Meet Parishioner Matthew Vanderpol A Faith Journey That Led Him Home to the Catholic Church
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here is a real beauty to being raised in the Catholic Church from childhood and continuing to practice the faith in adulthood. But there is also a beauty in finding the Catholic faith as an adult and participating in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults process, or RCIA. The latter is how Matthew Vanderpol entered into the Catholic faith. Through a series of small promptings, he is now a full member of the Catholic Church, having received First Eucharist and Confirmation this past Easter. Matthew’s wife, Amber, became Catholic in 2007. The couple has six children, all of whom have been raised in the Church. Matthew has consistently attended Mass for many years. He knew, at some point, he might feel the call to become Catholic. Over time, he says, that call gradually became louder. “Going to Mass as a family gradually changed from something that I had to do out of obligation to my family and simply became something that we did,” Matthew says. “It was a part of our identity.” Last fall, Matthew attended an RCIA information night and decided to give it a try. A video series called The Search, from the Augustine Institute, helped Matthew explore and answer questions he never realized he had. He also credits Fr. Alexander Estrella and Fr. German Ramos for helping lead him in the faith. Matthew has been a member of the St. Joseph Men’s Guild at St. Canice for a few years and vice president for the last two and a half years. He grew up in a family with no consistent faith life. As a child, Matthew periodically attended Lutheran services and was baptized Presbyterian. “As an adult, I started to meet people who I admired who were religious and that made me
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Matthew Vanderpol
Matthew Vanderpol with his wife, Amber, and their family
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