GARY – It was all about family at the Cathedral of the Holy Angels on Nov. 24 as 95 candidates from 19 different parishes took part in the Rite of Call to Continuing Conversion for Christian Candidates hosted by the Diocese of Gary.
“It’s Thanksgiving week … a time for family and friends to come together and give thanks, and today is a time to give thanks, too,” said Bishop Robert J. McClory. In welcoming a congregation of more than 400 to “your diocesan home,” many for the very first time, he noted by a show of hands. “It is great to have you here.”
Many of the candidates, who were baptized Christian earlier in life and now seek through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) to complete the sacraments of reconciliation, Holy Communion and confirmation to fully join the Roman Catholic Church, have been encouraged by spouses, parents and other Catholic relatives to grow closer to God and especially embrace the Eucharist.
“For some, family members opened the door to the Church and said, ‘Come on in, I want to help you and support you,’” noted the bishop.
“St. Paul tells us, ‘Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him,’ first for Jesus Christ himself. We ae so grateful to have a Savior, so the attitude we have is one of thanks.
“It is easy to say, look at all the problems I have, but today is a day of celebration, a day to give thanks,” said Bishop McClory. “Give thanks to Jesus for he is how it is that you are here.”
There may have been no greater example of family at the Rite of Call than candidate Daniel Kanelopoulos II and his sponsor Elizabeth Admave, who got engaged earlier that day with some help from their children. “It was a group engagement,” said Kanelopoulos, of Crown Point, as he explained that he recruited his son Daniel III and daughter Maddy, and Admave’s daughter Zoe, to help him ask the question, ending with “Will you marry us?”
Insisting she was surprised by the timing, the bride-to-be from Lansing, Ill. quickly said yes and the entire family, including grandparents, headed for the cathedral.
“We’ve been together for two years, but we’ve known each other longer,” explained Kanelopoulos, adding that the couple met as coworkers in construction management.
“It’s a big year,” understated the groom-to-be, whose son and Admave’s daughter are both eighth-graders at St. Michael School in Schererville and will be confirmed on April 25. “I just enrolled my daughter as a kindergardner at St. Michael this fall, and I will receive the sacraments on Jan. 12.
As for the wedding, no date has been chosen, but Admave mentioned “maybe summer or next fall” and Kanelopoulos replied, “In three years, maybe?”
Family is also what brought sponsor Debbie and candidate Bruce Revor to the cathedral from Valparaiso and St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Student Center. The couple has been married for 28 years, and while Debbie Revor converted to Catholicism “in my 20’s, and we had our marriage convalidated in the Catholic Church,” Bruce Revor decided this year to fully join the Catholic faith.
“This is as good a time as any,” he said, admitting he had feared the RCIA lessons would be difficult to complete. “It hasn’t been too hard; a lot of videos and discussion. I hope to learn a lot by the Easter Vigil, which seems a long way off.”
Debbie Revor could not stop smiling as she described looking forward to receiving the Holy Eucharist with her husband after year of encouragement on her part. “He’s real plugged in to our church; we both volunteer at Café Manna and he’s a real good cook,” she said proudly.
Kalley Ault was raised Lutheran but began attending Mass at the Newman Center as a student at Kansas University more than 10 years ago. When she moved in with her aunt and uncle, Julie and Tim Ault of Valparaiso, she began coming to Mass with them at Nativity of Our Savior in Portage, where the young attorney now resides.
“One of my friends took RCIA classes when she got married, and some of the (Catholic) people I work with are open to tough questions and hard topics, and are willing to work with me on my faith. I like to study the history of the Church and intent is a big thing to me,” said Ault. “We are trying to find the truth, after all.
“Your faith is a lot stronger if you can question it,” added Ault, who is most looking forward to receiving the Holy Eucharist. “It’s a moment of connection you can’t get anywhere else.”
Her uncle, who surprised Kalley by coming to her first RCIA class, is himself a Catholic convert and is happy to be her sponsor. “I was on my our RCIA journey 20 years ago, and now I see a progression in Kalley, which is rewarding,” said Tim Ault.
“Stay close to Jesus like the vine to the branch (in today’s Gospel), for if the vine is cut off, it withers and dies,” advised Bishop McClory. “Sometimes we’ve got to figure out how to get closer to God and take off our old self. Today, say, ‘I want more, I want to be closer to God.’
“We should look at our faith through the eyes of God,” added the bishop. “Give thanks for your sponsors, give thanks for your catechists, give thanks for your families and give thanks for all those who are helping you along the way.”
Caption: Sponsor Angelina Andrade (front, center) places her hand on the shoulder of Christian candidate Jacob Rothchild (front, right), both of St. Mary of the Lake, at the Cathedral of the Holy Angels in Gary on Nov. 24. Seekers from throughout the diocese were presented at the liturgy to Bishop Robert J. McClory and will continue in their conversion with the assistance of the faithful, as they anticipate full communion with the Catholic Church. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)