By Eileen Connelly, OSU
The Catholic Telegraph 

Everything happens in God’s time. It’s a lesson Kaitlyn Spradling  has already learned at the age of 23 that will serve her well in life and in her faith.

A graduate student in pathology at the University of Cincinnati, Spradling may have been the youngest member of her RCIA group at Our Lord Christ the King Parish in Mt. Lookout, but she brought a lifetime of exposure to Catholicism to the experience. Spradling’s mother, Gina, is Catholic; her father, Tony, is Baptist. Her parents chose not to have their only child baptized as an infant. Rather, she was raised around both faith traditions with the hope she would chose her own spiritual path.

As a child, Spradling attended Mass with her mother and services with her father on holidays. She also attended school liturgies as a student at Sacred Heart School in Fairfield and later Badin High School in Hamilton. She recalls developing more interest in Catholicism when she entered her teens. “I would ask a lot of questions in religion class and found myself really searching for answers about what Catholics believe,” Spradling said.

During her time as an undergraduate student at UC, Spradling joined a sorority and started participating in a weekly Bible study. Soon she began going to Mass at St. Monica-St. George Parish Newman Center with her boyfriend, Steve Schaefer, and, said Spradling, “I realized the Catholic Church was where I wanted to be.”

She now lives right across the street from Our Lord Christ the King Parish, where she has been participating in the Mass as fully as she can — joyfully singing, listening intently to the Scripture readings and homily and praying with the rest of the congregation. Spradling is especially excited about receiving Communion for the first time at Easter Vigil. “I’m looking forward to receiving the body and body of Christ, of really being part of the church, part of the community.”

Her parents have been entirely supportive of her decision to join the church, she said. “My mother is so excited and has been my sponsor and my dad just wants me to have faith in my life.”

Spradling is grateful for her parents’ encouragement and the opportunity to have had the different perspectives of the rest of her RCIA group. “It’s been interesting to hear their stories about life and faith and how everyone is called (by God) at different times,” she said.

That realization has been significant for Spradling, who admits she wasn’t 100 percent sure about joining the Catholic Church when she began the RCIA process. “I knew it was right for me as time went on, though,” she noted. “I think everything happens for a reason and when God means for it to happen. It has to be between you and God and you’ll know when he’s calling. It’s going to happen on his terms and when he’s ready for you. You just have to listen for Him and accept Him.”