It was St. Thomas Kempis in his writing “The Imitation of Christ” who said of imitating Christ Jesus: “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, saith the Lord. These are the words of Christ; and they teach us how far we must imitate His life and character if we seek true illumination and deliverance from all blindness of heart. Let it be our most earnest study, therefore, to dwell upon the life of Jesus Christ.” This book “The Imitation of Christ” serves as a backdrop to my journey to the Catholic Church. A few years ago, facing retirement from 40-plus years of pastoral ministry, I began to think (again) about this journey I was on to follow Christ. Covid hit in 2020, and I clearly felt Christ was “shaking the shakeable so that the unshakeable would remain”, a passage from Hebrews 12. What I didn’t realize at the time was that he was shaking me. My soul was restless and grieving as I witnessed what was happening to many who left the church during this time, sensing they n