3 minute read
Debra Gibert Finds Her Home in the Catholic Church
For Debra Gibert, finding her faith home has been a lifelong search. In 2018, Debra and her husband, Pike, had the idea to begin attending faith formation classes. For Pike, this was a way to get closer to the faith he was born into — for Debra, these were the first steps toward becoming Catholic.
“I have always been searching,” Debra says. “I have always believed in God — my search wasn’t very pointed, but I had this desire. Over the last year, I had been listening to various podcasts, and they led me to the idea that maybe the Catholic Church was somewhere I could find my way to be closer to God. So when things came together for the catechism classes last year, I said to my husband, ‘Why don’t we take these classes?’”
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The Giberts began to take classes with Cynthia Taylor, who passed away earlier this year.
“Our journey with Cynthia was cut short, too soon,” Debra says. “I love her, she was a very special woman. She had such a wide amount of knowledge, and was able to address any questions we had. We learned about the different prayers, the stories of saints, Church history, the meanings of things, the sacraments, all kinds of things.
“Everything is new to me,” she adds. “For example, you hear phrases throughout your life, and then later you realize that they come from the Bible! Everything was just a surprise and a joy. I loved learning about how the Church started, the Rosary, the relationships between Elizabeth and Mary, and Jesus and John the Baptist. The way Cynthia would weave everything together was wonderful. It’s going to be an ongoing process for the rest of my life — RCIA will continue, and I’m really happy that Judy Glickstein will be my catechist. Now I really feel a sense of the scope of things, and I feel so strongly about getting closer to God. Through the Catholic religion, I can do that.”
Although her initiation into the Church was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Debra was able to receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation on June 14.
“I am just so grateful I was baptized,” she says. “When COVID happened, I was really sad at first because I knew it wasn’t going to be able to happen the way it was planned. But you know, it’s not just me in this COVID quandary — it’s the whole world. So I’m very thankful that I was able to have my baptism two weeks after the churches opened, on the Feast of Corpus Christi. That felt very special to me, and it was great to have people there supporting me. It’s such a wonderful feeling.
“I was also so grateful to be able to receive the Eucharist,” she adds. “I really felt the gravity and the grace and the joy of finally being able to receive. I loved learning about the Holy Spirit in our classes, so receiving the Holy Spirit at Confirmation was also very special to me.”
Going forward, Debra looks forward to continuing the ongoing learning process of RCIA, and is excited to get more involved in parish life as it becomes safer to do so.
“The reason this all started is because I wanted to have a close relationship with God,” she says. “The deeper I dive into it, the closer I’ll become, and the more I’ll be able to receive graces from Him. I will continue learning, and my husband will continue learning. There’s just so much there.
“I really love St. Michael — the people are amazing, and Fr. Lio is just wonderful,” Debra adds. “It immediately felt like home to me. I’m hoping to really be able to participate and contribute to the church. I’m 67, so I’ve been waiting a long time! My true journey is now starting.”
— Debra Gibert
