Casie had moved to Harbor Beach in 2021 for a teaching position with her daughter Vivian, now 13, and son Anthony, now 12. Anthony chose to enroll at Our Lady of Lake Huron Catholic School (OLLH), while Vivian chose to enroll in Harbor Beach Public School.  As the family began adjusting to the charming lakeside community, Anthony began to feel a nudge in his heart.

“Once we moved here, I just felt like being closer to God,” said Anthony, who is now a seventh grader at OLLH.

As a Catholic school, the Faith is woven throughout the day, and students spend time in prayer and Eucharistic adoration, study theology and attend Mass each week. Though he couldn’t quite put a finger on how he knew, he felt called to join the Catholic Church.

"We’ve always talked about God in our house, and we had gone to Protestant churches in the past. I was pretty impressed that— when he came and said that to me— he was taking a stand for his belief,” Casie said.

The summer before sixth grade, Anthony began the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) adapted for children, with OLLH third grade teacher Alyson Page and her husband Mike as his godparents. He participated in OCIA sessions, preparing his heart and his mind for the sacraments, before finally being baptized and initiated into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil, March 30, 2024, at Holy Name of Mary Parish in Harbor Beach.

That step of faith encouraged Casie and Vivian to start their own journey.

“Anthony inspired us,” Casie said. “I feel like OLLH is a very good example of God’s love. I feel like all the staff and all the members of the parish are just a wonderful group, and it had a lot of influence.”

Casie asked the Lord to lead her in a unique way.

“This is going to sound crazy silly. I watched [Anthony join the Church,] and I had missed going to church ... so I prayed and prayed and prayed,” she said.

But she wasn’t certain if God was calling her in the direction of the Catholic Church. So she asked for a sign: frogs.

“I know I picked something that was crazy,” she laughed.

Sure enough, over the next several days, frogs began appearing everywhere— in television shows, photos and on social media.

Casie took that as her sign:  “I hear you loud and clear."

After speaking with Vivian, the two decided they would participate in OCIA. Though they don’t have their classes together, they discuss what they’re learning along the way.

At the Easter Vigil this year, Casie received the sacraments of First Eucharist and Confirmation, while Vivian received all the sacraments of Initiation:  Baptism, First Eucharist and Confirmation. Casie also received the sacrament of Reconciliation before the Easter Vigil.

The Adamses have found support in the OLLH community. While Anthony was in OCIA, his friends at school encouraged him and it created the opportunity for good conversation with his teacher Rodney Terwilliger, who was in the process of coming into full communion with the Catholic Church.

Anthony's godparents, the Pages, are now Vivian’s sponsors, and Pauline Essenmacher (also a member of the OLLH community) is Casie’s sponsor.

“Everybody's just been really encouraging,” Casie said, adding that the community has offered kind words, knowledge and helped answer any questions she’s had along the way.

At OLLH, she also learned that some of the ideas she had heard as a young person about the Catholic faith were misguided, like the mistaken belief that Catholics worship Mary.

Lori Murawske, the parish’s OCIA director, also gave Casie the book Why We're Catholic by Trent Horn.

“It was such a good book, and it answered a lot of those questions,” she said, continuing excitedly. “When you think about praying to saints, it's like asking someone to pray for you, but now you get someone [in Heaven] praying for you! That’s pretty cool, for sure!”

Vivian has also enjoyed the catechesis in OCIA.

“I’ve learned a lot about the different sacraments so far,” Vivian said, adding that it has helped her better understand what she was preparing for.  

Vivian is grateful that she decided to dig deeper and go through the OCIA process, and she encouraged others to “give it a chance. You could enjoy it!”

For Father Kevin Wojciechowski, welcoming the Adams family into the Church was a valuable reminder of the parish and school’s mission of helping people encounter the life-changing love of Jesus and his Church.

“Watching the Faith come alive in the Adamses the last couple of years has been so encouraging for me as the pastor and for this whole community. Their witness of transformation reminds us: ‘This is what it’s all about!’” he said.

“As I reflect on Casie, Vivian and Anthony's faith story, what stands out to me the most is their deep trust in God’s plan, even in times of uncertainty,” said Britt Mattys, OLLH principal. “Their story is a beautiful reminder that faith grows stronger through life’s challenges and that leaning on community and prayer can make all the difference.”

A month before receiving the Sacraments of Initiation, Vivian said she was looking forward to the whole experience of the Easter Vigil and being able to continue growing closer to God.

“I’m very excited to experience the Eucharist and be close to God in that way, and to watch my daughter get baptized,” Casie said. “It was just wonderful to see my son get baptized, and to watch my daughter is going to be just as great.”

For Anthony, it’s been an incredible first year of being a Catholic. In addition to watching his mother and sister journey towards the Church, the year's highlights have been going to church, receiving Holy Communion and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Adamses are is also grateful for the support of the OLLH community.

“At Our Lady of Lake Huron, I see [the] spirit of community and faith woven into everyday life,” Britt said. “OLLH helps all students get to know Jesus better by making him the center of learning and daily interactions. Whether it’s through regular prayer, attending Mass together or participating in service projects, students are constantly encouraged to live out the gospel values. Faith isn’t just taught — it’s experienced.”

Casie sees God at work in her family’s journey to OLLH and the Catholic Church.

“A lot of things led us to where we are, here in Harbor Beach. ... I believe God had a hand in it,” she said. "Being surrounded by the people there every day at OLLH, I see and [I realize], this is where we’re supposed to be.’”