The theme of the October issue of As a Rule is “Our Faith Experience.” Vicki Johnson, an adjunct faculty member in English and Cultural Studies at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology, reflected on how her faith experience at SHSST eventually led to her conversion to Catholicism.
Coming from a Protestant background, Vicki decided that “if I were to be an effective teacher at Sacred Heart, I needed more knowledge about Catholicism, so purely for information, I started attending an R.C.I.A. class (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) and began attending daily Mass as well as a Catholic Bible study group. I also prayed in St. Joseph’s Chapel every day after lunch, which strengthened my spiritual walk.
“I started to look forward to going to Mass, and one time when I was sitting in the pew, I felt an incredibly strong urge to go forward during communion. I felt that Jesus was calling me forward but knew that I couldn’t go because I wasn’t Catholic. I had to force myself to stay seated. As a result, my spirit was filled with such intense indescribable sorrow. Then I saw some folks going up to receive the Eucharist, the body of Christ, and some looked disinterested as though this were purely a perfunctory act. I wanted to shout, ‘Do you know what you have here? Do you really know what you have?’ My spirit was grieving…
“I can only say that I felt the power of the Holy Spirit call me to the Catholic faith; there is no doubt in my mind. There is no other explanation. Shortly after my conversion, I did the Camino de Santiago, which also made a definite impact on me. I’m still learning; I’m still growing and always trying to be open to the Holy Spirit’s leading. My new Catholic faith is a gift which I cherish with immense gratitude as I continue to work at Sacred Heart and feel the love and support of the faith community around me.”
Click here to read Vicki’s full reflection, as well as that of Fr. Richard MacDonald, SCJ, who wrote about how his faith grew and was strengthened by his encounters with those to whom he ministered.
