John McCarty

John McCarty

On Jan. 1, 1961, I was baptized at St. Mark’s church in St. Paul. I was 5 days old, the youngest of seven children and a cradle Catholic. I was born in the final days of pre-Vatican II life in the midst of Irish Catholic culture in the great city of St. Paul.

When I was a few years old, our family moved to St. Luke’s parish in St. Paul, a special place where I cultivated many of my formative memories of faith. My mother joined the choir, my siblings and I attended the parish school, and our family was soon immersed in a new spiritual community.

During those years, we could see the changes of Vatican II starting to occur in our own parish. I received my first Communion and became an altar boy. I remember getting up early to serve 6 a.m. weekday Mass and memorizing the Apostles’ Creed, among other aspects of the Mass. I loved the beauty and the artwork of the church, and I cherished the lively and supportive parish community of which I was a part. On April 1, 1973, I was proud to be confirmed by Archbishop Roach at St. Luke’s in the company of all my classmates and family. Not long after, we began to have guitar Masses in the lower level of the church. Vatican II was in full swing, and things were changing.

In my 20s, my faith took a backseat as I worked hard trying to make a living. But by the time I was almost 30, I was married and found myself back at St. Luke’s having my firstborn baptized. This experience reignited my spiritual journey. Since then, I have gone to church almost every Sunday and often attend daily Mass. My beautiful wife, Linda, and I spent many years at St. Luke’s in the Prepare ministry. I have passionately served on boards of Catholic schools that focus on many of our families in need. For the last 16 years, I have been a member at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, a place that is a bountiful feast of Catholic gifts and has been a truly extraordinary spiritual home.

I believe that faith is a journey, and as the world, the Church, and my life have changed, so has my faith. My childhood faith is different than my faith today and will be different than my faith 10 years from now. And that is why I am a Catholic. Wherever you are in your spiritual journey, the Church embraces you and invites you into community. All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.

McCarty, 60, a lifelong downhill skier, has three adult children with his wife of 31 years.