Depending on when this question was asked through the different stages of my life, my answer would have varied. At times, I might have said I was born into it; at other times, I might have said I didn’t know. But now, I can say with certainty that I am Catholic because I am broken. Through my brokenness and the lowest points of my life, God has reached out and shown me the way.
I was born Catholic, but in my early years, I went through traumas and made some bad choices. I became pregnant at 17 and had a baby at 18. A few years later, I found myself living on the second floor of a subsidized housing apartment complex in St. Cloud. My son, about 3 years old at the time, and I were out of food and money. The food I had received from a local food shelf was moldy, except for the noodles in a box of Mac ‘n’ Cheese. I made the plain noodles for my son, and though he ate a little, I could tell he was still hungry. Afterward, we prayed together. Our prayer was simple: “God, please help us. We need food and we need gas. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
Immediately afterward, my son wanted to go outside to play at the park, so we grabbed our shoes and jackets and headed down the stairs. When we opened the door, a strong wind rushed in, and I noticed something fluttering in it. It floated down and landed at my feet –– a $20 bill! My son and I both gasped at the same time. He looked up at me, eyes wide, and said, “Mom, can we go back upstairs and pray for Hot Wheels?”
God had given us just enough money for $5 (worth) of gas and a little food to get us through the next week. It was a miracle just for us and helped us both pray just a little harder.
Our time in St. Cloud was difficult. I struggled with mononucleosis for two years, was later diagnosed with narcolepsy, and had a car accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury. It took all of my energy just to get out of bed each day and try to be a mother, stay awake and keep food on the table. I fell away from attending church regularly due to exhaustion, but I kept praying. During this time, I became depressed, and our prayers turned into “please deliver me from narcolepsy.” I was not delivered from narcolepsy but over time my health improved as the Lord led me back to the Church.
When my son was about 10, I bought a small house in the city, hoping he’d have a yard to play in. However, the house turned out to be demonically infested and at times violent. So, we returned to the Church. With the help of some amazing priests, spiritual warfare teams and spiritual directors, we spent nearly 10 years learning and growing and taking back that property for the Lord. We became serious about confession, Mass, creating a holy home, and spiritual warfare. Through this experience, we witnessed the undeniable reality of the Gospel and the absolute authority of Jesus and his Church over the enemy.
Today, my son is 30 years old and married. I, too, am married to a man who, while we were dating, had his own spiritual warfare struggles. I was able to find help for him in the Church, and he decided to convert to Catholicism. Given his background as a Protestant, he had many questions about Catholicism — many I couldn’t answer. He convinced me to take the Catechetical Institute class at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, and wouldn’t you know it? We graduated as part of the Class of St. Michael!
God is good; he clearly has a plan. And it seems that when I am down or going through hard times, that’s when it becomes most evident. He always brings me back to the Catholic Church. This is why I am Catholic.
Charlebois, 49, is a member of Good Shepherd in Golden Valley. She and her husband, Chris, have four adult children between them. She has a wide range of hobbies — including ceramics, painting in watercolors and acrylics, and crafting — and recently has focused on helping others with remodeling and decorating their homes. She added, “I also enjoy dating my husband!”
