By Bishop James Conley
“Late have I loved You, O Beauty ever ancient and ever new; late have I loved You! For behold You were within me, and I was outside; and I sought You outside and, in my unloveliness, fell upon those lovely things that You have made. You were with me all along, but I was not with you” (St. Augustine’s The Confessions, Book X, Chapter 27).
These famous lines from St. Augustine in his autobiography, The Confessions, describe how he laments over the fact that he is late in discovering the Lord, wasting the first 33 years of his life pursuing the “lovely things” of this world. After living a life of self-gratification, achieving fame and worldly success, Augustine still feels empty and lonely inside. He finally gives up and turns to God, only to discover that the Lord was there all along, patiently pursuing him as a force of “beauty ever ancient and ever new.”
As we reach the midway point of our Lenten journey, let our minds and hearts look toward Holy Week in a more intentional way, and let us remember in our prayers those of our brothers and sisters who are making their final preparations for entry into the Roman Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil.
We are all called to conversion through our fasting and prayer, our Lenten penances and sacrifices, the disciplining of our senses and desires; we are emptying ourselves so that the Lord can fill us with his mercy and his love as we approach Holy Week. But for those who will be receiving the Sacraments of Initiation, this is a special season of grace and encounter with the Lord.
This Monday, I was invited to spend the evening with the 12 catechumens and candidates who I will have the privilege of receiving into the Catholic Church at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln at the Easter Vigil this April 4. Catechumens are individuals who are unbaptized, and candidates are those validly baptized in another Christian tradition who seek reception into the Catholic Church. The catechumens will receive the three sacraments of initiation – Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil, and the candidates will receive Confirmation and the Eucharist.
I was able to listen to each person tell me the story of his or her faith journey, and what led them to seek entry into the Catholic Church. Every story was a beautiful testimony to the action of grace and a response of the heart. Every story was different, but every story was an encounter with the beauty of the Lord, a “beauty ever ancient and ever new.”
The evening included the ceremony of “Handing over the Creed.” The ceremony, often a part of OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), was similar to a brief Liturgy of the Word. Father Tony Schukei, assistant pastor at the Cathedral, gave the readings and Responsorial Psalm, and pastor Msgr. Thomas Fucinaro proclaimed the Gospel. We then professed the Nicene Creed together. Each catechumen and candidate took home a booklet explaining the Nicene Creed for further study.
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SNR photos | Natalie Bender
The ceremony is meant to emphasize the community’s role in sharing their belief with those entering the Church, and it was a beautiful experience. Last year marked the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicea and the proclamation of the Nicene Creed. This Profession of Faith is the same Creed we profess, word for word, every Sunday at Holy Mass. It is marvelous to contemplate the fact that Christians for 1,700 years have proclaimed belief in this profession of faith every Sunday. This year, these new Catholics – and many more around the world – will join us in a living example of “beauty ever ancient and ever new.”
It is no secret now that conversions to the Catholic Church are on the rise across the country, and even in parts of Europe. Nationally, adult conversions to the Catholic Church are projected to reach nearly 200,000 this year, a dramatic increase from 70,000 in 2020.
In the Diocese of Lincoln, we too have joyfully seen an increase in conversions over the past several years, and the trend seems to be continuing. More than 100 adults were baptized in our diocese last year, and more than 100 more were received into the Church. We expect more than 400 to be received into the Church this Easter, based on statistics from the parishes who have reported numbers thus far. I knew that the numbers must have been up, because we had a full Cathedral for the Rite of Election liturgy Feb. 22, the first Sunday of Lent.
While I am a convert to Catholicism myself – having entered the Church while a college student at the University of Kansas – I still marvel at this trend. We long to share the faith we love with others, but sometimes we ask ourselves how we can do so. The stories the OCIA class members shared with me on Monday were varied, but I was struck by this: when asked why they came to OCIA, two individuals said they drove by the Cathedral of the Risen Christ and saw the signs announcing the classes and decided to sign up. Sometimes it’s as simple as an invitation! I’m grateful to the Cathedral Parish – and parishes across the diocese – for welcoming people to learn about the beauty of Catholicism. While the sign might get someone in the door, the beauty of the faith keeps them coming back. Everyone has their own journey, and just like St. Augustine, we are attracted to this encounter with beauty.
Among the new converts around the nation, there’s a particular surge among young people. I think this is because the world is changing so much in front of them, so they’re looking for something that doesn’t change, something that has a firm foundation, something they can count on, and trust in. They’re discovering that in the Catholic Church and are being attracted to it just like St. Augustine.
Augustine, in his journey, discovered that the world is very empty, and shallow, in terms of its ultimate purpose and meaning. As I listened to each person’s story on Monday, the common denominator was that they were looking for that encounter with the Lord, and had discovered it in the Catholic Church. May we pray for all of them as they approach the sacraments, and may we also thank the Lord for our own ongoing experience of the beauty of His Church, ever ancient and ever new for each one of us.
