DISCIPLE: Why I'm Catholic by Kyle Pederson

This article appears in the Fall 2024 edition of the DISCIPLE newsletter. If you are not receiving DISCIPLE in your mailbox, contact the parish office at 763-497-2745  to register as a parishioner or update your contact information. 

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As a child, faith was routine for me; I neither deviated form it nor put any extra thought into it. Life changed when my parents decided to homeschool. Suddenly, in a predominantly Catholic circle, I became motivated in my faith and learned the value of community. At a NET Ministries Lifeline event, I fully experienced Jesus for the first time in Eucharistic Adoration. This encounter was not a result of my pursuit of the Lord, but his merciful pursuit of me.

It was challenging to learn that salvation is a process. God's grace is infinite, but our receiving of that grace is human. I relocated from Fargo to Minneapolis, 230 miles closer to my wife Mandi, whom I was dating at the time, only to confront unexpected loss and pain: the sudden death of a friend, divorce of loved ones, abrupt onset mental illness of a family member, all in rapid succession. The chaos surrounding Mandi and I nearly ended our relationship. We decided to spend time apart, praying separately the Novena to Mary, Undoer of Knots, begging her intercession to untangle our doubt and brokenness. Through nine days of prayer and solitude, we each renewed our trust in the Lord. I experienced His overwhelming grace again in Adoration on the ninth day, just as real and reassuring as my previous encounter. We recommitted our relationship to Him. Now, years later, we've invested in this community to keep us close to the Lord's call. 

For me, that call is most powerful and profound in the Blessed Sacrament where, through the cross, Christ comes directly to us, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, and embraces us in our humanity. That experience of grace through the Eucharist is capable of changing lives, healing wounds, and reawakening faith, every single time, if we let it. This is why I am Catholic.

Parishioners Kyle and Mandi Pederson live in St. Michael and have two children. Kyle works as an architect, served on the Historic Church Planning Committee, and participates in a men's Cana group, Photo courtesy of the Pedersons.