SCRC | Testimonies

Eryn Corralejo - "Growing in Faith as a Catholic Young Adult"

The summer following my senior year in high school a friend shared an SCRC Convention flier with me. The idea of a religious convention was foreign to me despite being an active Catholic teen. I was interested in attending because I wanted to learn more about my Catholic faith, grow closer to God, and meet fellow young, enthusiastic Catholics. After my first week of college I found myself driving to Anaheim on my own to make friends and satisfy my curiosity as to what it meant to be a Catholic Charismatic.

What an experience! I loved hearing one wise and interesting speaker after another. The masses were beautiful and holy. I visited both teen and adult sessions. The teen adoration and talks moved me to tears and insipired deeper devotion to God. The adult talks were stimulating and relevant to the daily challenge to be a good Catholic. They compelled me to reflect deeply on my life goals and relationships, on how I treat my neighbor. The Convention did bring me closer to God, His people, and His complete peace. After my first three days of SCRC, I was hooked.

Six years later, I anticipate each new convention and monthly Young Adult Mass with excitement. I feel drawn to continue to build my relationship with God in a weekend of reflection. I return to the SCRC Convention to help build the growing community of young adults. I come to learn more about what it means to be Catholic, and every year it is a welcomed break from the hectic rush that is life as a young adult in Southern California. Every year the message I receive at SCRC conferences evolves as do the stages in my life. I feel God speaks to me through the masses, talks, and people I meet through SCRC. I feel as though the homilies and talks are personalized to reach me, and as my life changes so do the messages to guide my current struggles and joys. I feel that the Lord's message has been remarkably strong at conference weekends in which I struggled to attend. I know that every time I attend the conference it is a holy, loving weekend of growth with God's people.

Today I am excited to have finally found my own niche within the SCRC community as an active member of the SCRC Young Adult group. I have formed lifelong friendships with people from Los Angeles to Cartagena, Columbia! I have learned the high value of growing in faith with peers. Friends in the YA community remind me that I am not crazy for disagreeing with the values of popular culture. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to learn and grow within the SCRC community. I am grateful to the loving and generous people who make up the SCRC family.

¶ 12:08 PM

Alana Antolak - "Prayer Meetings...and Cake"

Some people are drawn towards the Charismatic movement in the Catholic Church for the healing, some by the music or praise and worship; I was drawn to it by cake! It may be looked at as a bit of a bribe, but it was a delightful incentive to an eight year old to attend prayer meeting every Wednesday night when there was dessert offered afterwards. My parents were fortunate enough to be exposed to the Charismatic movement in the mid eighties and we would attend a weekly Charismatic prayer meeting, at my home parish in Ohio. I remember raising my hands in praise as we sand worship songs with a fire in our hearts, which I didn't quite understand, but know now to have been the Holy Spirit. I would look up at adults as we held hands in a circle and prayed for various intentions. While listening to their prayer tongues, prophecies and thanksgiving to God, I yearned for that connection, that love for Jesus that they had. Of course the social time at the end of the meeting with juice and cake was always the highlight for me.

I recall telling my mom one night before I went to bed that I wanted to pray in tongues, so she told me to start saying the word "Abba" (which means "Father") over and over again and the Holy Spirit would give me the gift of tongues if I truly desired it, and He did! My life was forever changed.

I was blessed to come from a strong Catholic family, and I have had my share of fails, struggles and attacks, but through God's great Mercy and Grace, I was always protected, always forgiven, always conscious of the right and wrong in my life. After plenty of crazy, rebellious times in high school, I moved to Cincinatti with my brother and began going to daily mass, just because it felt like a great thing to do as I started my nwe life on my own. Through a course of events, I was led to the Franciscan University of Steubenville, (ironically only 40 miles from my hometown) where I studied Theatre and received an amazing Catholic education. After a semester in Austria which led me to discern my vocation, and a theatre career in Cincinatti after graduation, I ended up moving to Hollywood to pursue acting. I am still a daily communicant and strive to be a sound Catholic Charismatic Actress in Hollywood. I ahve been graced with the opportunity to meet other fellow Catholics in the entertainment industry, and to develop a connection to other California Charismatic Catholics through SCRC. I was privileged to be an emcee for the Young Adult Track of SCRC, and continue to volunteer my energies toward bringing together fellow Young Adult Catholics in Los Angeles. My mission is to be a refreshing role model for other Catholics who are faced with so many negative trends in this world. I especially want to help other young adults to discover the beauty and meaningful lifestyle that comes from following Jesus as a Catholic.

¶ 11:59 PM

Al Briones - "How God Became Real To Me"

For many years God used to be something "out there" that I prayed to, but not really a part of my daily life. That all seemed to change after saying yes to the gift of Tongues.

A wise monk once told me that our job is to create a capacity so that God can fill it. Looking back, I can see how the spaces in my life that God has filled have been a combination of His unperceived guidance of the events in my life, as well as the willingness to embrace a new way of "being" when asked to. It was my choice, yet I am glad for the graces during those times that allowed me the courage to say yes and allow God to do.

So it was with receiving the gift of tongues. I "happened" to be in the congregation at a healing mass only because of my involvement with a music ministry. The celebrant prayed over us and told us that we had now all received the gift of tongues, but that we must continue to use it. I thank God that He gave me the gift to also be willing to appear foolish enough to babble...for through that foolishness, God's power began to become more and more apparent in my life.

Being part of a Charismatic prayer group has also been a particular blessing, as I doubt that I would have continued to practice that form of prayer without the example and support of those who also pray in tongues each week during the meeting. Over time, I began to be more open to the possibilities of healings, and was personally healed during mass at the SCRC convention in Anaheim. But, that too required a choice. This time the celebrant told us "someone was healed of depression during the last song...claim it!" I remember thinking I didn't know if that was me, but that I would open myself to receive it anyway. I did, and that was all that it took.

As God has continued to bless my life in many different and wonderful ways, I am most grateful that He continues to be patient with me as I struggle to "jump in" to the gifts of New Life He has won for us.

Thankfully, these days, I can now say God is no longer "out there" but is right here. He was all along.

¶ 11:05 PM