When the “New Fire” was kindled at Easter Vigil celebrations in parishes around the diocese April 7, more than 700 men, women and teens preparing for initiation into the Catholic Church that evening were among those basking in its glow.

For months, perhaps even years, these newcomers to the faith, hailing from various backgrounds and all corners of the diocese, have worked, studied and prayed in response to the movement of the Holy Spirit in their lives. And now, they had reached the long-awaited night when they were able to approach the Table of the Lord.

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A week or so after experiencing the glorious Easter Vigil, several of these newly initiated Catholics reflected confidently and joyfully that they had made the right decision to pursue new paths of faith as members of the Church.

If there was any hint of regret that newly baptized Wayne Richard Cleaves expressed about becoming Catholic, it was wishing that he had joined the Church much sooner.

“My gosh, I’m 82 years old and I just got the Sacraments last week – all of them,” said the energetic octogenarian, reflecting on being baptized and confirmed and receiving first Holy Communion during the Easter Vigil in St. John Church, Lakehurst.

“The Easter Vigil was beautiful for me because for the first time in my life I really celebrated Christ’s Resurrection. I never had that experience before,” he said.

Of the diocese’s 719 newcomers, 165 were catechumens, who, like Cleaves, had never been baptized. The remaining 554 were candidates, those who had been baptized in another Christian faith tradition, but were seeking to come into full communion with the Catholic Church. The catechumens received the Sacraments of Initiation – Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist — while the candidates made a profession of faith and received Confirmation and Eucharist.

Cleaves, who was reared in the Jehovah Witness faith, said he had learned about the Catholic Church and found it to be a “very beautiful religion,” but did not pursue becoming Catholic until several years ago when he began attending Mass with his close friend, Diane, who is a devout Catholic.

“It makes me feel good to go to church. It’s made a difference in my life,” said Cleaves, who noted that it was through the RCIA that he learned about how to read and understand the Bible and incorporate its messages into his daily life.

“The Catholic faith is a beautiful faith and I feel that I have become closer to God,” he said.

For 71-year-old Janet Parker May, it took more than 20 years before she reached the decision to join the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults in Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Hainesport.

Parker May had been baptized Catholic as an infant, but while growing up had faithfully worshiped in Protestant churches. Her familiarity with the Catholic Church was fostered during the years she was a student in St. Francis Medical Center’s School of Nursing, Trenton, and all nursing students were required to attend daily Mass and prayer services, as well as through other people she had met.

“Even though I wasn’t Catholic, I went to Our Lady Queen of Peace for more than 20 years,” said Parker May. But it was after experiencing some recent life changes that she said she “felt led to take steps to becoming a participating member in the Church.”

Describing her RCIA experience as being “very uplifting,” Parker May noted how much she enjoyed learning about the faith, especially learning about the Rosary, which she prays daily, and studying more in-depth the Scripture passages that relate to each mystery of the Rosary. She also found it interesting to learn about the structure of the Church, “from the pope on down,” she said. 

Her RCIA sessions, participating in the Holy Week liturgies, which she found very moving, and the support she found in the RCIA team members and her good friend and sponsor, Frank Driscoll, all had a role in helping prepare her for the “big step” she would take in receiving the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion at the Easter Vigil.

Parker May appreciates the follow-up RCIA sessions offered in her parish and she also enjoys attending a Scripture study on Monday evenings. At some point in the future, Parker May said she might like to serve as a reader at Mass.

“I really feel that the Holy Spirit is part of my life now,” said Parker May. “I feel so good about the whole RCIA and my experience in becoming Catholic. It was such a privilege that I was able to do that.”

This year is an exciting sacramental year for the Cifaldi family of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish. Wife and mother, Jessica, was excited to be baptized at the Easter Vigil three weeks ago, and now she is looking forward to this Saturday when her eight-year-old twins, Abigail and Isabella, will receive their first Holy Communion.

Cifaldi takes pride in telling of how she reached the decision to become Catholic “on my own.” She said her husband, Nick, who was raised Catholic and received a Catholic education and attended a Catholic college, had “never asked me to become Catholic or pressured me.”

Though Cifaldi was raised in a conservative Jewish household, when she and Nick married, they had agreed to raise their children as Catholic.

Cifaldi began considering joining the Church following a series of “tragic events” that occurred in 2003 – her one sister had died of lung cancer, Nick had lost his job, and she was hospitalized because of pregnancy complications. The twins were born prematurely at 30 weeks.

“Between dealing with my sister’s death and the very real possibility that my children wouldn’t survive, I began struggling with the question of what happens to a person’s soul after they died,” she said.

“I needed to believe that after death, there was something more, something greater. That there was eternal life and salvation,” Cifaldi said.

Though it took more than seven years before Cifaldi joined the RCIA, she described her participation in the process as being “enlightening.”

 “It’s been an enriching experience because I learned so much about the Old and New Testaments and Church teachings,” she said, noting that her attorney instincts had prompted her to ask a lot of questions during the sessions.

“I learned more about Judaism through the RCIA than I did while growing up and being raised in the faith,” she said. In addition to the RCIA sessions, Cifaldi spoke of how meaningful the various milestones — attending the Rite of Election in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton experiencing the Scrutinies during the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent, and participating in the Holy Week liturgies — have been and how they helped to prepare her for what was to take place at the Easter Vigil.

“Around the parish, there was a lot of momentum building up to the Easter Vigil, which was very beautiful,” she said. “My kids got excited about the RCIA process because I’m not just teaching them about it or telling them about it. I’m learning about our faith with them.”

Cifaldi said that if anyone were to approach her about becoming Catholic and the RCIA process, she would tell them to “go for it” so long as they are “making the decision for the right reasons and realize that they are making a lifelong commitment” to the faith.

Shahera Washington has her little “prince” to thank for leading her to the Catholic Church.

The catechumen who was baptized in Blessed Sacrament-Our Lady of the Divine Shepherd Church, Trenton, said she grew up in a family whose members were either Pentecostal or Baptist.

“And I was Pentecostal,” she said. But her introduction to the Catholic Church began four years ago when she witnessed the Baptism of her four-and-a-half-year-old son, Prince.

“Seeing my son being baptized (Catholic) was the reason why I wanted to be baptized,” said Washington. She proudly noted that as Prince gets older, the more active he wants to become in his parish, including serving at the altar.

“He enjoys every moment of it. Prince loves going to church,” Washington said. She added that she too has become involved in the parish, especially the Catholics with Disabilities group. 

Though Washington had spent the past year in the RCIA studying and preparing to become Catholic, she said that the reality that she was going to be baptized hit home the second she walked through the door of the church before the start of the Easter Vigil Mass.

The baptismal font, which is normally kept off to the front side of the church, had been moved “front and center” where all Mass-goers could prayerfully look on as Washington and fellow catechumen, Marian Konadu, received the sacrament.

“I felt like I had a new life, that I had been resuscitated,” said Washington, as she recalled feeling the water being poured upon her head and receiving the Body of Christ for the very first time.

“Being baptized was surreal.”