Many are often startled when they learn that Catholicism is the world’s largest church, holding around 1.4 billion followers. But for most, this faith is an inheritance, a seed rooted in tradition, passed down as a family heirloom. Rare is the soul who stumbles upon it like buried treasure, who chooses it freely, with eyes wide open. Yet, I am lucky to have befriended one such man who has defied the majority, and is making a journey I deem to be utterly extraordinary. His name is Will Nelson, and I believe all who hear of his story will draw incredible inspiration.
Will found the Christian faith when he least expected it. He is now a rising high school sophomore at Alonso High School, having attended the Catholic Church for the last couple of months. I asked him, “What first sparked your interest in Christianity?” He replied, “Well, I’ve always been a nature guy. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved the outdoors and simply marvel at it every day. One day, I was in arguably my favorite spot near a lake and started wondering, could this all be random? That’s when I first thought about the question of whether there was a God or not. It is through this view of nature and noting its complex and beautiful appearance that I found a part of myself. This led me to conduct research of my own. I came across some articles and got a basic understanding, but I hadn’t done anything crazy yet. Over the summer, I went on a beach trip with my best friend Emilio; he is Catholic, but we hadn’t ever truly talked about it. We were walking on the beach together, and I talked to him about it. That’s when I first saw the effects of Christianity; not only did I see my friend light up with excitement, but I saw the joy and peace it brought him. It made me wonder if this might be for me.” I thought this was beautiful, offering inspiration to all who may ever dwindle, reconsidering the beauty of their faith.
This drove my curiosity to my second question, “Before you believed, what were your thoughts about God, religion, and faith in general?” he answered with a chuckle, “It’s quite funny actually, in a way I found it silly, the whole concept of a God seemed like only something I would be able to see in a movie or tv series. As my family was not Christian, I simply had no backing or knowledge of anything about God or Christianity as a whole. The only knowledge I had of it was from Emilio, and he never truly talked about it with me, as he most likely didn’t want to be rude. In a way, the fact that I was even able to find God was a miracle in itself.”
Will began his journey with God about nine months ago, just before he started his freshman year. However, this segwayed into my next question, “When did you have a moment of clarity, when you truly knew the faith was real?” Will’s answer made me almost teary-eyed, knowing the love he has for God and how fierce it is. He answered my question with, “ I would say the moment I knew for a fact that God was real was the night I said the words ‘I am a Christian and I believe.’ That night, I felt so scared and so stressed. I was going through a very hard time and was about to enter a difficult IB program at my school. I was also training for basketball every day for at least three hours, and on top of all of this was an argument with my friends, and I felt done. I was completely exhausted and felt so over it. I had been contemplating whether there was a God for a while, but didn’t know if I wanted to commit to it. So in this time of desperation, I reached out for the only thing I could think of: God. I remember saying, ‘God, if you’re real, please help me,’ while crying. And then the next thing that happened changed my life. All of the pain, all of the stress, and all of the anxiety went away. Almost like in a wave, it all washed away. For the first time, I felt God. It gave me the courage to walk downstairs and tell my mom I wanted to try becoming a Christian. Then by the grace of God I was accepted and all the fear I had went away, and even though I wasn’t baptized, had any of my sacraments, or went to church once, I felt special because I believed.”
Even though Will has made this venture through the faith, I was curious as to who had helped him along the way. I queried, “Have you had any mentors, saints, or Catholic figures who have guided or inspired you?” He answered, “There is one man who has helped me with pretty much anything I needed, that is a man named Nathan. Nathan is part of a soligant brotherhood, and he has been one of the sole reasons I haven’t fallen out of my faith. He took me through my early stages of the basics, helped me when I was in trouble and felt sad, was the primary reason I changed for the better, and he got me my current Bible. However, none of this compares to one thing: the fact that he was there for me, the fact that I had a friend in a man so great. That is the true value of friendship. You learn, grow, and struggle with them. I would not be the Christian or the person I am without that man, and I thank God that I was lucky enough to have met a man like him.”
As Will continues taking leaps through Christianity, I continue to ponder his plan. What does God have in store for him? “What is your journey going forward, pressing into the Catholic faith?” I asked. “The main thing is now I am entering into a process called OCIA. This is used for adults who have not received their sacraments. As for myself, I will receive most of my sacraments next Easter, and I can not express how excited even thinking about it makes me feel. The past two days, I’ve thought about it and cried tears of joy, just marveling at the fact that I will have come from nothing to everything. From not knowing Christianity, to being able to hopefully teach and learn more daily. It is a goal to help and teach any person that needs it through faith, and it’s something that I can’t hold back my excitement from because one day I’m going to do great things for God. I know I will.”
To bring our interview to an end, I asked Will my final question. “If someone reading this is curious about the faith, but afraid to take the first step, what would you say to them?” Will answered happily, excited to evangelize. “There is not one path to God, you don’t have to have parents who are faithful or a dying passion to be a part of God. Take the chance, take the risk. I thought it was impossible to be accepted, impossible to become part of the church community. But now here I am. God works in ways you won’t expect, and He’ll appear to you in ways that you love. For me, it was nature, but the only thing you have to know is that God cares about all of us, so much so that He sent Jesus to die for our sins, and He wants a relationship with you so badly. Take the chance; if I can do it, anyone can. God’s love is infinite and pure. The journey will be hard, but He will be by your side every single second of the way there.”
Will is a living testament to the quiet miracles that still unfold in ordinary lives. For those already walking the path, may his story rekindle your devotion, reminding you that faith is not a practice, but a fiercely burning fire. And for those who stand at the edge, unsure and still searching, may this be the gentle call you’ve waited for. As Will once said, the Catholic faith is rooted in love, community, and progression. In a world that often feels adrift, that foundation is nothing short of remarkable.
