‘God led me here...I know that because He called me’: Elizabeth Whelchel

OCIA candidate from Sacred Heart Parish, shares her faith journey

Elizabeth Welchel and her daughter Sophia at Sacred Heart Parish in Boise. (ICR Photo/Phil Janquart)

By Philip A. Janquart

ICR Assistant Editor

It never occurred to her that she could become Catholic.

Yet, on Thursday, March 27, Elizabeth Whelchel, 66, was among hundreds at the West Central Deanery Rite of Election held at Holy Apostles Church in Meridian.

Catechumens and Candidates from Sacred Heart, St. Mark’s, and Holy Apostles gathered for a service marking the next step in their respective journeys toward full initiation into the Catholic Church.

They entered the stage of preparation that directly precedes the reception of the Easter sacraments, known as the period of “Purification and Enlightenment.” Now a member of the “Elect,” Whelchel looks forward to being confirmed on Holy Saturday night at the Easter Vigil. Her five-year-old daughter, Sophia, will be baptized at the same Easter liturgy.

The Rite of Election at Holy Apostles is one of six Bishop Peter F. Christensen conducts in each of the Diocese’s deaneries during the Lenten season.

“The season of Lent; that’s when we do this,” the Bishop explained. “It’s kind of an interesting season to welcome people into the Church. It’s a season, as you know, of choices, so it fits. It’s also a season of sacrifices as we strive to grow closer to our Lord.”

During the Rite of Election, parish catechists present the Book of the Elect to the bishop, who signs the page under the signatures of all the catechumens who will enter the Church that year. The symbolism is closely related to the Biblical idea of having one’s name written in the Book of Life (see Revelation 3:5, 20:12, 21:27, and Philippians 4:3).

“Soon, you will be living the gifts God intends for you to receive: Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist,” he told the catechumens and candidates. “I always ask people, ‘What happened in your life that brought you here today?’ I trust your journeys have been interesting.”

Bishop Peter F. Christensen signs the Sacred Heart Parish Book of the Elect at the Rite of Election on March 27 at Holy Apostles Parish in Meridian. (ICR Photo/Vero Gutiérrez)

The Journey

Little did she know at the time, but Whelchel’s particular journey to the Catholic faith began years earlier when she was a member of the Church of Christ.

“I had a very profound experience,” she explained. “I don’t know if you’ve ever had this experience where you feel like your heart is going to blow up with love because the Holy Spirit comes into you. I had that experience, and it was pretty overwhelming. I realized I wanted Christ to be my savior. I was baptized after that.”

She continued as a member of the Church of Christ for a time but left when she realized something was missing. She gave the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a try but left not long after joining.

“They were all good people, wonderful people, but there were so many things that didn’t feel quite right,” she said.

Meanwhile, Whelchel struggled with two separate relationships that left her heartbroken.

Elle Kaster from Sacred Heart Parish in Boise greets Bishop Peter at the Rite of Election on March 27. (ICR Photo/Vero Gutiérrez)

The Struggle

“I fell in love with a man after he had chased me for some time, but he left to be with someone else,” she said. “He was 28, and I was 25.”

She later met someone else, but the relationship fell apart. Once the dust settled, she was left to fend for herself.

With only three aging members of her immediate family still alive, she felt herself becoming more and more heartbroken and alone.

“By this time, I was probably too old to have kids,” said Whelchel, who was 61 at the time. “Those two relationships really hurt me, and I thought I would try in vitro fertilization (IVF), which is not approved by the Church. That was before I knew anything about the Catholic Church.”

To her surprise, the procedure worked, and she became pregnant, but the baby was premature and was delivered via Cesarean section. Whelchel almost died in the process.

“When you come that close to death, it makes you think about whether you are living the kind of life God wants you to live, you know? Am I the kind of person I was born to be?” she explained.

“I needed to make sure I was living the kind of life God wanted me to live because now I had a child,” she said. “I was never ‘bad,’ but I don’t think I was necessarily walking in step with God.”

Whelchel explained that Sophia is her whole life now, and she views her as a special blessing from God, given the rarity and danger of having a child after the age of 60. “Everything started moving pretty fast after that.”

A record number of Candidates and Catechumens throughout Idaho attended the Rite of Election this year. The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist was full on March 25. (ICR Photo/Emily Woodham)

A Simple Call

Whelchel still needed to find a church to call home. She took her first active step toward Catholicism when she visited a hair salon.

“It all actually started because I was looking for a hairdresser,” she said. “At the time, I wanted a style that was feathered back, and I didn’t think anybody could still do a ‘70s or ‘80s hairstyle.”

That’s when she walked into The Bushwhacker Salon in Boise, where she met stylist Gene Sanchez.

“He is older and used to do the hair for the cheerleaders at Boise State (University),” Whelchel explained. “I noticed a Sacred Heart Parish calendar on the wall of his salon, and I asked if he was Catholic. We started talking about it, and he said I should check it out sometime. I called Sacred Heart, and Debbie Fisher answered the phone. I filled out the paperwork, and she enrolled me in the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA), and I started classes.

“That’s how it all happened—by walking into a hair salon and seeing that calendar. It never occurred to me that I could become Catholic,” she recalled.

Whelchel worked as a secretary for the Idaho National Guard at Gowen Field for 34 years and retired in 2019, the year she gave birth to Sophia. She says converting to Catholicism is one of the best moves she ever made, for both herself and her daughter.

“It was the right choice because I’ve studied for six months, and I’ve learned a lot of things I didn’t learn anyplace else, plus there are so many Catholic resources,” she said, adding she particularly loves the Church’s teaching on the Holy Trinity, the Eucharist and Mary’s role within the Church.

After signing the Book of the Elect, Bishop Peter shakes hands with Debbie Fischer, coordinator of Faith Formation for Adults and Children at Sacred Heart Parish in Boise. (ICR Photo/Vero Gutiérrez)

Whelchel said a big part of the reason she is becoming Catholic is the Church’s 2,000-year history.

“I like the part of Bishop Peter’s homily where he was talking about when the various churches were formed,” she noted. “They all broke off from Jesus’ Church, the Church He founded.”

Whelchel said Jesus has been gently nudging her toward Catholicism for many years.

“I’ve been through a lot, and I think God is getting me ready for the next stage in my life,” she said. “I wanted a place for Sophia that is biblically accurate, and God led me here. He wants to make sure my daughter is in the right place, and He wants me in the right place. I know this because He called me.

“It’s as if my life has been leading up to this point,” Whelchel said. “I don’t know how much time I have left; nobody does, but He wants to get me to the point where I’m ready for whatever comes.”

More people entering the Church at Easter

At the Rite of Election at Holy Apostles, Bishop Christensen stated that the number of people entering the Church this Easter has significantly increased over his 10-year tenure as Idaho’s bishop.

“Every year since I’ve been here, about a thousand people have come into the Church at Easter,” he said. “This year, there is more than that. I may be exaggerating, but I think it’s approaching 2,000. Something is going on. You feel it; I see it.”