by Laura K. Asserfea
My journey to Catholicism began when I met a good-natured-looking fellow student seated next to me in my honors program at NYU 20 years ago. I was an only child from Connecticut, excited to finally be away from home and discover who I was in New York City.
Dave, I learned, was my exact opposite — a Catholic who was intent on doing well in school. He knew Latin and who the undersecretary of state was.
Being fairly shy, I still don’t know why I said hi to him that day, but thankfully, it paid off, inspiring a long friendship that led to my baptism into the Catholic Church this Easter Vigil.
I grew up occasionally joining Mass with my mom. She was in OCIA herself and became a Eucharistic minister. I knew the Lord’s Prayer but little else, apart from enjoying the serenity of church.
I struggled to reconcile Catholicism with what I was learning as a philosophy major, but Dave was steadfast over the years, tutoring me in logic — not as straightforward as its name — and engaging with me in late-night debates on evolution and faith.
When I started OCIA last summer, it felt like a homecoming. The warmth and intimacy of St. Boniface in Downtown Brooklyn was precisely what I needed after COVID had upended the world and I was fast approaching a landmark birthday (that shall remain unnamed!).
Also heartening was the diverse group of young and old Brooklynites seeking confirmation — our OCIA group included a TV reporter, an actor, a teacher, a home health aide and me, a nonprofit attorney. Our OCIA coordinators Nadine, Rob, and Patrick, made classes an engaging and entertaining discussion of art, theology, history, and theory.
When I started talking openly about being in OCIA, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that several of my 30-something friends in Brooklyn were also going to church, not just Dave and his lovely group of friends.
My co-workers were always eager to share their Passover or Christmas stories with me when I mentioned what I had done on Sunday. It reminded me that despite the increasingly isolated life of millennials, the Church stands as a beacon of community and shared values.
Being baptized at St. Boniface’s shimmering Easter Vigil made me fondly remember that little girl in church and that college freshman who said hello to a future lifelong friend.
I almost feel lucky that I was able to go through this experience as an adult (almost!). My first Easter as a Catholic could have been long ago, but the experience of getting here as an adult was worth the wait.
Laura K. Asserfea is a parishioner at The Oratory Church of St. Boniface, Downtown Brooklyn.