Feb 26 2025 Jim’s Testimony from St. Ignatius Parish Jim shares the experience of ChristLife at St. Ignatius Parish since they began in 2015, including testimonies from several parishioners. Jim helps run ChristLife at St. Ignatius, Ijamsville in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Jim’s testimony was originally shared on the February 2025 Proven Path webinar.
Feb 19 2025 Dave’s Testimony I went through twelve years of Catholic school. My wife and I are both Cradle Catholics and were married in the Catholic Church. I can’t remember missing a Sunday Mass or a Holy Day of Obligation. But that was the extent of our church life. We arrived right at the procession and left at the recession. We never got involved in any other way. We thought that’s all that was required of us, and we thought we were good Catholics. So it somewhat surprised me when my deacon suggested that we “deepen our relationship with Christ” by signing up for ChristLife. I politely declined, noting my Christian lifestyle. He persisted for weeks, asking if we had registered yet. Partly due to my curiosity, but mostly due to his persistence, we gave in and signed up. We were not committed to doing all the sessions; only planning on going for one. The first night of ChristLife, we arrived on time and reported to our assigned table. During the introductions, we met seven others at our table, all with very similar beliefs and practices. Our table facilitator was also very welcoming. We immediately connected with each other. Little did we know at the time, but these people would go on to become some of our closest friends. At first the delicious dinners kept us coming back. The meals were served by parishioners and I was moved by how happy they were to serve us. But the stories shared by these 8 strangers, and the similarities to our own experiences made us remain and participate. Over the next few weeks our relationship with one another and with Christ grew. I even went back to confession at the Holy Spirit Retreat after being away from the Sacrament for many years. At the end of the course, our small group decided to go on to Following Christ and Sharing Christ together, and we continue to meet after 10 years of being together! My relationship with Jesus and His Church changed through ChristLife. I really didn’t have a deep prayer life before ChristLife. I said my memorized Catholic prayers but that was it. Through the course, I learned that the Lord wants to be in relationship with me. He’s not just out there, He’s right by my side. I don’t go to Mass on time anymore! Now I go at least 15 minutes early and I sit quietly and pray. I tell the Lord what’s on my heart and then I am silent. I listen. And He is speaking to me. It’s not an audible voice that I hear. It’s a tender softness in my heart guiding me to do His will. I want to tell everyone about Him! I was recently talking with a woman at church who said she wishes she could hear from God. I told her my experience and told her to talk less and be silent so that she could hear Him in her heart. I’m involved at the parish. I am a Lector and have also become an Extraordinary Minister. I am now part of the Knights of Columbus, a volunteer on the hospitality team for ChristLife, and a minister of hospitality at Sunday masses where I help usher. I love being a part of the Church community now and serving the Lord. I feel like I see Jesus in the faces of all the people I meet and that gives me a lot of joy. At the suggestion of our Pastor, and approved by our Worship Committee, I was nominated for the “Manifesting the Kingdom” award, and was presented with it by the Bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh in August of 2023. This award recognizes the efforts of the Faithful who help the Church in exceptional ways. Although I humbly and gratefully accepted, I feel that this award would’ve never been earned without my ChristLife experience ! If a priest or parish leader asked my opinion about bringing ChristLife to their parish, I would say yes! It’s changed my life and made my parish more vibrant. Dave experienced ChristLife at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Dave’s testimony was originally shared on the February 2025 Proven Path webinar.
Feb 12 2025 Debbie’s Testimony To say that I was a willing participant in Discovering Christ would be a lie. Let me begin by saying that when my husband approached me with the idea of attending a 7 week religious course , I simply ignored the email. First, some background. My husband goes to Mass daily, never misses a weekend Mass, and has a deep faith that I was always impressed by. Me? I was what I like to call a “Holiday Catholic.” I’d go for the big days like Christmas and Easter, but all those other days? Not me. That’s not to say I didn’t pray on my own, but I wouldn’t say I had a “relationship” with God. I had not received Communion in years and hadn’t been to confession in close to 10 years. So to say I was not enthusiastic about attending the class. I agreed, unwillingly and almost to spite him, to attend one class. I never intended to come back. On the first day of what I referred to as “Jesus Class,” I realized my husband and I were not sitting together. I thought, “ok weird, but I’ll give it a shot.” I knew most of the women at my table as regular church goers, members of the parish family. I made it clear from the start I was not a willing participant and most definitely not like them because I was strictly a holiday Catholic. As the evening progressed, I found myself intrigued. Our discussion at the table was interesting and we all openly shared things starting that first day. On the drive home that night, I knew I wanted more. And to my surprise, I was looking forward to the following week’s class. As each week progressed, our conversations were always interesting. I found myself truly enjoying the videos. The speakers were relatable and not “preachy” as I had expected. I even found myself listening to the “Praise and Glory” station on Spotify; a total departure from my usual music. As the retreat approached, I began to feel like this was going to be something big for me. The facilitators recommended going to confession if possible. As I said, it had been years since my last confession and I wasn’t sure I even wanted to go. However, on that particular Saturday just a few days before our retreat, while I was out shopping, I just felt like I needed to go. Something in me felt strongly that this was what I needed. God was speaking to me. I felt it. So I googled a few churches and off I went in search of reconciliation. The first church I arrived at was locked. No confession happening there. More googling and off I went to church #2. Again, locked. At this point, maybe I misheard the calling? Should I just give up? After all, it was getting late and dark and I had dinner plans! But that feeling wouldn’t go away. God was calling to me and I knew what to do. Church #3: my home parish. At last, the church was open and a priest was there. However, he wanted a face to face confession which I felt a little nervous