Homecoming Sessions For Former Catholics Ease Concerns

By Nancy K. Crevier

“Everyone has a unique story,” said Peter Shovak, who has been taking part in the St Rose “Catholics Coming Home” program this past spring. The program is designed for Catholics who have felt alienated from their faith and/or are inactive in the practice of their faith, according to director of St Rose parish education Pam Arsenault.

But what makes Mr Shovak’s story truly one of a kind is the fact that after falling away from the Catholic Church, he became a protestant minister, serving in Boston and the Kansas City, Mo. areas for over 15 years, before moving to Bethel in 2006 to pursue a new career in insurance.

Raised Roman Catholic in Brooklyn, N.Y., he never felt a spiritual connection to the religion, nor did he know any “spiritually formed Catholics. For me, in my particular instance, my spiritual needs weren’t being met by my nuclear family,” he explained. His sister’s husband was a protestant minister, and a big influence on Mr Shovak spiritually as he came into adulthood. “On my Christian journey, I discovered a real relationship with Jesus that I wasn’t getting at home,” he said.

His path led him to serve as a volunteer associate minister from 1993 to 1997 in Massachusetts, and as an associate minister and on staff in the publishing department with the Church of the Nazarene Headquarters, Children’s Ministries, from 2004 to 2006 in Kansas City. Eventually he began to look deeper into the ministry, and studied at the Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo., from 1998 to 2002. From 1998 to 2001, Mr Shovak was also the associate pastor of office and outreach at Antioch Church of the Nazarene in Overland Park, Kan. It was a fulfilling period in many ways, but as he studied at the seminary, he felt a theological shift in his real life.

 “The more I studied at the protestant seminary, the more catholic I became — first with a small ‘c,’ then a couple of years ago when I started exploring more, it became Catholic with a big ‘C.’ I began asking myself whose traditions I best fit, protestant or Catholic? My whole intent and purpose was to follow my Christian walk, and it led back to the Catholic Church,” he said.

He also found that he missed the sacrament of the Eucharist, in which Catholics consider Jesus Christ truly present in the offering of bread and wine. “I also had the question of who in the protestant faith has the authority to be the church on earth? Where does that authority come from? Catholics believe it was given directly to us by Jesus,” he said, and that belief gives great comfort to him.

It can be difficult for any person to reexamine his or her faith, but for a minister, it is even more so, said Mr Shovak. His decision to return to the Catholic faith was not undertaken lightly. “There is no animosity toward the protestant faiths,” he stressed. “It just didn’t fit anymore. I view it all as a big journey that I learned so much from.”

Already curious, Mr Shovak came across the Eternal Word Television Network “Coming Home” series online at chnetwork.org, and found out about the “Catholics Coming Home” program. He also discovered that St Rose, which he was already attending, was planning to start a group.

“I was afraid of how I’d be viewed when I started the ‘Catholics Coming Home’ program,” said Mr Shovak, but the casual, low-key meetings spread out over a six-week session put him at ease. “The initial introduction session lets you know that wherever you’ve been, the Catholic Church has not excommunicated you — and that was a big relief for many of us to hear. You may have left the Catholic Church, but she did not leave you. You are welcomed back with your doubts and your questions. People are welcome even if they don’t believe everything the Church teaches,” he said. “It is a nice, informal way to feel comfortable returning.”

The program gave him a chance to hear the stories of others’ contemplating a return to the faith. It was very helpful, he said, as was receiving an overview of what Catholicism is, a review of the sacraments and what they mean, and a chance for reconciliation (formerly known as confession) if and when a person desires. Issues he did not understand as a young man in the Church became more clear to him, as did the fact that while the world around constantly changes — even in outward traditions of the Church — the truth does not change, that God loves each person and wants to be one with him or her. “Truth is the truth,” said Mr Shovak.

The transition still feels rocky at times, Mr Shovak admitted. “What I struggle with is the difference in culture between the Catholic and protestant faiths, so far as worship service and the liturgy of the Mass.” For example, rather than having the children separated out from the adults during worship as is commonly done in protestant faiths, he and his wife, who was not raised Catholic, can celebrate the Mass with their two young children at their sides. He does like that they are there to explain the Mass and teach the children as they worship together. It is just one small shift in perspective that takes some getting used to after years away from the Church, he said.

“The course made me feel much more comfortable,” said Mr Shovak.

The next six-week session of “Catholics Coming Home” begins Sunday, May 18, from 7 to 8 pm, in the St Rose Religious Education building at 38 Church Hill Road. A member now at St Rose, Mr Shovak plans to continue on with the program. “There is a sense of belonging there, and I am still learning stories, and adding to my knowledge of this changeover,” he said. “I’ll keep discovering and keep the journey going.”

For more information on joining “Catholics Coming Home,” contact the St Rose Religious Education office at 426-2333.