From classroom to conversion, the Brownfield family’s conversion story

Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

The Brownfield family was welcomed as Elect at the Rite of Election, February 22, as parents, Cailey and Ryan, prepare to join the Catholic church with their four children. The family’s story of conversion began when Mr. and Mrs. Brownfield decided to send their second oldest child to Sts. Peter and Paul School, California, where she blossomed in love of the faith.

“She’s a very spiritual child,” said Mrs. Brownfield, whose personal conversion was sparked by a moment of faith with her daughter. “She and all of her friends ran to the Stations of the cross. I walked up there and she was explaining what each one of them was, what the meaning behind each one of them was. For me, that sparked my interest, just watching her light up about all of it.”

Mr. Brownfield explained that his daughter’s curiosity spurred the family to consider OCIA classes. “She’d always come home and talk about God and Jesus, and she’d ask us questions, and we didn’t know how to answer them. We want her to be able to come to us and ask those questions, now that we have the knowledge. We wanted to feel in place with her.”

The Brownfield family had been attending Mass at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish while their daughter was enrolled in the school and were familiar with director of religious education, Congregation of Divine Providence Sister Lynn Stenken. Who proved to be instrumental in the personal conversion of Mr. and Mrs. Browning to the faith.

At her second OCIA class, Mrs. Browning arrived with, “a list of questions for Sister Lynn, because I was curious. I wanted to know why everybody had a Mary in their front yard … there were just so many things that didn’t make sense,” she said. “Just that one class, Sister Lynn connected all of the dots for me that I had that were scattered all over the place.”

Since attending OCIA classes, Mr. and Mrs. Brownfield both feel a sense of peace amongst their family. “You could just tell the difference in our family,” said Mr. Brownfield, “even with having young kids running around and screaming we kind of take a deep breath, take a minute to relax…I would say the morale in the family has been a lot higher since before we went to Church.”

Both Mr. and Mrs. Brownfield are excited to continue learning their newfound faith, even after their initiation at Easter Vigil. “I feel like learning is what brings me closer to God, I don’t want it to end, I want to keep growing with it,” said Mrs. Brownfield. For Mr. Brownfield, he looks forward to, “being more involved with the community of the Catholic Church,” which he will do through his new membership as a member of the Knights of Columbus. “It just feels like, with the Catholic religion and the community, it’s just everybody’s so loving that if you’re an outside coming in, they’ll still open their arms to bring you in, no matter what.”

As the family prepares to enter the church at Easter Vigil, Mr. Brownfield said, “It makes me feel like my grandma’s up in Heaven right now, jumping up and down that someone in the family decided to become Catholic and get into the church.”