How does a lapsed Catholic who knew little about her faith have a 32-year career in faith formation and youth ministry? Anything is possible with God!
Carol Butler, coordinator of faith formation at St. Pius X Church in Middletown, began her vocation as a catechist and catechetical leader inauspiciously, as so many do with God. The woman who was teaching the baptismal class at St. Patrick’s in East Hampton when Butler was preparing for her first child’s baptism told her the best way to learn more about her faith was to teach it. Thus began her 32-year ministry as a catechist.
“I had been Catholic all my life, confirmed in sixth grade, was married in the Church for 12 years and, at 32, I was pregnant with my first child and going to baptismal classes. It was then I realized I knew nothing about Jesus Christ,” she said.
Butler began instructing a group of 12 eighth graders once a week at her dining room table. It was Liturgy-based catechesis, so they studied the readings for the week ahead and Butler tried to make the message in the Gospel relevant for their current culture. “They catechized me! Their questions and our discussions helped me put together the missing pieces of my faith puzzle,” she said. It was a match made in heaven. Butler continued to teach that class into the summer, long after the scheduled classes were over. No one told her when the formal classes concluded, and the kids kept showing up every week, so she considered that a good sign.
Her career as a catechist blossomed from there. By the time she was pregnant with her second child, she had a total conversion experience thanks to the Capuchins and a CYFM (Capuchin Youth and Family Ministries) Confirmation Retreat experience. “I got involved with youth ministry because I was fired up. Don Gould and I started offering retreats for the diocese — that was the beginning of my involvement with the youth and peer ministry programs,” she recalled. And, as they say, “The rest is history.”
Her love of Capuchin spirituality brought her home to St. Pius X Parish. The students are the reason she stays and continues to live out her faith in service to the Lord. “In this day and age, when children are bombarded with media and materialism, they come to Church looking to make a connection with God. They have a spiritual hunger — a deep yearning for God in their lives,” she said. 
When asked about the changes she has seen and experienced with students and their parents during her years in faith formation, Butler highlights overscheduling as one of the biggest obstacles. “Our society is so focused on multitasking and getting everything done that we forget to make time for God and to just sit quietly with Him and hear His voice speaking to each one of us individually.”
In order to make faith real and total in each of our lives, we have to live out our faith in our homes, attend liturgy and participate in the communal life of the Church, said Butler. “God’s love and mercy are the most important teachings we can pass on to our children. Without those two you cannot come to know God intimately,” she added.
The role of a catechist/catechetical leader has changed dramatically over the years, especially in our post-COVID Church. To stay an effective catechist/catechetical leader for 32 years involves changing and growing to better understand how to build God’s kingdom in this ever-changing world. “My faith is always changing as I learn from others. We should all be able to identify something new we learned about our faith every day,” she noted.
With a career that spans three decades, there have been many co-workers and pastors who have come and gone. When asked how she adjusts to the different styles of the pastors she has worked with, she said, “You have to be flexible, trust in God’s plan and be a team player. Everyone has gifts and talents, but no one is good at everything. When done right, teamwork brings out the best in everyone.”
Butler believes that the people she has had the privilege of working with have helped her grow and change for the better: “People want to be seen and know they matter. Jesus does that for all of us. He connects us in ways we never knew possible.”
By Andrea Hoisl