Teen opts to join Church

Inspired by her mother's faith, her own friends and her school community, 17-year-old Maia Griffin has decided to convert to Catholicism.

Maia, a high school senior involved in sports and clubs, was one of 231 people to participate in the Rite of Election at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany March 8. They came from 64 different parishes in the Albany Diocese.

The Rite of Election is one of the final steps in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), the process by which people join the Roman Catholic Church.

Seeds of faith

While Maia's mother, Nancy, was raised Catholic, she did not practice her faith for many years and raised her children in the Baptist church.

"She has always had a strong sense of knowing Someone is by her side," Maia said of her mother. "Now I understand."

Maia attended St. Helen's School in Niskayuna for a few grades and chose to go to Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady. She then began going to church with her Catholic boyfriend and his family.

"I saw how 'into' his faith he was and his family was," she recalled. "He had a connection I wished I had. He was a role model for me because his faith was a big part of him."

School influence

Attending a Catholic high school also "played a huge role" in her conversion, she said. "In eleventh grade, I'd jump in the car with friends and they'd say, `Let's go to church.' I was also taking religion classes. If I went to [public high school], I wouldn't have done it. School played a huge role for me."

Last year, Maia went on a Journey Retreat, a Cursillo for teenagers, which also helped her get in touch with her faith.

"I got a sense of what my faith was and what I want it to be," she said. "In twelfth grade, I said I think I want to become Catholic. I'm really ready for it."

Steps on the way

Maia then joined the RCIA program at St. John the Evangelist Church in Schenectady where she was the youngest person in the group. She found it to be a positive experience.

"It opened my eyes so much," she said. "I came away every Wednesday having learned something new. It made me look deeper into myself."

But Maia did more than just learn; she was an inspiration to other members, said Dot Mahar, coordinator of RCIA at the parish.

"I think it's a wonderful experience for all of us," she said. "She's so full of joy and enthusiasm."

Guides

Maia, who bubbles over with enthusiasm when she talks about becoming a Catholic, first met Ms. Mahar when she was enrolled in public school and Ms. Mahar was her physical education teacher. She met her Confirmation sponsor, Katherine O'Connell, in the second grade.

"I went to St. Helen's for second grade, and she was my best friend," Maia said. "We have a spiritual, intimate relationship."

"I can see the hand of the Spirit moving through her life," Ms. Mahar said of Maia. "She's been led on her journey through her friends and school."

Maia also sees the importance her school and friends have played as she's prepared to make this important step. "Kids here [at ND-BG] have something so much more," she said. "We are all bound together."

Maia is looking forward to Easter Sunday. "I boast about it," she said of converting to Catholicism.

Role model

Being a high school student who has decided to convert has made Maia a role model. Said Ms. Mahar of Maia's effect on her peers: "She's the stained glass window for them to see God shining through her life. I think she's being blessed by the Holy Spirit and touched in many ways. The challenge before her peers is her saying, `Yes, this is what I want.' It gives them a chance to look into their own life."

Maia is also beginning to see that she is a role model. "I thought the other night about being a role model," she said. "My [younger] sister told me she couldn't get ashes because she wasn't Catholic. She came to me to ask me questions."

When Maia explained that she could receive ashes, her sister, a junior high student at the school, was thrilled. "She was boasting that she got ashes," Maia said. "I'm glad I'm there for her in that way."

Her decision

While Maia has found encouragement and support from her mother, she said the decision to convert was her own.

"My mom never pushed me," she said. "She's been a big help, but I was able to make the decision myself. I'm growing up making my own decisions."

She advises other young people approaching Confirmation to look inside of themselves and make their own decisions, too. "Don't be forced into it," she said. "The best thing for me was waiting."

(03-12-98) [[In-content Ad]]