Two years ago, Austin Copes was staunchly opposed to Catholicism. Little did he know that he would one day not only enter the church himself but bring his parents and brother with him through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. The 32-year-old entrepreneur was received into the church at the Easter Vigil at the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria March 30.
Copes grew up in a family of five in Florida and was baptized into the Protestant Assembly of God denomination at age 12. Copes described his childhood experience in the denomination as, “more Pentecostal, where there’s a rock band on stage.” His family grew dissatisfied with the church and joined a Reformed Presbyterian church, which “was a big shift.” Copes said he and his family appreciated the more structured belief system. But for Copes, something was still lacking.
Copes entered the U.S. Marine Reserves in 2012, moved to Northern Virginia in 2020, and finished his bachelor’s degree at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. Copes began attending McLean Presbyterian Church, but he began to feel a discomfort with many of the Calvinist beliefs endorsed in the Presbyterian church, particularly predestination. Copes’ girlfriend Ashley Slack talked to him about the Catholic faith, but Copes was skeptical of several Catholic beliefs, such as the papacy, Purgatory, the saints and Marian devotion.
Copes’ religious struggle took a turning point in 2023 after the couple faced several career roadblocks. First, Copes faced a setback in his private business. Then, Slack was turned away from her dream dermatology program. Amid their disappointments, Copes felt compelled to solve his religious crisis once and for all. He began to explore his girlfriend’s faith. “I was questioning a lot of things,” he said.
Copes began reading books about Catholicism and listening to podcasts on Catholic Answers, a website dedicated to answering questions about the faith. “I really had some false notions about the Catholic Church,” Copes said.
But he still struggled to accept Catholic devotion to Mary. Then, one day, “I parked my car at the gym, and I thought, ‘Okay, I’m going to give it a shot.’ ” He offered a quick prayer, asking Mary, “If I’m supposed to become Catholic, I pray that you intercede for me and have (God) put it on my heart.” He then felt “a warm presence. I felt comfort, reassurance … Then I went into the gym and had the best workout ever.”
Copes called his younger brother, Mark, shortly after his prayerful experience. Mark, who was living close to their parents in Florida, also had struggled with Presbyterian beliefs. Copes described his intellectual faith journey to Mark and explained various Catholic teachings on Mary, the saints and the pope. When Copes finished, Mark paused, then said, “I don’t have anything to ask about. That all makes sense.”
A few days after, Mark called his local parish and inquired about RCIA, Copes said. “Him joining also helped me to cross that hurdle that was in my mind because I hadn’t joined RCIA yet.”
Copes felt compelled to join a parish with a Marian name. He began attending Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria and joined the parish’s RCIA group, led by Faith Formation Director Susan Gray.
Not long after their call, Mark called Copes: “You’re not going to believe this. I just talked to Mom and Dad … and Dad is going to join RCIA with me. He wants to see what it’s about.”
Although separated by three states, Copes, Mark and his father, Ken, entered the church together. Copes’ mom, Charlene, will enter RCIA next year. Copes received the sacraments of his First Communion and Confirmation choosing St. George as his confirmation saint. “I like his title, ‘the Dragon Slayer,’ because there’s been multiple things that I, as everyone does, have overcome in my life,” he said.
After receiving the sacraments of confirmation and the Eucharist, Copes said that he had found peace. “Whenever I make big decisions like this, there is always a little hesitation. Before my confirmation on Saturday there was none. I knew I had finally come home.”
This article has been updated.
