MERRILLVILLE – The Catholic Church is thriving at Aquinas Catholic Community School, and it is no accident.
“Everything that happens here is so intentionally Catholic. Day-to-day we are living our faith in all we do,” explained principal Lisa Gutierrez, who has welcomed a number of students – and sometimes parents, too – into the Catholic Church through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Children (RCIC) program.
This year, Aquinas, where a majority of its enrollment of 224 students is non-Catholic, will welcome six students into the Church during the Easter Vigil Mass, where they will receive the sacraments of initiation: baptism, confirmation, and Holy Eucharist. (If they were already baptized in another Christian religion, they don't need to be baptized again.)
The roster includes Bryce Ophewette, an eighth grader who is the first in his family to choose the Catholic faith; Mya Russell, a seventh grader who has been waiting since before the COVID-19 pandemic to convert; Nicholas Hurst and Noelia Meza, both fifth graders; Cliffton Tobias, a fourth grader; and Eric Ganaway, a second grader.
“We have children in different stages of preparation for the sacraments, and some have been preparing since before the pandemic started,” noted Gutierrez. “Father (James) Meade, our pastor, had a whole group he was working with before he died in 2020. They have been very patient and resolved.”
The principal said some youngsters are interested in Catholicism even before enrollment. “Sometimes when a new family comes in, they may declare an interest in the Church during their interview,” she said, “or a student may become interested through religion classes or by attending Mass – which all students participate in – and tell their parents.”
Once they have begin the RCIC process, the young people meet weekly after school and during weekend liturgies with Melissa Novak, director of discipleship and evangelization at Holy Martyrs and Our Lady of Consolation in Merrillville.
For Nicholas Hurst, 10, the Rite of Election service at the Cathedral of the Holy Angels on Feb. 26, brought he and his family together with more than 40 other catechumens, giving him a taste of what to expect when he is baptized and receives the sacraments of Holy Communion and confirmation at the Easter Vigil Mass on April 8 at Holy Martyrs.
“I want to taste the First Holy Communion (wafer),” Nicholas said. “I know it is really Jesus after the consecration. I think I will feel holy.”
The fifth grader said his father is Catholic, and he tries to emulate his generous and kind nature. “He likes to give people stuff, and he goes sledding and plays basketball with me,” Nicholas noted. “My mom goes to a Christian church, and she is a good person, too.”
For his godparent, Nicholas chose Marie Wilson, the office/financial manager at Aquinas. She has been here with me at school since I started kindergarten, and my parents know her, too,” he explained. “When I came to school here she handed out mints to the students every morning, and she is kind and thoughtful.”
Wilson, who lives in Crown Point with her husband, Don, and has two grown daughters, is honored to serve as Nicholas’ sacramental sponsor. “I like seeing the children grow and get to know them,” she said. “It’s nice when they see me as more than the lady who greets them with mints and we become family.”
Wilson has been a godparent for family members and taught reconciliation classes at both Ss. Peter and Paul and Holy Martyrs, so she knows what Nicholas will receive along with the sacraments this month. “I’ll be able to see that halo above his head ad he’ll have that special something after receiving the sacraments. I always feel at peace after the Easter Vigil,” she said.
Mike Hurst said he is happy his son “is on the path to being a good man. I was raised Catholic, and although I fell away, I wanted Nicholas to become a Catholic, too. We actually looked into baptism when we brought him to school here, but it got delayed and then the pandemic happened and Father Meade died. After (classes started back up), it became more of his choice, and Nicholas still wanted to be baptized.
“Catholics are a good group of people, good role models; they are good to people, and that’s what I want for my son,” added Mike Hurst.
“It is an honor when a child wants to follow God, and to learn about faith,” said Marisa Hurst of her son. “He’s on the right path.”