7 St. Pius X School students choose to become Catholic

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Norah Harvey transferred to St. Pius X School in Moberly last year when she was in third grade.

She’s now one of seven students in grades 1 through 8 at the school who with their parents’ blessing are preparing to become Catholic at the Easter Vigil.

They meet with Deacon John Hill after school on Tuesday afternoons to prepare.

In keeping with the norms for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Children (RCIC), all seven will be baptized and all but one will be confirmed and will receive their First Holy Communion.

All traveled to the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Jefferson City with their parents on the First Sunday of Lent to take part in the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion, with Bishop W. Shawn McKnight.

They recently discussed why they want to be Catholic.

“I came to this school,” said Norah, “and at church, when everybody was receiving the Eucharist, I really wanted to do that.”

The COVID-19 pandemic and the abrupt shift to distance learning last spring delayed her journey of initiation.

“I’ve been wanting to do this since last year,” she said. “My dad’s family is Catholic. And I really want to build a better relationship with God and learn more about Him and start being a better person.”

“Amazing journey”

Eighth-grader Whitney Fenton came to St. Pius when she was in third grade.

“Ever since then, I’ve been learning more about the faith, and I’ve grown in relationship with God,” she said.

Last year, Janeen Kilgore, her religion teacher, asked her class to write a paper about their baptism.

“I told her I had never been baptized, and she said, ‘Well have you ever thought about being baptized and becoming Catholic?’” Whitney recalled.

Whitney had been thinking about it for a long time.

Her parents and Mrs. Kilgore helped her decide.

“She was the one who really encouraged and inspired me to be baptized and become Catholic,” she said.

The Catholic faith is now becoming part of her everyday life.

 “I ask for prayers along this amazing journey,” she said.

“It’s just time”

Sixth-grader Clairann Lingo has been learning about Catholic Christianity throughout her time at St. Pius.

“I found it really interesting and I decided that I wanted to also become part of the Catholic faith,” she said.

She wants to build a stronger relationship with God.

“I think it’s going to be exciting, and I know that I’m doing the right thing,” she said.

She believes she’s being called by God to help spread the Good News.

“I’m excited to celebrate everlasting life with God in heaven,” she said.

Her brother, third-grader Kyran Lingo, mentioned becoming Catholic to his religion teacher.

“She said it was a good idea, and then my other teacher in third grade said it would be cool, so I decided to go with it,” he said.

They began taking instruction from Deacon Hill after Thanksgiving.

They did so in the classroom of their mother, Nealie Bear, the school’s art teacher.

“They were the ones who were more into it,” said Mrs. Bear. “I said I want to come and learn what they’re learning, too.

“We’ve been taking it all in,” she added, “and just last weekend, I decided that yes, I want to join, as well.”

She believes that God has had her on this path for a long time, but her determination to understand everything got in the way.

“I think it’s just time for me to do it,” she said. “I feel like God is calling me and I need to listen to Him instead of trying to figure it all out on my own.”

Kyran said he’s looking forward to being baptized and receiving his First Holy Communion with his sister and his mother.

“It’s going to be cool,” he said. “Very exciting!”

“Something new”

First-grader Colton Schultz’s religion teacher asked her students about their baptism, and that awoke in him a desire to be baptized in St. Pius X Church.

He wanted it even more after he talked to his mother about it.

His twin sisters, fourth-graders Addyson and Olyvia, want to be baptized, too.

“I want to be a part of God’s family and join the Catholic faith like my mom and my dad,” said Addyson.

Colton will receive his First Holy Communion with his classmates at school next year, and will be confirmed with them later in grade school.

At the Rite of Election, he was a little anxious about entering the Cathedral sanctuary with others from throughout the diocese who are seeking Easter Sacraments.

“I’m not a big fan of crowds,” he said. “But you try something new every day, and maybe you learn something.”

Friends in heaven

Several spoke of the patron saint they chose for confirmation.

Norah picked St. Rose of Lima “because she believed  the beauty of the soul is a lot more important than the beauty of the body or the face.”

Whitney picked St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music.

“If I’m in a bad mood or just need to be lifted up, I can just listen to music and it will put me in a much better mood and make me feel a lot better,” she said. “So for me, that’s a sign to always stay positive.”

Olyvia picked St. Veronica because she’s the patron saint of photography.

“And I like looking at photos and taking photos with my friends, of sunsets and pretty things,” said Olyvia.

Kyran picked St. Francis of Assisi, “because he loves animals and likes to take care of them.”

Colton isn’t being confirmed yet, but he picked St. Gabriel the Archangel.

“He’s the one who messaged Mary that she would have baby Jesus,” he said. “I like him because he’s like the mailman. He gives all the mail away.”

God’s fingerprints

Deacon Hill said witnessing the commitment of these eight people has considerably deepened his own faith.

“God has His fingerprints all over their journeys,” he said. “I am so proud of every one of them. They are so hungry to know God and become members of His family.”

The deacon pointed to Jesus’s directive to “let the children come to Me” (Matthew 19:14).

“We should not just watch them go,” he said. “We should follow them into the arms of Christ our Savior.”

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