—even against members of his own party—it’s deeply disappointing that the Vice President would add to that climate through his recent comments while remaining silent in the face of hate,” the congressman wrote on X.
Vance shared that their family life is still centered around faith no matter what faith it is.
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“She definitely participates in the rituals of the church with us, and I really love that. That’s part of our family life that is very good. Whether we do church at home or whether we go out to a church, she’s the person who’s helping me get the kids ready, and the kids are always late, and it takes forever to get their shoes on.
“Even though she’s not a Christian, she’s been very much a part of my faith journey in ways big and small,” said Vance.
