Cynthia Palm, a former southern Baptist, is now in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) program at St. Patrick in Oak Grove and is experiencing her first Advent season in the Catholic Church.
Palm said that while she loved the Christmas traditions she experienced while being raised Baptist, she appreciates the way the Catholic tradition embraces the season of waiting in Advent.
Palm told “Practicing Catholic” producer Rachael McCallum on the program that will air at 9 p.m. Dec. 6 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, “It’s even more beautiful to experience Advent for the first time in the fullness of the Catholic tradition, which does embrace that longing and that waiting.”
Palm suggested waiting can be countercultural. “That’s something that our culture is not generally good at, and we don’t want to do that. We don’t want to go without.”
Palm said that this Advent season has been the first time she has experienced a faith that is willing to set itself apart from the world. In 2020, Palm and her husband, Trent, moved away from big, modern evangelical systems that they grew up in and landed at a Christian Reformed Church. After some time at the Reformed Church, the Palms found an Orthodox Presbyterian Church. On Ash Wednesday, the Palms attended their local Catholic parish, St. Patrick. Together, they began to explore the Catholic Church.
Despite differences between her Baptist upbringing and her newly found Catholic faith, Palm said both denominations center on Christ and form unity around his birth.
“It’s about the hope that we have in heaven,” Palm said. “Before there was hope, there were those 400 years of silence right between the Old Testament and the New Testament. My children and I are learning the song ‘Come Thou Long Expected Jesus’ as a group in our homeschooling this month and that’s what it was. It was this long-anticipated fulfillment of a promise.”
Palm said that her children are enjoying the Catholic traditions they’re all learning as a family.
“It’s a more full, more vibrant practice,” Palm said of the Catholic tradition of Advent. “I’m very thankful that we’ve gotten involved with family formation at this season and didn’t wait to get involved with that because it’s been a huge asset in introducing these concepts and these ideas in practical ways for me to knit into my children’s everyday experiences.”
To hear Palm dive more deeply into her faith journey in the season of Advent, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. Dec. 7 and 2 p.m. Dec. 8.
The program also includes a discussion with Bishop Michael Izen on how God’s love and grace help us navigate the emotional toll of high expectations during the Christmas season. Also, Becca Reither shares her journey to Uganda and her mission supporting orphaned children.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the program can also be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
