At the Easter Vigil on March 30, 2024 in churches across The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, about 1,350 people entered into full Communion with the Catholic Church, including the elect, those who were not been baptized and were 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 were candidates, those who were already baptized in the Catholic faith or who were baptized in another Christian faith and who were preparing to receive the sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Eucharist. Some people who became members of the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil in the archdiocese shared the stories of their journeys of faith in this Lenten series of articles.
When Dirk Graves was preparing to become a member of the Catholic Church at the March 30 Easter Vigil at St. John Vianney Church in Prince Frederick, Maryland, he described himself as “a newborn Catholic in the works.”
“The Easter Vigil is exciting, because I truly believe our Father in heaven has chosen me to accept the sacraments and to fully engage in this new life with purpose,” Graves said in an email interview before the vigil, where he became Catholic after receiving the sacraments of Confirmation and the Eucharist.
Originally from Fort Worth, Texas, he grew up at a Boys Ranch northwest of Amarillo. “I was raised (and baptized) Protestant and actually just lived life on my terms,” he said.
After graduating from Boys Ranch, he joined the Navy in 1986 and served for 13 years as an ordnanceman, working with aviation ammunition. After leaving military service in 1999, he continued working as a civil servant for the Navy, working with munitions in various capacities.
In 2000, he married his wife Joanna, whom he met at a Protestant church in Maryland, and they have been married for 24 years. Graves has a step-daughter and three grandchildren.
His wife, who was originally Catholic, was on a long search for the meaning of God, he said.
Reflecting on his journey of faith, Graves said, “God blesses us if we seek His grace. After many let-downs in chuches… we’d had enough. Covid and that empty space led us to St. John Vianney.”
Graves said he joined the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults program at the Southern Maryland parish right away and participated in other opportunities to learn about the Catholic faith. His wife Joanna attended the RCIA classes with him “for support and additional education,” he said.
“I know the Bible well, and I am learning the rest of the new Catholic Bible, and it is exciting,” he said. Graves has also enjoyed learning Catholic teaching on Jesus, the Holy Trinity, Mary and the stories of the saints and the Church’s history. He noted there is “so much to learn and to understand, and I’m just scratching the surface.”
As the Easter Vigil approached, Graves expressed gratitude and wonder when reflecting on how God has worked in his life and how he was inspired to become Catholic.
“It is truly amazing how God has used all of us for this life we are living,” Graves said.
His life, he said, could have “turned many different directions had it not been for God’s love and grace for me. I’ve been sober since 1989, and that was a hard effort to live with. But I am so humbled to become a member of St. John Vianney, and I recognize I’m a sinner and yet I have a means to become a better child of God.”
