Gabe Gary grew up in a Lutheran family in rural Madison County and said he realized after studying how Christians differ in their beliefs that he had several misconceptions about Catholic teaching.
“My parents, two older brothers, older sister and I were regular churchgoers, and I had my elementary education in a Christian school before graduating from Madison Plains High School,” said Gary, 26, a 2018 graduate of Ohio State University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs and a legislative aide for state Sen. Michael Rulli, R-Salem.
“Like many young people, I started questioning my beliefs once I entered college. I started digging into the teachings of the various Christian denominations, including Mormonism, and also took a look at Islamic beliefs.
“What I found was that the Protestant denominations differed on the interpretation of so many things. It was like, when anyone found something they didn’t like in one denomination, they’d go off and start another.
“But the Catholic Church has been consistent for 2,000 years. It has stuck to the same beliefs, from St. Peter onward, and you can find all of this in the Scriptures, despite what some Protestants say about the Catholic Church not being scriptural,” Gary said.
“It was difficult at first to accept what Catholics believe about the Virgin Mary because I was sort of brainwashed to believe that Catholics were like a cult which worshipped Mary, and the Bible says you’re not supposed to worship false gods.
“Once I realized that Catholics weren’t worshipping Mary or the saints but asking them to pray to God for us in the same way we would ask a friend to pray for us, things made sense.
“Purgatory was a concept I’d never heard of, but I saw that it was referred to in the Old Testament and by St. Paul. The words ‘Eucharist’ and ‘Trinity’ aren’t specifically mentioned in the Bible, but I realized Catholic teaching in those areas also came from the Scriptures,” he said.
“Besides my RCIA classes, I’ve been helped a lot by the Catechism in a Year videos of Father Mike Schmitz,” director of youth and young adult ministries for the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota.
“I went to my first Mass about seven years ago in St. John Church at Bellaire (in eastern Ohio) for an uncle’s funeral. The incense used at Mass and the sight of all the statues of saints there made a strong impression.
“A little bit later, I started exploring the various denominations and went to my first Mass at (Columbus) St. Christopher’s, which is about two blocks from where I live, and I got chills seeing the host elevated and hearing the bells and realizing what this meant,” he said.
“Another interesting thing I’ve found in visiting various Catholic churches is that no two are alike and that no two Masses are alike in the sense that every priest does things in a different way and has different styles of homilies, yet the essentials are always the same.
“I also know that there are Masses in several languages here in Columbus, including the weekly Polish Mass at St. Christopher’s, and though I may not be able to understand the words spoken at those Masses, I’d know what’s going on.”
Gary said he was concerned about how his family would respond to his decision to become Catholic.
“I knew my mother would be supportive because she grew up Catholic before marrying a Lutheran, but I wasn’t sure about Dad and my brothers and sister. I was nervous about talking to them but knew God was calling me to the Catholic Church.
“I sort of floated the idea to them first, then said that for Christmas when I visited them, I’d be going to Mass at Grove City Our Lady of Perpetual Help, the closest Catholic church to the family home near Mount Sterling.
“Dad was fine with that, saying, ‘However you want to live your life, go for it.’ My siblings were a little more reserved, and we’ve had some interesting discussions, but I feel everyone understands,” he said.
“My sponsor, Rachel Schubert, is active with the Young Professionals group at St. Christopher’s, and I hope to get more involved in that when I’m not busy helping Senator Rulli.
“I’m involved in politics because I’d like to make a difference in people’s lives, and I want to do the same thing as a member of the Catholic Church.”