A convert mum speaks to Debbie Warrier about how she couldn’t see the sense in not becoming Catholic. Others helped and inspired her along the way. She takes her faith seriously, and maintains hope for her son …
I was baptised into the Uniting Church. My family was never heavily into the Church.
We probably went half a dozen times to an Anglican Church when I was six. I did Sunday school on and off for a couple of years.
As a kid I really enjoyed all the Gospel stories they would tell us. Even then I really wanted to learn more.
But because I was going through the public school system it wasn’t cool to be into religion. Yet it was always something that I had in the back of my mind.
When I hit high school we did one class on religion in Year 8. The teacher said, “This is my last chance to tell you about this.”
She told us about a postal Sunday school where we could continue learning about religion if we wanted to, which I did. So I received Gospel booklets with questions through the mail. I did that for a couple of years and then it waned.
Years later my daughter was going through Year 7 and was being confirmed. She asked me, “So why aren’t you a Catholic?” The issue had never been pushed on me by my husband who is Catholic.
It was that little push from my daughter that made me think about it. I thought I had been living the life of a Catholic and it wasn’t necessary. But then I thought, “If I am really living the life, then what is holding me back?”
I decided to attend the RCIA. When Father Joseph Tran and Father Benedict Lee saw me in the group they said, “What are you doing here?! Aren’t you Catholic?!”
I thought maybe by doing RCIA and going through that final stage I could inspire my family to have a stronger faith. I was welcomed into the Catholic Church in 2007.
Since then I have become a Special Minister at my parish, Our Lady of the Mission in Whitfords. That was pretty humbling and daunting.
When Father Joe first asked me I felt that I wasn’t worthy. I had Church friends who were already living the life of a Catholic and here he was asking me – a beginner!
Now I see the same faces coming up for Communion and I feel like I am giving something to all those people that feeds them spiritually.
It is more than just receiving a wafer. I feel uplifted and more fulfilled. I love the feeling of peace and harmony as well as the sense of community.
Learning about the faith has helped me realise that there is more to being Catholic then just attending Mass (although this is very important). So I was looking for other ways to do Christian service.
Now I do two days a week volunteering at the Vinnie’s shop. It is just something extra.
I do take my conversion really seriously. My daughter is in Year 11 and my son is in Year 9 now. Just in the last 18 months with my son it has become really uncool to be into religion.
It is becoming more and more difficult to take him to Mass. He still comes with me every now and then. I hope he’ll come back. I still feel that the best way to show him faith is important is by living it.