Denver Catholic

From TV Star to her Savior Dee Walker first met Jesus as a child, on a small TV screen in Vietnam. The cradle Buddhist was captivated by Charlton Heston's Jesus of Nazareth and would watch it every Easter and cry. Here's the catch: she knew nothing of the Bible or of Jesus, other than that he'd suffered tremen- dously. But she respected that suffering and was curious because of it. Decades later, she and her family had resettled in the United States. Now married, she struggled to support her husband through a difficult time during the COVID pandemic. In that difficulty, she turned to the man she'd met each Easter as a child. 44 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2026 | DENVER CATHOLIC "It was the most welcom- ing experience that I had had in a long time, because I'm used to the opposite," Aleah shared. "But now these people were looking at me, and they wanted me to know that they were smiling at me. That was really nice and wel- coming in my heart. So I felt a little bit of nervousness, but I honestly felt like I was really welcomed right away." From there, Aleah began the process of becoming Catholic, finding a welcom- ing place to ask questions, meet new people and fall in love with the Catholic faith. Now, having been bap- tized, she says her "heart has been completely opened." "I really did not comprehend a lot of aspects of Jesus Christ's love, and now I know that I am capable of his love, even for my enemies," Aleah said. "It's definitely given me a lot more patience as well, being able to stop and really comprehend my actions because now I'm going to have to con- fess for them." From Lack to Love Growing up in a Protestant family, Aleah Ponce de Leon left the Church at 12, feeling resentment and a lack of love. After marrying her high school sweetheart, though, she was left asking big questions about family and faith, especially when her Catholic in-laws eventually had the "Baptism talk" with their adult children. "We were talking about the importance of get- ting the kids baptized, and it kind of made me realize what a significant thing it truly is in your life," she said. "I started to think about my position with my spirituality and where my faith really was, so I had to start considering these very real aspects of our lives." The couple began looking for churches and found St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish in Denver, where they felt profoundly welcomed. As someone who battles polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), Aleah is used to people staring at her because of her appearance. But at that Mass, she was instead greeted with a massive smile.

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