New Catholics initiated in the Church gathered at Ohio Dominican University (ODU) on Saturday, May 31 for a Mystagogy retreat.
Mystagogy is the fifth and final stage of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) by which an individual becomes a full member of the Roman Catholic Church.
The retreat at ODU gave neophytes, those who recently received the sacraments of initiation – baptism, the Eucharist and Confirmation – in the Church time to gather with other newly initiated Catholics, attend Mass with Bishop Earl Fernandes and hear encouraging talks.
The diocesan Department of Evangelization hosted the day of reflection and continued catechesis. Talks were offered by Dr. Marlon De La Torre, senior director of the department, and Jason Spoolstra, associate director of the Office for Marriage and Family.
Neophytes deepened their understanding of the Scriptures, the sacraments and Church teachings while continuing to grow in faith. The retreat was also a reminder that, while they were initiated in the Catholic Church, the journey to conversion did not end but is simply beginning.
For Peter Mercadante, 31, a Florida native, his journey to Catholicism was a while in the making. Born to and baptized in a Catholic family, he attended Mass but did not receive the sacraments of the Eucharist or Confirmation as a child.
He moved to Columbus for a job about three years ago, but difficulties kept him from fully embracing the faith.
“I was struggling with alcohol and other things and not having great relationships, just sort of, in the end, feeling like a failure in a lot of ways,” he admitted.
“One day I sort of knelt down – and I’m not that great at praying – and basically, I said, ‘Hey, I’m a failure. I don’t want to do this my way anymore. You take over, and I’ll just see where it goes.’”
Mercadante said he continued that regularly and things began to turn around. He returned to Mass and visited Columbus Sacred Heart Church in the Italian Village neighborhood. He met Msgr. Frank Lane, the parish administrator.
“He was straight up with me and said, ‘You’ve got to finish this quest. You were meant to be here. You need to do this,’” Mercadante recalled. “Just interacting with him was phenomenal, and I think he was really the right person at the right time to help guide me through the journey.”
He completed OCIA classes at Columbus St. John the Baptist Church, located nearby in Italian Village, and entered full communion with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil this year.
Mercadante was glad he attended the Mystagogy retreat. He said it helped him focus on the future of his faith journey. He is planning to sponsor a man who is in formation to become a full member of the Catholic Church next Easter.
He noted that initiation in the Church has helped in other aspects of life, too. Mercadante began running and working to improve his physical health.
“I think faith had a massive play in that because it was just letting faith take over, letting God kind of drive the boat,” he explained. “I’m just along for the journey.”
Dasha Onhyandy, a wife and mother of three young children, also attended the diocesan Mystagogy retreat. She grew up a non-denominational Christian, but shortly after giving birth to her third child, Autumn, in 2023, she experienced a change that ultimately led to initiation in the Catholic Church.
Onhyandy recalled driving on East Livingston Avenue last year, located on the east side of Columbus. It was during a period of personal hardship, and she felt drawn to pull into the parking lot of Columbus Christ the King Church.
She said she did not know the church was there and did not intend to stop, but she went inside and attended Mass.
“Although I didn’t take the Eucharist, I began to recall receiving communion as a young girl and something stirred within me,” she recounted. “I was overwhelmed by the graces I felt flowing through me at that time and later said to my husband, ‘This is what we need to do. This is the change that needs to occur.’”
Bishop Earl Fernandes visits with Dasha Onhyandy and her children (from left) Ava, 9; Autumn, 19 months; and Alexander, 7 at the Mystagogy retreat for new Catholics at Ohio Dominican University. Her family came into the Church at the Easter Vigil this year at Columbus Christ the King Church. CT photo by Ken Snow
The couple’s older two children were attending Columbus St. Mary School in the German Village neighborhood. Onhyandy said it seemed their family was being drawn to the Catholic faith.
They started attending Mass at Christ the King and began formation in the OCIA program last fall. The family came into the Church together at the Easter Vigil this year. Their sponsor was a cousin of Onhyandy’s husband who is studying for the priesthood at Mount St. Mary Seminary & School of Theology in Cincinnati.
The diocesan Department of Evangelization said they intend to offer more Mystagogy retreats following the continuing call to conversion.