Growing up, my family had what I’d say was a conflicting relationship with the Church and the Catholic faith.
My grandmother—the rock of the family—made her Catholic faith a center of her life. She and my grandfather put their two children (my mom included) through a Catholic school system. And I’m sure my grandmother was the one who made sure that I was baptized.
My mom drifted from the Church and religion after her own graduation from high school. The Catholic Church was never a part of her children’s lives growing up. My mom was divorced three times, and we were not a church-going family when us kids were growing up. I never went through Confirmation.
When I got married, some 38 years ago, it was to a practicing Catholic and a product of the Catholic school system in Bay City. I’ve spent the last 38 years in marriage as a fairly regular churchgoer, especially during the 25 years of children living at home. We put our three daughters through the Catholic schools here in Jackson, including Lumen Christi High School.
But I never went through the formal Confirmation process and had a career that had me working most weekends (including many Sundays), which did limit my participation in the Church.
The last five years have included some life-jolting events that have had me questioning a lot of things regarding faith. My younger brother, who was always healthy and did everything right in my eyes, died shockingly after a short battle with cancer at the age of just 57. Then I lost my sister-in-law after a difficult years-long battle with cancer that just seemed so unfair. Last year, my grandmother died at the age of 106.
How God can take one person in the prime of their life (my brother is now missing his children’s marriages, grandchildren, and the fruits of a very successful career) and yet let another person live a life decades longer than most—a life of generally great health and happiness—has really had me questioning a lot.
Our three daughters, led by our youngest—a recent graduate from Ave Maria University in Florida with studies that included a minor in theology—talked to me about Confirmation and strengthening my relationship with God and the Catholic faith. She invited me to the first couple of OCIA classes this past fall and basically held my hand through the early steps of the Confirmation process.
I’m excited by the experiences of the last several months of this journey and look forward to continuing to grow in my faith.