Our Journey to the Catholic Faith
The Story of RCIA Candidates David and Deb Kingland
There was no "one specific thing" that made us decide to become Catholic, but rather a progression or succession of events and revelations that made us realize that it was time to make the move.
Our faith journey since childhood
We were both baptized into the Lutheran faith as infants, as were our parents and grandparents before us. We grew up together as members of the same small-town church and raised our three daughters in that church.
For over 60 years, both of us have been very active in four different Lutheran churches as our careers and family moves took us to different locations. We only knew the “Protestant Lutheran” faith. We taught Sunday School, Confirmation, Bible Studies, and served in a variety of roles in church governance and operation.
As we grew in our experience with not only the Lutheran Church, but other Protestant faith traditions, we felt that there was something missing that was calling to us, but we weren’t quite sure what it was.
Calling
About 12 years ago, we felt called to begin producing movies and television shows that delivered a message of Christian hope and family values. Then eight years ago, our youngest daughter converted to Catholicism before she married into the Catholic faith and we heard about both her and her husband’s faith journeys. A few years later, a Catholic film maker approached us about helping with a project that he had underway, and through this new partner and the Catholic ministry ecosystem he was a part of, we began to learn more about the Catholic faith.
Our journey proceeded over the next 3-4 years as we met a growing number of strong, faithful, Catholics who made us curious to investigate the Church. During this time, we were introduced to Bishop Barron’s Word on Fire ministry, and the writings of Dr. Scott Hahn and others who had made the conversion from Protestant faith traditions to the Catholic Church.
Last year we attended the Easter Vigil and felt called to convert to the Catholic faith and begin the RCIA journey. We kiddingly said that we decided the Protestant reformation was over and we were returning home to the Catholic Church!
RCIA Journey
RCIA has been the most inspiring and enlightening experience for us. Every week we learn so many things that we never knew or had never been exposed to before. The Symbolon video series from The Augustine Institute is very well done and this, combined with the weekly classroom experience, really brings together the richness, beauty, and depth of God’s plan for us and how wonderfully the Catholic Church teaches and lives the faith.
As part of our RCIA class work, we were asked to discern what Saints were calling to us and that we related to. Deb has chosen Saint Anne, patron saint of mothers and grandparents, because of Deb’s love of family. David has chosen Saint Ignatius of Loyola, because of his work in education, reformation and countering the breaking apart of the church during the Protestant movement.
Easter Vigil Mass
The final step in our RCIA journey was the Easter Vigil Mass on April 8th. During the Easter Vigil, we were confirmed and became members of the Roman Catholic Church! While this begins a new journey for us, it also represents an old journey – we have returned to the church that was the beginning of the church that Jesus established!
The Easter Vigil was a remarkable and holy experience. Starting with darkness, ending with the light, candles, waters of baptism, incense and the incredibly beautiful music were all-encompassing. Both of us felt embraced by the Holy Spirit throughout the service. We were very moved by the feeling of community and the outpouring of acceptance and love by all present at the Mass. This is something neither of us had ever experienced before.
The Confirmation and anointing by Father Mahon with the Holy Chrism Oil was an emotional and up-lifting experience, followed by our first Holy Eucharist! We both were brought to tears of joy and felt so welcome and assured that we had indeed come home! Our RCIA class had three members baptized and nine confirmed at the Easter Vigil - what a fantastic journey we were all able to take together!
It has also been very meaningful to us that our youngest daughter and her husband were our sponsors and our other two daughters and their families were present for our welcoming into the Catholic Church.
Thank You
We are extremely thankful for the opportunity to be part of the RCIA program offered at the Co-Cathedral of Saint Johns! Deacon Randy and Terese Horlocker are phenomenal instructors. They brought together a wonderful, diverse group of people in this year’s RCIA class, who have become our family. This journey has been inspirational because of the Horlocker’s passion for and deep knowledge of the Catholic faith, church tradition, history, language, art and the Holy Land. They are truly a blessing to all of us and we are grateful for their commitment to RCIA!