At the Easter Vigil on March 30, 2024 in churches across The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, about 1,350 people will enter into full Communion with the Catholic Church, including the elect, those who have not been baptized and are preparing to receive at Easter all three of the Catholic Church’s sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist. Also becoming full members of the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil will be candidates, those who have already been baptized in the Catholic faith or who have been baptized in another Christian faith and who are preparing to receive the sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Eucharist. Some people preparing to become full members of the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil in the archdiocese share the stories of their journeys of faith in this Lenten series of articles.
Rachel Lincoln’s journey to Catholicism began with her favorite color, purple. After a friend invited her to Eucharistic Adoration, something Lincoln was not familiar with as she had grown up Southern Baptist in Nebraska, she saw a post on social media from that same friend featuring a photo of a purple hyacinth.
“At Adoration that afternoon, there was a basket of free cross necklaces and rosaries. I'd always wanted a cross necklace, one that reminded me of God, not a sparkly one that draws attention to the jewels above all else,” Lincoln said.
One stood out as she dug through the items, which Lincoln noted were mostly muted browns and silvers.
“To my immediate delight, I spotted a small purple cross. At first, I thought, ‘No, I only like it because it's pretty.’ Then I realized, ‘It reminds me of a flower, and God made the flowers, like the Garden of Eden.’”
Lincoln is an award-winning photographer who started her own professional wedding and portrait photography business in 2009. She also sells fine art landscape and travel photography prints on her website, and in her free time, she enjoys painting watercolor rabbits and illustrating children’s storybooks.
Although Lincoln enjoyed her church growing up, she said she did not devote time to church when she moved to Washington, D.C., for college 17 years ago. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business and French language and culture from American University, and later a master’s degree in new media photojournalism from the Corcoran College of Art and Design.
It was not until her friend’s invitation to Adoration in 2023 that she felt a change coming in her faith life.
“In a pew, my friend gave me a book of Lent meditations (‘The Paschal Mystery: Reflections for Lent and Easter’), and I opened it at random to a passage by Bishop (Robert) Barron: ‘At the beginning of the Bible, we read of the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. God’s purpose for us is the garden, which signals life and life to the full. The church fathers see the garden as all forms of human flourishing, including science, philosophy, and friendship.’ I knew that God led me home,” Lincoln said.
The season of Lent is symbolized with the color purple. As her patron saint, Lincoln chose St. Thérèse of Lisieux, a French nun known as the Little Flower of Jesus.
Looking forward to her new life after she becomes Catholic at the Easter Vigil at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C., Lincoln said she hopes to continue building her relationship with the Church. She has also participated in activities with DC Divine Mercy, which according to its Facebook page is “group of Catholic faithful who believe in the Lord's call (to) serve in the fields through witness, intercession, and evangelization.”
“These last few months since I began attending Mass regularly, learning, praying, finding groups like DC Divine Mercy, (and) making new friends, (all these things) have all helped heal me in so many ways, even ways I didn't know I needed. I hope to continue learning and eventually make some sort of contribution to the Church and community that has brought me so much joy, peace and growth. I don’t know what that will look like, but I know God will show me the right direction when it’s time,” Lincoln said.
