Diocesan News

For Some Soon-to-Be Catholics, Loved Ones Set Them on Path

March 4, 2026
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“I literally remember the first time I saw her, my heart just stopped instantly,” Davontae Lindsay said of his girlfriend, Marielice Torres. It was Torres who encouraged him to join the Catholic Church, he noted. (Photo: Courtesy of Davontae Lindsay)

There are hundreds of people in churches across the Diocese of Brooklyn who will get baptized at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, and each person has their own reasons for wanting to join the faith. 

The Tablet spoke to three of the newcomers about their life-changing decisions.  

Davontae Lindsay, Jaden Pagan, and Gemma Romero have all had different faith journeys. However, a common thread running through each is the significant role a loved one played in leading them to the Church. 

These folks are enrolled in the diocese’s Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) program — preparing for baptism through classes, consultation, and prayer.  

The Rite of Election — a traditional service normally held on the first Sunday of Lent, when Bishop Robert Brennan formally accepts participants as ready to enter the faith — was scheduled for Feb. 22 but canceled due to inclement weather. The diocese later announced that, rather than reschedule, individual parishes would hold their own Rite of Election.   

Here are the stories of Davontae Lindsay, Jaden Pagan, and Gemma Romero.  

DAVONTAE LINDSAY 

Davontae Lindsay said his life will transform when he is baptized during the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, April 4, at Most Holy Trinity-St. Mary Parish in Williamsburg. 

“I’m going to feel like a changed man,” said Lindsay, 19, adding that he intends to become involved in parish life in some capacity following his baptism. 

“I want to continue,” he said. “This is the beginning of something beautiful. I’ve been blessed so much since I started my journey.”  

Lindsay said his girlfriend, Marielice Torres, has been by his side throughout his journey and is the person who led him to the Catholic Church. 

“My girlfriend is Catholic, and she got me to go to church,” he explained. “When I started going to church with her, I realized that I wanted to start focusing on God more. And then she started talking to me about becoming Catholic, and I felt ready to do it.”  

With his girlfriend’s encouragement, he entered the OCIA program at Most Holy Trinity – St. Mary Parish and took his first steps toward Catholicism.  

As Lindsay works to become a Catholic, he said he and Torres hope to get married someday and want to do so in the Church.  

“I want God to be there,” he said.  

JADEN PAGAN  

Jaden Pagan, 19, was born into a Catholic family, but was never baptized. He was 9 years old when his mother first brought him to Mass at Holy Child Jesus Church in Richmond Hill. 

Jaden Pagan said his main reason for wanting to become Catholic is to have a close relationship with God. (Photo: Courtesy of Jaden Pagan)

“I didn’t really understand it properly,” he recalled. “I would just sit there and watch the people around me. When I got older, I started to understand the word of God.”  

Three years ago, Pagan decided to join the faith “to carry on my mother’s legacy,” and enrolled in the church’s OCIA program. He said he “can’t wait” for his baptism.  

“I feel like being a Catholic is going to be the best thing for me in my future,” said Pagan, who will get baptized at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, April 4, at Holy Child Jesus. “Catholicism, in my opinion, helps you get closer to God.”  

Pagan said he worries about fellow Gen Z members losing their way and encourages others to turn to the faith as he did.  

“Sometimes, people try to follow other people and are influenced by them instead of following God. And that’s a mistake,” he said. “God is always there for you. He has made a big, big difference for me in my life.”  

Pagan noted that his OCIA community made a big difference in his journey.  

“Everyone was so friendly and welcoming,” he recalled. “I really felt like I belonged there. I wasn’t just visiting. I was home.”  

GEMMA ROMERO  

While in most families parents lead their children to Catholicism, for Gemma Romero, it was her daughter, Krystal Lopez, who led her to the faith. 

“At first, we thought of it as her accompanying us to church,” said Anais Lopez (left), speaking about her grandmother Gemma Romero. “Then, we realized that we’re accompanying her.” They are pictured with Anais’ baby sister Anava Lopez. (Photo: Courtesy of Anais Lopez)

Romero, a 63-year-old home health aide, was born and raised in the Anglican church in her native Trinidad and Tobago. However, when it came time for her to choose a school in Trinidad for her daughter, Krystal, she chose a Catholic school.  

“She felt Catholic school would give me a better education,” Lopez explained. 

Lopez fell in love with the Catholic faith, and after the family moved to the U.S., she joined. She completed the OCIA program at Holy Child Jesus Church and was baptized in 2011. At the time, she was already married with four children.   

“I wanted to lay a spiritual foundation for my children,” she said.  

Romero took note of her daughter’s spiritual journey.  

“I saw how happy she was,” Romero recalled, adding that she wanted to share that joy. And so, Romero began attending Mass with Lopez and her family. She recalled that a special feeling always hit her when she walked into church.  

“It’s always peaceful and quiet,” she said. “It’s so calm.” 

Romero became an avid churchgoer, attending Mass every Sunday. Then, about nine years ago, she inquired about the process of becoming Catholic. She was instructed to first provide proof of her original baptism from her Anglican church in Trinidad. However, that church had closed, and her paperwork could not be found. 

But Romero never lost hope, said Krystal’s daughter Anais Lopez.  

“I must say, she’s been very persistent with this because she’s been trying for many, many years, and she didn’t let any deterrents get in her way,” she said.  

Romero’s situation was eventually straightened out, and she now looks forward to joining the Catholic faith at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday (April 4) at Holy Child Jesus. “I am going to be so happy,” she said.