Catechumens emphasize importance of mentors, community

This year, 25 catechumens will be baptized at the basilica Easter vigil service. In addition, 27 students will complete their full initiation into the Church on April 27 by receiving the sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation, having completed the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) program. Participants come from a variety of backgrounds and span all grades of the student body, from freshmen to graduate students. 

The Rover sat down with two students to learn more about their conversion to the Catholic Church.

Junior Ocean Leto comes from a Christian and Jewish family, but now finds Catholicism to be the “fulfillment of [her] faith.” She was first exposed to Catholicism through her teachers’ examples at Catholic middle school. After her bat mitzvah, she experienced an agnostic phase, and later converted to Protestantism. For a time, Leto thought she was non-denominational; all these experiences have helped her to more fully understand her faith.

This past summer, she began asking questions about the Catholic faith, and in the fall, went to Campus Ministry to talk with Brett Perkins, Assistant Director for Evangelization & Religious Education. Leto recalled seeing an ad in her dorm that said, “If you have any Catholic questions, contact Brett from Campus Ministry.” She noted that her conversation with Perkins helped her decide to join OCIA: “He’s a convert [from Protestantism], so he had had the same questions I did. It was really relatable.”

Leto also identified her sponsor, Regan Grimmer, a Johnson Family Hall senior, as one influential figure in her conversion. “I had two retreats in the same weekend, one for OCIA, and one for ISI (Iron Sharpens Iron). I was praying to God to find someone on fire for the faith. When I saw [Grimmer] go up and give her talk, it was the answer to my prayer.” The morning before, Leto learned that she had been assigned Grimmer for her sponsor.

Leto told the Rover, “The whole thing was approaching faith from a logical and spiritual realm … it’s definitely about that opening of the heart, too. It was a very gradual process at first, with many questions to grapple with and lots of discerning prayer. But the more I looked into the Catholic faith, the more God showed me how beautiful and true it is in its most perfect form, and I could not turn back.”

Paige Ellis, a Ryan Hall freshman and OCIA catechumen, told the Rover about the family and friends who influenced her conversion. “My grandma used to tell me Bible stories when I would stay at her house. … I remember her distinctly telling me the story of Adam and Eve, and how God told them—in her angry voice—‘Don’t eat that fruit!’ She had a genuine relationship with God, something I wasn’t able to fully comprehend or appreciate until I saw her annotated Bible after she passed away. I thought it was a beautiful thing to be so devoted to reciprocating love to the Lord.”

Currently, both Ellis and her father are in OCIA programs. Ellis said she’s very grateful to be on the journey with him: “I continue to be motivated by his willingness to learn. … My dad embodies commitment, and that is something I also try to strive for.”

The Notre Dame community also had a profound impact on Ellis’ journey of faith. “I came to Notre Dame knowing I wanted to embark on this journey,” she said, “but I honestly didn’t know how or where to start. My close friend and sponsor, Allie Geiger, convinced me to come with her to the Campus Ministry fair, where I soon found the OCIA table and decided to sign up. Brett Perkins enhanced my excitement for the entire journey, making the OCIA community I was about to join seem as if it was a family.”

Ellis continued, “[Perkins] himself inspires me with his faith, especially with his desire to help students like myself. The students that are part of Campus Ministry as well, especially Sofia Benigno, who was my small group leader, have not only been mentors in faith, but true friends. If it weren’t for Brett Perkins, my friend, role model, and sponsor Allie Geiger, and all of the students with Campus Ministry that Notre Dame introduced to me, I would be nowhere near the place I stand now on the road to Catholicism.”

For any questions about becoming Catholic or the process, please contact Brett Perkins at brett.perkins@nd.edu. 

Katiebelle Thompson is a writer from Virginia. In her spare time, she attempts to convert Chappell Roan fans to the one true playlist (the trifecta of classic country, classic rock, and blues). Join the Make Audio Great Again (MAGA) mission at cthomp23@nd.edu.

Photo Credit:  Barbara Johnson for Notre Dame Magazine

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