My journey to the Catholic Church
 
Q: As a convert to Catholicism, what attracted you to our faith?
I was raised in a Lutheran Church in Lancaster, Pa. My parents did not attend church and my aunt and uncle fulfilled their role as godparents and assured I attended Sunday services with them. After high school, like most teenagers, church was not a priority for me. It was not until I met my future husband, Vince, that I found myself being drawn to the Catholic faith. We married and moved to Chalfont in 1999 and joined St. Jude soon after. As a young couple, we chose Chalfont for the wonderful public school system. We never would we have thought our children would never step foot in a public school, due to what we found at St. Jude School. To be honest, I feel the school is what led me to my Catholic faith.
 
As working parents, we decided to send Ryan (now 18) to St. Jude for kindergarten, quite simply so that he wouldn’t have to spend a half day in Central Bucks kindergarten and then spend the rest of the day in daycare. We quickly realized what a special place St. Jude School was, and when it came time for transferring to the public school, we just couldn’t imagine leaving SJ. With Ryan attending school, we also found ourselves attending Mass regularly, and soon our younger son, Colin (now 16), began attending preschool at SJ.  I was growing in my faith along with my children and decided to convert to Catholicism the same year that Ryan made his First Holy Communion; it was important for me to participate in the Eucharist with him.
 
Q: What advice would you give to others considering converting to Catholicism?
Don’t hesitate – it’s the best decision I ever made. I remember attending RCIA and not knowing anything about the Catholic faith. The prayers, the Bible, and rituals were foreign to me.  There was so much to learn and it can be overwhelming, but what’s important to realize is that your relationship with God is not built on knowledge of the Bible; your relationship with God is built through prayer.
 
I knew there was so much to learn, which is why after converting I then joined RCIA as a member, to help others grow in their journey. Secretly, it also helped me continue to grow in prayer and Catholic knowledge.
 
Q: In what way do you participate in parish life and what attracted you to those activities?
I spent 5 years working on the RCIA team. In 2013 I volunteered to take over the CYO program, where I spent the next 5 years as President. CYO has always been near and dear to my heart. My background is wellness and injury prevention. This ministry helps to assure our parish youth have a safe place to be active while building on their faith. This ministry was something that my whole family rallied around, whether it was my sons playing almost every CYO sport they could or my husband spending countless hours in the gym coordinating the basketball teams.  It was truly a family affair, from dances, games, Masses, and my favorite event —Coaches vs Cancer. CYO helped me continue to grow and build my faith and I have met so many terrific people through this awesome ministry.
 
Q: What do you do for fun? Do you have any hobbies?
Fun for me is anything that involves spending time with my family. We spend our summers and open weekends in Ocean City, MD, where I can normally be found fishing or spending time in or around the water. 
 
Q: What do you like about St. Jude parish?
I love the community and the friends that we’ve made over the years—it’s a special place, and it’s the people who do God’s work that make our parish what it is. I have seen our community rally around so many people through family losses, sickness, and much more. Our Church is our community and our extended family, and I’m lucky to be part of this special place.