Children in two families help their parents grow in faith

Carolyn Scott receives her first Communion from Father Joseph Newton, associate pastor of St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in Indianapolis, on April 3 during the Easter Vigil Mass at the parish church. Scott and her 8-year-old daughter, Mallory, were received into the full communion of the Church during the liturgy. (Submitted photo by Walt Kuhn)

By Sean Gallagher

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that parents have the “responsibility and privilege of evangelizing their children” (#2225).

But what might be less known is that the Church teaches that children can return the favor and help their parents grow in holiness (#2227).

Carolyn Scott experienced this gift as she and her 8-year-old daughter, Mallory, prepared to be received into the full communion of the Church on April 3 in the Easter Vigil Mass at St. Luke the Evangelist Church in Indianapolis.

Carolyn, who had been baptized in a Lutheran congregation, enrolled Mallory, who also had been previously baptized in a Protestant congregation, at St. Luke School in the fall of 2008 when she was in the third grade.

“Our daughter really took to religion and really wanted to start living those values that she was learning in the classroom,” Carolyn said. “She just really inspired me because of how seriously she took this.”

Last summer, the mother and daughter decided that they wanted to become Catholic so they signed up for St. Luke’s Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and Rite of Christian Initiation of Children programs.

In addition to learning about the faith in school, Mallory took classes in her RCIC program on Sunday mornings.

“They were helpful and I got to learn a little more,” she said. “I didn’t want to just go into it and not know what I was doing.”

During the Easter Vigil, Carolyn got to see Mallory confirmed and receive her first Communion before she experienced the same sacraments.

“As excited as she was and as happy as she was, it was really neat,” Carolyn said. “I’m really glad that I got to see her go through before me.”

Mallory was grateful to be close to Christ in the Eucharist.

“I know that I can always look to Jesus,” she said. “And I know that I can always be assured that he is with me.”

Todd Tatlock was baptized at St. Rose of Lima Church in Franklin on the same night that Carolyn and Mallory Scott were received into the Church.

And just as Carolyn was influenced by the example of her daughter, Todd credited the example of his 15-year-old son, Trent, in leading him to enter RCIA and eventually embrace the Catholic faith.

“It was definitely influential,” Todd said. “I kind of stepped back and thought, ‘Here’s a 15-year-old kid making a big decision. And here’s a 36-year-old man that has no guiding spiritual influence in his life. It’s probably time.’ I had to do a whole lot of soul searching.”

Trent had chosen to enter the RCIA process with his mother, Julie, last summer after she decided to return to the Catholic faith of her youth.

Julie had been baptized in the Catholic Church as an infant, but never received her first Communion or was confirmed. Her parents divorced some 30 years ago when she was just 7, and they stopped practicing the faith.

Todd had not been raised in any faith community.

It was an answered prayer that led Julie to return to the Church. She had wanted to enroll their 9-year-old daughter, Taylor, at St. Rose of Lima School, but was concerned that she would have to be put on a waiting list. That was what had happened years earlier when she had tried to enroll Trent there.

“I went back and forth about it, and prayed about it because I thought that was where she needed to be,” Julie said.

To her surprise, Taylor was accepted as a student at St. Rose School.

“[In my prayer,] I was like, ‘What now?’ And it was like God said, ‘I would like you to have a relationship with me,’ ” said Julie, with emotion.

When Julie and Trent went to their first RCIA meeting, Todd was still unsure if he wanted to participate. In fact, he had chosen to go to a social event with some co-workers.

“There was every reason in the world for me to stay out there,” Todd said. “There were boats, fishing to do, a cookout. It was a team-building event. But something was telling me that I needed to be there.”

So he left, went to the meeting and enjoyed learning about the faith during the next several months with his wife and son.

Julie and Todd’s three young daughters, Taylor, Trinity and Tanna, were baptized on Feb. 14. Their marriage was blessed in the Church, also knowing as convalidation, on March 24.

On April 3, Julie completed her initiation into the Church that had been cut short so long ago.

And Todd and Trent were baptized, confirmed and received their first Communion.

“I was standing there watching him go through that,” Todd said. “Then I went through it. We went back to clean up and dry off. And I looked at him and I said, ‘Wow! That was pretty neat.’ ”

“I was proud for him,” said Trent of his father being baptized. “It was great to see that happen, to see all the work that we had done, and all the classes, and to see him get baptized.”

That beginning also meant a lot to Julie.

“We had been anticipating [their baptisms] for almost a year,” said Julie, with joy. “It was just nice to see it finally come. We’re on our way to where we need to be.” †

 

(Related: Welcome, new Catholics)