HomeFaithMagazine Spring18.31

Spring 2018
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guides her to resources to help her as her faith grows through
the RCIA experience. Although sponsors and catechumens
are matched by the RCIA program leaders, Laughlin notes
how quickly her fiancé, Esquivel, bonded with McColley and
says she prayed for McColley to be her sponsor.
The bond between all three is evident. McColley says she and
Esquivel often talk about the benefits of RCIA beyond the
candidates and catechumens.
“Ivan and I will share back and forth that we’re both cradle
Catholics, and sometimes I think that cradle Catholics need
to take RCIA because we learned so much about our faith
when we were 7, 8, and 10 years old.”
Adding, “You’re 8 years old, looking at your First Communion
and your First Reconciliation. You know at that level what it
means, but you don’t know [what it means as an adult]. And
then you kind of go along like a sheep. You don’t have the
adult mind-set of what you’ve done.”
For McColley, being a sponsor in RCIA has filled in some of
the missing depth of learning from her earlier years.
“That’s what being part of RCIA has done for me. It’s
strengthening my faith and giving me the adult ability to
stand up and evangelize.”
While RCIA teaches the Catholic faith, participants also say
there is fair amount of un-teaching, too, such as overcoming
false, preconceived notions. As Laughlin explains, “I grew
up outside the Catholic faith, assuming that it’s super strict.
That you can’t have any freedom and you can’t have any fun
per se. It’s very rigid and by the book.”
“It’s
strengthening
my faith and
giving me the
adult ability to
stand up and
evangelize.”
Cindy McColley - Sponsor
“I was always afraid because I’m not
baptized and I thought I would be
judged. But it’s not like that.
It’s very welcoming.”
Sheena Laughlin - Catechumen
Laughlin says she began with a certain mind-set about the
Catholic faith, but that quickly changed as a result of her
RCIA experiences. “I was kind of shocked that it’s not. It’s
welcoming. I was always afraid because I’m not baptized and
I thought I would be judged. But it’s not like that. It’s very
welcoming.”
Like Laughlin and Koenig, Sheila Kennedy’s marriage and
family prompted her to begin RCIA, albeit later in marriage.
Kennedy says, “I wanted unity with my family. My husband
and his family are Catholic, I am not. My children go to
Sacred Heart school. I started this process a few years ago
thinking this was what I wanted as my son approached his
First Communion. I wanted to be part of those sacraments
with him.”
A series of smaller steps led to bigger steps in Kennedy’s faith
journey.
“We began going to mass more regularly about five years
ago. It was very enjoyable. The first person we met walking
in the door, [at] the first mass we attended as a family, was
Father Hess. It was so welcoming. I knew it was the right
place for us.”
As Kennedy continued attending mass, and as her children
grew, each step led her closer to beginning RCIA.
“I wanted to be more in tune with our family, giving my son
and our daughter that foundation for life.”