A friendship between a SHMS security guard and seminarian contributed to a conversion of faith

DETROIT — Studying at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Ryan Walters is learning the tenets of pastoral ministry and Catholic theology in order to become the best possible priest he can be. 

However, through time and the practice and of stepping outside of his comfort zone, he is also learning about “the ministry of presence.”

This past spring, Walters served as the sponsor for Helen Wilson as she entered the Catholic Church at St. Augustine-St. Monica Parish in Detroit. 

Wilson and Walters struck up a friendship at the seminary —  where Wilson works as a security guard for Sacred Heart Major Seminary, and where Walters currently attends classes in preparation for the priesthood. 

Walters along with his friends and fellow seminarians began to chat with Wilson as they passed by the front entrance of the seminary where she was often posted on duty. 

Wilson said that by working at Sacred Heart and observing the Masses, she learned more about the Catholic faith. 

“I just felt that this is me I need to be closer to God,” Wilson said. “I learned more about the Catholic Faith. I have always been a church person, but it was so welcoming. I said, ‘Yes, I can be part of this family.’”

Wilson worked for SHMS for approximately six years and was attending a Baptist church, and this last fall, she entered RCIA along with her 9-year-old son. 

“I believe God sent me this way,” Wilson said.  “I had prayed on it, and I wanted to be closer to God.”

Walters humbly told Detroit Catholic that if his friends and he had any role in her choice to pursue RCIA it was purely through the process of having a down-to-earth conversation, and that Wilson’s decision to enter the church was entirely inspired by the Holy Spirit.

“Hopefully, we seemed happy to her, and I think it just kind of just opened the door for her and she started asking about the faith,” Walters said. “We would just say what we feel and the truth of the faith.”

Walters and his friends responded to Wilson’s announcement about joining RCIA with enthusiasm and offered their support through the process. 

Ultimately, both Walters and his friend and fellow seminarian Michael Bruno both played a part in the process; Bruno stood with Wilson when she became a candidate, and Walters was there when she was confirmed in the church. 

Walters, a self-professed introvert, is grateful that he stepped outside of his comfort zone to talk to a stranger — an action that led to a friendship and an opportunity to be a witness to his faith.

“I’m just thankful to God,” Walters said. “If I had any part in her entering the church then that’s a beautiful thing and I am grateful. That is all of our goals in life — not just for people to enter the church, but (for them) to also encounter Christ in small ways.”

As a Christian, he said, the goal is to help lead people closer to Christ even through actions as small as listening to someone’s story and talking to them. 

Wilson said that she is happy that she made the decision and that Walters, his fellow seminarians and her RCIA teacher at St. Augustine-St. Monica have been there for her through this process and beyond.

“The Catholic Church teaches more,” Wilson said. “In the Catholic Church, you learn more about the Bible and the verses and they break it down for you.  There is a lot of knowledge they give out and every day you learn something new. I’m still learning.”