Nadége Kokoe Kreitzman
Like most Catholics, I was baptized into the Church as a little child. I therefore consider myself to be one of the very fortunate people on this earth to have been given this precious gift early on in life. The question that seems more fitting for me, then, is: “Why do I remain Catholic”?
I can honestly say that I have never once considered any other teachings than those of the Catholic Church, but many personal experiences have played a role in keeping me in the Church. I will share a few that have been tremendously instrumental in my faith journey.
It all started with my mother and maternal grandmother, whose witness to the Catholic faith became a catalyst for my own spirituality. My grandmother had a great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to our Blessed Mother, and she was faithful to the sacraments of the Church her entire life. She imparted her zeal of the Catholic faith to my mother, who in turn passed it on to me. My mother also inculcated in me the pride of belonging to the true Church of Christ and introduced me to the rewarding company of the saints while sharing timeless Catholic devotions with me. But most of all, my mother’s and grandmother’s testimonies of their personal encounter with Christ, in addition to the many graces they received throughout their lives from their Beloved, inspired me to cultivate and live out my own Christian faith.
As a young teen, I had the privilege of belonging to a Christian youth group that shared the Gospel through prayer, musical performances and community service. The group often visited several non-Catholic churches, and it was at this time that I was fully made aware of the True Presence of our Lord. I remember telling my mother that I felt as if something was missing when I went to those other churches. She revealed to me that the “something” that was missing was rather a Someone: Jesus Christ, fully present — body, blood, soul and divinity — in the holy sacrament of the Eucharist, a priceless gift to his Church! This experience totally sealed the deal for me and propelled me to completely fall in love with my Catholic faith.
When I became a young adult, I was still very involved in the Catholic Church, but I followed the “popular” lifestyles the world offered me and made choices that were not in harmony with the Church’s teachings. Eventually, by God’s grace, my previously formed conscience was awakened again and I fled to the confessional, where I tasted the sweetness of having grave sins forgiven. In addition to forgiveness, I have received many graces through the sacrament of reconciliation including healing, deliverance and personalized words of advice (pronounced by various priests) that I knew were from the Lord himself.
I realize every day how much I fall short in my relationship with Jesus, and my only regret in life is to have hurt him so deeply in the past. But the beauty of it all is that our God is a great and merciful God who has allowed me to fall deep into darkness so that I might fully cherish the light he alone brings to my soul. His love and patience sustain me daily and he never fails to show me his faithfulness. I shall ever be thankful to the Lord for his Church — the one, holy and apostolic Catholic Church — from whom all graces flow, and whose sacraments undeniably lead us to our eternal home, heaven!
Filled with joy and awe, I also declare that “my cup overflows … and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Ps 23: 5-6).
Kreitzman is a native of Togo, West Africa. She and her Wisconsinite husband Ed have two little boys. They are members of the Cathedral of St. Paul. She recently joined the preschool staff at St. Agnes School and is pursuing two master’s degrees (through the generosity of the Murray Institute) at the University of St. Thomas in music education (choral concentration) and Catholic Studies.
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