SAN DIEGO — Aiden Morgan Paterson feels as if he is “approaching the end of one journey and the beginning of a new and more fruitful one.”
Paterson, 24, is currently enrolled in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) process at Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá Parish.
He is one of 600 catechumens across the diocese, who will be baptized, receive their First Holy Communion and be confirmed at their parishes during the upcoming Easter Vigil.
Meanwhile, some 1,246 candidates, who are already baptized Christians, will be fully initiated into the Catholic Church, receiving the sacrament of confirmation and, if they haven’t already done so, their First Holy Communion this Easter.
“This year, I have seen a significant increase in the number of people entering the faith,” said Leticia Trent, director of the diocesan Office for Evangelization and Catechetical Ministry. “I have seen parishes double the number of catechumens from last year.”
Last year, there were 433 catechumens and 1,020 candidates across San Diego and Imperial counties.
“It is very inspiring to see that our diocese is blessed to welcome a growing number of people seeking Christ,” Trent said.
At the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion, all of the diocese’s catechumens and candidates will be presented to the bishop and be declared ready for the sacraments of initiation.
This year, that liturgy will be held March 1 in the Jenny Craig Pavilion at the University of San Diego. A total of 75 parishes will be represented, with attendance expected to be around 4,900 – a number that includes the catechumens and their godparents, candidates and their sponsors, parish OCIA team members, and a limited number of ticketed guests.
“The Rite of Election serves as a beautiful reminder of our unity,” said Trent. “To see 5,000 individuals come together in one Spirit is a testament to the enduring strength of our mission. This gathering is a visible sign of a Church that is both growing and intensely alive.”
As in past years, that growth has come from catechumens who have walked diverse paths to find a spiritual home in the Catholic Church.
Larry Jimenez Montellano is one of the catechists for the English-language OCIA class at Mission San Luis Rey Parish in Oceanside.
“For whatever reason,” he said, “these catechumens did not have the traditional Catholic initiation at a young age. … But now, as adults, they feel something is missing.”
“Each year, we are inspired by their stories of what led them here to Mission San Luis Rey Parish,” he said. “The payoff for us catechists is walking with them through this journey. What a blessing and privilege to see them grow in their faith.”
The parish currently has 13 catechumens and 21 candidates in its English-language OCIA program and another three catechumens and seven candidates in the Spanish-language classes.
Jimenez said that this year’s catechumens and candidates are a “diverse group of individuals” that includes both military and civilian, men and women in about equal numbers, and various ethnicities and marital statuses. They range in age from 18 to 60.
“We have some that have never opened/touched a Bible, yet own one,” he said, “some that attend Mass regularly and some (that) never have.”
“The real reason why they are here is out of love,” said Jimenez. “God is love, and his love is a strong force that draws all to him.”
Paterson, who is a catechumen at Mission San Diego, wasn’t “exposed to religious thought, practice or instruction of any kind” during his formative years. As a result, he was left “to construct my understanding of the world solely through my own reasoning.”
“Having been raised in a secular environment,” he said, “my exposure to Christianity was limited largely to its most simplified and stereotypical representations, which were often treated casually or dismissed altogether by those around me.”
A close friend during his college years introduced him to “a small but meaningful idea of faith.” He credits that initial introduction with prompting him “to begin studying and reflecting more deeply on matters of faith and truth” after graduating and moving out on his own.
From among the various Christian traditions, Paterson said he was drawn to Catholicism “by its historical foundation, theological credibility, and the living authority of Christ passed down through the Apostles and continued today through the Catholic priesthood.”
Paterson said the OCIA experience has been “profoundly enriching, providing not only a sense of new community and family, but also new ideas and practical ways to live out the faith.”
“I am now prepared to enter this next stage of life, carrying with me newly acquired tools, deeper understanding and, most importantly, a growing relationship with Christ,” he said. “I look forward with great anticipation to receiving the Eucharist, a sacrament that I find myself reflecting on daily.”
Lee Sherwood, 72, a catechumen from The Immaculata Parish, located on the USD campus, was raised in the Presbyterian Church, but he married a Catholic. The couple raised their children in the faith and sent them to Catholic schools.
“I finally decided it was my turn and took the step to truly become Catholic,” said Sherwood, who said it was a step that he had wanted to take for “so many years.”
He credits his OCIA classes with providing him with “a better understanding” of Catholicism, its teachings and traditions.
What does it mean to him to be on the cusp of becoming Catholic?
“It makes me smile and, of course, wonder why I waited so long,” said Sherwood, who looks forward to “receiving the sacraments in front of my family,” especially his two grandchildren who have preceded him in being baptized.
Larissa Castro, also a catechumen from The Immaculata Parish, grew up as an atheist. As an adult, she converted to Mormonism but began to feel “alienated and disappointed” there and ultimately stopped attending religious services.
The 32-year-old said that her interest in Catholicism came after meeting her husband.
“He never pressured me to convert or otherwise delve deeper into the faith; that was a choice I made by myself,” she said. “It’s taken me two and a half years to get to the point of baptism and confirmation, but it’s been a beautiful journey of self-discovery and growing deeper in faith. I would not change it for anything.”
She expressed anticipation for being cleansed from Original Sin through baptism and for receiving Communion for the first time.
She added, “I look forward to being a part of the community that constantly looks for a way to heal the world and make it a little less broken through the light of Jesus.”
Quinn Fogel, 34, is a catechumen at Mission San Diego.
His father was Catholic and his mother was Protestant, he said, but the family didn’t attend either Mass or worship services during his youth. His “main exposure to Christianity” came from his grandparents, who sent him to Vacation Bible School during his summer visits.
In his early 30s, Fogel started “thinking more seriously about God … and what I believed.”
“That gradual search eventually led me to learn more about Christianity in a more intentional way, ask harder questions, and look for a faith that was both historically grounded and lived out in a real community,” he said. “Over time, that journey brought me to OCIA and to preparing to enter the Catholic Church.”
He said that he was attracted to Catholicism because of “how complete it felt — spiritually, intellectually and historically.”
“I wasn’t looking for something that was simply inspiring; I wanted something true, rooted and consistent,” he said. “The more I learned about the early Church and the continuity of Catholic teaching through history, the more it made sense that the Catholic Church wasn’t just one option among many, but a living connection to the faith handed on from the beginning.”
Fogel said that he’s experiencing “a sense of peace” in the knowledge that he is “anchored in something bigger than myself.”
John Ledesma, a 29-year-old catechumen at Mission San Diego, was raised Lutheran but never baptized. His parents were both fallen-away Catholics.
“Religion was something that we practiced for an hour on Sunday and then wasn’t discussed for the next six days,” he said. “This led to me falling away from attending church, praying, or putting my trust into the hands of the Lord.”
In his mid-20s, a spiritual search led to his reading “a myriad of religious texts, trying to find something that would rekindle the faith candle that once burned within me.” He started listening to daily Bible readings and then “supplementing” that by attending Mass.
At first, it was geographical proximity that led him to the Catholic Church. Immaculate Conception Parish in Old Town was simply the Christian church nearest to his home. But he found the Mass to be “a one-hour communication with God, a one-hour session of presence with the Holy Trinity.”
“Finding my true spiritual home means everything to me,” said Ledesma. “Once I took the mud from my eyes and responded to the calling of God, life has such clarity to it.”
“The sacraments of initiation are not the end goal,” he said. “They are the beginning of the next stage in my journey.”
