Inspired by family, father joins faith

Looking back on his 42 years, Michael Pickart admits he can see the proverbial breadcrumbs that led him on his path to the Catholic Church.

Perhaps none of these was more poignant, however, than this past Christmas Eve, as he drove his son Andrew home from the hospital after the 3-year-old’s latest cancer treatment.

For the past month, Pickart had been praying the Saint Andrew Novena 15 times a day, as per custom: “Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.”

After praying the final times in the car, “I felt the Lord,” he said, his voice cracking. “I knew in that moment that whatever happened to my son, whatever happened to our family, the Lord was with him and us.”

On April 8, at the Easter Vigil Mass celebrated in Saint Katharine Drexel Church, Egg Harbor Township, Pickart publicly affirmed his faith and received the Sacraments of Holy Eucharist and Confirmation. By his side were his wife and sponsor, Anhthu; 16-year-old daughter, Kyra; 8-year-old son Erik, and of course, Andrew.

This has been “a joyful experience,” he noted, acknowledging that his journey hasn’t been an easy one.

Step by Step

Born, baptized and raised a Presbyterian in Wisconsin, Pickart – in his teenage years – found himself “drifting away deliberately” from faith. He eventually became an atheist. However, there were moments, especially the challenging ones, where “I found myself praying. Now I see, in my times of need, God was there.”

As an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, he met Anhthu, a fellow student with a devout Catholic faith. Between attending Sunday Mass together and getting to know her Vietnamese Catholic family, he said, “I saw how important the faith was to her, and how it was the core of who she was. I found all these things in her special and beautiful. She piqued my curiosity about the faith.”

The two married in 2007 and moved to Egg Harbor Township. Pledging to raise their children in the Catholic faith, they soon found a spiritual home at Saint Katharine Drexel Parish.

“We started going to Mass; I began reading the Bible [and] learning about the holy days. Everything was interesting and exciting to me,” he recalled about this time, adding that these signposts of God’s grace along the way “were rebuilding my faith.”

He found the parish community to be welcoming and supportive, but it wasn’t until a year ago that he took the step to fully enter into communion with the Catholic faith. Difficult news turned his gaze to Christ, in intercession and trust, as Andrew was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. The cancer, which predominately affects children five or younger, manifests from immature nerve cells found in several areas of the body, and most commonly arises in and around the adrenal glands.

Since the diagnosis, response to treatments has been mixed. Surgery last summer to remove a grapefruit-sized tumor in Andrew’s abdomen was successful; however, he relapsed in the fall with growths in his chest, abdomen, bone and lungs.

“My wife and I just kept wrestling with questions: ‘Why him? Why us?’” Pickart said.

In the fall, Pickart began the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults process with parish catechist Mary Reynolds, who was also by his side at the Easter Vigil Mass.

During these weekly classes, “[She] helped put my faith on such a strong foundation. … She showed me how to appreciate God’s grace in my life,” he noted, adding that Reynolds also demonstrated “different ways of speaking and praying to God, and the rich traditions of faith.”

Grace in Every Day

In the last few months, between RCIA classes and taking his son for treatment at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering, Pickart said he has felt more acutely God’s presence. “Every day, I see Andrew playing and singing, and I see God’s graces.”

Now in full communion with the Church, Pickart is looking forward to becoming more active in his parish. He is considering the Knights of Columbus, music ministry or serving as a lector.

More importantly, he understands his duty not only as a husband and father, but as a child of God.

Pickart said his wife now calls herself “complete” after witnessing his full conversion. “Every night, my sons and I pray together and sing the Ave Maria,” he said, adding that it’s wonderful to have his three children “grow up and see me more active in my faith.”

He stays fast to the Bible and is quick to recite Matthew 25:13: “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Indeed, he sees the beauty and grace in each day. “My family and I realize how blessed we are,” he said.

“In entering the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil, I realized there’s no time like the present to get right with God and embrace his love.”

Coming Up

In the weeks ahead, the Catholic Star Herald will be featuring individuals who entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil on April 8. Look for future faithful and their stories in upcoming issues and at catholicstarherald.org.