My leap of Faith

[cupcakegirl]

 In September I decided to take a leap of Faith. My entire life, I have always believed in one God, and that Jesus is my Savior, but I never had any solid roots in any church. Mom was raised Catholic, but was not in good standing because of her divorce, and Dad never went to church. I wasn't even baptized until I was 13.  When I met my husband and we decided to marry, we had a Catholic wedding since he was raised Catholic. I, on the other hand, wanted no parts of the Catholic faith. One of the priests we saw about getting married was very nasty to me since I was not Catholic and the whole thing left a bitter taste in my mouth...for a long time. My hubby's grandfather was Presbyterian, so we went there and I felt comfortable...so there is where we stayed. My son was baptized Presbyterian.

As the years passed, we somehow never made it to church every Sunday. Sometimes months would pass with us never making it to service. My hubby always made comments like..."If we were Catholic, we could go to church Saturday night..." I started to feel his longing to go back to the Catholic faith. Near the beginning of Slimey's first grade school year (this fall) I asked hubby " If we decide to raise Slimey Catholic, we kind of have to get him there now huh? " I knew first communion was in second grade. I told him I would be willing to look at the Catholic faith with new eyes and an open mind.

We chose a small parish near our house where our cousins were married. The priest is very nice. We told him our story, and he welcomed us with open arms. I told him we would like to raise our son in the Catholic faith, and he never once pressured me to convert or even batted an eye because I wasn't Catholic! When I told him I wanted to convert, he smiled and said that was great and he got me enrolled in the RCIA program (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) which leads me to where I am today.....

I am nearing the end of my journey. I will be Confirmed into the Catholic faith this year at the Easter Vigil! I have a very exciting few weeks coming up. Next weekend I will introduced to the church during a Rite of Sending. My hubby (my sponsor) just has to tell the church that I am ready to become Catholic and then the priest will say some prayers for me. It is just a way for the church to know who I am and why I am there....I am sure they are wondering who I am by now...we have made it to Mass every Sunday with the exception of one since September!

I actually feel at home there....I feel like my Grandmother (who was Catholic) is smiling down on me. Another sign we are where we are suppose to be...the pew we always sit in has a hymnal dedicated to hubby's Great Grandparents...we didn't even know they were Catholic!

March 1st I get to go to St. Paul's Cathedral for the Rite of Election...another stop on my journey. It is another prayer service for all the candidates wishing to become Catholic.

The service is led by the Bishop of our Diocese, which is Bishop David Zubik. I feel honored and I can't wait!

So, that is my journey so far...there is much more to come and I can't wait. I have become closer to God than I have ever been in my life and it feels so good!

Pray for me on my journey!

[Kajenloca]

Feb. 19, 2009 at 6:41 PM

I am so thrilled for this spiritual journey you are on! God bless you. I am praying...:)

[LYNDELOU]

Feb. 19, 2009 at 7:26 PM

Thanks for sharing your story with us cupcake....I will (always have , since I have met you on here) keep you in my prayers!!!

I am very happy that you have found somewhere , where you feel like you are supposed to be...That in itself is a wonderful feeling....

Pretty cool to find out you DH Great GrandParents are in the hymn book... : )

Love ~ Thoughts ~ Hugs ~ Prayers!!! - ALWAYS FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ~♥~

[LYNDELOU]

Feb. 19, 2009 at 7:27 PM

BTW : Such a beautiful church.....!!!!

[eringobrough]

Feb. 20, 2009 at 10:46 PM

What a lovely story - thank you for sharing it.   My husband is a convert and the Easter Vigil Mass is so moving and special.  I'll keep you in my prayers.