Becoming Catholic through God

My faith upbringing is not a simple story. My father and his family are all Catholic and went to a Catholic high school. My mother and her side of the family are all Lutheran (LCMS). Being born and growing up in Nashville, Tennessee, meant that any community of Catholics or Lutherans was limited and spread thin. My parents raised me Lutheran out of practicality. That being said, my dad and my Catholic grandmother did expose me to Catholicism and dispelled most of the myths surrounding it. I was baptized, confirmed, and formed as an Evangelical Lutheran. My parents raised me to appreciate the core values of both Catholicism and Lutheranism. The LCMS church’s view on Catholicism is divided. I grew up hearing some Lutherans disparage the Popes while others admired Catholics for their prayer and piety. Just like in any other tradition, it is not all one way or another. When I started travelling, I heard the same different views of Lutheranism among Catholics.

Nicholas (right) after his Confirmation

I was introduced to Ablaze Mission when moving to South Bend in July 2023. I was about to start my PhD program at Notre Dame, and I was looking for a young adult Christian community in the area. I hoped there was something beyond Notre Dame. The Lutheran church I attended in South Bend didn’t have a young adult community. I found Ablaze through a web search and contacted Sean Allen, whom I soon met at a summer Theology on Tap event. Sean told me about Ablaze and specifically the Alive Series, which I pursued as I started my program at Notre Dame. I still didn’t know very many people within Ablaze or in the general area.

I would describe the Alive Series as events to open the door for conversations on the Christian life. It all felt organic and not forced, unlike what is often the case with many church events. I made real connections and came away with a better understanding of the value of a faith community and a deeper perspective on my own relationship with God. The Alive Series showed me the value of interacting with other Christians outside mandatory events such as worship. This led me to attend various Ablaze events, including museum visits, making breakfast for the homeless, Bible study, and parties like those on Epiphany and Mardi Gras.

Nicholas' small group for the Alive Series

Why did I become Catholic? For the past few years, I've sensed my faith and relationship with God hitting a plateau. I also began to understand the true value of a community that helps you grow in that faith. My previous church was shrinking and drawing away from the world in an attempt to be rid of its influences. People in the Lutheran Church were after God, but they pursued him through fear and insecurity, rather than confidence in him. I knew from being raised in the church that we are called to face the world with God as our foundation while still being wary of its flaws. I raised my concerns over these issues, but my comments were ignored, and I began to realize that I couldn’t grow closer to God in an environment where faith was understood as making you fearful rather than brave.

I asked the Lutheran Church about developing young adult groups or advice on finding a godly wife, and they always pointed me to the secular world that I was supposed to fear. When I lived in Tennessee, I usually hung out with the Catholic young adult groups since Lutheran churches really didn’t have those. Catholicism interested me because it offered more opportunities for growth in my faith and a sense of community with other Christians who don’t fear the world, and thus served as examples for me to learn from. I don’t mean that Catholics presented themselves as being perfect. Rather, Catholics showed me that Christianity was not just a legalistic faith based on reciting scripture but a living relationship (faith) with God that grows over a lifetime. I already felt pangs of concern that Christianity in America was just an intellectual exercise without the devotional, spiritual, or communal aspects. I couldn’t see myself becoming another variant of evangelical since that would require me to give up certain core beliefs on God’s presence through Holy Communion (Eucharist) and Holy Baptism. I also did not investigate Catholicism simply because my dad and his family pushed me to. They have never pressured me into it. I give all the credit to God.

Nicholas at the weekly Ablaze Bible Study at St. Joseph Church

Becoming Catholic was a humbling journey. It helped me identify areas of my relationship with God that were underdeveloped and opportunities for growth closer to Christ. Abby [OCIA director] and Elijah [Confirmation sponsor], along with the Ablaze Mission community, have been incredibly patient with me throughout the process, and I will always be grateful to them. Perhaps one of the things I have strived to keep from my Lutheran upbringing was being thankful to both God and those he puts in my life.

Becoming Catholic itself just seemed as if I was finally off that plateau and on to climbing the next part of my path with God. My mindset, even after being Confirmed as a Catholic, is that I am still in the process of “becoming” Catholic through God. It's still early in my journey, and there is still a lot I have to learn about becoming Catholic, but that gives hope that I can still grow closer to God and others who seek to know Him.

Nicholas with his Confirmation sponsor Elijah (second from left)