Courtney Owen’s relationship with her boyfriend, Lancen Crisostomo, helped inspire her decision to join the Catholic Church. He is her sponsor at St. John Apostle and Evangelist Church in Mililani. (Courtesy photo)
For some isle catechumens this year, relationships helped them embrace the Catholic faith
By Jennifer Rector
Hawaii Catholic Herald
In the Diocese of Honolulu, 284 people are preparing their hearts to be welcomed into the Catholic Church this year during the Easter Vigil.
These catechumens come from a range of ages, places and backgrounds, knowing different languages and customs, and yet all have a common experience: They all had a personal encounter with the Lord that has changed the trajectory of their lives forever.
A love connection toward conversion
For Courtney Owen, one of the catechumens from St. John Apostle and Evangelist Church in Mililani, it was through her boyfriend, Lancen Crisostomo, where she came to fall in love with the Catholic faith.
Owen grew up in a Christian home. “My parents always said that as long as you believe in the Lord and know that Jesus sacrificed himself for our salvation, then you are saved,” she said.
Once she met Crisostomo, she realized there was so much more to Christianity than she thought.
“We were friends for a very long time before I learned how deeply he was in his Catholic faith,” said Owen. “I’m not sure if I was completely OK (with it), but I make it a point not to immediately judge people based on their personal views and religions.”
After attending Mass with her boyfriend for a while, the two separated temporarily. This was when she realized she had an unexpected thirst to return to church.
“During that time of separation, I realized how much I kind of missed the church and then when we reconciled, I also learned how much people from the church also missed seeing me,” Owen said.
“Knowing that there are people who had already welcomed me into their community, even though I was still considered an ‘outsider,’ really felt warm and welcomed. It wanted me to learn more about their faith,” she said.
Owen’s original intention for signing up for OCIA was pure curiosity. Little did she know that God had different plans for her — an invitation to enter his church.
“I learned a lot and that (the Catholic Church) teachings are actually already aligned with what my morals are,” said Owen.
Now, the countdown is on, and Owen is ready to take on this new spiritual journey.
“I’m anticipating how the baptism and the Communion will affect me spiritually and generally moving forward,” she said.
Since Crisostomo has been with Owen from the beginning of her Catholic faith journey, he will be her sponsor.
Chelsea Bukewihge and her son, Bodhi, are among the catechumens at St. Anthony Church in Wailuku. Chelsea said her husband, Dustin, and daughter, Olive, are supportive of her and Bodhi’s decision. (Courtesy photo)
A mother and son’s spiritual journey
Chelsea Bukewihge from St. Anthony Church in Wailuku also had a special relationship play a crucial role in her conversion. The Lord came to her through her son, Bodhi, who’s in fifth grade.
Her conversion story began during the COVID-19 pandemic when her son was in first grade.
“He had a really hard time transitioning into online school,” Bukewihge said. “He had so much anxiety over the Zoom class. Every day he would basically cry and hide and not want to go on and it was just really heartbreaking. So, finally we decided he needed (school) to be in person.”
Bodhi transferred from public school to St. Anthony School the following year, where there was in-person learning. That’s when Bukewihge noticed a drastic change in her son.
“He was like just a totally different person,” she said. “The religion part was huge for him because now he had something that he could alleviate his anxiety with. So, he could pray and know that there’s a higher power and know that he can pray to God if he needs support or help and that he has someone to turn to.”
“That was really like a turning point for him,” she added.
After a few more years, Bodhi’s interest in the Catholic Church grew even more.
“He started to teach me things and (it was) very eye-opening for me to see him go through that experience, you know, his spiritual journey that he was on,” Bukewihge said.
Seeing her son transform sparked Bukewihge’s curiosity to learn more about the Catholic Church as well, starting with the Bible.
“I just started to become more curious about this book that is, you know, probably the most famous book in all of history and why there must be a reason that people are drawn to this,” she said.
Bukewihge did not have a religious background where she was exposed to any particular faith. Seeing her son go through his own spiritual journey was the gateway to her own conversion — one that she did not ever expect would happen to her.
This made signing up for OCIA classes the natural next step.
“He said, ‘Mom, I want to get baptized.’ So then that’s when I said, ‘You know what, I’ll do this with you. I want to become Catholic, too,’” said Bukewihge.
Bukewihge and her son will receive the sacraments of initiation during the Easter Vigil with the support of her husband, Dustin, and teenage daughter, Olive.
She feels grateful she will get to experience the moment alongside her son.
“This is like home, you know, like I suddenly feel peace and I don’t have to feel lost,” Bukewihge said.
Pohnpeian youth bring inspiration, hope
Among the catechumens at St. Anthony Church in Wailuku is a growing community from Pohnpei, one of four states in the Federated States of Micronesia.
“Last year, we had two young Pohnpeian youth welcomed into the church through the sacraments of initiation at Easter. This year we have seven,” according to Tanya Barbero, the faith formation director at St. Anthony.
The youth were born in Hawaii, but since the family was not associated with a parish, they were not baptized.
“It’s as though the children are bringing their families back,” Barbero said. “As a result of this, there are now many parents who are looking to be confirmed and have their marriages convalidated.”
As the Pohnpeian community grows, there are also hopes of opening a Pohnpeian Catholic Ministry at the parish.
“We want to provide them with the resources needed to establish a special ministry to continue to reach their fellow islanders and invite them to Mass, then fellowship and formation (in their native language) after Mass,” Barbero said.
English is not their primary language, so the hope is to create a space where the Pohnpeian community can worship freely in their native tongue.
“While they are very devout and well catechized ‘back home,’ there was a feeling of uncertainty and unfamiliarity about being part of the Catholic parishes in Hawaii,” Barbero said. “Many families go to independent churches or of other Christian denominations where they have services in their language.
“But their Catholic faith runs deep and I believe we need to encourage and empower them to continue to grow and participate in the life of the Catholic faith here at St. Anthony.”
The youth have become the bridge that brought their families back to the Catholic Church.
“The youth are active in our youth ministry and are a big part of our parish community. Maybe that served as a catalyst for the other young people in their circle of families and friends to seek entering the church this year,” Barbero said.
“Our big hope this Easter Vigil is that we can ask the Pohnpeian community to sing a song in their language at Mass to celebrate our newest brothers and sisters in Christ,” she added.
