To me, my faith has always been a significant part of my life. Growing up, I was raised in a protestant household with the concept of faith instilled in me from a very young age. For me, as a child, it was routine, the works of my parents, and as a child, I obeyed. When my family started to get bigger, we moved to the IE. My family stopped attending church, and I grew up no longer attached to a specific church. After I moved, I met my now best friend, who has taught me so many life lessons and, in hindsight, has helped me grow in my own faith, as I was so inspired by her devotion to her own, although different. In high school, we met these twins who soon became our closest friends, and from there God intervened. If there was one thing these boys taught me in our friendship, it was not only the love of God but, most importantly, the importance of going to church.

These boys were Coptic Orthodox, a branch of Christianity that was foreign to me. In learning more about them, I began to learn about the church, and I started to respect the church for what it meant to my friends! I started my journey of learning about the church by attending the Saturday night talks at St. Paul's American Coptic Orthodox church before I began attending liturgy. I eased into the service, and eased back into that ritual I had as a child, but this time it was different. I wanted to go. Orthodoxy was a different type of beautiful. As I continued to attend liturgy and learn about the faith, I started to love it even more. It wasn’t until my personal life had started to shatter that I realized just how important the church had become to me. While everything around me had started to change, one thing had remained constant. My love of attending church had continued to grow, and the presence of God in my life started to become more prevalent. That’s when I knew just how important the church had been for me and that Orthodoxy had become home.

I connected with Abouna Andrew right away as I started attending church, so it was no surprise to any of my friends that I chose him to catechize me. These lessons only confirmed my decision, and with each class, my love for the faith and my joy for my upcoming commitment grew stronger. I was inquisitive and wanted to learn as much as I could about this potential new identity of mine. When I was finally ready to make that leap, it was the night before my 20th birthday. That is why I was baptized under the name of St. Katherine, she was a scholar, a student before Christ, and she was martyred at the age of 19, the age of my declaration of faith! My faith had changed from the routine I had as a child to a choice I continue to make every day of my life, and I am so grateful!!

Becoming Orthodox: A Journey of the Heart

October 2025 Reflection

Written by Nichelle