Lauren Bakke, a member of the Catholic Softball Group leadership team based in Little Canada, said that without a solid church community, it can be hard to make a stand and make difficult decisions, such as going to Mass each Sunday. Bakke says she was born into a devout Catholic home as a “cradle Catholic” but moved away from the faith the older she got.
“Growing up, I had great friends, and I love a lot of them, but there wasn’t a time that they were super strong into their faith or even Catholicism itself,” Bakke told “Practicing Catholic” producer Rachael McCallum in a program set to air at 9 p.m. Feb. 14 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
As she met more people, faith became less of a priority for her, Bakke said. She started to pull away from the faith but still believed in God. She even attended non-denominational Christian churches, but they didn’t give her the feeling of home she was looking for.
“I had been living out on my own or with a roommate, and again, it was that situation of maybe not being surrounded by people (who)were practicing the faith,” Bakke said. “But then after a little while I had moved back home for a bit with my family, and I think that was a big reason that led me back is just that my mom’s always been very devout. Just going with them (her family) on Sundays again and being back in the Church. From there, I realized how much not having (the Church) in my life had affected all the parts of my life.”
Bakke said one of her favorite ways to connect to God, other than through the Mass and the Eucharist, is adoration. She attends a weekly holy hour on Friday mornings.
“Just being able to sit in his presence and pray or listen is definitely something that helps,” Bakke said. “I’m also part of a group that meets on Mondays and prays the rosary together, so we’ll get together and list intentions that we want to pray for and then pray a mystery of the rosary together.”
To hear more from Bakke about her spiritual journey back to the Catholic Church, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. Feb. 15 and 2 p.m. Feb. 16.
The program also includes an interview with Father Michael Van Sloun on the impact of his “Faith Fundamentals” column in The Catholic Spirit. Also, Lacy Apfelbeck of Edge of the Red Sea Ministries, based in St. Francis, talks about developing healthy coping mechanisms and leaning on God during difficult times.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, “Practicing Catholic” can be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
