In October 2000 Immaculate Conception in Pulaski, Tenn., received an e-mail from Victoria Aguilar, sent at the request of her husband, Anthony. This new father was inquiring about what was necessary to have his son baptized. As parish coordinator in this mission, I responded and invited him to come and talk. There was no further response.

Almost a year later, we received another e-mail. This time Anthony responded to my invitation to call. We made arrangements for me to visit with him and his family and talk about the baptism of Alberto.

I found Anthony and Victoria in a simple trailer in a community about 20 miles from our church. Both had been raised in California, but had moved separately to Pulaski—Anthony in search of work and Victoria with her family. They met in a factory in Pulaski, where both worked at low-wage jobs.

While we talked, Alberto, now a year old, played with his 3-year-old sister, Amanda, Victoria’s child from a brief former marriage.

Anthony did most of the talking. He was raised Catholic, though he had not been involved with the Church for many years. Now his parents were coming from California to celebrate Alberto’s birthday, and he wanted to have him baptized during the visit.

I explained that baptism had to take place in a context where parents were prepared to nurture a child’s faith. He said he was ready to do whatever was necessary. Unfortunately, that would not be possible in the few short weeks before Alberto’s birthday.

Instead, I offered the suggestion of our pastor, Father François Pellissier: a ceremony of presentation during the grandparents’ visit, with baptism to follow at a later date—maybe Easter.

Father François, who had used such a ceremony in his work in Mexico, had found it was a way to welcome families such as this while still insisting on further commitment on their part before the baptism of a child. It is much like the Rite of Welcoming for catechumens, inviting parents and sponsors to begin a journey of faith with their children.

We settled on a date for the presentation ceremony, and they said they would begin coming to church the next Sunday.
I also invited Victoria to come to our RCIA program so that she could learn more about the faith they wanted for Alberto. Her mother had been Catholic, but had stopped practicing the faith when Victoria was very young. Her mother had brought Victoria’s older sister to church, but she had left Victoria home with her dad, and then eventually stopped going herself.
Victoria had never been baptized and had, quite literally, never been to any church in her 27 years of life.

The next Sunday Anthony and Victoria came as a family and were welcomed by our parish community of 65 families. I
was able to connect them with a family in their neighborhood, who immediately invited them for dinner.

That was a strange experience for Victoria, who remembers thinking: “Why would these people want strangers like us coming to their home?” But they went, and that first contact has now blossomed into a warm relationship.

Alberto’s “presentation” was held several weeks later. The signing with the cross welcomed Alberto and his family to the parish family. The parents and sponsors declared their intention to have Alberto baptized, and he received a small crucifix to commemorate the day. The grandparents were there as well as Anthony’s sister, who was chosen to be Alberto’s godmother.

It wasn’t long before Anthony and Victoria invited me to their home again—this time to talk about what it would take for them to be married in the Church, for Anthony to return to the sacraments and for Victoria to be baptized.
That night we began the always painful but healing journey involved in dealing with former marriages.

As Anthony and Victoria delved into the RCIA process, a miracle of grace began to unfold. They eagerly took part in the weekly scripture sharing as well as the catechetical sessions about what Catholics believe.

They became a regular part of every Sunday liturgy. They attended parish dinners and celebrations of all kinds. At my suggestion, they began sitting in the front seats in church so the little ones could better see and participate.
When Easter arrived, Alberto and Amanda were baptized. But Anthony and Victoria continued to await word from Rome on their marriage situation.

What should have been a simple matter (because neither Victoria nor her former husband had been baptized) became complicated because we could not obtain adequate testimony to the fact that her former spouse had never been baptized. The only alternative was to petition Rome for permission from the pope permitting her to be baptized and then married to Anthony in the Church.

A beautiful patience filled the couple as we began the fall session of the RCIA. They hoped that the next Easter would be their time for celebration. They faithfully waited on the Lord.Another Lent approached with still no
word from Rome.

It seemed Easter would pass without Victoria being able to be reborn in the waters of baptism and without Anthony rejoining us at the eucharistic table.

With hope that word might come and with an invitation from our diocese, we took Victoria to the Rite of Election in Nashville on the first Sunday of Lent. Her sponsor eagerly stood with her and witnessed her signature in the Book of the Elect. Bishop Edward Kmiec welcomed her as he did each catechumen, and she had a picture taken with him.

Were we getting her hopes up for nothing? No news.

Week after week of Lent passed. Finally, on the Friday before Palm Sunday, Father François called. He told me to sit down; the word had come. Victoria was to be baptized and she and Anthony were to be married in the Church.

What a Holy Week that was! Saturday’s Vigil service was almost more than can be put into words. Victoria, radiant as she held the baptismal candle, signaled a big “yes” to me. Yes she was alive in Christ. Yes our parish family had a new child of God.

Later she would describe the whole night as being “embraced by the Church.” She had a real family now—one that loved and supported her, one that nourished and cared for her.

Easter morning brought even more joy and celebration. Victoria and Anthony had their marriage blessed, and Anthony joined her and us in Eucharist.

Victoria and Anthony and their children keep growing stronger in their faith. They are now participating in our evangelization and parish life committees. They want to witness to others the joy they have found. They cannot understand why all adult Catholics are not as on fire with their faith.

But their life did not get easier. Anthony was laid off from work and job prospects in our area are not good. They were filled with hope that God would find a way for them to stay in our area and remain part of our faith community. Our parish family prayed for them and provided leads to job possibilities. We feared that, as so often happens in Glenmary missions, they might have to move on.

Fortunately, just as I am concluding this story, Anthony began work at a new job right here in Pulaski. Now they can continue to help build up this parish community.

Had circumstances been otherwise, I know this family would have continued to witness their faith wherever God might lead them—just like the new Christians of Jerusalem who moved on to Antioch!