|
Back to the February 2003 Newsletter Index Katy Z: from religious ground zero to religious lifeKatherine Zeitler's "moment of truth" -the defining moment in her search for God--came via a brusque push by an annoyed French woman. A high school senior, Katy had gone abroad in a cultural exchange program, and found herself at Mass in the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal in Paris. It was the Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul, and the church was packed. Katy sat between Teresa Cantone, one of the adults accompanying the students, and the aforesaid French lady. "Sat" was the operative word: the daughter of an atheist mom and an agnostic dad, Katy had been raised in a religious vacuum. But she was searching. Since the age of 14, prompted by the kindness and faith of her school's artistic director, a Catholic named Helen Grigal, she had been reading voraciously about different faiths. The Catholic Church, which claimed to be the one true Church founded by Christ, particularly intrigued her. But she was not a Catholic, so while everyone knelt for the Consecration, she sat. She sat when everyone went up to receive Communion. She sat when they returned to the pews and resumed kneeling. Sitting there, she felt a dull stab of disappointment. "I felt like I hadn't received anything," she explains. Suddenly, the French woman on her left reached over and matter-of-factly pulled her down on her knees. With that simple action, the truth hit Katy like a thunderclap: "I realized that Christ died for me!" At that moment, she says, "I fell in love with our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, I fell in love with the Church." Back from her overseas trip, Katy, a graduate of the Baltimore Actors Theatre Conservatory ( a small performing arts school in Rogers Forge), began her freshman year at Goucher College as a dance major. She also began RCIA classes at Immaculate Conception Church in Towson. The following spring she became a Catholic, receiving Baptism, Holy Communion andConfirmation together at Easter Vigil. "It was the Jubilee Year of 2000; I felt like God was pouring out an abundance of graces on me," says Katy. She would need them. "Goucher is a really liberal, secular college. There was nothing for Catholic students on campus." At first, Katy didn't even want to go back that fall. But then, she says, "I felt like God was asking me to go back and make His presence known on campus, because a lot of Catholics I knew at Goucher were leaving the Faith." With the help of Jim Flood and others at the Catholic Corner Bookstore in Towson, Katy started a Catholic Center at the college. "We tried to get people excited about the Faith. We prayed the rosary, did Eucharistic Adoration, went on the March for Life, and went to Mount 2000, a retreat for Catholic youth at Mount St. Mary's College." They also went to Mass at St. Agnes Church in Catonsville, then prayed the rosary at the nearby Hillcrest abortion mill. The campus group began with three students; they now have 40 members. This year they started an apologetics class, "so people know why they believe what they believe." In the meantime, Katy was trying to decide what to do with the rest of her life. "I knew I had three options: single, married, or religious life. I wanted to do my mission-whatever God wanted me to do. So I really started praying." Katy found herself strongly attracted to the religious life. She began to write to different orders, asking them for information. "I was attracted to the more traditional orders. I wanted an order devoted to the Eucharist, devoted to Our Lady, and faithful to the Magisterium and the Holy Father." She also wanted an order that wore habits, which, she felt, "proclaimed to the world that they were brides of Christ." Fr. Leo Patalinghug, who said Mass for the student group on campus and became Katy's spiritual advisor, suggested the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, in Nashville. In May, 2002, she went on a five-day discernment retreat with the Nashville Dominicans, and felt that perhaps they were what she had been searching for. "I felt so much at peace," she recalls. The order not only had a strong prayer life, a prime requisite for Katy, but she would be able to teach. "I want to give the Faith to young children, to teach them the truth, and lead them to fall in love with the Lord." Any uncertainties were erased after a spur-of-the-moment trip to Nashville in August with five friends. They witnessed the First Vow ceremony, in which 14 novices took temporary vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. "It was such an incredible witness they were so joyful!" says Katy. She asked for application papers. On October 7 she was accepted by the order, on the condition that all her student loan debts are paid off before she enters. Katy has several partial scholarships, including a state Distinguished Scholar scholarship. But Goucher costs $31,000 a year for room and board, and she still owes $21,000. "I babysit, work for the library on campus, and do research for professors. But I have to keep up with my classroom work too," she explains. "People say, you should work for a year and pay your debts off, and I'm totally open to doing that. But I feel like God wants me to enter in August." The Dominican Sisters say her situation is not unusual. In fact, there is an association, the Laboure Foundation, to help young women who want to enter the convent, but owe money for their college education. The foundation has created a portfolio for Katy, and she is soliciting funds for it. "Right now I have $815 in my fund. They want me to get as much as I can for my personal fund." What is lacking may be supplied by the foundation's general fund. But it is limited, as the foundation is already aiding 38 young women. In the meantime, Katy is looking forward to entering the convent. "August 14, 2003 is, God willing, my entrance date!" For more information on the Laboure Foundation, see www.Labourefoundation.org, or phone (952) 974-9758. Tax-deductible contributions may be made to: |
