by Susan Stevenot Sullivan

As a matter of record Scott Schulten has been a Catholic all his life. As a matter of belief he has considered himself a Christian. The matter of conversion, however, began last year.

Schulten was baptized as an infant in a Catholic church in Louisville, Ky. His family moved to Ohio a short time later leaving the practice of Catholicism behind them.

As he grew up, Schulten associated the close-knit supportive bonds of his paternal grandparents and seven aunts and uncles with their Catholic beliefs. He grew spiritually as an adult, but did not find an expression in organized religion.

Devastated in 1992 by the end of a 14-year marriage, Schulten looked to the Catholic Church for support and answers. The answer he found were not as simple as he hoped, but support and a framework for a day-to-day relationship with God have rewarded his search.

“I was lost,” he said. “I didn’t know how to be forgiven or to forgive ... I started going to various churches and when I went to the cathedral in St. Augustine (Florida) on Christmas Day in 1992, I liked what I saw and what I felt. I saw an echo of what I remembered from my father’s family -- people sustained by and comfortable with their religion.”

“The Catholic faith demands that it be made a part of your day-to-day life,” Schulten continued. “It changes the way you do business. It changes the way you relate to your friends. I was looking for that structure and guidance in a lot of areas of my life.”

Schulten is one of 67 people in the Order of Christian Initiation program at the Cathedral of Christ the King. He will receive first Eucharist and confirmation at the Easter Vigil liturgy. He made his first reconciliation in mid-March.

Schulten is a resident of Austell and was first invited to join the Christian initiation program at St. John Vianney by Father David Stachurski, OFM Conv. In August, 1993 he transferred to the program at the cathedral because it is so close to his law office.

“I love the program,” Schulten said. “A close friend, a Catholic, Rick Frascona, helped me and agreed to sponsor me. We meet in small groups to talk about God, sin, your past. The questions provoke a lot of thought. I’m used to that method and comfortable with that method. If it was just an exposition of dogma, I wouldn’t have stayed in the program.”

Schulten admitted that he has not found the simple answers he expected to resolve the pain of divorce.

“I ended up finding what I was looking for, but not merely by resolving the one issue that brought me into the church,” he said. “Now I have nourishment and sustenance. They have been very friendly and open and warm and have challenged me to be the same and that really is not my personality to be friendly and open and warm.”

Listening to the others in the group was difficult for Schulten, who has spent decades being in charge.

“It was a challenge for me to sit there and shut up and listen to the other people,” he said. “I felt a real call to be more supportive of the people when they did talk. I’ve made an effort to be a good listener and to facilitate. I don’t know how successful I’ve been at that.”

Experiencing community takes on a new meaning in the Christian initiation program at the cathedral when the sponsors, candidates and catechumens and adult initiation team of 15 assemble. They use the Hyland Center behind the church because they need almost 150 chairs and a public address system.

“One of the challenges of the full initiation program is to meet the variety of needs that people come with,” said Ret Siefferman, director of religious education and full initiation programs at Christ the King.

“When you’re dealing with more than 60 people, you are dealing with many needs and expectations,” Mrs. Siefferman continued. “It’s a learning about, but also an experience of, community. This would not be possible without the commitment of a strong team of people who work with me, from catechists to musicians.”

“The group is the size of a small parish,” Mrs. Siefferman pointed out. “But another challenge is to involve the parish as a whole.”

Candidates and catechumens traditionally are “sent forth” after the homily for further study. The cathedral incorporates this into a rotating schedule of Masses to highlight their presence for parishioners.

“I ask the candidates and catechumens to stand and (then) wish them well in their studies,” said Father Chris Williamson, a parochial vicar at the cathedral. “I ask the people of God to say ‘Amen’ to show their support.”

“It’s not just a matter of watching them become one of us,” Father Williamson continued. “It’s watching us growing. It’s asking ourselves if we are living up to the ideal these people are seeing.”

Schulten said the Rite of Acceptance and Welcoming, held Nov. 13, which included a demonstration of acceptance by the entire congregation, was very moving.

“I was overcome by emotion,” he recalled. “I’m sure the same will be true at the vigil Mass at Easter. I’m looking forward to that. Because you’re so conscious in RCIA of not participating in Communion, being able to participate in the Eucharist is the focus of a lot of desire and anticipation ...”

Schulten has seen a change in his day-to-day relationship with God and with himself.

“There’s more prayer now. There’s more reflection. There’s a lot more study,” Schulten said. “Maybe because of all that, there’s a lot more peace of mind.”

He said he was surprised by the flexibility and supportive atmosphere of the initiation program. Schulten, who has a daughter living at home, said child care is a challenge that OCI programs should address as an important factor during the lengthy preparation process.

After Easter Schulten is looking forward to the next part of the program, the mystagogy. He hopes to see some of his classmates at Mass on Sunday. He would like to interest his two younger children in exploring the Catholic faith.

“Initiation is thought of as something that begins and is over with,” Father Williamson said. “I tell them (candidates and catechumens) the RCIA will begin at Easter, then continue, as they must be converted each day until the end of their days.”