Rural parishes welcome new Catholics at Easter

As the Archdiocese welcomed its largest group of candidates and catechumens in history, with 2,669 individuals from 114 parishes, those who joined the Catholic Church this Easter shared a variety of reasons as to why they joined the Catholic Church in Galveston-Houston, noting how family and friends helped them along the way. 

St. Martin de Porres Parish in Barrett Station, near Crosby, had 16 join the Church this year: two catechumens and 14 candidates. This was the parish’s first group of elect since 2004, having recently restarted the parish Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) program, which ended in the 1990s. 

Daria Hall, a recent college graduate, reassessed her life and decided that she would like to grow in every way possible, faith included, now that she was faced with entering the professional world. She also had the example of her mother, who returned to the Catholic Church. 

“I grew up in a Catholic household. When my mother decided to go back to church, I saw a glow with knowledge and religious faith,” Hall said. “She would come back from Sunday Mass and tell me how great it was. It was amazing to see how she fell in love going to church more, and I wanted to experience that by going to a Catholic Church.” 

Sean Williams Jr. was baptized as a member of the Baptist Church, and after moving to Texas from New Orleans, he met and married his wife, who was Catholic. Williams attended Mass with his now-wife when they were dating and continued to while they raised their three children, yet it was 14 years later when he felt ready to join the Catholic Church. His mother-in-law informed him that OCIA was beginning if he was interested and that it only took one year, but she would not push. The next time Williams saw his mother-in-law, he shared that he would like to begin the process of joining the Catholic Church. 

Williams said he is proud to see his 10-year-old son serve as an usher. As the leader of his family, Williams said he is thinking about which ministry to become involved with at his Barrett Station parish.

He also shared his excitement about being able to receive the Eucharist. 

“I have been walking up, with my hands across my chest, to get a blessing for so long; now I can finally receive the body and blood of Christ,” Williams said. 

At St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish in Anderson, which is closer to Bryan-College Station than it is to Houston, three new members entered the Catholic Church: one catechumen and two candidates. 

Valerie Fajotina, an Air Force veteran, was brought up in a household that was not religious but had an awareness of God and raised her family in Hawaii for the past 15 years. Recently, she and her husband made the decision to move their family closer to her Texas roots. Exploring different religions, Fajotina felt peace and comfort upon her first visit to Mass at St. Stanislaus Kostka last fall. 

“I remember being nervous. I know I probably looked like a scared little mouse. I had my two little boys, and I didn’t want to do anything wrong,” Fajotina said. “But, lo and behold, I had this person touch my shoulder, and I looked back, and it was one of my son’s teachers from the year before. And she was whispering to me, ‘This is what we’re doing. This is what you can do if you’re comfortable.’” 

That moment of greeting and guidance from a familiar face helped Fajotina feel as though the experience went better than anticipated. She continued attending Mass at St. Stanislaus until she knew it was where she belonged. 

Fajotina also noticed a consistent type of mentor in her life. 

“There was always a devout Catholic woman just making sure on the sidelines my siblings and I were okay. It wasn’t always the same grandma figure, essentially,” Fajotina said. “It was just this little whisper. They never pushed. They just always made sure they were there for us with love, and it was very contrary to what I kept hearing about the Catholic faith.” 

This constant care was important to her, in addition to the community support she experienced from the St. Stanislaus parish throughout her OCIA journey. Fajotina said she hopes to help with the Altar Society at her parish.   

Towards the westernmost point of the Archdiocese at St. Mary Parish in Frydek, which shares pastor Father Thuy Nguyen with Guardian Angel Parish in Wallis, Michael Cumo, a candidate, made the decision to enter the Catholic Church in preparation to marry his fiancée. Raised with an awareness of the Catholic Church, Cumo began attending Mass regularly when he started dating his now-fiancée. 

“I entered the Church to grow closer to God, get back in touch with my Catholic roots and to create a unified belief with my fiancée and our future children,” Cumo said. 

He expressed his love for the traditions of the Church and Mass in particular.  

“Every Mass feels special and unique and gives you a sense of ease being there,” Cumo said. “I also feel closer to our Lord in the Catholic Church and during Masses.” †