I am married with two children, Edward (8) and Molly (5 nearly 6). I work in IT Support at Mater Dei College.
Although I work in IT, I have a science background and love natural history and the ocean.
My favourite pastime (when I get a rare weekend away from the kiddies) is scuba diving. In fact, my husband Simon and I met in the Scuba Club at university.
I also continue to resist the urge to keep horses after a childhood spent as a ‘horsey’ girl in the UK. I was born there to English parents and they divorced when I was very young.
My dad moved to the USA. My mum remarried and she and my stepfather raised us. I have a large extended family of brothers and sisters in the UK and USA.
Simon and I made the decision to become Catholic together. We were originally influenced by his time working in a Catholic school founded on a Benedictine monastery.
It was a wonderful school and there were beautiful people there. We continue to work in Catholic schools here in WA where we moved in 2004.
I have always had a form of faith but after having our first child we wanted to make sure our children had a structured faith system with strong religious tradition to help guide us as a family in an increasingly materialistic and hectic world.
We were baptised as a family at our Whitfords parish, Our Lady of the Mission in 2011. My husband and I completed our RCIA over Easter of 2012 and our family officially became Catholic.
The day we completed our journey to becoming Catholic was very moving. We celebrated over the Easter period and every Mass felt more and more special.
I chose Zita as my confirmation name after St Zita whose feast day is on my birthday, April 27. She was the saint of housekeeping and did charity work.
She is definitely someone to aspire to (I am already on my way with the housekeeping part!).
The other people completing their RCIA with us had become good friends and we shared a lovely celebration together in the parish centre.
Prior to my conversion, I followed Christianity. I remember singing beautiful, joyful hymns at primary school.
I had a quiet faith as my family were not religious, however my mum was raised Catholic. Mum was brought up in a strong Catholic middle-class family in London in the 60’s and her experience was very different to mine.
The Catholic Church has changed and modernised and moved on so much from those times, which is extremely uplifting to be a part of.
I had an idea of what Catholicism was all about since my husband’s time at a Catholic school in the UK. Working in Catholic schools is always a positive experience.
We have met warm, kind people with strong Christian values through our work. Some family and friends questioned our reasoning to become Catholic but once they knew it was going to be our way of life, they have never questioned it since.
Now we have a stronger support network for our children; the parish we attend is attached to the school our children go to. Our parish priests Fr Joseph Tran and Fr Bonaventure Echeta are brilliant, lively and youthful.
We have met kind and inspirational people at the parish. It is a wonderful journey and I am learning more all the time about what it is to lead a Christian life and follow Jesus’ example.
For instance, I am still learning about the true depth and meaning of the Sacraments. It’s a lot to take in in one year when you complete the RCIA.
However, now our son is about to take his First Reconciliation I will be consolidating my understanding with him which is really nice.
The process of becoming Catholic has been gradual, through work experience and family circumstance almost like an evolution that was meant to be.
To me, faith means having guidance and structure to be a better person and lead a better life. To be a good example to my children and hopefully support them into growing into people who can give back to the community and faith that they grew up with.
Shortly after the birth of Edward, I lost my mum to cancer and I missed her guidance and reassurance. Becoming a practicing Catholic has helped me grieve, forgive and also feel closer to mum even though she has moved on.
If anyone has been considering becoming Catholic and beginning a faith journey, don’t be scared.
No one will judge you and you will find it a wonderful, uplifting experience. Go for it!