RCIA Candidates & Elect

Anais: RCIA Elect
Hello, my name is Anais and I was born in Lima, Peru. I moved to the states at the age of 5 because my Grandpa was a Peruvian-Paso trainer. My entire youth I lived in a small city called, Antioch but recently moved to Pleasanton to be closer to work.

My mom is Catholic and growing up she was always close to church, until we moved to the states. She was extremely busy working two jobs and raising my sister and me with my dad, so this caused her to distance herself from Jesus. I never grew up going to church or formally learning about the Catholic religion aside from what my mom shared. Even though we grew up not going to church, we still believed in Jesus and always communicated with him during happy/sad times and were always very thankful for all his blessings. I began to attend RCIA class in Brentwood along with my sister who was on the path of getting married to her now husband. During my time there, I didn’t feel much of a connection, in fact I felt lost with so many questions unanswered. Later that year I moved to Stockton and I was unable to complete the RCIA program.

During our time living in Stockton, my parents divorced. I was very angry at everyone and everything and I was disappointed and questioned God why this happened to my mother. The hate towards my father’s actions grew and I distanced myself completely from God. The hate, sadness and anger I had began affecting my family and their feelings toward me. My move to Pleasanton to be closer to work helped a lot, not only was I able to spend more time with my boyfriend Edwin but was able to have more time for myself to reflect on everything. He asked me what my life goal was and I replied back “to have inner peace and have a connection with God.” We began seeking for the right church community and attended many Masses, but when we attended St. Elizabeth Seton, I knew this was my new “home.”

I reached out to Matt and he was very welcoming as well as everyone here. I have found the right community that treats me like family, and I couldn’t be happier. I feel excited to put the negative thoughts and memories behind and build my relationship with God who has blessed my family with a new baby on the way. I know the baby is a gift from God and the light our family needed. Even though my family went through a hard time, we know it was meant to be and we feel God’s presence and put our faith in his hands.
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I am very excited to have my family present when I receive the sacraments of Baptism, first Eucharist, and Confirmation this coming Easter Vigil. I am very thankful to Matt for allowing me to join the RCIA program, to my sponsor Liz who always sets time aside and helps me on my journey. A big thanks to my sister and brother-in-law for encouraging me to join, for my boyfriend’s push to always reach my goals and to seek my inner peace and most importantly, my mother; my biggest motivation in life.
Chris: RCIA Candidate
Hello, my name is Chris. I grew up in southern California and moved to Silicon Valley in 1996 switching from a career in Aviation to the technology industry. I met my wife in November of 1996 and was married in 2000. After moving around a bit we settled in Pleasanton in 2005. My wife being an employee of PUSD helped cement us in the Pleasanton community, while meeting and associating with the wonderful people of this once little town.

It was with my wife meeting Anne Warner that our journey of finding faith began. We started knowing something was missing in our lives. Anne and my wife had talked about CCOP and there was no pressure to attend. We decided we should do some research before jumping in so we attended other services around Pleasanton to gain another point of view.

In 2013 came the big change in our lives. After 10 years of trying and heart break we finally had our first and only child little Aubrie (coming into life at only 4.9lb). To see her today she is a full blown high spirited well-mannered 6 year old and the center of our lives. Aubrie was baptized at St. Augustine in 2014 and my wife followed through the RCIA program in 2015/16. I was baptized as an infant in 1965. That only left me to commit and complete my sacraments of initiation.

After a few year of attending Mass on a regular basis and crossing my arms to receive a blessing, the CCOP community started to notice. Being the good Catholics that they are, I was approached from time to time about taking that next step, with no pressure added!

With the passing of Fr. Paul Minnihan I found myself in a positon knowing life here on Earth is not forever and at 54 years I better start taking those needed steps to stay closer to my family and God. Your passing opened my eyes – Thank you.
Finally, I was approached by Matt Gray and he commented, “You’re here anyway why don’t you come and join us, RCIA classes start next week.” Well, here I am on this wonderful journey learning who God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are and what it means to be me.

My RCIA journey: grateful to the Team members and guest speakers that while very knowledgeable with the faith come to the table with personal and different perspectives.

Learning the Way is a lifelong adventure that I am looking forward to. Given the opportunities to help at St. Mary’s kitchen in Stockton, filling food pouches for Kids Against Hunger, donating and loading trucks for the Giving Tree program, and handing out toys at the jail has shown there is much to do and it’s rewarding. From giving our time to help serve has been enlightening and to receive open arms from the Dominican Sisters at the Taize Prayer a blessing, to this day, I share my experience of Taize prayer and the devotion of the Sisters with anybody willing to listen, and encourage them to join the Dominican Sisters in Fremont at least once.
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I would like to thank Matt Gray, the RCIA team, my sponsor (Jim Warner) and the entire CCOP community for their prayers and support during my journey. I look forward to getting involved in social ministry in the future and joining you at the table to receive Eucharist.
Hailey: RCIA Candidate
Hello, my name is Hailey and I am a RCIA candidate. I used to live in Pleasanton throughout my middle school and high school years and recently moved. I’m a freshman at Las Positas College, currently majoring in nursing.

