Feb 25, 2009 / 01:18 am
A convert to Catholicism who lives in California will be one of seven people baptized by Pope Benedict XVI during the Easter Vigil at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Ceres, California resident Heidi Sierras, 29, completed the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) at St. Joseph’s parish in Modesto last year. But through a series of connections—a parishioner who knew a nun at the Vatican—Sierras was chosen for an open spot for a North American to be baptized by the Pope at the 2009 vigil.
Sierras told the Modesto Bee there was never any question whether she would make the trip to Rome.
“It's incredible," she commented. "I feel like, 'Why me?' I felt undeserving. But how could I say no to that? It's an incredible opportunity.”