Atmosphere of prayer, commitment to faith helped siblings Vanessa and Kurt Hesse discover newfound relationship with Jesus
Editor's note: This is the third in a three-part series about how Catholic schools contribute to the faith lives of those in their communities.
ROYAL OAK — Vanessa and Kurt Hesse were newcomers to Shrine Academy in Royal Oak for the 2022-23 school year, dealing with all the things students face when starting fresh at a new school.
The siblings transferred to Shrine from Royal Oak Public Schools and had to get acquainted with a new class schedule and a new school environment, make new friends, and find a way to fit in.
It could have been a daunting transition, but one that was made easier by the Shrine community.
“I liked Shrine a lot when I came; the community was really good, and they welcomed us right away,” Vanessa Hesse, a ninth-grader at Shrine High School, told Detroit Catholic. “I had a lot of friends and felt welcomed by my teachers and peers. If you were having a tough time with classes or anything was happening in your life, they were always there to help.”
The Hesse siblings adapted well to the Catholic school environment: smaller class sizes, school uniforms, a more tight-knit community.
But religion class was something new for both of them and something that seemed intimidating at first.
“I was really stressed out at first because I thought because we were getting graded on religion, like a regular class, but my teacher, Mr. (Eric) Ruszala, made me feel like it wasn’t just a class, it was also a knowledge place where I could learn about Jesus,” Vanessa Hesse said. “He was really one of the biggest reasons why I converted. He helped me get through the year and showed me the path to Jesus.”
Kurt and Vanessa’s dad is a Shrine alum, and their grandmother’s brother is a priest in Czechia, but the family didn’t have a religious practice.
Going to religion class, attending Mass with classmates, and openly talking about faith in the classroom were all new experiences for Kurt and Vanessa, but the more they got used to the Shrine environment, the more they wanted to explore their own spirituality.
“For me, it was a lot different because at the time when we moved to Shrine, I didn’t know too much about religion,” said Kurt Hesse, an eighth-grader at Shrine Academy. “I like the school because the grading was tougher; it’s a smaller school with smaller class sizes, meaning the teacher could help you out more. But going to Mass every Tuesday with the whole school was a different experience.”
The more the two saw how much faith played a role in their classmates' lives, the more they wanted to learn about Jesus and the Church, and the more they wanted the peace they saw in their classmates when they went to Mass and were in prayer.
“Prior to going to Shrine, we were believers, but never really went to church,” Vanessa Hesse said. “When people would ask us what we believed in, we’d say God, but were never showing it. So going to church with the school ... it felt like a community."
With some encouragement from her grandmother in Czechia, she and her brother started attending catechism classes at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica last October, just two months after starting school at Shrine.
Catechism classes were an opportunity for the Hesse siblings to “catch up” on religion class compared to their Catholic classmates, but also created space for them to take ownership of their faith.
“We had catechism classes every Tuesday, and they’d ask us if this is what you really want,” Vanessa Hesse said. “They didn’t want us to be forced into doing this by our parents because, at a certain age, you just have to do this for yourself. And every time we went to that class, I learned more and more. By learning more about Jesus, I felt it was easier to open my heart to him. I thought this wasn’t just something my parents wanted; it was something I would really love to be part of.”
Kurt and Vanessa took to the material quickly, developing their prayer life and a personal relationship with Jesus, along with a desire for the sacraments.
This Easter vigil, the siblings were baptized, confirmed, and received their first Communion at the basilica. Kurt chose the confirmation name Christopher, because his grandfather on his dad’s side was a Korean War veteran who wore a St. Christopher medal during the war. Vanessa chose St. Wenceslas, the patron saint of Czechia, where her mother is from. Both Kurt and Vanessa are dual American and Czech nationals.
“The Mass was three and a half hours, but it was beautiful — the lights turning on all at once, the ringing of the bells, the atmosphere of the church — it was electric. You could sense Jesus’ presence there,” Kurt Hesse said.
Kurt and Vanessa said there has been a noticeable change in how they view themselves and the world since becoming Catholic. The two report having an inner peace, knowing they are sons and daughters of God.
As the siblings begin the new school year at Shrine, they're thankful for the role their teachers, classmates and the school community played in their conversion and continued discipleship.
“When I was at Royal Oak Middle School, I didn’t think about my faith; I just did whatever everyone else did,” Vanessa Hesse said. “But when I came here, especially my first year (at Shrine), I really started thinking about it, and I've really opened my heart to Jesus. I’m grateful for the community, because without them, I don’t think I’d be where I am now.”
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