Easter Joy!

PATERSON  April 3 was a day for so many around the Diocese in which their lives were changed forever. In churches across the Diocese, 75 people — adults, teens and children — were initiated into full membership in the Church. During the Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday, the elect received the three Sacra­ments of Initiation — Baptism, Confirma­tion, and Eucharist.

For many preparing to become full-fledged Catholics, learning about the faith these months was virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic and while the Church has faced many challenges with lock downs and the stoppage of many in-person events, 23 churches in the Diocese welcomed groups of the elect into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil.

The Beacon interviewed people from three parishes to speak about the Easter joy in each of the communities.

St. Jude Parish, Hardyston

St. Jude Parish in Hardyston found a silver lining of the pandemic when they welcomed two converts to the Catholic faith during this historic year. 2021 marked the first time in 15 years the parish had adults who became fully initiated members of the Catholic Church.

Father Michael Rodak, pastor of St. Jude, said, “In probably one of the most unlikely years, we welcomed two people into the Church. God works in mysterious ways in how the Holy Spirit moves people.”

Kristen Childs and Johnny Truong are the two new Catholics and the only ones in Sussex County this year. They came to accept the Catholic faith from two completely different faith traditions; Childs grew up as a Jehovah Witness and Truong was a Buddhist.

For Childs, becoming a Catholic happened in a way only the pandemic could cause. Her husband of 21 years, Vadim Ghin, is music director at St. Jude’s and just signed on with the parish before the pandemic began.

“My husband became music director on March 15 and on March 16 it was announced there would be a lockdown,” said Childs. “As we all know, one of things that was affected due to the lockdown was the celebration of Mass.”

Because the situation was urgent, parishes had to provide a way to celebrate Mass virtually for the people. Childs, with experience in video technology, immediately found herself in a moment that would change her life. “They knew I could do video and asked me to record the videos for the Masses,” said Childs.

For two months, she recorded Masses without a congregation, just the celebrant and the choir. “It was empty but it was really wonderful in a way as I got to pay attention to the Mass,” said Childs. “The hand of God was involved (in my conversion) and that’s something to recognize.”

Eventually, she was approached by Father Rodak and Deacon Edward Boscia, who asked her if she was interested in becoming a Catholic and joining RCIA classes, which she did.

“There’s a lot more richness in the Catholic Church than other Christian religions,” said Childs.

Childs’ husband is also happy with her decision and the couple is enjoying their new spiritual home at St. Jude. She continues to record the Masses for those who participate virtually as churches increase capacity.

In addition to learning about the faith, she found herself a community. “From day one, the parish has welcomed me,” Childs said. “Everyone I met has been amazing and it immediately became my family.”

Johnny Truong, who was born in Vietnam, received the inspiration to become a Catholic from his young son, Alexander, who passed away from a terminal illness when he was 11 on Jan. 4, 2020.

“I wanted to be a Catholic because in my heart I had a relationship with Jesus and the Blessed Mother,” said Truong. “I prayed to the Mother Mary for my son not to suffer and I taught him to pray to her as well. My son told me that the Mother Mary came to him and said not to be afraid that Jesus is with him.”

When his son passed, he was no longer afraid or in pain and Truong promised the Blessed Mother that he would always honor her and her son, Jesus, by becoming a Catholic.

Eventually, Truong reached out to Maryalice Jansky, a parishioner of St. Jude, who would collaborate with Truong’s nail salon business for parish fundraisers. He would ask Jansky about the Church.

“Johnny was always very generous donating gift certificates for raffles and other fundraisers,” said Janksy. “He got to know me as a Catholic and he always seemed interested asking about the Bible and the Church.”

The Holy Spirit eventually found his way to Truong and he made the decision to go through the RCIA process. Now, Truong has found peace joining the Catholic Church and believes in the Easter promise that when it’s his time to pass, he will go home to Jesus and have eternal life.

Because of the connection to Jansky, Truong asked her to be his sponsor and Childs also asked Jansky to be her sponsor.

“I am blessed by God and honored by these catechumens to be their sponsor. God has bestowed an extraordinary grace on me as their godparent,” Jansky said.

Father Rodak told The Beacon, “It has been a tough year but with God’s grace we have seen the people moved to faith and a desire to become part of the Church, which is something to truly celebrate and thank God for.”

Assumption Parish, Morristown

At Assumption Parish in Morristown, Nasine Dam had the unique distinction of receiving four sacraments at the Easter Vigil — the three Sacraments of initiation and the sacrament of marriage. He and his wife, Christine, were married in 2003 in St. Lucy Chapel at Villa Walsh Academy in Morristown.

“Because I was making all my Sacraments (of initiation), I received a fourth sacrament and my wife received one as well — the Sacrament of marriage,” said Dam.

Dam, who was born in Cambodia, has always had a connection to the Catholic Church. In 1981, Catholic Relief Services, played an integral part in his life. Following the Khmer Rouge conflict, the organization sponsored families in Cambodia to come to the United States.

“I came here in 1981 at three years old and lived in Falls River, Mass.,” said Dam.

His family is Buddhist and Dam grew up going to the temple. During college, he met his wife Christine, who grew up in New Jersey and was a graduate of Villa Walsh Academy. The couple settled in the Garden State after college. Their two daughters, Nora, 14 and Maeve, 12, were raised in the Catholic faith and both attend Catholic schools — Villa Walsh and Assump­tion School, respectively.

“I was always debating converting,” said Dam. “Difficult things and tragedies prevented me to become Catholic. Eventually I started to understand it more and how faith brings everything together.”

Dam’s wife’s faith has inspired him and his conversion. Dam said, “Her faith was always important to her and I just wanted to be part of that.”

One thing that touched Dam’s heart was the Rite of Election at the beginning of Lent. “The number of folks there going through the same thing reassured me. We are all going through the program and others have been in the same spot as me when making the decision to become Catholic.”

He is grateful for the support he received from his in-laws and Assumption Parish. “Msgr. John Hart [pastor] has been great. I didn’t know who he was and I got to know him through this process. It has been exciting and so many people have been praying for me,” he told The Beacon.

Even with the pandemic and a smaller group in the Diocese, Dam said, “I actually see the Catholic faith growing and so many support us.”

St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Paterson

While adults in RCIA receive all the three Sacraments of Initiation, at the Easter Vigil children in the RCIA process are also baptized. These children are considered of “catechetical” age and the children, who are of age, also receive First Communion at the vigil.

At St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Paterson, 10 children and teens were prepared for the Sacraments — the largest number in any one parish in the Diocese this year. Nine were baptized at the Easter Vigil while another child, who has respiratory issues and is connected to a breathing device, will be baptized at a later date privately.

Escari Tucker, director of religious education at St. Anthony’s, helped prepared the children and teens as well as six adults considered candidates, who were baptized but have not finished their Sacraments, for the Easter Vigil.

“A lot of different situations happened where the children were not baptized as babies but at the parish, we really encouraged the parents and accommodated the families to prepare the children for baptism,” Tucker told The Beacon.

Through virtual and in-person classes, the children learned about the faith. Many of the children were siblings who received baptism together.

A motivating factor for some of the families to have their children baptized was illness. “In addition to the child with a respiratory illness, one child recently had brain surgery while another has a heart condition,” said Tucker.

Upon receiving baptism, the children were so happy and emotional to become children of God.

“We feel blessed that they are seeking to follow Jesus and learn about the Church,” Tucker said. “The families have the desire to be more committed to their Catholic faith.”