Written by Jason Koshinskie
Photography by Art Becker
For years, Lee Armour has been involved in the life of St. Mary of Grace Parish in Meadville. Any time the church hosts a dinner, he can be found helping in the kitchen. He’s served on parish committees and is a facilitator, along with his wife, Diana, in the diocese’s Why Catholic? program. That’s why it came as such a shock to many in the parish when Lee enrolled in Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) classes—for those who want to become Catholic—last fall.
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“He and his wife attend daily Mass and are both very principled people who love their faith,” says Father Mark Hoffman, the former pastor of St. Mary of Grace, who is now at Beloved Disciple in Grove City. “He was always there to support his wife. He’d do the smallest task with no complaint. Just an all around impressive, great guy. I didn’t know for quite awhile that he wasn’t Catholic.” For Lee, the process to enter RCIA has been true, if quiet, conversion. Not only was Lee’s decision a shocker for parish friends, but the way he did it was subtle yet startling, even to his wife. “Through our Why Catholic? group, I’ve really enjoyed the enthusiasm that people have had,” says Lee, a retired school teacher of 30 years. “That’s when I sort of began looking at things.”
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Why Catholic? is a four-year program focusing on the discussion of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. More than 5,000 people are involved in small faith sharing groups throughout the diocese. “We were talking about the Eucharist and I thought, ‘I’m really missing something here. I’ve got to do something about that,’” Lee says. “At one of our sessions, we talked about RCIA and I said, ‘I’m going to do that.’ They said, ‘Really? What do you mean you’re going to do that? You’re Catholic!’ I said, ‘No, I’m not.’”
Lee’s decision was also news to Diana. “When he said he was signing up for RCIA, I just started to cry,” she says. “I’ve been praying for him to become Catholic all our married life, but it had to be his decision. And I knew that. I feel so blessed, and I’m just so glad for us. Because it’s always been my dream since I was a little girl, you get married to a Catholic person, you attend Mass and Communion together, you die and get buried together.” One of the Armours’ close friends in the parish said Lee not being Catholic was certainly the best kept secret at St. Mary of Grace. “It wasn’t a secret,” Lee adds. “It just happens to be the way it is.”
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Originally from the area, his parents went to a Methodist church. “If anybody asked, I was Methodist,” Lee says. “But I wasn’t there all the time.” His father worked afternoon shifts, and Sunday was usually the only day he had to do anything around the house. While he didn’t get to church all the time, Lee said his mother was insistent that they went. “I wasn’t a really active participant,” Lee notes. “As soon as high school was finished, I didn’t participate much. In college, I began looking at other religious philosophies. I realized that we were not alone, that there are a lot of things out there.”
In August 1961, he and Diana were married at St. Mary of Grace, which has been her church since birth. “We’ve gone through a few priests since then,” he says with a grin. “When I asked her dad if I could marry her, he said, ‘As long as you let her go to church.’ I said that would never be a problem.” Diana went to church every week. If Lee could go, he would. But if there was a fishing trip or he was coaching basketball or wrestling, he didn’t. After their daughter, Michelle, was born, she started coming to church with Diana. When the boys, Matthew and Luke, came along, they presented a bit more of a problem. The question, “How come Dad doesn’t have to go to church?” inevitably came up. “She had mentioned it would be nice if I would get active to set a good example, so I did,” Lee says. “I’ve been going since we got married, but I’ve been much more active in the last 20 years. I try to do what I can for the church and help out where I can.”
His faith began deepening over time. “I can’t really say that I changed, but I always felt like I was missing something at Mass when I couldn’t go to Communion,” Lee says. Over time, he picked up a lot of food for thought. His daughter-in-law, who also went through RCIA, explained her experience. She also gave him some books, including some by Scott Hahn, a popular author and Methodist convert.
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Last year, Father Hoffman sent a letter to spouses in the parish who were not Catholic. The personal invitation led to a parish inquiry night. Father Hoffman also said he would be happy to answer any questions about the faith or RCIA. Lee’s letter sat on a shelf, but he continued to give the idea serious thought. Last year’s discussion topics for Why Catholic?—Eucharist, confirmation, conversion—spoke to him. “Each one was kind of calling my name as we went on through them,” he says. “I simply said, ‘I’m going to do it.’”
Initially there were some reservations, but he got over them. While his mother was alive, Lee said he didn’t feel right approaching her about it. She died in 2004. “I thought, ‘Well, your excuse is gone. Do something about it,’” he says. “Not that I think mom would mind. She just wanted people to go to church.” One of the things he says bothered him for a time was the role of the Blessed Mother in the church. “At first I thought we were putting too much emphasis on her. But then I realized, this is God’s mother. How can you put too much emphasis on that?” he says, his voice softening and emotion welling in the corners of his eyes. “And you can’t.”
Lee is approaching the March 22 Easter Vigil, when he will be received into the fullness of the church, with a quiet sense of peace and joy. He says he’s thought about it quite a bit. “I’m very much trying to get into the thought of the bread and wine converted into the body and blood of Jesus,” he says. “I’m OK with that. If Christ said it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen.” For candidates, who are already baptized Christians, the start of Lent meant participating in a call to continuing conversion. Many candidates were raised in a different faith. Some were baptized Catholic but never received first Communion as children or were not confirmed. They will complete their sacramental initiation with the church by receiving confirmation and first Eucharist. Those entering into full communion with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil include catechumens, who will receive baptism, confirmation and first Eucharist.
“I love the church, and going through RCIA has increased my spirituality and love for the church and people,” Lee says. “I haven’t looked back.” Father Hoffman thinks Lee had fallen in love with the faith a long time ago. And his volunteering for the church was his little way to do something for the Lord. “He was doing this out of love for his wife and the Lord,” Father Hoffman says, “and he wanted to be part of this community. It was a true conversion, not from a faith that he didn’t love, but a faith that he loved to a faith that he loves with his whole heart in this Catholic community.”
