More than 3,200 archdiocesan men, women and children will join with tens of thousands of people across the nation committing themselves to the Catholic faith April 15 at the evening Easter Vigil.

All had different journeys, some exceptionally long and winding; many were drawn to Catholicism because of friends and family members. Often, as is the case with the Angelenos profiled here, they become Catholic because of a desire to celebrate the gift of faith with their children and to be, as best as possible, a holy family, together.

'Great community'
Native New York Long Islander Ken Schaefer was very involved in his Presbyterian church as a child.

He received his first kiss at church camp and was active in youth groups that "kept me out of trouble."

Relocating to Los Angeles in 1989, Schaefer found work in the entertainment industry as a cameraman and started raising a family with his Catholic wife. He was impressed with Holy Redeemer School in Montrose where his son, Charles, was enrolled, and attended Mass regularly at the parish with his wife and children.

"This is a great community. We're all friends here," said Schaefer, 50 and currently a cameraman for the television show, "Extra."

Since last fall, he has attended weekly catechism classes conducted by Holy Redeemer's pastor, Msgr. John Foley. "The classes have been great. Msgr. Foley alone is like a historian," said Schaefer. He said he especially enjoyed learning about the Catholic calendar of rituals and journeying with the group of fellow adults and teens toward "one spiritual goal."

Already a baptized Christian, Schaefer will receive the sacraments of Eucharist and confirmation on Holy Saturday. "Children seem to gravitate toward faith when you support it," reflected Schaefer. He looks forward to accompanying his daughter, Helen, 5, as she soon begins her own spiritual journey as a kindergartner at Holy Redeemer.

'A knowing'
Fellow Holy Redeemer catechetical classmate Laura Hipke, 48, also was inspired by her oldest child's spiritual experience while a student at Holy Redeemer.

Her son, Dustin, now a freshman at St. Francis High School in La Caņada, transferred from a public school into Holy Redeemer as an eighth-grader. "It was Dustin's best year of elementary school. It spoke to his sense of goodness," described Hipke, an artist who paints expressionistic portraits. Her other children, Katie and Christian, attend sixth and second grades, respectively, at the parochial school.

"I had so much fear about religion having been raised in a household with a great deal of skepticism and mistrust," said Hipke, whose parents divorced when she was a teen. She tears up remembering the day Dustin came to her and asked, "I want to be Catholic; is that O.K.?"

Laura and Dustin together attended instruction to receive the church's sacraments of initiation: baptism, Communion and confirmation. "Grace is what brought us here," described Laura. She said the concept of grace is what she most connected to.

"Grace is like a flower. You can pass many flowers in your path. One day you see it. It wasn't an accident or a coincidence. You feel such gratitude," said Laura.

She also appreciates the "spirit of generosity" prevalent at the parish "allowing a person to be who they are, to make mistakes and learn at their own pace.

"There is a knowing already in place," said Laura, whose husband, Randy, is Lutheran. "I don't feel like this is foreign. It's more like completing something."

'Things all lined up'
Valerie Lanich, 45, and her sons, Max, 15, and Jake, 10, had been praying for a while to attend church as a family. When Valerie's husband, James, decided he wanted to return to his Catholic faith three years ago, "things all lined up," according to Valerie, a third grade elementary school teacher.

Of Chinese descent, Valerie had attended Catholic parishes with neighbors as a child but never was baptized. She and the boys enrolled in three different, age-appropriate RCIA processes two years ago at Holy Trinity Church in San Pedro.

"What was one of the most interesting things to me was reading the New American Bible," said Valerie, who was familiar with the Protestant Bible from attending a Christian covenant church as a young adult. "It was a plus for me being in a class with other adults thirsting for some kind of knowledge about God. We took a lot of time to ask questions."

Max and Jake said they learned a lot in their classes, which often had guest speakers who gave personal faith testimonies. "Every time I have to make a decision, I think of what I've learned," said Max. "I think twice before I do anything," added Jake.

Valerie was impressed by the generosity displayed by parishioners who helped out the less fortunate and also prayed for the 33 teen and 14 adult members of the RCIA groups. "It's striking how they make helping others a part of their life," she declared. "They find time to nurture people coming into the faith. In this day and age, I think that's unusual."