ATCO – Since last fall, anyone driving along Carl Hasselhan Drive on Wednesday nights was likely to see a dump truck parked outside Christ the Redeemer Church.
“Some days I couldn’t pick my car up at the yard, so I would just drive the truck to the classes, and afterward drive back to the yard, grab my car, and go home,” explains Jake Hosko, who dedicatedly juggled his job as a Hammonton construction worker while attending every RCIA class in preparation for his entrance into the Catholic Church on March 30.
Now, after receiving the Sacraments of Baptism, Holy Eucharist and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil, he knows all of those miles have added up to him finding his true dwelling place.
“I’m home now. I’m accepted and heading in the right direction,” he says.
For Hosko, 32, who grew up without any faith, the path was never more clear than when he and his wife of three years, Danielle, had their first child, Charlotte, 10 months ago.
“After the birth of Charlotte, I knew I wanted my family to have a united front [in the Catholic faith],” he says. “I was looking for structure in my life, and I knew it was important for my daughter to have the values and structures of the faith, as well.”
He knew just who to ask, as his wife had grown up as a member of Saint Anthony Church in Waterford (now part of Christ the Redeemer).
“Around Charlotte’s baptism, I told Danielle, ‘I want to be a Catholic now. How do I do this?’” he says. “God bless her, she helped with the phone calls to the parish and the RCIA office, helped coordinate schedules and helped with any other paperwork,” he explains. He also was introduced to the parish’s RCIA director, Vincent Brandolini.
For 30-plus weeks, from early fall until the Wednesday night of Holy Week, “Jake was a sponge, and he saw the significance of the faith,” Brandolini says. “He never missed a class; he’s taking the faith seriously.”
Hosko appreciated Brandolini’s guidance, calling him “very approachable and knowledgeable. If I needed to stay later than usual to ask questions, he didn’t mind.”
Also up for the late-night Catholic conversations: Danielle Hosko.
“When I’d get home after classes, around 8:30-9 o’clock, we’d have a hot meal together, and we’d talk about what I’d learned and go in-depth, jumping from topic to topic,” be it the Eucharist, saints or sacraments, he says.
At the Easter Vigil, he was joined by his wife and daughter; Brandolini; and good friend, sponsor and work boss, Victor Walters, who’s been another source of inspiration and an example of Catholic manhood.
“I’ve known him since I started in construction 10 years ago, and I even coached his son in youth football,” Hosko says.
He called the Easter Vigil – where parish pastor, Father Joseph Wallace, imparted unto him the sacraments – “the culmination of all I’ve worked for. I was overwhelmingly joyful, and Danielle was gleeful.”
The support of the parish throughout his journey, as well, “has been so very helpful; they’ve all been so accepting and welcoming.”
Now, as he goes forward in faith, Hosko has new routines, and a new focus. “Every morning when I wake up, I read the daily readings. I want to keep the faith close to my heart.”
“What happens inside the four walls of my house is the most important thing, and I want us to be a tight-knit family, following the Lord. It’s important for me to lead them,” he says.
“Being Catholic, this is what I should be. This journey has brought me great joy. I didn’t have this for the first 32 years of my life, and now I want it for the rest of my life.”
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