Bishop one of nine speakers explaining journey to Catholic faith
By Dennis Kellogg, director of communications
LINCOLN (SNR) – Bishop James Conley shared his conversion story with students at North American Martyrs School in Lincoln Oct. 24.
The bishop was one speaker of many visiting the junior high students this semester to explain how they came to become Catholic, as part of an elective class on conversion to the Catholic faith.
Bishop Conley told the students this week that everybody has a story of their faith journey and he shared his with them. He told the students he grew up in the Presbyterian Church and described himself as agnostic, not knowing if there was a God or not, and that didn’t matter to him either way during high school and his first two years of college.
It was after going through the Integrated Humanities program at the University of Kansas, which was a two-year program of study focused on history, English, speech and western civilization and included reading great literature that he decided, “I’d better figure out what I believe.”
He said Christianity made the most sense to him and he began to attend various churches.
“I made a pit stop in the Episcopal Church for a little while and then finally I realized ‘I can’t stay here. I’ve got to go all the way,’ because the Catholic Church became more and more convincing to me.” 
As he continued his faith exploration, Bishop Conley said he came to understand, “The Catholic Church was the only church that could prove to me historically that it had its origin back in the time of Jesus.… And once that lightbulb went off, I said, ‘this is where I have to be. I have to become Catholic.’” He told the students. “I’ve never looked back. I’ve never regretted that decision.”
Bishop Conley is one of nine converts to the Catholic faith who will share their stories as part of the class this semester. Sister Gabriel of the Marian Sisters will share her story with the students. A number of North American Martyr parishioners are also scheduled to speak.
“For them to see people they recognize, go to Mass with in our parish… that’s a powerful witness to them, too,” said parent Kate Bliven, who shared her own journey from a non-denominational faith background to the Catholic Church with the students in their first class.
Bliven is coordinating North American Martyrs’ new elective program which includes the conversion class. She’s worked as a substitute teacher and a para educator at the school for several years. She and her husband Ryan send their two daughters to the school.
Principal Sister Janelle Buettner approached Bliven last school year and asked her to help organize the new electives program.
Approximately 110 seventh- and eighth-grade students now take two elective classes in the afternoon and can choose from more than 70 subjects.
“We confirm the kids in fifth grade and they receive this amazing gift of the Holy Spirit, but we don’t do a lot to help them discover their gift or their talent,” Bliven said. “And so really my passion behind electives is to help them really pursue different things… see where their interests and gifts may be because that isn’t just for them, that’s actually to serve the Church.”
The electives range from faith-focused classes on evangelization, the lives of the saints, apologetics and liturgical music, to classes such as woodworking, cooking, graphic design and musical theatre. The school received a grant to help fund the program.
Bliven said it’s been a huge commitment for the teachers and they’ve responded to the challenge.
“They still have to teach everything that they taught before, but now they might have Science Olympiad now they’re teaching, too,” Bliven said. “I think they’ve been very excited about it and I think the kids have been excited to have a little bit of choice and independence in moving from class to class and to just explore different things.”
Bliven, who entered the Catholic Church in 2016, said the class on conversion to the Catholic faith reiterates what Bishop Conley told the students when he spoke to the class – that it’s a gift to receive the teaching and faith of the Church from the very beginning of their lives. She said it’s also beneficial to see how others have made the choice to become Catholic.
“I think it’s a blessing for them to actually be with people who chose that for themselves and hear that perspective,” Bliven said. She went on to say one day, the students will have to make that faith choice for themselves: “‘I’m going to have to choose myself one day if this is the faith I will follow and remain in,’ so hopefully one of these (talks) from different people we have coming in will resonate with them and really encourage them to pursue Christ and His Church and what a blessing that is to make it their own and choose for them to make it their story.”
After Bishop Conley finished sharing his conversion story, the students had the opportunity to ask him questions. The first question from a student was, “What made you want to become a priest?” Bishop Conley shared it was seeing Pope John Paul II celebrate the Mass alongside 300,000 of the faithful in Des Moines, Iowa in 1979 that got him to think about it.
“His inspiration and his calling. He said he was speaking to us. He said if you’re a young man, consider this. I considered it and said yes,” Bishop Conley said about St. John Paul II’s words at the end of that Mass. Less than four months after attending that Mass, Bishop Conley enrolled in the seminary to study to become a priest.
Other questions included “Who was your confirmation saint?” (St. Augustine) and if he ever thought about becoming a bishop after he was ordained a priest. “I did not,” Bishop Conley said. “I hope no priest thinks about becoming a bishop when they’re ordained because it’s not something you want to aspire to… You have to be humble.”
When asked if his parents approved of his becoming Catholic in college, Bishop Conley said initially, his mom was supportive but his dad was less so. Fifteen years later, though, he was able to baptize them and bring them both into the Catholic Church.
Bliven said Bishop Conley’s words were encouraging to the students, and to her as a fellow convert.
“I think each story is very different and for me personally growing up it was the Bible alone. That’s the way people get saved,” Bliven said.
“And so to hear God can actually use literature and art and music and anything; God uses these things because all of it points to Him. He’s created all of us. So I love listening to (Bishop Conley’s) story and being reminded God is so much greater than the little box I want to put Him in.... It was just powerful to hear his story.”
Principal Sr. Janelle said after Bishop Conley’s talk, the way the students were engaged and willing to ask good questions made her proud of the seventh and eighth grade students at North American Martyrs School.
“They could have been in a class where they are running around and playing games, and they know that, but this is the class that they were in and they were in there totally engaged, very respectful of the bishop. It just made me really proud of them, that their faith is worth something to them.”
