Newly baptized are received into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil

Intermountain Catholic

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The Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, baptizes Mark Ramey into the Catholic Church during the Easter Vigil at the Cathedral of the Madeleine as (far right) Ramey's sponsor, Jerry Miller from the Cathedral of the Madeleine, and his godfather, Ken Anderson from Sparks, Nev., look on. See more photos on Facebook.IC photo/Christine Young

SALT LAKE CITY — As darkness set in prior to the Easter Vigil March 30, the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, lit the Paschal candle in the courtyard of the Cathedral of the Madeleine, representing the darkness dispelled by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

"We proclaim the great Easter mysteries on this vigil as we celebrate the core of our faith," Bishop Wester said in his homily. "It is with great joy that we now welcome all of you Elect who are to receive the fullness of Christ’s peace as you are baptized, confirmed, and receive his body and blood. Jesus crucified in weakness and wisdom comes to you in these beautiful sacraments, and then gathers you and holds you, and then his body the Church welcomes you with great joy. We pray to our loving God in gratitude and thanksgiving for your journey of faith."

In the Diocese of Salt Lake City this year, more than 280 people were received into the Church through the Sacraments of Initiation, said Ruth Dillon, director of liturgy. Among those baptized by Bishop Wester during the Easter Vigil was Mark Ramey, who went through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) program for 18 months on his journey of faith.

"Had it not been for a newfound faith in God which had been borne in me a short time prior to the death of my beautiful 26-year-old daughter, Merced, I don’t know how I could have withstood it," said Ramey.

Merced died on Oct. 10, 2010 after her body rejected a lung transplant she received for cystic fibrosis, and "my life changed irrevocably," Ramey said.

"Not too long ago had you asked me what I thought happens after we die I would have said we are buried or cremated and that is the end," he said. "But it occurs to me that God in his infinite wisdom was preparing me for this moment of healing, soothing and helping – I couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing Merced again. It was Merced who continued to believe in God and whom I would attend a Christian church with the last couple years."

Ramey’s path to his new faith was long, often meandering and rocky, and "very nearly took me over a cliff or two," he said. "I was born into a Mormon family 61 years ago, and as a child went along with the program and accepted what I was told."

Ramey spent two years on a mission in Mexico and never regretted it, although his intentions regarding a resolution about religion were never realized, he said. Afterward, he graduated from Brigham Young University, where he met his wife, Becky. The couple was married in the Oakland, Calif. temple and had four children.

"Somewhere around 10 years into our marriage, without much discussion, we just stopped going to church," he said. "For me there was a definite lack of faith."

Ramey’s search for faith started when his friend was arrested for a DUI and Ramey went to several Alcoholics Anonymous classes.

"As I attended and listened, the more I could relate to where my own life was in relationship to my drinking, my family and my relationships, none of which were in very good shape," he said. "As the group discovered their higher power, something was planted in me, and I too could believe in something beyond this material world. I had believed that God was a man-made thing to help us cope with our fears and our stresses."

At the same time, Ramey’s brother-in-law shared with him his conversion into Catholicism. Ramey began attending Mass and RCIA at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. "I stopped drinking and started praying and that was all the opening that God required," he said. "There is so much I love about my newfound faith."