Fulfilling a dream at 67, man initiated into the Church

By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press

“We had the best Easter of our lives! … I felt like I was closer to my kids. If I could love them any more, I did. I feel like I’m closer to God.”
Glen Gagnon was reflecting on his experiences last weekend. He said he and his family did many fun things to celebrate Easter on Sunday.
Saturday he fulfilled a dream postponed in his youth, ending years as an outsider, and prepared to set the example for his grandchildren that he’d wanted to set for his children when they were young.
With his wife, Terri, standing behind him, he was baptized, confirmed and received his first Communion at the Easter Vigil at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Milford.
“It’s wonderful!” the 67-year-old told The Catholic Free Press. “I feel like this is the end of a long journey and the beginning of a new one. … I’ve really longed to take Communion for years. In a sense, it was almost an out-of-body experience. I’ve been an outsider for a long time.” He asked himself, “Is this me taking Communion?”
It evoked memories, he said.
When his children received their first Communion and confirmation at St. Mary’s, he learned a lot about the Catholic Church from their family-oriented religious education.
Mr. Gagnon’s parents had raised him and his siblings at Worcester First Church of the Nazarene.
They were upset when he told them he and his wife were raising their children Catholic. He asked them to attend their oldest son’s Jeff’s first Communion, and bring their minister if that would make them more comfortable. And they did.
Seven-year old Jeff told those celebrating with him: “I want to thank you all for coming. You didn’t have to bring gifts. Having you here is nice enough.”
“My parents – the Nazarenes – they came up to me and said, ‘You’re doing something right,’” Mr. Gagnon said.
“My parents and my grandparents were very devout Nazarenes,” he said. “We lived the church beliefs and the church culture. … It was easier to list the things you cannot do … smoking, drinking, going to movies.…”
They attended church Sunday mornings and evenings, and weekday Bible studies, he said. Old people gave testimonies about their relationship with God. He and his siblings sang in the choir, played instruments and sometimes preached.
In the Nazarene church children could be baptized when they were old enough to understand, he explained.
When he was about 12, he asked his pastor if he could be baptized.     
“I can recall waiting,” he said. “It was week after week. I would ask him again. It was extremely important to me. I felt close to God. I wanted to be part of the church.
“Because they didn’t respond to me, I fell away from the church totally. I can recall the minister … telling me, ‘We’re ready now.’ I said, “I’m not, anymore.’”
However, he said, “I never turned away from God. … My religious education didn’t pick up again until I met Terri.” She was Catholic, and they decided to raise their children Catholic. Mr. Gagnon said he appreciated the structure of the Mass; Nazarene services are more informal.
“When you’re struggling (with) being a provider … there’s … that one hour a week when you can relax,” he said. For him and his wife it was at church, their well-behaved children with them.
“I enjoyed the Liturgy of the Word,” Mr. Gagnon said. “I enjoyed sitting in church. But I was enjoying it as an outsider.” He realized that, after reading that non-Catholics were welcome but should not receive Communion.
“That was when I began to realize that Communion in the Catholic Church is way different than in the Nazarene church … in a good way,” he said. “I respected that.”
But not receiving Communion, when his children did, made him question, “What kind of example am I? I’ve always wanted to be the best example I can be to my family.”
He thought about becoming Catholic, but “life got in the way,” as he traveled a lot for work, he said.
“As soon as I retired, this came back to me,” he said. He called St. Mary’s and Sacred Heart of Jesus parishes in Milford.
Deacon David F. Vaillancourt, who coordinates the English-language Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults at St. Mary’s, invited him to their next class.
“He was so welcoming it didn’t matter who else called me,” Mr. Gagnon said. He would go through St. Mary’s RCIA, where he came to appreciate the historical perspective and living example Deacon Vaillancourt gave.
Deacon Vaillancourt said it was obvious Mr. Gagnon “was taking it very seriously,” and was a model catechumen.  
Asked why he wanted to become Catholic, Mr. Gagnon said, “I think we all have … this burning desire: ‘I want to be closer to God.’ … As you age and … experience life, experience death … (you) recognize, ‘I want to do what’s … really important in my life … achieve an everlasting life. … You can’t forget what you’re here for. … I believe one of the reasons I was put here on earth was to have my family,” make the world better and set a good example.
He said he has five grandchildren and two on the way and “it’s time to make sure their grandfather sets a good example for them.”
His wife has been with him all along, and she said she’s very proud of him, he said.
“I think (receiving the sacraments) makes my life better, and hopefully everybody that I touch.”