Awaiting deployment, Army officer’s long wait for baptism is over

PUYALLUPBy Kim Haub

It took seven years for Eric Anton to be baptized Catholic, but not for a lack of faith or effort.

The 26-year-old Army captain just hasn’t been in one place long enough to finish the preparation required by the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. And this year, as Anton neared completion of the RCIA program at All Saints Parish in Puyallup, he nearly had to wait again.

Anton, stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, received word that he will be deployed for a second tour to Afghanistan several weeks before the Easter Vigil, when he was scheduled to receive the sacraments of initiation.

“We figured, well, we were going to be stuck waiting another year,” said his wife, Dr. Amanda Anton, a lifelong Catholic and general medical officer at JBLM.

But in early February, Peggy Alston, pastoral assistant for adult faith formation at All Saints, took Anton’s case to the pastor, Father Michael Radermacher. He agreed to baptize Anton earlier than usual. “We are allowed to initiate individuals before Easter Vigil in extreme circumstances,” Father Radermacher said. “Being deployed falls into this category.”

So on March 15, Anton participated in the regional Rite of Election — when the names of those seeking baptism at the Easter Vigil are recorded — at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Tacoma.

The next night at All Saints Church, with several family members present and his wife as his sponsor, Anton was baptized and confirmed by Father Radermacher. Receiving the Eucharist for the first time that night, “I felt a sense of peace,” Anton said.

Raised in a nondenominational Christian home, Anton’s interest in the Catholic faith began in history class at the University of Delaware, where he also met Amanda. “I started reading medieval and European history and came to believe the Catholic Church was the foundation of Christianity,” Anton said. “And then my wife gave me a little nudge.”

Since their wedding in November 2010, the Antons have spent many months apart, due to their military jobs. That was another snag in Anton’s quest to become Catholic, because he wanted his wife to be his sponsor.

While Anton was in North Carolina and Virginia for training, Amanda was in Puyallup finding the couple a parish and home. She joined All Saints, contacted Alston and told their story. The two women worked together to help Anton enroll in RCIA.

“They helped me do the program without me actually being there,” Anton said. “I had to do some things online. They actually scanned documents and sent them to me so I could keep up,” he added.

Soon Anton will be headed to Afghanistan. Because chaplains are scarce, it will be difficult to receive the sacraments there, he said, but he will continue his education in the faith. “He is one of the most intentional people I have ever met,” Alston said. “He is a scholar and will always be learning more.”

Learn more about RCIA Have questions about the RCIA process? Visit www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/who-we-teach/rite-of-christian-initiation-of-adults/. Know someone who is interested in becoming Catholic? Contact your parish or parish website for information about helping them join the RCIA program. Need to find a nearby parish? Search for one at www.seattlearchdiocese.org/Directory/ParishFinder.aspx.

March 20, 2014