I decided to go through RCIA to continue being close with my faith. Ever since I was a baby I struggled a lot with my health due to asthma. It continued to follow me throughout high school as well. This was not only taxing on my schooling, but it limited me from going to church all the time because I was always sick. I was baptized when I was little so my faith was always by my side, but I wanted to fully immerse myself in the Catholic Church.

After I graduated, my mom and I found RCIA and to me it felt like perfect timing to not only finish my sacraments, but to reconnect my faith. I joined RCIA in August. At first, I was sort of scared because I did not know what to expect. Immediately I felt very welcomed by all of the team members. Everyone is so caring and nice and just overall want the best for everyone.
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I have really enjoyed learning about my faith in depth as well as helping our community. Not only does this journey have a sense of connection with one another, but it provides a great deal of growth. I really enjoyed going to the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, as well as serving ice cream at Livermore Homeless Refuge and preparing Thanksgiving food baskets. I feel like this journey gives all of the candidates and catechumen/elect a sense of belonging and appreciation for one another. I am very grateful for all of the amazing opportunities during this journey and can’t wait to see what happens next.
Josh: RCIA Candidate
Hi CCOP, my name is Joshua but most call me Josh. Thank you for welcoming me into your parish and I am excited to meet everyone. I am from Reno, Nevada and moved to Dublin over two years ago. My family still lives in Reno and are practicing Baptists. I moved to Dublin to be with my fiancé Amy and she is the one who first introduced me to CCOP.

After going to Mass for a year and getting engaged I decided to embrace Catholicism so that my fiancé and I have a sense of unity that is based in the same religion with our God at the center of our union. I was brought up Baptist but have come to realize that we all worship and believe in the same God and that Jesus died for our sins. Coming to CCOP I received a warm welcome and was very curious what made everyone here so kind and wonderful. I found that they showed me what being a Catholic is all about and made me want to aspire to follow in their example.
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Since starting the program, I have learned a lot from Matt and his team and from my spiritual directors. The RCIA experience has been amazing thus far and has opened my eyes to all the symbolism that is found in such a rich tradition found in mass and the sacraments. Matt and his team really make us feel very involved with our faith formation which shows us what it means to give back to the community and the church as we are all called to do. It is amazing to see the impact that we have from helping Kids Against Hunger to the soup kitchen at St. Mary’s in Stockton, RCIA has shown me that we can be a light for anyone and everyone.
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There is still much to learn, and I hope to start giving back to the church as soon as possible. I hope to find a ministry to plug into and be able to share my experience and perspective from a Baptist background to a Catholic one. I honestly never expected to become a Catholic, yet I’ve never been more sure about anything else in my life. God really works in mysterious ways but as a former pastor once told me, "If you can trust a puzzle company to make sure every piece is in the box to complete the puzzle, why can't you trust GOD that every piece of your life is there for a reason".
Matthew: Adult Confirmation
Hello, my name is Matthew. I was born and raised in Pleasanton and spent my childhood in the Catholic Church at St. Augustine’s. I have always known that God existed, and I was close with the spiritual world. I dreamt as a child of meeting my Grandparents in heaven and knowing that I was loved. Sadly, at some point I fell and was unable to see what I had, I had lost my way. I truly believed that I was no longer loved and I accepted it. I felt no love so I gave no love. I knew that the spiritual world existed at this time, but had no compassion and did not pray. I lost track, and stopped looking towards what was in front of me.

​I became an adult, and life seemed empty till I met a women from my childhood. I broke down and explained to her that I was lost. She told me what to do, she said to pray to your Mother, our Mother. So I did. I went to bed that night, empty and heavy hearted. But when I awoke, I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders and I felt I had finally been heard. I could not explain what had happened, just that I felt love when no love was shown. My life was my own again because of my Mother (The Virgin Mary).

​I learned every day after that, always trying to give thanks to the Blessed Virgin Mary. I started a career I worked harder. I became a better person all because of her. I was on a mission to do good things. Years went by and I found a new career. I left my old life behind and reconnected with my faith.

​I was never lonely in spirit but lonely in life. I prayed just to give thanks never asking for anything because I felt I was already given so much. And then I fell in love with Stephanie, she is my soul mate. How did I become so lucky, I looked up giving thanks. I had to do more I had to reach out and join what I believed in, I had to finish my journey with the Catholic Church. I’m here today because God, I want to give thanks for to his love and his understanding. I want more for myself and my faith.

