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When Erin Peterzak opened a birthday card from her great-aunt, she found an unexpected gift: a year of Catholic Masses offered for her. That spiritual gesture, she now says, changed everything.
As reported by the Catholic Star Herald, Peterzak — now 36 — was received into full communion with the Church at the Easter Vigil at All Saints Church in Millville, New Jersey.
Peterzak had drifted spiritually in recent years. Though baptized Episcopal and later active in a Mennonite community, she stepped away from church life altogether by 2020. Her prayer life, however, never stopped.
“It was never a question of whether I believed in God,” she told the Catholic Star Herald. “But what was the right path to Him[?]”
When that card from her great-aunt arrived on her birthday, it contained more than a greeting. Enclosed was news that Masses would be offered for her intentions over the next year. At the time, she hadn’t seriously considered the Catholic faith.
“I was very moved,” she said. “I hadn’t even considered that the Catholic faith would be anywhere that I wanted to go.”
But the gesture planted a seed, the Catholic Star Herald reported. Peterzak began researching on her own, diving into Catholic websites like Catholic Answers, reading books by Scott Hahn, and watching videos by Fr. Mike Schmitz. One idea, in particular, captivated her: the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
“I had learned before that [the Eucharist] was just a symbol,” she said. “But now, I believed. And in this truth, I knew the Catholic Church was the only place I could go.”
She attended her first Mass in September 2023. Sitting quietly in the back, she followed along with the congregation using a laminated prayer card in the pew. The experience, far from alienating, was grounding.
“It felt good,” she said. “There wasn’t anything there that made me think I shouldn’t be there.”
That visit marked the beginning of her formal journey. Later that fall, she enrolled in the parish’s Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA). There, she found not only answers to theological questions but also a deeper spiritual rhythm. Daily prayer — especially the rosary — became essential.
When it came time to choose a sponsor, she turned to the woman who had unknowingly started it all.
“My whole life, she’s been very encouraging, a good example of how loving, giving and kind we should all be,” Peterzak said. “She has been a good example of keeping the faith.”
For her confirmation saint, she chose St. Katharine Drexel — a fellow Pennsylvanian and champion of education for marginalized communities.
“I liked how she gave of herself,” Peterzak said. “That’s something I want to emulate.”
