Cindy Buscaglia

My husband, Darin, and I have been married for 24 years. We have two children in college; Dominic in Santa Barbara and Gianna in Oregon. I was baptized, confirmed and married in the Catholic Church. My Catholic upbringing was positive and guilt free. I have rich and joyful memories of my religious upbringing.
Our children were baptized and made their first communions at Christ the King. I spent ten years volunteering with the  confirmation program. They attended CTK for a few years and then we transitioned them to the public school and shortly after, left the Church.

For several years, we did not go to church. I continued to pray, but it was a spiritually dry period. Soon, I would be introduced to the world of evangelism through a friend’s
invitation. I spent my 40s in two different protestant churches, reading and studying the bible with other pilgrims who were hungry for God. I had a voracious appetite for
scriptural knowledge and was always in ministry work and bible study.

In 2011, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a challenging and frightening time which ultimatelystrengthened my faith. My diagnosis was a wake-up call to a new spiritual life. I heard God’s reassurance and promise that I had a future and a purpose. After that, I led a thriving women’s ministry which affirmed and supported my leadership skills. In those years, I secretly wondered if I could do this ministry in the Catholic Church.

In 2014, I began a two-year spiritual direction program where I encountered my Catholic roots. I studied the desert fathers, mystics, and saints. The spiritual practices that
sustained me were: Centering prayer, Lectio Divina, and the Examen. After I graduated, I did The Ignatian Exercises which only confirmed that I was Catholic at heart.

In 2016, I attended the funeral of a long-time family friend, Vic Steil. When I entered St. Catherine that day, I had an overwhelming sense that I was being called back; and in
August 2017, I returned. The beauty of this small, old church was breathtaking and the smell of incense evoked an emotional remembrance of my childhood faith. I was longing for the rich tradition of Catholicism. After Mass that day, Fr. Anthony invited me to RCIA to discern my returning. After three week’s I disregarded mytheological checklist and went to confession. I knew I was home. Now, when I take communion, I am deeply aware of its transformative power and often feel profoundly humbled. Recently, I have agreed to co-lead a faith nourishment ministry called “Ignite” which will be launched soon.