By Bishop James Conley
When I look back, now nearly 50 years ago, on my conversion to the Catholic Church as a 20-year-old college student, I really thank God for the community of believers into which I was welcomed. My fellow college students—many of whom were converts themselves—embraced me during my journey into the Catholic Church and remain with me as friends to this very day. I realize that this is not always the case for converts and that, by God’s providence, it was because of the experience I had in the Integrated Humanities (Great Books) Program at the University of Kansas during my freshman and sophomore year, that was the catalyst for my conversion.
For many years, I used to tell people that I read my way into the Catholic Church. As I look back on it now, there was much more going on than merely an intellectual understanding and acceptance of the Catholic claim. It was the friendships and bonds that were formed, the love of my teachers, and the example of goodness and virtue being lived out by fellow students as fellow sojourners that really changed my heart. The intellectual piece was easy. It was the transformation of my heart by God’s grace and the love of so many, that drew me into the Catholic Church.
St. John Henry Newman, the leader of the “Oxford Movement” in 19th century England and, perhaps, the most famous convert to the Catholic Church in that century, wrote somewhere (and I paraphrase) “the most powerful force and influence on the human soul, next to supernatural grace, is the example of virtue in another person.” When I look back at the months leading up to my conversion, it was the example of my fellow college students living out their faith, praying and going to Mass, going to confession, talking about their faith freely, and their knowledge of and love for the Catholic faith that moved my heart in a tremendous way.
Like I said, I was fortunate because not every convert to the Catholic Church has the benefit of this kind of communal experience. The Order of Christian Initiation (OCIA, formerly called the Rite of Christian Initiation or RCIA) does a good job of trying to build a community around the person being received in the Catholic Church so that once they become Catholic, they already have a community of fellow-believers around them. That is so very important, particularly in these times of isolation, disconnection and loneliness.
Some surveys claim that nearly 50% of all converts who are received into the Catholic Church each year at the Easter Vigil, discontinue practicing the faith within a few years. If true, then this is a big problem. We need to do a better job of accompanying new converts on their journey after they have received the sacraments of initiation. We need to be more intentional in our parishes about knowing who these people are and helping them assimilate into the parish community.
There is no doubt in my mind that we are experiencing a “Catholic moment” in our culture. Each year, more and more college students are entering the Catholic Church on college campuses across the country. At the Easter vigil last year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Newman Center, 42 students were received into the Church. This year, there are nearly 100 students attending the OCIA class at the Newman Center. They are scrambling to find space to accommodate everyone. This is a good problem to have, but why is this happening now?
It is my belief that young people, as they look out on the secular landscape in front of them and listen to what the world is saying to them about what will make them happy, what will give them purpose, what will give meaning to their lives, they are not convinced. They know, deep in their hearts, there must be something more than what the world is offering.
Then they meet some fellow students who are really on fire for their Catholic faith, who have a joy in their hearts, who are living lives with meaning, purpose and zeal, people who are normal and like to have fun. The students searching then say to themselves, ‘why are they different? I want that. I want to live like that.’ Again, the virtue and goodness in another person can have a huge impact on someone, without ever saying a word about religion.
I recently heard a story about a young female student at UNL with very little faith background who, on a cold October night, just happened upon the Newman Center’s annual candlelight Eucharistic procession. As she watched, a student participating signaled to her to come join and gave her a candle. She followed the procession all the way back to the Newman Center for the closing benediction. She was invited downstairs for hot chocolate and cookies and met some fellow students. A few days later she signed up for OCIA and was received into the Catholic Church that spring at the Easter Vigil.
That young woman eventually became a FOCUS (Fellowship of College University Students) missionary and after she left FOCUS, she joined a religious order and recently professed her vows as a religious sister.
I heard another story recently about a college transfer student from Asia who was studying at UNL and one day, out of curiosity, began exploring the Lincoln campus. He was raised Buddhist and had very little contact with Christianity in his life. As he was exploring UNL, he decided to pop into a few of the chapels on campus. After visiting a few, he came upon the Newman Center. As he walked into the chapel, he was immediately struck by both the beauty and the silence of the chapel. As he sat down in the pew, the first thought that came into his mind was, “This must be where God lives. This is God’s house.”
He eventually met a student and simply asked, “Can I join this Church today?” He was led to OCIA and was baptized, confirmed and received his first holy Communion at the following Easter Vigil.
Unfortunately, people can enter the Catholic Church with great communal fanfare, and joy—and then find themselves quite alone in the weeks following. In the case of students, some of this, no doubt, is college life; people going different ways. And some of it is human—converts and reverts and their stories are exciting. But in some of these cases, people were looking for accompaniment, even asking for accompaniment in the smallest ways, and didn’t get it, or were even told to look elsewhere. This reality is certainly not limited to the college campuses or to young people. We could all do better!
Converts love telling their stories, and they should. But it is important that we do all we can to accompany them in the weeks and months after their conversion. I will have an opportunity to tell my story again next month on the EWTN program, “The Journey Home.” I will try to emphasize how important it is to continue to accompany new converts in our communities, to walk with them and to give them the support they need to continue in their practice of the faith.
Again, I’m convinced we are experiencing a true “Catholic moment” in our culture. As we conclude the third year of the National Eucharistic Revival, I am reminded of the call to “Walk with One.” Last fall after the National Eucharistic Procession and Congress, the Revival initiated this program, asking all Catholics to share our belief in the Eucharist—the source and summit of our Catholic faith—with one person... and then to walk with them, and keep walking with them as we all journey toward heaven together.
I encourage you all to pray and discern about one person to “walk with” in his or her journey of faith. Learn more at https://www.eucharisticrevival.org/walk-with-one.
