OCIA Elect, Candidates and Adult Confirmandi

​ANEESHA NEMA
Adult Confirmation
 
My name is Aneesha Nema, and I joined CCOP soon after moving back home and graduating college in June 2024. I am now pursuing the completion of my confirmation through OCIA. Choosing to be Confirmed in the Catholic Church as an adult has been a deeply personal and transformative journey. The decision initially stemmed from being asked to be a godmother to my newborn cousin, Emma. However, this was not an easy choice, as I had long wrestled with uncertainty about my faith. I grew up in a multicultural household, being raised by a Catholic mother and Hindu father who fostered in my sister and I a sense of appreciation for both faiths from a young age. Despite having been baptized and receiving First Communion, I found myself questioning what I truly believed.
 
Upon reflection, I realized that becoming a godmother was more than just a title; it was a commitment to serving as a mentor and role model in my cousin’s spiritual journey. This realization led me to re-engage with my faith by attending Mass again, both at home and in college. To my surprise, I began resonating with the teachings and messages more deeply than ever before.
 
When I first approached the faith formation and OCIA process, I did so with a fair amount of skepticism. I was unsure of the journey ahead and whether I could fully embrace it. However, as I attended the meetings and immersed myself in the lessons, I found a newfound appreciation for the values and traditions of the Catholic faith. Over time, I stopped questioning the process and instead placed my trust in it—and in God.
 
Looking back, I am incredibly grateful for choosing to pursue this path later in life. Waiting until adulthood allowed me to understand and internalize the teachings on a much deeper level, and I can now confidently say that this was the right decision for me. I feel assured in my faith and look forward to passing on what I have learned to Emma as she grows older.
 
Coming out of my Confirmation journey, I feel an overwhelming sense of fulfillment and purpose. While I will be moving to New York soon after my Confirmation, I take comfort in knowing that my faith will remain a steadfast part of my life. I’m excited to continue growing spiritually and becoming involved in new faith communities as I embark on this next chapter of my life. Thank you to the OCIA team for their unwavering support, to Melanie Bergrun for her constant guidance, and to my mom, Karla, and Abuelita Sonia for instilling in me a devotion and love for God.
GABE ALVIAR
Adult Confirmation
 
Hello, my name is Gabe Alviar and I have lived in the Bay Area my entire life. I grew up in Pleasanton and attended Amador Valley high school. I have already received my First Communion when I was in elementary school, so I am just going for my adult Confirmation. I actually attend this class with my Dad, who is also going for his adult Confirmation and Eucharist. My whole family lives in Dublin now and we all have become more Catholic and involved in the CCOP.

I first began this journey because I wanted to become more religious. Whenever I accomplished anything in life, I always thanked and owed it to God. But it never sat right in my heart because I didn’t know God. Growing up, my family and I rarely attended Mass at all. I can probably count on my two hands the number of times we attended. So last year, we finally decided to attend Mass during the weekday. I always knew I wanted to attend Mass, but I had no idea what was going on, when to stand, why we did certain things, and how to properly receive my communion. It was very frustrating. My Dad also felt the same way, so after the Mass, he asked the office how we attend the adult confirmation class. That’s when we got in touch with Matt Gray.
This class has been one of the most life-changing experiences I have ever had in my entire life. I had no idea that my faith was missing from life. I have learned so much from all these classes and I could not have asked for a better team and a set of teachers than this team right here. I have learned so much about God and the life of Jesus from this class. I have also learned so much about the Catholic church itself and why we do certain things during Mass. I unfortunately couldn’t attend many of the activities that we have done due to work also being on the weekends, but one of the classes that has stood out to me was learning about the Saints and how and why we ask the saints to pray for us. I always found that topic confusing, but the way the team explained it to me helped me understand it.
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My goal after this class is to continue my journey and strengthen my relationship with God. I want to become more involved with the church and help volunteer during some of the events. I want to open my heart and listen to what God is trying to tell me so I can follow the path he has set forth for me.
​JENNIFER MARTIN
OCIA Candidate
  
My name is Jennifer Martin, and I was born and raised in the Bay Area. Presently, my husband and I live in Livermore. Although I was baptized Catholic in my childhood, my family did not actively practice religion and seldom attended church services.
 
My husband and I began attending church regularly after learning about my pregnancy. One day, he showed me how to receive a blessing during Mass, and I was profoundly touched by the words spoken by the Eucharistic Minister. This experience inspired me to reach out to the church to learn more about the sacraments. Coincidentally, the OCIA program was commencing that very weekend.
 
The OCIA program has been both enlightening and enriching for me. I often find myself grappling with the concept of faith. Carol, a team member with OCIA, recalled scripture from Matthew, which speaks of “faith the size of a mustard seed,” suggesting that even a small amount of faith can yield significant results. My aspiration is that, even if I struggle to fully embrace faith, I can share my faith with my child with the understanding necessary to lead a life connected to God.
 
