Parishioner Laurie O’Driscoll Finds Faith After a Lifelong Search

When Laurie O’Driscoll entered the Church this past Easter, it was the culmination of a lifelong search for faith — but only the beginning of her journey as a new Catholic. Growing up in a non-religious family, Laurie was not baptized or raised in any particular faith tradition. However, she always felt as though there was something more.

“I have always believed in God and have always prayed,” she says. “As an only child, I spent a lot of time alone and I would often sit in my room and play and just talk to God.”

Despite her secular upbringing, Laurie’s family nonetheless sparked her interest in spirituality. Her mother’s side of the family was interested in divination and astrology, Laurie’s mother taught her to pray as a child, and her maternal grandmother would often take her to her Protestant church during the summer. Her father’s side of the family was interested in ancient religions, mythology, the paranormal, and spirituality in general, which led to her reading and studying those things, and eventually dabbling in New Age practices. Despite all that, Laurie would constantly find herself pulled into the orbit of Catholicism, learning about the saints and monasticism, as well as listening to Catholic radio programs. While she would eventually push it away, she continued to be inexplicably drawn to the Church.

“As time went on, I grew weary of the ideas in New Age practices and paganism, and I didn’t like where they were going,” Laurie says. “I started pulling away from these things and my spiritual life became simply praying for about three years. I believe in God, but I felt so disconnected. In spite of all my spiritual pursuits, I felt like I couldn’t reach Him.”

Laurie has been happily married to her husband, Brendan — who is from Ireland and was born and raised Catholic — since 2002. The couple has two children — Oisín, 18, and Aoife, 15. This past Christmas Eve, Laurie attended midnight Mass at the Cathedral with her husband and daughter — and that was where everything changed.

“As the night went on, I started to feel like I was wrapped up in love — it was such a strong feeling!” she says. “I felt comforted and safe, too. That feeling grew stronger until it was almost overwhelming. At a certain point, I realized the God I had been seeking all my life, in all the wrong ways, was right here. He was here in this faith, in this Church, and in these people. Everything about Christianity that I had ever doubted or questioned just fell away. The truth of it all just sort of snapped into place and suddenly made sense to me — God is real, Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, and He died for us.”

The very next day, Laurie told her family that she wanted to join the Church, and started the Becoming Catholic RCIA process here at the cathedral in early January.

Laurie O’Driscoll

“From the moment I walked into that first class, I felt so comfortable,” she says. “Fr. Kastl and Jeri Potter were the first people I met that day, and they were both very kind and made sure I knew not to be afraid to ask questions. I loved each class and learning something new each week. I would spend the week between classes counting the days until the next one.”

RCIA also ended up bringing Laurie closer to her husband, Brendan, and it also brought Brendan closer to his own faith.

“It really surprised me how many misconceptions I had about Catholicism, and I wasn’t alone in that — even my husband, who was born into the faith, was surprised by some of what I was learning,” Laurie says. “He had been Catholic all his life, and still, there were things he’d either forgotten about or simply didn’t know. While I was the one going through RCIA, he also benefited from the process. After the Rite of Election, he asked Fr. Kastl how to come back into the Church. We found out we would have to have our marriage convalidated and that he’d have to go to confession, so we began the process of acquiring the documents needed to make that happen.”

The Easter Vigil was an emotional day for Laurie not just because she received the three Sacraments of Initiation, but also because she and Brendan were able to convalidate their marriage in the Church.

“I was so excited on that day — ever since Midnight Mass I had wanted this day to get here as soon as possible,” Laurie says. “But as much as I wanted it, I also felt so unworthy. When it was my turn to get baptized, I walked up to the baptismal font thinking, ‘Why would God call me here? I’m too broken for this.’ Jeri was there as we each went up to get baptized and I think maybe she noticed that I was struggling with something. She gestured for me to come up, I placed my head over the font and Bishop Konderla poured the water over my head three times, and I just felt so happy! Forty-four years of sins had been mercifully washed away, and my life as a Christian had begun.

“As I approached the bishop to be confirmed, I was so excited,” she adds. “As someone who grew up an only child, now I suddenly had lots and lots of brothers and sisters in Christ. Receiving my First Holy Communion was probably the sacrament I had wanted the most that night. I had been to Adoration a couple of times before, and they were such beautiful experiences — but receiving Communion was way more than that. Through the Eucharist, Christ is here, lovingly connecting with all of us in such an intimate way. It made me realize why Catholic churches always felt so much more to me like God was actually present than when I’d gone to another type of church.”

Afterward, Laurie and Brendan celebrated their marriage in the Catholic Church at Our Lady’s altar.

“The bishop performed our wedding ceremony,” she says. “As the ceremony went on, I felt like I was marrying for the first time. I had been with my husband for 21 years, married for 19, and even so, I was still a little nervous but so happy. My husband looked at me with such love, my heart melted. I felt so much love for him in return and so much gratitude that God saw fit to bless me with a husband who has such a good heart and has done everything he possibly could to provide for us and guide our family over the years. We’ve been through so much together and I know marrying in the Church will only strengthen us more as we go forward.”

Laurie looks forward to continuing her journey in the faith and hopes that many others will benefit from Becoming Catholic as much as she has.

“I want to grow and learn as much as I can and to be active in the Church,” she says. “I know what it’s like to spend decades outside of the faith and I hope that maybe my experiences can help someone else so that they don’t have to spend another moment outside of God’s embrace. I’m joyful every day now, and when challenges do arise I know I’m not alone and that through His grace, I will get through them. I want everyone to know this feeling.

“The Becoming Catholic program is a wonderful and nurturing environment for anyone who wants to know Catholicism,” she adds. “While I was going through the program, there were people seeking to convert, like me, as well as Catholics who wanted to deepen their understanding of their faith. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, or how broken you may feel. Everyone is welcome and everything is taught through kindness, patience, and compassion. I am so very grateful to Fr. Kastl, Fr. Carvajal, Jeri Potter, and everyone who makes the RCIA program what it is. Converting can be a little intense, and can feel a little disconcerting at times. They made the process joyful and fun. They were always very approachable and it’s obvious how much they care about all of us.”

If you would like more information about the Becoming Catholic RCIA process, please contact Jeri Potter at 918-261-3243 or becomingcatholic@tulsacathedral.com.

Becoming Catholic

Becoming Catholic will meet on Sunday mornings in the Halpine Room, beginning Aug. 22. We will begin with coffee and socializing at 10:15 a.m. — class begins at 10:30 a.m., including question-and-answer time and culminating with attendance at the Noon Mass.

Session 1 — Images of God

Session 2 — Proclamation of the Kingdom of God

Session 3 — The Fall and the Old Testament

Session 4 — One God, Three Persons and the Incarnation

Session 5 — Jesus the Christ