Primary school teacher, Helen Coombs speaks with The Record’s Debbie Warrier.
I was baptised into the Methodist Church (later the Uniting Church) and grew up in a Christian family in Victoria. The church was a big part of our family life in terms of worship, sport and social events. In my 20’s I still believed in God but by then had drifted away from the church. I became a lapsed Christian. Then I met my future husband, Peter in the mid 1980’s. He was a Catholic and occasionally I went to Church with him.
We married in the Catholic Church in 1989. By the time we moved to Western Australia in 1993, I was a regular worshipper. I had been attending Mass for 15 years before my conversion to Catholicism.
At my parish I am now a Reader and Special Minister. I am also a Primary school teacher and have been teaching in a Christian school for the past 17 years.
My faith has helped me overcome several obstacles in my life. For instance, in 1990 Peter suddenly collapsed due to a cerebral haemorrhage that caused a serious stroke. I remember praying, “Please God, don’t let him die.” I felt peace then and knew that no matter what happened, he wasn’t going to die. The pastoral care at the Catholic hospital was very supportive to Peter and me. Eventually he recovered. From that moment on I committed myself to attending Church regularly with him and to grow in my faith.
From about 2001 onwards some of my family members were faced with serious health issues and many struggles. 2004 was terrible. There were several deaths, some unexpected and more ill health. My sister was admitted to St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne with a serious illness (from which she later recovered). I was there at the time and decided to leave the hospital for awhile to see the Passion of Christ play in St Patrick’s Cathedral. Whilst sitting there and reflecting on life’s struggles and disappointments, I felt a sense of belonging. I wanted to be able to take part in the Eucharist.
That’s when I decided it was time to become part of the Catholic Church and convert. When I returned to Perth, I began the RCIA journey, with Peter as my sponsor. I came into full communion with the Catholic Church at Easter, 2005.
My husband has been a great witness to me in how he lives out his faith. To me, he walks the talk. He is always willing to serve others in whatever way he can. It is unconditional. Being able to discuss faith issues with him is helping me find my own identity on my faith journey. I also have great respect for Blessed Mary MacKillop. She faced many challenges but her love and trust in God never left her. Her efforts to relieve suffering and bring hope to all people are an inspiration to me.
Knowing God’s love and that Jesus died for us gives me the ability to cope in difficult times. Going to Church to worship, praise and give thanks to God is uplifting. The, Gospel gives me hope and strength to face any challenges in the coming week.
One of my favourite verses from the Bible is Hebrews 11: 1 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
If you have a story to tell please contact Debbie via debwarrier@hotmail.com