The concept is simple: A member of one of our ministries speaks about why he or she joined that ministry, what the ministry does and how it has impacted his or her life and the lives of others. That’s it!
There is so much going on at Holy Comforter that a lot of the work our ministries do can get lost in the shuffle. This is a way to clearly communicate what we’re doing to bring the light of Christ to Charlottesville and the broader community.
Ministry Minute
Hello, my name is Diane Auger Smith. My husband, Garrett, and I met at UVA in 1983, and married in
1989. We were away from Charlottesville for several years, and when we returned in 1991, we did the
Charlottesville shuffle for a few years, going around to the three nearby parishes without actually
committing to one. But in 1993, right before we started having kids, we joined Holy Comforter Parish.
During our years here, we raised (and actually are still raising) three children: Lloyd, Minor and Catie
Claire.
We joined Holy Comforter because we loved the intimate size, and the fact that several generations of the
same families worshipped in this parish. This parish has truly been a wonderful family to us over the
years. I credit Father Barton, who was the pastor when we first joined the church, for his wise counsel
and open heart in inspiring my husband Garrett to go through RCIA (the Rite of Christian Initiation for
Adults). At Easter of 1996, Garrett joined the Catholic Church. I did not ask this of him, and certainly it
was not required as part of our marriage. When we married, we knew and agreed that we would have to
accommodate one another in our different denominations. So to have Garrett join the Catholic Church, so
that we could worship as a family within one faith has been such a huge blessing for our family over these
years.
I’ve served as in many roles over my years at Holy Comforter, including as a Kindergarten-1st Grade
Catechist, a wedding coordinator, a lector, a Eucharistic minister, Pastoral Council member, interim
Christian Formation minister, and member of the New Evangelization team, but I have worked the
longest as the coordinator of RCIA, having served with the exception of a couple of years since 2006.
RCIA has been and remains my favorite of all ministries beginning when my husband went through RCIA
back in 1996. In my years of working on RCIA, I’ve been honored and privileged to meet the many people
whose faith has led them to our great Catholic Church. I’ve been rewarded with a much deeper faith and
extensive knowledge of our Catholic faith than I would have been otherwise. And I’ve met and befriended
some truly wonderful, faithful people over the years. I’ve gained so much more than I’ve ever given to
RCIA.
If you know of anyone who’s interested in learning more about our faith, please invite him or her to
attend the orientation which will be held on August 21, 2016 following the 11:00 Mass. We’re always
looking for additional RCIA team members. Team members facilitate no more than 6-8 sessions per year.
If you’d like to find out more as an RCIA participant or team member, please contact me at email:
[email protected] or cell: (434) 996-0502.