HOLY FAMILY CATHEDRAL
Parishioner Laurie O’Driscoll W
hen Laurie O’Driscoll entered the Church this past Easter, it was the culmination of a lifelong search for faith — but only the beginning of her journey as a new Catholic. Growing up in a non-religious family, Laurie was not baptized or raised in any particular faith tradition. However, she always felt as though there was something more. “I have always believed in God and have always prayed,” she says. “As an only child, I spent a lot of time alone and I would often sit in my room and play and just talk to God.” Despite her secular upbringing, Laurie’s family nonetheless sparked her interest in spirituality. Her mother’s side of the family was interested in divination and astrology, Laurie’s mother taught her to pray as a child, and her maternal grandmother would often take her to her Protestant church during the summer. Her father’s side of the family was interested in ancient religions, mythology, the paranormal, and spirituality in general, which led to her reading and studying those things, and eventually dabbling in New Age practices. Despite all that, Laurie would constantly find herself pulled into the orbit of Catholicism, learning about the saints and monasticism, as well as listening to Catholic radio programs. While she would eventually push it away, she continued to be inexplicably drawn to the Church. “As time went on, I grew weary of the ideas in New Age practices and paganism, and I didn’t like where they were going,” Laurie says. “I started pulling away from these things and my spiritual life became simply praying for about three years. I believe in God, but I felt so disconnected. In spite of all my spiritual pursuits, I felt like I couldn’t reach Him.” Laurie has been happily married to her husband, Brendan — who is from Ireland and was born and raised Catholic — since 2002. The couple has two children — Oisín, 18, and Aoife, 15. This past Christmas Eve, Laurie attended midnight Mass at the Cathedral with her husband and daughter — and that was where everything changed. “As the night went on, I started to feel like I was wrapped up in love — it was such a strong feeling!” she 6
Laurie O’Driscoll
says. “I felt comforted and safe, too. That feeling grew stronger until it was almost overwhelming. At a certain point, I realized the God I had been seeking all my life, in all the wrong ways, was right here. He was here in this faith, in this Church, and in these people. Everything about Christianity that I had ever doubted or questioned just fell away. The truth of it all just sort of snapped into place and suddenly made sense to me — God is real, Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, and He died for us.” The very next day, Laurie told her family that she wanted to join the Church, and started the Becoming Catholic RCIA process here at the cathedral in early January. “From the moment I walked into that first class, I felt so comfortable,” she says. “Fr. Kastl and Jeri Potter were the first people I met that day, and they were both very kind and made sure I knew not to be afraid to ask questions. I loved each class and learning something new each week. I would spend the week between classes counting
