Christ the King Welcomes New Members of the Church at Our Easter Vigil Mass

One of the most beautiful traditions in the Catholic Church is the Easter Vigil liturgy. Following the solemnity and simplicity of Lent, Holy Thursday, and Good Friday, this Mass represents the reawakening of hope and light as we celebrate Christ’s resurrection. It is also the Mass that allows us, as parishioners, to welcome older children and adults in our parish who are receiving the Sacraments of Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation.

Each year, Christ the King is blessed with the arrival of new and returning Catholics who enter fully into the Church through our Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults process or RCIA. This year, about 20 people have been meeting weekly to learn and grow in the Catholic faith in preparation for receiving the Sacraments of Initiation!

Deacon Tim Weinmann is in his sixth year of facilitating our RCIA process, and he enjoys every minute of it. Beginning last March, the group had to move their meetings from in-person to online, though the original format has been maintained. The candidates and catechumen watch the 9 a.m. Mass livestream each Sunday. Following the homily, the catechumens meet over the Zoom videoconference platform for Breaking Open the Word — a time for discussion and reflection on the readings and Gospels. Once the Mass has ended, all catechumens, candidates, and their sponsors join the virtual meeting. Symbolon materials and presentations by our parish priests and deacons provide the basis for group discussions.

As always, this year’s candidates and catechumens come from all walks of life. Traci Cornett is a mother of three who was first introduced to the Catholic faith by one of her daughters. Having attended nondenominational churches in the past, the Cornetts had become frustrated in recent years by the lack of consistency and the disagreements between churches. Two years ago, Traci’s daughter, Molly Katherine, then 16, was hoping to go to the March for Life, and the only group she could find to travel with was a Catholic youth group.

Returning from the trip, Molly Katherine wanted to understand more about the Catholic faith so that she was better able to defend Protestantism against it. She enrolled in our RCIA process and unexpectedly fell in love with the faith. Traci began coming with Molly Katherine to the sessions and found herself finding comfort and stability in the long history and consistency of the Church. Molly Katherine wasconfirmed in the Church last July, and Traci and another daughter, Claire, 14, were received into the Church on Nov. 1. Traci’s husband, Alan, is currently enrolled in our RCIA process.

“I have loved the RCIA process, and one of the things I like best about it are all the backgrounds of people in it,” Traci says. “It’s very enriching to see how we’re presented with the same material, but everyone’s thought process is a little different, and you can see how God is touching that person.”

Since joining the Catholic Church, Traci has discovered a deepened sense of peace and grace.

“When I was in the Protestant faith, I felt in communion with God,” she says. “But when I was confirmed and I understood that Confirmation was being in full communion and having access to Christ in the true presence of the Eucharist and full access to the gifts of the Spirit, it is different. I feel a peacefulness now that I’ve never felt before and I think, ‘Oh that’s what it is — that’s the Holy Spirit.’ I will always think about this year as a good year because it brought me to the Church.”

Although Christian Cole was never baptized, God has always been a presence in his life, and he attended Christian schools as a child. A few years ago, he began dating a Catholic and attended a Mass for the first time. From there, he began going to Mass regularly and even took a trip to Rome, where he fell even more in love with the history and the ritual behind the Catholic faith. He began the RCIA process last summer and looks forward to an active life in the Church.

“My experience in RCIA has been nothing short of phenomenal,” Christian says. “Deacon Tim has been an absolute blessing in my life. He’s a very kind man. All the people have been so supportive and have just welcomed me with open arms. It’s been one of the better experiences I’ve had in my life. I’d been looking for something to fill the hole in my heart for years, and now I’m closer to God than I’ve ever been.”

Kim Parsons did not grow up in a church-going family. However, she has always had an interest in different faiths and, as an adult, has attended the services of various Christian denominations. While Kim can’t quite put her finger on what it was that first prompted her to come to Christ the King, the sense of peace she feels in the cathedral keeps bringing her back.

“RCIA has really filled a gap of immersion that I needed with people and the Scripture and the faith that I’d never really found at another church,” Kim says. “It’s just been a really good experience. Catholicism has that rich tradition and, now more than ever, I think I need something that I can count on that won’t change with the shifting sands. I feel a softening of myself now. I don’t really know how to explain it, but I feel a little more at peace, and I’m trying to rest more in my faith.”

Ashley Wettstain is a dental school student who was raised as a non-denominational Protestant. Growing up, she never felt that she truly understood God or had a true connection with Him. When she started dating her boyfriend, Nick DiMeo, she saw a life of faith in action.

“Nick is a cradle Catholic and just a great example of a Christian,” Ashley says. “He definitely doesn’t just leave his faith at church on Sundays. I started going to Mass with him at the Newman Center because I knew it was important to him. What I didn’t know was that my life was about to be changed.”

When the world suddenly slowed its pace last spring, Ashley found herself spending more and more time reading and researching the Catholic faith. Like so many others, she began seriously asking the question, “What is the meaning of life?” Becoming more and more interested in the Catholic Church, she accepted Angie DiMeo’s offer to be her RCIA sponsor.

“I love RCIA so much,” Ashley says. “It’s a group of people who make you feel so welcomed. I look forward to it every week and will be sad when it ends, so I want to get involved with the parish, for sure. It has all been truly amazing. I feel like I’m not just surviving anymore, I’m thriving.”

We invite everyone at Christ the King to join us in extending a warm welcome to all of the candidates and catechumens being received fully into the Church at this year’s Easter Vigil! What a wonderful reminder they give us of the beauty and wonder of our faith — and our call to continue bringing the light of Christ to others.

“For me, working with RCIA has been a great blessing and reminder of what the Church is really all about — a reminder that Christ is present in the Church, waiting for people like us to bring people in and experience what we get to experience every day as Catholics,” Deacon Tim says.

Christian Cole

Kim Parsons

Ashley Wettstain with Nick DiMeo

Traci Cornett