Brandy Tautua’a, a catechumen from St. Rita Church in Nanakuli, will be baptized a Catholic at Easter Vigil, April 19. (Photo by Darlene Dela Cruz)
Out of the soil of a loving family and community grew a sprout of faith that will blossom into baptism this Easter Vigil
St. Rita Parish in Nanakuli is home to a humble community of people deeply dedicated to their faith and their church. A spirit of genuine aloha greets all who step on St. Rita’s historic grounds, which has been welcoming generations of folks to God’s grace in the heart of West Oahu for almost 100 years.
Brandy Tautua’a, a Nanakuli native, will soon be celebrating a special milestone at St. Rita. During this year’s Easter Vigil, April 19, she will be baptized, receive the Holy Eucharist and the sacrament of confirmation, and be embraced by her parish ohana as its newest member of the Catholic faith.
Tautua’a shared her conversion story with the Hawaii Catholic Herald April 4. At ease at her parish on a bright, sunny morning, Tautua’a beamed as she reflected on the spiritual journey she has taken to become a Catholic.
“I’m so excited,” Tautua’a said. “It feels like I’m a little kid waiting for his birthday party, or a teenager waiting for their graduation party. That’s how I feel.”
Tautua’a, 35, is the granddaughter of a late St. Rita parishioner. Although her grandfather was Catholic, he and her grandmother, who grew up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, decided not to force any particular religion upon their children.
Tautua’a’s parents, in turn, also left it up to her and her four siblings to find their own faiths. Her younger sister eventually was drawn to Islam, and her younger brother is about to be baptized a Mormon.
Although she had “always believed that there was a God,” Tautua’a said it wasn’t until she met her husband in 2001 that she considered giving herself over to Catholicism. Her husband, a “cradle Catholic” from Tonga, told her from the beginning of their relationship how much he valued his faith.
In November 2007, Tautua’a decided to join her husband for Mass at St. Rita.
“He never forced me to come to church with him,” she said. “When I was coming in 2007, I was a little reserved. I’d just be quiet, and don’t really speak to anybody.”
She enjoyed attending Mass and slowly acclimated to the St. Rita community. Tautua’a said that last year that she began to truly feel “comfortable” as a parishioner and even felt an inner call to get involved with church ministries.
“There was a change in me,” she said. “Last year, I started talking to people, and I just felt like this is home. Just last year, something hit me that I want to be a lector.”
That newfound confidence and desire to be more outgoing came as a surprise to Tautua’a. Previously shy and uncomfortable speaking in front of people, she said the sudden inspiration to become a lector spurred her to join the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, RCIA, and become a Catholic.
“I told my husband, ‘I think it’s time,’” she said.
Through RCIA, Tautua’a said she has added much more to her knowledge about the faith. She came into the program already aware of many Catholic traditions, including prayers like the “Our Father” and “Hail Mary,” and Lenten rituals of fasting and abstinence. Tautua’a said it is now helpful for her to understand the symbolism and significance behind these practices.
“I really like the structure” of the Catholic traditions, she said. “I’m a very organized person. I need to know what’s going on in advance, so I love the structure of the Catholic Church. I know what to expect.”
St. Rita’s RCIA coordinator Don Gerry said Tautua’a has an amazing zeal for the faith. She is always the first one in class, Gerry said, and “she asks a lot of good questions.”
“She’s been wonderful, very sincere,” he added. “She came with a lot (of faith) to begin with.”
Tautua’a has maintained a close relationship with St. Rita pastor, Father Alapaki Kim, throughout the RCIA process. She was recently asked by the priest to join the parish pastoral council. Tautua’a already attended her first council meeting and is considering other ways she can be of service to the community.
Her husband and four children are proud of how far she has come. Tautua’a said she also eagerly shares with her siblings what she has been doing, and they too are excited about her conversion.
Tautua’a said receiving the sacraments undoubtedly will be a very special moment in her life.
“At Easter Vigil, I’m looking forward to being baptized,” she said. “I feel like I’m going to be a brand new person. All my sins will be washed away.”
She encourages others who may be interested in joining the Catholic faith to follow a similar path of learning about the church and visiting a parish over a period of time before jumping into an RCIA program.
It adds to the depth of her commitment, she said, to have been immersed in a Catholic community before making the decision to convert. She would not have had it any other way.
“It took me like six years until I felt that I can do this,” Tautua’a said. “Come experience it. Make sure this is what you really want to do and be.”
