A family that prays together

A family that prays together April 1, 2013

Another great story of a return to the church—this time, with an entire Arkansas family coming along for the journey:

For 11-year-old Carter Baldwin and his 9-year-old sister Mimi, one of the most exciting things about becoming Catholic isn’t what one might expect from children — going to confession.

“I like how Catholicism makes you confess your sins,” Carter Baldwin said. “I like how it makes you feel closer to God.”

Mimi added, “Basically, if you sin one day, you can ask him the same day to forgive your sins and he’ll forgive them and you’ll feel, like, free.”

Carter Baldwin will receive his first Communion and confirmation at Easter Vigil Mass at Christ the King Church in Little Rock along with his mother, Susan Baldwin, 39. Carter’s twin brother Cole and the Baldwin’s other set of twins, Ben and Mimi, will be baptized, receive their first Communion and will be confirmed. Chris Baldwin, 43, the youngest of 11 children raised Catholic, said having his wife and children join the Church means the world to him.

“The last year has literally been the best year of our whole marriage,” Chris Baldwin said. “I don’t know if it’s because we’re coming back to my roots or if I’m being a better leader (spiritually).”

Just as Jesus said, “Let the children come to me,” so put the wheels in motion for the Baldwin family after a prospective student visit to Christ the King School in September.

When Chris and Susan Baldwin married in 1999, the two attended a nondenominational church where Susan had attended as a teenager, being raised in the Baptist faith.

While Chris Baldwin said the church was filled with wonderful people, he felt disconnected spiritually. Deep-rooted in Cath­olicism, Chris graduated from Catholic High School in Little Rock in 1988, as did his brothers, with his sisters attending Mount St. Mary Academy.

“I guess it was about seven or eight years ago, I just had a real pull to be a Catholic again,” Chris Baldwin said. “I love everything about Catholicism … I love the reverence of it.”

While the Baldwins’ four children enjoyed attending the nondenominational church, the adults were separated from the children during the worship services, so the brood never got to attend a church service together until going to Mass.

“I just like that whenever we will sit down and say a prayer I’ll know my parents are there with me, whenever I go up to get a blessing and stuff they’ll be watching, and I think I’ll be doing something good,” Mimi Baldwin said of attending Mass.

Susan Baldwin said she’s always had an interest in learning more about the Catholic faith, particularly after attending the beautiful Catholic funerals of her brother-in-law and father-in-law. However, a tour of Christ the King School — to inquire about Carter and Cole attending next year — changed everything.

Continue reading.  It’s a great story.  Bless ’em all.


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