Temple teens receive the sacraments on Pentecost

By Mary P. Walker | Senior Correspondent

At the Easter Vigil, we receive new Catholics into the church through the sacraments of initiation: baptism, confirmation and Holy Eucharist. But when public Masses were suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, parishes resorted to livestreaming the Easter Vigil and those who had prepared for months and years to become Catholic had their wish postponed.
As it became possible to celebrate the liturgy in public settings, Bishop Joe Vásquez gave pastors permission to fully initiate these new Catholics. Many parishes chose Pentecost weekend, May 30-31, to welcome them into the church.
During this time of social distancing, creating a worship environment that keeps people safe and honors the solemnity of Pentecost and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) requires special consideration. Father Kurtis Wiedenfeld, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Temple, faced an additional challenge. The beautiful and historic parish church was being renovated, so Pentecost Masses were celebrated in the gymnasium of the parish school.
Patricia St. Amour, director of faith formation, said the gym, although not normally thought of as a worship space, allowed more to attend in a socially distanced way than could have been accommodated in the church.
On Pentecost at St. Mary’s 11:30 a.m. Sunday Mass, eight teenagers joined the Catholic Church through either baptism or a profession of faith if they had been previously baptized in another Christian tradition. They also received the sacraments of confirmation and Eucharist.
With no baptismal font in the gym, the parish had to improvise. Those being baptized wore dark cassocks. When the time came during the liturgy for baptism, they moved outside to the schoolyard to a decorated baptismal pool. They were accompanied by their godparents and family members, followed by a procession of the congregation.
One by one, Father Wiedenfeld called each teen forward, and their godparents helped them into the pool. Father Wiedenfeld celebrated the rite of baptism as he poured water over their heads. God provided the natural beauty of sunlight shining through the leafy branches of an oak tree. Afterward, the newly baptized changed out of their cassocks into dress clothes and a white cape, which served as their baptismal garment.
Women of the parish crafted the capes, which were reproductions of those used for baptisms at the Vatican. One of the seamstresses, Debbie McQueen, had the joy of serving as godmother for her 13-year-old granddaughter, Paisley Paulson. She had been preparing for baptism for more than a year through classroom and home instruction, and also helped her grandmother make the baptismal garments.
Paisley was moved by the sacrament.
“As he poured water on me, my body felt completely fresh, like I was a totally new person,” she said. A lover of animals, she chose St. Francis of Assisi as her confirmation saint.
Paisley will enter eighth grade at North Belton Middle School in the fall; she is the daughter of Ricky and Bobbi Jo Paulson.
“I think my life will change tremendously,” she said. “I feel that God is right next to me every step of the way. When I went to bed, I prayed and thanked God that he would let me go through this amazing experience.”
Mason Warren, who will be a senior this fall at Belton New Tech High School, was also baptized. He hopes to attend Texas A&M University and study petroleum engineering. His parents are divorced, and the family maintains a strong, caring relationship. His mother, Christine Warren, while not Catholic, supported her son’s decision to join the church and attended the Pentecost liturgy. His father, Chris Warren, who joined the Catholic Church four years ago, watched with great joy as Mason received the sacraments.
“It means a lot to me that he is Catholic,” he said. “I want the best for my son, and it was emotional for me to see him become a young, Catholic man.”
Mason said one way he plans to live his baptismal vows is to volunteer within the parish.
“I always envied receiving the Eucharist. Now I want to be a disciple and continue professing the faith,” he said.
College-bound Savannah Turner had been baptized in a nondenominational Christian church. Although her mother, Jennifer Stoebner, and father, Brian Turner, are not Catholic, her stepfather, Eric Stoebner, and her younger siblings are.
Savannah joined the Catholic Church at the Pentecost liturgy when Father Wiedenfeld received her profession of faith, in which she stated, “I believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church believes, teaches and proclaims to be revealed by God.”
Savannah said her family and Catholic school experience helped form her in the faith. Beginning in third grade, she attended St. Mary’s Catholic School then Holy Trinity High School in Temple. In school, she learned about Catholicism, attended Mass and joined her classmates in other forms of prayer and service. However, not receiving the sacraments left a void in her life.
In addition, timing was a factor. She wanted to become Catholic before she left for college, with the encouragement and support of her family and friends. While she was disappointed that she could not be received into the church at the Easter Vigil, she is grateful that she can now participate in the faith more fully and finally receive the sacraments.
For more information about the sacraments of initiation, contact your parish RCIA coordinator.