I want to introduce myself. To everyone who may not know me, I am Ms. Bobbie. I’ve had many problems in my life taking care of people and trying to reach out to God for guidance to continue doing it. It’s a very tough job and I needed God to help me get through it.
My first year on campus, I met a group of (sisters) during a summer conference and the greatest feeling came over me. I told them I was thinking about becoming Catholic. I teased them and said that maybe when they came back in the summer, I would have good news for them.
Then I saw a sign which said “RCIA” and said to myself, “That is my calling to reach out to God.” So I made a phone call and talked to someone but wasn’t allowed take the classes on campus. But before I knew it, I was given the information I needed. I started my classes and I was on my way to seek out God.
At that time I put my trust out there to find out more about God. Coming from a background where church was not a thing to do every Sunday, I didn’t know how I would feel reaching out to God. But as I began my classes I said to myself, “Wow, this is great.” Some of my family had a hard time with it, but I called them all up and told them to please fill out the papers to make this come true.
After that, everything was put on hold until paperwork went through. Month by month I went to my classes and prayed that one day I would get the answer I wanted. While waiting for my answer, I received a lot more spiritual guidance through (sisters) that I met along with the brothers. They told me to keep praying that God would hear my words and that things would work out. There was also a young group of household guys that were a great spiritual guidance for me. They will always be close to my heart. When I was down, they always found the right thing to say to me in order to bring me back up when I was down.
When we were told in class to pick a saint, my choice was Saint Rita, since I had so many things in common with her. I continue to pray every night to her and ask her to help me reach out to get closer to God. There were many times where I thought God wasn’t listening to me. During my journey to become Catholic, sometimes I just wanted to give up, and I cried a lot along this journey.
But I kept telling myself to listen to my heart and not let Satan in. Then my students, who are so amazing, said, “Ms. Bobbie, you are very strong; don’t let Satan win.” So then I grew and stood up tall and prayed to Saint Rita. We conquered him with her guidance; we came out winners. This journey that I’ve been on has been truly awesome as I have continued my path to learning more about my faith.
After getting my picture taken with the bishop, I knew I was on my way. Once I was given the word that I was being confirmed at Easter Vigil, I told my family members but it was too late for some of them to come. Receiving the body of Christ sent chills down my back. Then when it was over, I turned around and were shocked to see some of my family had made it. It meant a lot to see their support for me and I began to cry. I saw my grandson holding a small package, and when I opened the box it was a small cross.
Then I came to the university and spend time with the students at the Resurrection Party until 2 a.m. I think I was so empowered by the excitement that I lost all sense of time. Everyone was so excited for me and I was so grateful because this is what I wanted.
I’m still learning my faith and getting closer to God. One day at a time, my faith is still growing stronger. Being at this University has brought me closer to being with God and knowing all these wonderful people I have met over the last two years. I would like to thank all the people who made this journey of mine come true, from the faculty administration to the student body to the many spiritual leaders to the various order of nuns I met through the brothers. I want to thank you for all your support you have shown me. I wrote this on my one year anniversary.
Thanks, Ms. Bobbie