Sisters Sacramentally
By Katherine Kebe
What an unexpected honor! Last August I got a call from Jesse DeBloom, a student I had been meeting with, asking me to be her sponsor for baptism, confirmation and first communion. She was just beginning OCIA which is the adult catechism class run locally by Most Precious Blood parish. This is where our CCM students who want to receive sacraments go to prepare. I was overjoyed at the news of Jesse’s desire to become Catholic and excited to journey with her, so of course I said, “Yes!” It was one of the best decisions I made all year.
The first thing I noticed was how much I personally was getting out of the process. As someone who grew up Catholic it was really beautiful for me to learn more about my faith and the reasons behind so much of what we do. Second, it was a gift to be able to answer questions and help Jesse navigate the nuances of what we believe. Third, we were not alone! Three other students who are very involved with CCM went through the process with us. So eight all together: Caden and his sponsor Josh, Shali and his sponsor Angel, Frankie and her sponsor Clare, along with Jesse and myself. We shared a table as well as many great conversations and plenty of laughs.
How beautiful to witness the change in each of them as the journey brought them closer to God and His Church. The Lord continued to invite them deeper and from early fall semester until the Easter vigil I had the privilege of witnessing them respond again and again with their own hearty “Yes Jesus!”
As Easter approached I saw their hunger for Jesus in His sacraments growing. When the day came at last, April 19th, 2025, I don’t think I have known such deep joy, pride and excitement as I felt for these four students. When each of their names were called at the Easter Vigil Mass, they stood freely and stepped fully into the beautiful adventure of our Catholic faith.
I thought back to the Rite of Election when we as sponsors had to testify that we had seen the candidates grow and be formed throughout the process, and it was another joyful, hearty, “Yes!” I saw then and witnessed more fully the night of their baptisms the growth of the students, but especially Jesse. My heart was full of gratitude to see them grow in desire, wisdom, and faith through this whole process.
As I write this, that growth continues. These newly baptized are working on their “Eucharist streak” by coming to daily Mass throughout Easter to receive Jesus, who is life itself. There is surely no better reward than seeing them go forward now without their arms crossed (a sign they were not ready) but rather receiving the Lord in full communion.
Not long ago, Jesse wrote me to say, “OCIA was the best thing that ever happened to me right behind literally getting baptized. I’m so extremely grateful for the process, I can’t imagine not having it. I felt so prepared coming into the Church, learned so much, and had so many questions answered. Not to mention that OCIA gave me new, deep relationships that I will cherish for the rest of my life. It really feels like a family. I was blessed to go through it with a few other CCM members, but the support from the whole club I had the entire time gave me so much strength through the process.”
If you ever look around your parish on Sunday and are sad to see so few youth, I want to offer you this. God is alive in His Church and continues to bring young people into the fold of His love. What a gift to be a part of it!