People of various religious backgrounds find 
a home in the Catholic Church this Easter

By Tanya Connor
The Catholic Free Press

Challenges to worship abroad, and unsatisfying self-help opportunities here, were part of stories of people initiated into the Church at the Easter Vigil at St. Anne Parish in Shrewsbury Saturday.

Five adults received all three sacraments of initiation – baptism, first Communion and confirmation. Two more received Communion and were confirmed; one had been baptized Catholic, one Episcopalian. These people were seven of the reported 164 catechumens (unbaptized individuals) and 159 candidates (baptized Catholics seeking to complete their initiation and individuals baptized in other Christian traditions who are now seeking full communion with the Catholic Church) who were baptized or received sacraments at Easter throughout the Diocese of Worcester.

“Rarely have I worked with such a large group … from such diverse backgrounds … as willing to explore the faith,” Father Adam R. Reid, St. Anne’s pastor, said at the Easter Vigil.
He told The Catholic Free Press that he sees the large group as “an outer expression of our cause for hope – during this Jubilee Year and always – our hope that is grounded in the reality that our Lord is at work all around us.”

Ellie Smith, pastoral assistant at St. Anne’s, who coordinates the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults that prepared them for the sacraments, said it’s great teaching these classes because participants have freely chosen to come.

“I was born in Cuba,” where the communist government “diminished the role of Church in society,” though not prohibiting it, said Jessica Borges, age 33, who received all three sacraments Saturday. The government got rid of Catholic schools and didn’t let those who practiced the faith attend the best schools or work in the best jobs, she said.

She said her grandparents were very Catholic, going to church and holding strong beliefs, and her parents believed in God. But her father stopped attending Mass to get into the best high school in his province.

“I always wanted to go to church,” said Miss Borges, who appreciated her grandparents’ example. “I always wanted to get baptized.” Occasionally she attended Mass after coming to the United States and this year started going regularly to St. Anne’s, near her home, she said. She inquired about receiving the sacraments, and chose Anne, the name of the parish and Jesus’ grandmother, for her confirmation name.

“It’s a way to honor my grandmother, and how Catholic and holy she was,” Miss Borges explained.

Jobanjeet Singh, 30, said he is from India – the city of Amritsar in the state of Punjab, where his family was involved in Sikhism.

After his father’s brain was damaged in a car accident and Pentecostals prayed for him and he miraculously recovered, the family went to that Pentecostal church, and “I was starting to learn about Jesus,” he said.

After moving to Shrewsbury, “I used to come to pray” in St. Anne’s Church, he said. He met Father Reid, who talked to him about Jesus and the Catholic faith, and he joined OCIA classes.

Mr. Singh said he likes the discipline and peace he sees in the Catholic Church, which he called a “very good place for the worship – nobody is attacked; you are safe.” He said that in India people  have entered churches and attacked worshippers.  

Deirdre McKeating-Eck, 67, said her parents were raised Catholic; her father was from a Protestant town in Northern Ireland  and her mother was born in England. She herself was born in the United States and baptized Catholic but not catechized much.

As a young adult, she didn’t think she needed formal religion. But, when she had children, she thought, “Maybe we should go to church.”

Her husband was brought up in the Congregational church, but didn’t go as an adult, she said. In 1987, when she was in labor with their third child, the nurse asked what religion they were.

“We’re Protestant,” her husband replied. Despite the clear night, lightning suddenly flashed.
“I said, ‘There’s a thousand years of my ancestors [exclaiming], ‘We are not Protestant!’” she told The Catholic Free Press. So she informed the nurse, “We’re Christian.”

Later, Mrs. McKeating-Eck joined a Congregational church. The family moved and she went to another Congregational church, but was turned off and didn’t return.

What brought her to the Catholic Church?

“My mother always liked the pageantry of the Church,” she replied. “I would come by St. Anne’s” and appreciate the building’s beauty from the outside. So, she went inside, and the beauty there also resonated with her.

“When you come into St. Anne’s, you feel it  … you feel the reverence,” she said.
A work partner aided her journey by talking about his Catholic grandmother, who was so devoted she wouldn’t let people disturb her when she was praying. Mrs. McKeating-Eck inquired about being fully initiated into the Church.

“I’m very excited for tonight,” she told The Catholic Free Press Saturday morning. “And I’m so grateful ... for the people on the journey with me” to receive sacraments, and for Mrs. Smith and Nicholas Todisco, who also teaches in the OCIA. “I’m like a kid in a candy store.”
Andrew Escobar, 23, received all three sacraments of initiation that night.

“I always believed in God,” he said, adding that his father taught him a little about God.
His godmother was Gloria DiGiacomo, a mentor teacher from his childhood. Through her, he got to know her husband, Jimmy DiGiacomo, a member of the Shrewsbury Knights of Columbus.

“They started bringing me to the church ... about a year ago,” Mr. Escobar said. He said they opened his eyes to God, and, ever since, “it’s been learning, reading the Bible.”

“I was brought up Jewish ... Reformed Judaism,” said Mark Allinson, 60, who received three sacraments Saturday. He said his great-grandparents were Orthodox Jews in Russia. His grandparents, born in the United States, became Reformed Jews. Mr. Allinson saw Reformed Judaism as good about observing the Jewish culture. But he said “sin is never mentioned” and “I really wasn’t brought up with actual religious principles to follow.”

What brought him to Catholicism?

“I ran out of options for inner peace,” he said. He said he tried entrepreneurial endeavors, erroneously believing that earning money would bring peace. Self-help literature, subliminal self-help technology and cannabis therapy didn’t work for him either.

“The only thing that’s given me inner peace is the [Catholic] Church,” he said.

“One year ago I … realized I was either going to have a heart attack, a stroke or another suicide attempt,” he said, explaining that his inner chaos intensified with family struggles and dealing with his parents’ health.

“You need the Holy Spirit,” his friend Virginia Bonnici, a St. Anne’s parishioner, told him.
“She was the person who led me to the Church,” he said. “She became my savior, leading me to the Savior, Jesus. … Jesus saved me – literally.” In OCIA classes, Mr. Allinson started experiencing inner peace.

Now he says, he can forgive other people, and has self-control and compassion – “My life has changed.”

Also receiving all three sacraments was Melani Bardhi. Christopher Kitchell received Communion and confirmation and made a profession of faith in Catholic beliefs.