I completed my Sacraments of Initiation this year. I received my First Eucharist at St. Augustine on January 26th, and I was confirmed at The Cathedral of Christ the Light on February 15th.
 
​MADDIE VIODES
Adult Confirmation
 
Hello, my name is Maddie Viodes. I recently moved to the East Bay with my husband, Tyler, this past spring. I am originally from the Jersey Shore and attended Fairleigh Dickinson University and Georgian Court University where I received degrees in Biology and Nursing, respectively.
 
Growing up, I was raised in a Catholic household with my four siblings. I was Baptized and received my first Holy Communion, but due to conflicting schedules of a large family I did not complete the sacrament of Confirmation.
 
About 2 years ago, I asked Tyler if he wanted to start going to church with me. Unfortunately, he said no and had absolutely no interest in going at all. A year later, he came to his own realization that he wanted to learn more about God and the Catholic faith. We slowly started to attend Catholic mass in New Jersey, but once we moved to California that is when everything changed.
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I had surprisingly just found out I was pregnant with our daughter. Tyler and I were both ecstatic to start a family together and believe God chose to make us parents when he did. However, I became very anxious over the unknowns in my pregnancy. Attending mass each week at St. Augustine alleviated all my worries because I knew that God had a plan for those who follow Him. That is when I surrendered myself to God and knew I wanted to dive deeper into my faith by receiving Confirmation.
I would like to thank Tyler, Chase, Matt, and the OCIA team for all their knowledge and helping me deepen my relationship with God. I am excited to be a part of the Catholic Community of Pleasanton, to continue to learn and grow in my faith.
MISTI MAZZURCA
OCIA Elect
 
Hello CCOP. My name is Misti Mazzurca. I was born in a tiny town in Utah but was raised in Livermore, CA. I was raised LDS, and my family has deep roots in the Mormon faith, although my immediate family stopped attending regular church services when I was 12 years old. 
 
Throughout my life, I have sought after the deeper meaning of life. I wandered down many paths, through many forms of spirituality. The search always left me empty and desired more in my life. In 2021, I had a radical moment that showed me who the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit truly are. Since then, I have been seeking the Lord with all my heart. And although I had already been attending the Catholic Church for over a decade with my husband Dave, I didn’t allow myself to see the beauty and the fullness of my husband’s life-long faith. That is until Lent of 2024. Every Mass I attended from Lent through Pentecost, I encountered the Church in a way I had never experienced before.
 
By Easter, I could not ignore the nudges any longer as the Lord kept showing me more and more about His Church. I dove into everything I could find about the Eucharist, the Saints, the Rosary, and the Blessed Mother. It was in that time that I came to realize that everything I had been searching for my entire life was right there in the Mass of the Holy Catholic Church. And to continue to run away from what the Lord was clearly calling me to do would be like turning my back on Him. Instead, I surrendered fully to the calling to join OCIA. The journey has been life changing and OCIA has offered me more growth than I ever expected.
 
I am beyond grateful for my husband’s patience with me and for the community of prayerful onlookers of the church. And I look forward to the day I am welcomed into full communion with you all when I receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil. I thank this community with an ever grateful and prayerful heart.
​PAULO FRANCA
OCIA Elect
 
My name is Paulo Franca, and I am originally from São Paulo, Brazil. Three years ago, I moved to Pleasanton with my family after accepting a job offer. This transition has been a wonderful and enriching experience for all of us.
 
When I first arrived, I was settling into my new surroundings and searching for a Catholic Church to attend Sunday Mass, as I had always done back home. The Catholic Community of Pleasanton (CCOP) welcomed me so warmly that it made my move much smoother and more comforting. Since then, I have regularly attended Sunday Mass and even joined the Knights of Columbus, a decision that has brought me a sense of belonging and purpose.
 
I grew up in a family where faith was always present. My father, a cradle Catholic, and my mother, who belongs to a different Christian denomination, instilled strong Christian values and morals in me. Interestingly, my father chose not to have my brother and me baptized in the Catholic Church when we were born. While my mother attended church more regularly than my father during my childhood, both of them influenced my early understanding of faith.
 
In my late twenties, I began seeking a deeper understanding of Catholicism, largely inspired by two prominent Catholic figures from Brazil: the philosopher Olavo de Carvalho and the priest Father Paulo Ricardo. Their weekly videos, which I watched online, captivated me with their wisdom and depth. This inspiration led me to start attending Sunday Masses alone. Eventually, I began going with my father, who was overjoyed to see me embracing the faith. I remain deeply grateful for the impact these two individuals had on my spiritual journey.
 
At age 30, my life changed profoundly when I became the father of twin girls. Their arrival filled me with awe and gratitude, but it also brought a sense of responsibility as I pondered the kind of father I wanted to be and the values I wanted to teach my family. This pivotal moment motivated me to begin catechesis so I could complete my sacraments. However, I was unable to finish the process when everything came to a halt in 2020. Shortly after things began to return to normal, I was invited by my company to relocate to Pleasanton.
 
