Becoming Catholic: Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
On Sunday, November 3, 2024, at the 9 a.m. Mass, our parish celebrated the Rite of Acceptance. This is a formal way to accept unbaptized men and women into the order of the catechumens, meaning they will receive the Sacraments of Initiation—Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist—at the Easter Vigil Mass. At the same time, we celebrated the Rite of Welcoming of candidates, meaning baptized Christians who will receive Confirmation and the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil Mass, thus entering into full communion with the Catholic Church. Please pray for our catechumens and candidates as they go through this period of prayerful preparation! You can view their photos and bios below.
OLL Catechumens
Paetyn Town
Brayden Town
Ethan Witter
Janet Marie Yonker
Cam’ron Burgos-Woodfork (not pictured)
OLL Candidates
Tara Daniel
Scott Dosca
Jacob Van Buren
Jacob Regan
Tony Schnobel
Matt Reske
Barbara Garroch
Paetyn Town (catechumen) lives in Zeeland and is a student at Creekside Middle School. She loves to do sports like cross country and track with her friends, equestrian with her sister, golf with her dad, and other sports for fun. She also loves spending time with her family, friends, and her eight animals. She wants to thank her brother’s girlfriend and him for leading her closer to God and the Church, and also Theresa Asselin for being her sponsor through this journey. She is looking forward to learn more about God and can’t wait to receive the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil Mass.
Brayden Town (catechumen) lives in Zeeland and works at Jimmy John’s. He gives credit to his girlfriend and youth ministry leaders, especially Eric and Teresa Asselin. Brayden likes to play video games and work out.
Ethan Witter (catechumen) is a freshman college student attending Ferris State and GRCC through a consortium agreement. He is hoping to become a software engineer. He lives in Hamilton. Ethan is an ex-Protestant hoping to be fully brought into God’s one true Church. He is looking forward to receiving the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil Mass.
Janet Marie Yonker (catechumen) is a 39-year resident of Holland. She grew up in the Detroit suburb of Garden City. Janet has been a widow for two years and has two sons and five grandchildren. She entered the RCIA program to receive Baptism and join the Catholic Church. Her fiancee is a practicing Catholic, and they are planning to be married in the Church soon after.
Tara Daniel (candidate) is a nurse practitioner at Corewell Health. She enjoys boating, traveling, hiking, and biking with her husband Neil and their 2.5-year-old son Carson.
Scott Dosca (candidate) was born and raised in southwest Michigan. He and his wife Kelci live in Holland and just celebrated ten years of marriage. Scott is currently working as an engineer with Gentex in Zeeland. When he isn’t tinkering with something around the house, he enjoys skiing, bouldering, and hanging out with friends. Scott was raised Protestant and his family was very active in the church. As Scott and Kelci look back at the past ten years and set goals for the years to come, an earnest investigation of the Catholic faith became a clear priority. Scott is an incredibly curious person; he is excited to learn more, ask questions, and make new friends.
Jacob Van Buren (candidate) was born and raised in Michigan, with a lot of his summers spent enjoying the lake at his parent’s condo in Holland. He attended Michigan Technological University, receiving a B.S. in chemical engineering. Jacob currently works as a process engineer at Mead Johnson Nutrition in Zeeland. In his free time, he loves to get outside and hike new places and trails, go for a run, lift weights, or just relax on the deck. Jacob is also a huge geek, and he likes to get together with friends for all kinds of tabletop and card game nights. He is considering Catholicism to strengthen his faith and relationship with God, which he thinks is very possible with the sacraments and structure of the Church.
Jacob Regan (candidate) is originally from the Chicago area and moved to Holland in the summer of 2021 with his wife Bekah. They have three kids: Everly (5), Judah (3), and Asher (6 months). Jacob works remotely from Holland for a Chicago company called Tempus AI as a software engineer. He grew up in the church his entire life, beginning in the Baptist church, moving into the non-denominational/evangelical church, and then into the Reformed church in Holland. Jacob has spent the last five or six years personally digging deeper into the writings and history of the church, which has led him to inquire into joining the Catholic Church.
Tony Schnobel (candidate) grew up in Holland in a Christian household attending Beechwood Church. He currently enjoys spending time as a mail carrier for USPS, as well as playing guitar in a local cover band. Tony met his fiance Jennie in June of 2021. Jennie has been a devoted Catholic for her entire life. Through their discussions and shared experiences, Tony has developed a genuine interest in exploring the beliefs, traditions, and values of the Catholic Church. He looks forward to becoming more involved and being part of this welcoming community.
Matt Reske (candidate) teaches math at Zealand East High School. He enjoys running, reading, and woodworking. He is excited to learn more about the faith and grow in his relationship with Christ. He is looking forward to receiving the sacraments of Confirmation and the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil Mass.
