Back Row: Chase Campbell and father Steve Campbell; Front Row: Fr. Scott, Zachariah Campbell, Tammy Campbell, and Fr. Christopher

Three Laker students entered into the Catholic Church during the Easter Vigil this Easter season, each with their own faith journeys inspired by their short time spent at Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic School.  

The Campbells, Steve and Tammy with sons Chase (Grade 8) and Zachariah (Grade 3), were referred to Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic School by a current Laker family they played with on a local baseball team. The boys’ grandfather, a product of Catholic school and longtime Mass-goer at OLL, was also a driving force to enroll them for the 2018-19 school year.

Upon joining the Laker family, the Campbells began attending Mass regularly on Sunday at the parish with their grandfather. Steve and Tammy had been born and raised in the Christian faith but were just beginning their exploration of Catholicism.

“We really were intrigued by the history of the Catholic Church. The dedication of the priests, workers, and members of the community and the parish,” said Tammy.

This year, the Campbells chose to make the Easter Vigil a family affair, and the four registered with the parish and signed up to complete the Catholic faith formation program Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), a process in which those seeking to grow in an understanding of the Roman Catholic faith come together to explore Catholic beliefs.

RCIA classes met weekly starting in the fall and continuing through the end of the Easter season, culminating by being welcomed into the Church or into full communion at the Great Vigil of Easter.

“The RCIA classes were very informative in both the Bible and the history and structure of the church,” Tammy explained.

Our third student who became a neophyte of the Catholic Church was eighth-grader Luke Clason. Luke enrolled at Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic School last year as a seventh grader.  After a year of taking religion classes, he discovered his desire to be baptized and fully participate in Mass with the rest of his classmates.

While his eighth-grade peers prepared for Confirmation, Luke registered for RCIA. He joined twelve others, including classmate Chase and his family, at the Easter Vigil, where he received all three Sacraments of Initiation, Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation.

If you are interested in joining the Catholic church or need to complete the Sacraments of Initiation, please contact the Faith Formation office at 248-623-0291 or [email protected].

Educating students in grades Pre-K through 12 for over 60 years, Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic School provides an educational experience grounded in Catholic Tradition, personal discipline and academic excellence. We offer small class sizes and low student-to-teacher ratios in a safe and secure family-oriented community. Weekly Mass complements a fully integrated one-to-one iPad program, championship athletics, K-12 robotics program, before and after school care, and much more!