"I will do my very best to demonstrate that I am worthy of your support," she said, while conceding that she had "no illusions that the road ahead of me will be easy, either for the short term or the long haul."
Judiciary committee chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he expects hearings to begin on Barrett's nomination on Oct. 12, but two Democratic members of the committee, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CON), said they would refuse to meet with Barrett prior to the hearings.
In a statement sent to CNA Saturday, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), a Catholic, called Barrett "a well-qualified, highly respected nominee."
"That's why the Senate previously confirmed her," Rubio said, while also noting that the judge's Catholic faith would likely feature during the confirmation process.
During Barrett's 2017 nomination hearing, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) questioned her on her personal faith and values, saying that "when you read your speeches, the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you. And that's of concern."
In the past week, media criticism has focused on Barrett's Catholic faith and the size of her family – she has seven children, including two children adopted from Haiti.
On Saturday, Rubio called Barrett "a person who is strong in her faith. Sadly, I expect my Democratic colleagues and the radical left to do all they can to assassinate her character and once again make an issue of her faith during her confirmation process."
Speaking on Friday, ahead of the formal announcement of Barrett's nomination, Princeton University professor Robert P. George also noted the anti-Catholic tone of much of the criticism of Barrett.
"I'll give Amy Barrett's opponents some good advice, in blissful assurance that they won't take it," George said on Twitter.
"Don't attack her faith. Don't go near it. Stay a million miles away. Talk about health care, immigration, the weather, anything but religion. It's not her Achilles heel; it's yours."