Meet Parishioners Matt and Casi Runnells: Embarking on the Faith Journey and Finding “Home” at IC

When Matt and Casi Runnells joined the Catholic Church here at Immaculate Conception this spring, they knew they had found not only a parish, but a close-knit “village” to accompany their young family through the ups and downs of life. And indeed, for this couple and their three small children, our faith community has quickly become a second home.

Matt and Casi were both brought up with strong Christian roots in the Southern Baptist tradition. As they began a family of their own, they began searching for a church that felt like home. At the same time, choosing a school for their oldest child, Luke, was also a priority.

“Our sister-in-law, Sonni Runnells, is a teacher at Immaculate Conception Catholic School,” Casi says. “It all just started with us talking to her as we were deciding where to send our kids to school. We ended up choosing Immaculate Conception and got plugged into the community that way.”

“We had been looking for a church and wanted to find somewhere with a sense of community,” Matt adds. “We started going to some events at Immaculate Conception with my sister-in-law and really enjoyed the community here.”

Matt and Casi enrolled in our Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) process last fall. RCIA coordinator Phyllis Eubanks made them feel right at home from the beginning with her gracious hospitality and the comfortable atmosphere of the class. They also enjoyed getting to know the other RCIA candidates during the weekly Sunday lessons.

Coming from another Christian tradition, Matt and Casi found many similarities between their Baptist background and the Catholic Church teachings. They were also particularly interested in learning the rich history of the Catholic faith that was presented in their RCIA lessons.

“It’s all Christian, but some of it was new and a fresh perspective,” Casi says. “We spent most of our lives not having to really dig into our faith, so we took the ins and outs of everything for granted. I think it’s neat how the Church traces everything back to how close it was to Jesus. You take things for granted, and then you hear how it goes back to this specific apostle or this tradition. Matt and I had both had religion in school, but nothing quite so historical.”

Matt and Casi received the Sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil Mass in April. Casi’s sponsor was Sonni Runnells, and Matt’s was Wally Gieringer, a parishioner of Our Lady of the Holy Souls that Matt met and connected with through his work.

Matt and Casi Runnells with their children, Luke, Josie and Isaac

Isaac, Josie and Luke Runnells

“The Mass that night was great,” says Matt of the Easter Vigil. “It was nice to come together and be up front together with the other RCIA candidates. Everything was really pretty with the candles, and it was special having our sponsors there with us.”

Looking ahead, Matt and Casi look forward to watching their children — Luke, 6; Isaac, 5; and Josie, 3 — grow in faith and receive the sacraments over the years. They are thankful to have found a faith family here at Immaculate Conception and can’t wait to see what the future holds!

“I think the biggest thing is that we found a church home, and that’s what we were striving for from the beginning,” Matt says. “I think some people come to the RCIA class not knowing what is coming or what to expect from it, but we knew from others what this could be, and it has come to fruition in the process.”

“You really do feel like you’re doing life with a community,” Casi agrees. “There are probably a lot of people who take that for granted. We’re more engrossed with the church community and will continue to be even more so now. We’re looking forward to meeting even more people than we already have. We’re excited. It feels like the tip of the iceberg — we joined the Church, and now life begins.”