RCIA leads Arteglier back to Church and God
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By EmmaLee Italia | Correspondent
Three years ago, after battling a nearly fatal illness, Cindi Arteglier knew that God had more planned for her life.
“Catholic faith is what got both me and my husband, Gregory, through my lengthy hospitalization and rehabilitation,” she said. “We know that angels watched over us both and that God had more life for me.”
Arteglier was baptized as a child in the Lutheran church, but always felt like the Catholic Church had a certain magnetism for her. She admired the faith of her devout Catholic mother-in-law, Doris Arteglier, with whom she became close over the years. When Doris was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, for which there is no cure, her unwavering faith was an additional inspiration to Cindi.
“In spite of the reality that the end of her life was approaching, Mom’s faith never wavered,” Arteglier recalled. “In fact it seemed strengthened. She thanked God every day ... As her health declined, her praying increased...”
Arteglier decided to enroll in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults as a candidate for full communion in the Catholic Church in St. Barnabas Parish, Bayville, not only to answer the call she’d felt for years, but also to honor Doris' memory.
“When that idea came to me, I felt a calming peace in my heart; I felt like I’d decided to go home. I immediately knew I had made the right decision—coming back to God and in the Catholic Church which had been calling me for so many years.”
During her RCIA experience, she was surprised to find how the Church “... relates to its members, and helps us to stay faithful in an oftentimes frightening world.”
First Holy Communion and Confirmation await Arteglier at the Easter Vigil. She chose her sister-in-law, Nancy Arteglier, as her sponsor.
Arteglier believes that faith is an ongoing journey - but it’s not a journey that we take alone.
“God understands that it’s not always easy,” she said. “He allows us to question and explore; in many ways he wants us to find our own way to him. Because then it will be the most meaningful.”
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By EmmaLee Italia | Correspondent
Three years ago, after battling a nearly fatal illness, Cindi Arteglier knew that God had more planned for her life.
“Catholic faith is what got both me and my husband, Gregory, through my lengthy hospitalization and rehabilitation,” she said. “We know that angels watched over us both and that God had more life for me.”
Arteglier was baptized as a child in the Lutheran church, but always felt like the Catholic Church had a certain magnetism for her. She admired the faith of her devout Catholic mother-in-law, Doris Arteglier, with whom she became close over the years. When Doris was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, for which there is no cure, her unwavering faith was an additional inspiration to Cindi.
“In spite of the reality that the end of her life was approaching, Mom’s faith never wavered,” Arteglier recalled. “In fact it seemed strengthened. She thanked God every day ... As her health declined, her praying increased...”
Arteglier decided to enroll in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults as a candidate for full communion in the Catholic Church in St. Barnabas Parish, Bayville, not only to answer the call she’d felt for years, but also to honor Doris' memory.
“When that idea came to me, I felt a calming peace in my heart; I felt like I’d decided to go home. I immediately knew I had made the right decision—coming back to God and in the Catholic Church which had been calling me for so many years.”
During her RCIA experience, she was surprised to find how the Church “... relates to its members, and helps us to stay faithful in an oftentimes frightening world.”
First Holy Communion and Confirmation await Arteglier at the Easter Vigil. She chose her sister-in-law, Nancy Arteglier, as her sponsor.
Arteglier believes that faith is an ongoing journey - but it’s not a journey that we take alone.
“God understands that it’s not always easy,” she said. “He allows us to question and explore; in many ways he wants us to find our own way to him. Because then it will be the most meaningful.”
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