Denver Catholic

6 APRIL 13-26, 2019 | DENVER CATHOLIC A s we approach Easter, catechu- mens and candidates th rough- out the Archdiocese of Denver are joining or coming back to the Cath- olic Church. The Denver Catholic spoke with three men and women who have answered this call — a man who grew up attending a non-denominational Chris- tian church but became an atheist, a Catholic who came back to the Church, and a former Lutheran. Their stories of faith are di˜ erent, but their common love of Catholicism brings a fresh perspective and new joy to the Church. CANDIDATE DISCOVERS 'OVERWHELMING SENSE OF SECURITY AND FAMILY' IN CATHOLIC CHURCH Chase Carlson was only 13 years old when he started using drugs, and he didn't stop until he was almost 22. "I've overdosed twice," said Chase. "I'm not dead. I've had a lot of things happen that should've killed me, and they didn't." God had a greater purpose for his life. Although Chase, a chef at Il Posto in Denver, had been baptized at eight years old, his family wasn't devoutly religious. They attended a non-denom- inational Christian church, but as he grew up, Chase stopped believing in God entirely. It wasn't until he attended Alcohol- ics Anonymous for the second time that Chase opened his heart to believing in the possibility of a higher power. He began reminiscing on his upbringing as a Christian. "I was still super adamant against religion," he said. "You see the news — it's pretty easy to judge the Catholic Church." But his boss at the time, who was a convert to Catholicism, asked Chase to go to Mass with him. "That sounds a little intense," Chase thought at the time. But he was intrigued, and for the second time in his life, he stepped into a Catholic church to attend Mass. This time, he didn't walk out halfway through the celebration. Right away, "I had this overwhelming sense of security and family," he said. "I walked in. 'I have tattoos on my face, on my hands,'" he thought. '"I'm going to get looked at weird.'" But to his surprise, Chase had the opposite experience. "At the end of Mass, all of these people are coming up. They're shak- ing my hand. They're like, 'We've never seen you here before. It's so nice to meet you.' "For the fi rst time in 10 years, I felt like I had a positive place to be, and I felt some sort of overcoming of God in my life." Chase started going to Mass every week. "I really wanted to be a part of this," he said. "I really wanted to learn more about it, and I wanted to understand the ritualistic aspect and where it comes from and why it is the way that it is." "I wanted to develop a relationship with God, instead of knowing that he exists and [simply] wanting him in my life. That's how I found RCIA." Before starting his journey of becom- ing a member of the Catholic Church, Chase was still skeptical about some aspects of Catholicism, particularly because several of the Catholics he knew growing up claimed to be reli- gious, but didn't embody the Church's teachings with their actions. "I believe in God, but not that one," said Chase. "That's not what I think God's about." Chase put those feelings aside and focused on the truth of the faith. "Actually going to Mass, it was a whole di˜ erent experience," he said. "It just felt right." Chase used Google to fi nd an RCIA program that met on Wednesday nights, which is how he found Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Lakewood. "I love this place," he said. "I got brought here for a reason." Chase has found help through both his sponsor and Christine Sullivan, who works in Adult Formation and Chris- tian Initiation for the parish. "Both of them were very much open-minded and really helped push me along the way," he said. Just like lifelong Catholics, Chase has faced challenges when learning about the Holy Trinity and frustrations when his prayers aren't answered in the way he hopes them to be. His favorite part of the faith is the ritualistic aspects. "I love the sit, stand, kneel," he said. "I love the prayers that we go through every time during Mass. I love the pas- sion that comes out of the priest. It's amazing to see so much energy and light come out of these guys." Chase has also been inspired by the universality and history of the Church. "This is something that's been hap- pening for thousands of years," he said. "On Sundays, I always think about the fact that every hour of all Sunday long, everybody all over the world is hearing the same thing that I just heard in their own language. "The teaching is the same for the day everywhere in the world, and it's so cool to me that while I'm sitting there, somebody else is sitting at Mass on the other side of the world hearing the exact same thing." Chase is excited to become a member of the Catholic Church this Easter, and to feel fully a part of the faith he's grown to love. "I needed positive people to be around," he said. "And I fi nally found somewhere to make that happen." AFTER FATHER'S DEATH, SIGN BRINGS LUTHERAN HOME TO CATHOLIC CHURCH When Lauren Josephson's father passed away on Oct. 26, 2018, she trav- eled back to her home state of Penn- sylvania to be with her family and help with the funeral arrangements. Just three days after she returned home to Denver, something unexpected happened. "A seminarian and a priest showed up to my door," said Lauren. The two men asked her if they could Cover Story BY MOIRA CULLINGS moira.cullings@archden.org Meet three of the Catholic Church's I wanted to develop a relationship with God, instead of knowing that he exists and [simply] wanting him in my life. That's how I found RCIA." CHASE CARLSON " I always felt like the Catholic Church is the one church where all you have to do is love and ask to be forgiven. That's all that matters at the end of the day." LAUREN JOSEPHSON " PHOTO BY MOIRA CULLINGS PHOTO BY MOIRA CULLINGS

• Cover