​Since starting back into the confirmation process I have felt closer than ever to my faith. I am excited to pray, to read, and to meet with my fellow Catholics. My journey finally feels like it is back on track and I owe it to my faith and the people who have helped me along the way. I am forever grateful, and cannot wait to see what comes next in the journey of my faith.
Miranda: RCIA Elect
Hello CCOP, my name is Miranda! I was born in Lodi, CA. I grew up with a huge blended family with 3 sisters and 3 brothers. Growing up, religion was not a part of my life.
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I started my faith journey when my now husband, Alfonzo, and I attended the Catholic Engagement Encounter. Since we had gotten engaged to the point that we booked our retreat we went back and forth about getting married in the church or doing a non-religious ceremony. Religion was a big part of Alfonzo’s life growing up but he took a step back in his adulthood and I had no religious preference, so we were not sure if it was the right fit for us at that moment. The retreat opened our eyes to how meaningful the sacrament of marriage is and it solidified to us that it was indeed something we wanted.

This was the point where I started thinking about my personal faith beyond the marriage ceremony. Soon after I enrolled in RCIA at the Stockton parish in February of 2019. I first joined with the intention of discovering what Catholicism was all about. I wanted to get to a point at least where I would understand what was going on at my wedding ceremony.
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After participating in RCIA Stockton and completing my introductory classes I decided that I wanted to discover more and go through the process to receive my sacraments. I moved to Dublin for a work opportunity in San Francisco in the summer of 2019 and joined the RCIA at CCOP in August of 2019. During my time in RCIA I have participated in the preparation of Thanksgiving baskets and helped out at the Saint Mary’s Dining Hall. I have enjoyed my experience in RCIA and have met some wonderful people. The RCIA team has always made me feel so welcomed!

I look forward to receiving my sacraments at the Easter Vigil!
Robert: RCIA Candidate
​Hello, my name is Robert. My journey to RCIA and the Catholic faith started simply. My fiancée, Katie is Catholic and my house was just down the street from St. Elizabeth Seton. Katie loved the idea of being so close and walking to church on Sundays and I agreed to go with her. Having driven by the church for many years, I never gave it much thought in the past. Once at the church I found I really enjoyed the homilies, the message contained within and how they were given in a conversational and personal manner. I enjoyed coming. My reason to continue and join RCIA was for a couple of reasons.

First, we are expecting our first child, a son, who is due in two weeks at the time of this writing. We plan to raise him Catholic, and I initially joined RCIA to learn more about the Catholic faith in order to be an active participant in my son’s religious life. Throughout my time in the RCIA program, I have discovered my own path and faith life here as well. Kindness is a strength, and one I see prevalent in this community. I have always believed kindness is something one gives willingly and without expectation of return. You should not be kind for fear of retribution of any kind. You should not expect repayment in any form, nor should you be applauded. It is just the right thing to do. I want my son to be a kind man. I believe the Bible and the community I see at CCOP are the guide he needs to follow that path in addition to having parents who follow that path.

​Second, I am with someone that I can’t imagine ever being without. She is truly special and is my partner always. Through my journey to Catholicism and baptism, we will be able to enter a marriage that is sacramental and has more meaning than I can put into words. She is precious to me and our bonding should be as such and express as much.

​I will be baptized, confirmed, and receive first Eucharist at the Easter Vigil, and our son’s baptism will follow soon after. We have much to be thankful for.
Sharayla: RCIA Elect
​Hi everyone! My name is Sharayla, and I’m relatively new to the Bay Area and to Catholicism. I grew up in Minnesota but have lived in several places since, including Thailand and China. I moved to Pleasanton almost four years ago with my son, Jaeden, from South Carolina. We share our home with our cat, Pennsylvania, who likes to think he runs the household. We enjoy skiing and paddle boarding, and I like to take out my motorcycle to explore the great drives in the Tri-Valley area.
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I joined RCIA as part of my personal journey to find a better path in life. During my childhood my parents were fairly religious and involved in non-denominational churches, but I found myself losing my faith as I entered my late twenties. I lost my connection to God. After many years of following my own path and making mistakes, I realized that I was trying to fill a hole in myself that I wasn’t able to fill with the relationships I had or the activities I pursued. I needed a deeper connection to real love, to God. My boyfriend is an active Catholic and had invited me to attend Mass with him, so I went and felt a real stirring in my soul. That’s when I knew that I was being called back to a real unconditional love and to a personal connection with God.

My time with RCIA has been so strong. The basic message of love from God, and being open to his love despite my own mistakes and failings, has brought inner peace and healing. The team has helped me learn about the Catholic teachings and the history and profound meaning behind the symbols and traditions of the Church. Connecting with a community and surrounding myself with people on the same journey has been so inspiring to help me on my new path. Our opportunities to help others at Kids Against Hunger and at St. Mary’s Dining Room have been incredible experiences, and very moving. I’ve also found a lot of inspiration from my sponsor, Terry, with our readings in Rediscovering Jesus and discussing the tenets of Catholicism.
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My goal is to continue this journey as a lifelong relationship with God and the Church, working to find the path God wants me to be on and how I can help others.