How Jesse Spata opened his life to Jesus
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With the guidance of his wife, Trisha, Jesse Spata joined the Catholic Church and was baptized, confirmed and received First Communion during the Easter Vigil at St. Mary Parish, Hales Corners. (Catholic Herald photo by Jim Bovin)
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As doctors worked to determine whether his newborn son suffered from a serious health problem, Jesse Spata, fearful and panicked, fell to his knees and spoke to God for the first time in 29 years.
Jesus was not, and never had been a presence in his life. Even as a child religion was not part of his family's life. His father, so devastated and tormented by what he had experienced in Vietnam, told his family there was no God.
But, as he prayed to a God he hardly knew, Spata hoped the prayers would not fall on deaf ears.
"As if on cue, knocking at the door broke the silence." described Spata.
An elderly woman entered the room asking if he and his wife would like to receive holy Communion.
It was amazing," said Spata, describing the "beautiful old lad" carrying the Eucharist as a sign. "I interpreted it as Jesus saying, "I heard you. I'm here for you."
The experience motivated Spata to give his child what he didn't have as a youngster: a grounding in faith.
Read more in this week's Catholic Herald feature article.
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