CV NEWS FEED // David Bates never expected a casual workplace conversation to change the course of his family’s spiritual life until one day in 2023 when he turned to a coworker and asked, “What religion are you and what do you believe?”
That simple question became the spark that led the Bates family — then non-denominational Christians involved in their church including missionary work in Brazil — to begin a journey toward the Catholic faith, according to the Catholic Sun, the news outlet for the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona.
Bates’ colleague, Joe Bashford, was a revert to Catholicism, which he explained to Bates.
“And then he goes, ‘Oh. So, you’re not saved and you don’t believe in Jesus,’” Bashford recalled. “I was kind of shocked that somebody actually would have that view of Catholics.”
Bashford then asked Bates what he believed.
“I told him I went to a non-denominational church. I didn’t know there were all these other denominations out there,” Bates said.
Bashford told Bates that Catholics are the original Christians, and encouraged him to dig deeper into Church history. He recommended biblical scholars Scott Hahn and Brant Pitre.
“He went all in,” Christina, Bates’ wife, said. “He did the research to really understand all of the different parts of the theology. And then it just leads you to Jesus.”
Bates wanted to join the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA), but he discussed his choice with his wife first.
“I was like, ‘Do you think I’m crazy?’ Because I trust her judgment too,” Bates said. “I started laying out all the concerns I had. And the Catholic Church has the answer to all of them.”
At the time, Christina said she was “spiritually lethargic” but still praying. Her initial reaction to her husband’s intention was neutral, but then she had her own change of heart.
“Literally, Jesus started opening up my heart,” she said. “I really started digging in on my own. My heart became more open to it.”
She said that as a nondenominational Christian she did not know about the doctrine of the Eucharist.
“I read it in Scripture a million times and then I read it one more time when we were learning about it and I was like: ‘That makes sense,’” she said. “The lightbulb went on and I said, ‘I want more Jesus.’ It’s so beautiful. That’s what drives me.”
This year, the Bateses will receive the Eucharist and Confirmation during the Easter Vigil and will be married in the Catholic Church shortly before, receiving the sacrament of Matrimony. They also plan on baptizing their two small children.
“That’s like my main drive now,” Bates said. “Now I see and understand — they need to be baptized.”
Bashford and his wife, Lisa, who converted to Catholicism after they had been married for 27 years, are the confirmation sponsors for Bates and his wife.
“They’re a beautiful young family. To me, just the fact that David and Christina were so open to God — the Holy Spirit just takes over and works,” said Bashford. “It’s been a joy to watch them.”
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