about. The moment I sat down, my tears started flowing. These were tears of pure joy, relief, and gratitude that brought me there. The Holy Spirit was with me and I felt it in my soul. The next day, Sunday, I went to Mass and received Jesus for the first time in many years. I saw my tablemates from “Jesus class” and I knew they were happy I had come so far. Our parish priest who sat with me while I cried was the one to give me the Eucharist. I felt like I had come home. When the day of the retreat arrived, I was excited to see my tablemates and share with them my experience. Little did I know, the Holy Spirit would again call to me that night. I decided to get up and have the prayer team pray with me. I felt that calling again and I knew what I had to do. When they put their hands on my shoulders, once again the tears came. Tears of such gratitude and joy. It’s a feeling I wish I could bottle and give to everyone. The Holy Spirit was with me and letting me feel the love. I have now completed the entire series. Yes, the holiday Catholic attended all three courses! Since that time, I have continued in my spiritual journey in ways that surprise even me! It is because of Discovering Christ that I discovered my own faith. I say “discovered” rather than “recovered” because I didn’t have much faith before. I am more thankful for this gift than words could ever convey. It is through my faith that I have been able to navigate the highs and lows of life. When a dear friend passed away this fall, I used my faith to get through it. I prayed with her sister and encouraged her to help my friend receive the gift of reconciliation. I was so happy she was able to have that complete sense of forgiveness and could pass with peace in her heart, knowing Jesus loved her and forgave her. I recently became a lector for my local parish. If you asked me a year and a half ago if any of these things would have happened, I would have said not a chance. My advice to anyone who is on the fence about “Discovering Christ” is this: try it! Even one session. I am so glad I did! Debbie experienced ChristLife in the Archdiocese of New York. Debbie’s testimony was originally shared on the February 2025 Proven Path webinar.
Nov 04 2024 Fall 2024 Founder’s Letter Dear friends, In January 1971, a friend invited a few people to get together at his house. We all thought, as was normally the case, it would be to have a ‘good time!’ So, we were quite surprised when he greeted us at his front door, saying, “Praise the Lord!” We were all ‘freaked out’ and thought, ‘What did he just say?!’ Once inside, he shared with great enthusiasm that he had become a Christian. He hadn’t been raised as a Christian, but had now become one. We were sitting there, trying to understand what he was sharing. Even more significant than what he was saying was that he was noticeably different. He was happy, peaceful, and enthusiastically telling us that Jesus was the source of this radical life transformation. Although I didn’t say it then, it was clear to me that he had changed. Before we left, he offered us his remaining LSD, which he wouldn’t be using anymore. He said, “you can have it, but I want to tell you it’s second best.” He repeated, “It’s second best. It’s not the one thing that will give you life.” Then he looked directly at me and said: “Dave, Jesus changed my life and he can change yours.” I tried to dismiss all that just happened, but the redemptive damage was done. The witness of his changed life and his joyful words of hope were convincing and impacted me greatly, although I didn’t say anything at that time. His obvious change of behavior and the joy he manifested in telling us this good news about Jesus, is an essential part of my own conversion. A few months later, in March 1971, I returned to my friend ‘s house and told him I wanted what he had, but didn’t know how to get it. He simply told me to get down on my knees and tell Jesus, out loud, what I wanted. Because of my very real sense of personal desperation, I knelt down and simply prayed out loud, “Jesus help me!” It was my turning to God, knowing I couldn’t do it on my own. It was a turning from the way I’d been going and pleading with God to help me change. It was a turning from my sinful life, doing things the way many people I admired told me was the way to find meaning, love, and happiness. I now knew the way I had been living was entirely bankrupt, a dead end, and leading me further and further into darkness. And so, I cried out to God. In that moment of surrender, I experienced the very personal love of God for me (Romans 5:5); I knew that I was forgiven for my sins (Romans 4:25), later I would go to confession. I now knew that I had power to change. This was not in my own strength, but given to me in the Holy Spirit (John 1:12; Acts 1:81). When I said yes to Jesus Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit given in baptism was released in power! As we say in the Creed, I now said personally, “I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ!” Because it was such incredibly good news to me personally, I wanted to tell everyone—if the Lord Jesus would do this for me, he could do it for anyone! Now many years later, ChristLife provides a way to help others to personally encounter Jesus as Lord Jesus; follow him as disciples and make him known to the enormous number of people who don’t know him. We’re producing a new edition of the Sharing Christ course! This model of a friend sharing their experience of the Lord with another friend is the model that we employ in Sharing Christ. This fall we are producing a new edition of Sharing Christ! The Sharing Christ course is an essential part of what is needed for Catholics to fulfill our mission of proclaiming Christ to all. In this new version, Pete Ascosi, ChristLife’s Assistant Director, will take my place as a speaker on the course. Pete is a great teacher who lives what we are all called to be and do in sharing Jesus with others! He will be joined by Fr. Erik Arnold and Dianne Davis, who you know from the current edition. Christ entrusted the Church with the essential mission to, “Go make disciples… baptizing them…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:18-20). The Father longs for all to be saved in and through his Son Jesus Christ and, we, his children, are called to make him known! Please join us and continue to pray for the ChristLife process to help many come to know the Lord and to follow him as members of his Church. Your brother, in the saving love of our Lord Jesus, Dave Nodar ChristLife’s Founder & Senior Leader
Sep 23 2024 Meet Our New Intern! The Lord be with you! I’m Colin Reitmeyer, a High School student, a convert to Catholicism from Atheism, and passionate about sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with everyone. I’m very excited to intern at ChristLife because I believe ChristLife is the best tool in our time to share God’s love with the lost. It’s truly an honor to serve the Lord in this ministry, and I can’t wait to see how God transforms our culture through it. Please join us in welcoming Colin!
