Catholic Standard - Catholic Standard

New Catholics to enter the Church at Easter

This Easter, 1,073 people in the Archdiocese of Washington will be entering the Catholic Church. This series features the faith journeys of a handful of those catechumens and candidates.

In this series

Like St. Paul, man’s faith journey pivoted on the road

While St. Paul’s conversion happened on the road to Damascus, the faith journey of Farhad Mehraban changed on his commute to Hagerstown, Maryland, where he was then...

Married couple will fully enter Church and have marriage validated at Easter Vigil Mass

When Terrance and Alejandra Ealey are received into full communion with the Catholic Church during the April 20 Easter Vigil Mass at St. Joseph Parish in Largo, Maryland, the...

Residents of Inwood House accompany friend through RCIA; prepare him to live faith in the world

Though he was raised Jewish, Edwin Mayer -- a resident of Inwood House, a residential community in Silver Spring, Maryland, for people with disabilities -- regularly attended the...

Mother will follow in daughter’s path when baptized at St. Matthew’s this Easter

Taisia Vielhaber, who will enter the Church at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle this Easter, had someone in her family to lead the way: her four-month-old daughter,...

Inspired by sons' faith, Bethesda family prepares to become Catholic at Easter

Like many of the boys and young men studying at The Heights School in Potomac, Maryland, brothers Zayd and Rayn Patel have well-rounded interests outside the classroom.Zayd Patel,...

After discovering community of faith at Holy Trinity, catechumen leads family to enter the Church

Stacie Aman was baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when she was eight years old, and though she only occasionally attended services at her family’s...

From jail to Easter, man found new life in Christ

In jail, Alex Trollinger found faith, and freedom, in Christ. “He (God) allowed me to go through that, to get closer to Him,” he said. The inspiration he gained from two priests...

GWU student prepares for Confirmation, commissioning and nuclear power school

Just a few months after Aidan Judd enters the Catholic Church at Easter, he will be heading to Nuclear Power School, where he will learn how to run nuclear reactors and prepare...

From Buddhist meditation to the Catholic Church, catechumen discovers the love of Christ

Allen Hooreh, who will be baptized at the Easter Vigil at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Potomac, Maryland, was introduced to Buddhist meditation in college. He frequently engaged in...

Multitude preparing to become Catholic reflects ‘Holy Spirit at work in Church,’ cardinal says

Describing the Catholic Church, the Irish novelist James Joyce once said, “Here comes everybody,” and that was reflected in a March 17 liturgy at the Basilica of the...

After long spiritual journey, survivor of Cambodian genocide will enter Church at Easter

Phally Budock, who will enter the Church this Easter at St. Andrew Apostle Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland, has always believed in God, but for a long time she did not...

Navy officer says learning about Catholic faith 'lit a fire inside of me that hasn't burned out'

At first, Joshua Longworth was content just attending Mass with his Catholic girfriend, Joy Layug. But, once he got engaged and started to think about marriage and having...

In ‘moving expression of faith,’ catechumens and candidates declare intent to enter Church at Easter

About 500 people preparing to be welcomed into the Catholic Church at Easter gathered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on March 10 for the Rite...