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Diadhuit, this is Irish for Hello or God be with you.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day. I am honoured and privileged to have been asked by Fr. Ron to share my faith journey.
Today, I feel very close to God, I feel that He walks with me and I feel the Lords presence with me at all times. My journey was not always so. I struggled with questions, life got extremely busy, I swayed, got on and off the train track of ,faith and following God.
I was raised in a strong catholic family, in the Soo, baptised at blessed Sacrament, and grew up in Our Lady of Good Council Parish., where I made all my sacraments. In those early years, it was easy ,to be a faithful Catholic. I went to St. James school, all my friends and relatives were raised in same environment as me, However when I got to the Mount and was around 15 /16, my analytical mind started kicking in, started questioning a lot of church rules and beliefs. I still attended mass regularly as it was expected of me at home. My circle of influence was growing and they imposed there thoughts as well.
I got married at our Lady of Council Parish, and went on to become a Registered Nurse and got a job at the Plummer Hospital and my catholic influences became interwoven with, other good people who were not catholic and practised different religions.
In 1982 we moved to St. Joseph Island. My youngest was baptized at St. Boniface Parish in 1983,the last of 4 children.
In the early years we went to mass regularly, knowing that I wanted to give my children a sense of faith and spiritual upbringing. They went to a Public school system, and had exposure and friends of various Christian faiths.
It became more and more difficult as time went on, to have regular church attendance as I was working a lot of weekends and the boys started playing hockey every weekend, my daughter in her activities and there social life, birthday parties etc.
Church attendance suffered gravely. I was very aware however of doing my best to meet their spiritual needs. They went to Christian summer Bible camps with their friends, All tribes Camp and mass whenever possible.
Meanwhile, I was always searching myself, felt something missing in my life and knew deep down that it was spiritual .I went to various Christian Women’s Retreats ,bible studies, started reading the bible at different times, I think I read Matthew 100 times, I would always start with him, rarely got to Mark.
The kids eventually moved on, went to college and university, married, on with their lives.
I tried getting more regular in church going would pray to God to strengthen my faith.
I went from trying to strengthen my faith to neutral.......
Well on April 5th 2014 almost 4 years ago, my faith was brought to my knees. Our youngest, our precious son Jeff died suddenly and very tragically.
In my agonizing grief I could not get mad at God. I cried out to myself please God, I can’t do this without you, you NEED to help me and He did, like only He could.
I was numb pretty much over a year and He guided me at the right times to various grief books, volunteering, a wonderful godly woman and joined her non denominational bible study.
Eventually, we were living in the Soo again, had moved on East Balfour off Goulais Ave. and I was feeling compelled to join a church.
I was raised Catholic and felt strongly that I had to start there. Mid September I walked into St. Veronica’s Parish, it felt a bit scary but ok. Then I saw on the wall at front of church advertising Alpha, starting that Wednesday. All through Mass God was working on me, sign up, sign up, I am saying to myself, I don’t know anyone, and the feeling was so powerful to sign up, that it was ok, what God wanted for me.
I listened to Him and signed up for Alpha, went that wed for 10 ,11 weeks and have never looked back, I thank God every day for saving me and now I am hungry to know the Lord better and feel filled with His Holy Spirit.
I pray that each and everyone of you can speak to God and ask Him to walk with you in your life. God Bless each and every one of you.,
Blessings Brenda.