My journey to completing my sacraments resumed here in Pleasanton, thanks to the encouragement of my fellow Knight, Dennis Roberts, who suggested I connect with the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA). This recommendation has been instrumental in continuing my faith journey.
​ROBERT ALVIAR
OCIA Candidate
 
My name is Robert Alviar and I am an OCIA Candidate for Eucharist and Adult Confirmation.

I moved to Pleasanton in 2004 with my wife and two sons. My wife and I were baptized Catholic as infants and made sure our children followed the tradition. Unlike the rest of my family, I only had the sacrament of Baptism. I never received Eucharist or Confirmation because I had to leave Catholic school after the first grade and stopped attending church when I was 12 years old. Not attending church continued throughout my adulthood. It resulted in a lack of true faith in the Catholic religion and a distant relationship with God. I was clueless in what it meant to be a Catholic and had no desire to open the Bible to read scripture. Consequently, I experienced a perpetual feeling of spiritual emptiness for most of my life.

When I turned 53 years old, I had a spiritual calling to go back to the Catholic church and build my relationship with God. My journey started by taking a leap of faith and attending a weekday Mass at St. Elizabeth Church in July of 2024. After Mass, I saw information about the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) program. I felt it was time to start my journey towards receiving all of my sacraments. I called Matt Gray and signed up for the program in 2024. I was very nervous about attending OCIA, but Matt guided me. My motivation to join OCIA was to better understand the Catholic Mass, but instead I received something even greater. I found the inspiration to have an ongoing relationship with God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

The education through OCIA is incredible. I enjoy the class discussions on scripture, faith, church history, and Catholic doctrine. I look forward to church every Sunday and the Monday night OCIA meetings. I made new friendships and found others on the same path as me. I enjoyed the Thanksgiving food baskets and donating to help families during the holidays. Because of OCIA, I attended my first Christmas Mass in over 30 years. OCIA educated me on the importance of the Catholic sacraments. I am learning to live my life based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and the “word” of God. Now I start my day by reading the Catholic Bible. OCIA provides many opportunities for me to get involved in our local community as well.

I’m blessed to belong to both St. Augustine and St. Elizabeth Church. Matt Gray and the entire OCIA team have dedicated their time and effort to help put me on the right path towards becoming a better person of faith and spirituality. God knows what we need even before we do. All we have to do is ask and wait for his perfect timing. Because he truly loves us unconditionally, it’s never too late to come back to the Lord.
​TYLER VIODES
OCIA Candidate
 
Hello, my name is Tyler Viodes. I am 25 years old, I’m married, and we just had our newborn daughter. Both my wife and I are going through OCIA, and I couldn't think of a better time to dive into our faith as we are starting our new young family.

I grew up in Elk Grove, a town outside of Sacramento. My family always went to church, and I was baptized at an early age. Unfortunately, the pastor left and the state built homes on the church property. My family eventually stopped going to church and I didn’t care. I was too young to understand the true meaning of a relationship with God.
After graduating from high school, I joined the Air Force and after boot camp I was stationed in New Jersey. It was there that I met my wife, Madison. About 2 years into our relationship Madison brought up the idea of going to church. She wanted to renew her Catholic faith, and she wanted me to join her. I totally shot the idea down. I was completely unattached from faith, and I didn’t think going to church was important or necessary. I was simply lost.

About a year later after I said no to Maddie’s request, my mind started to change. I did not like what I was seeing in the world. For example, what happened in Afghanistan when I deployed there for the evacuations and all the exploitation of children. There are so many examples for me, but the last one was seeing the entire world mock and silence Christianity. I wondered why this was happening. What would someone gain from all this evil? I would say, I felt hopeless for the world, anxious, and unsure about the future. One day I heard someone say, there is an equal opposite force to everything in the world and the equal opposite force to evil is God. Hearing that really clicked for me and I knew I had to find God in my life.
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Returning to God was a slow start but quickly snowballed. My wife was thrilled that I wanted to attend Catholic Mass with her. I love the tradition and authenticity of the Catholic Church. Around the same time my best friend Chase received Confirmation. Anytime we spoke on the phone we talked about God and the Bible. Maddie and I moved back to California, and I had no idea how my life would change when Chase took us to Mass at St. Augustine. If you told me 3 years ago that I'd be going through OCIA to receive First Eucharist and Confirmation, I would have said, you’re crazy!
I have learned so much and I desire to continue learning about all aspects of our faith. I’m incredibly grateful to be going through this journey and receiving support from all the lovely parishioners at the Catholic Community of Pleasanton. I could not have asked for a better way to return to my faith. I feel like a better person since I gave my life back to God. I know making God the center of our life is the best decision we have made, and I can't express how much it will help us through all the difficulties of starting a new family. I know in the end that Christ wins, and all evil will fall. I know my family is protected by Christ and no matter what happens here on earth, we will be with Him in the Light.