Meet Allison "Sonny" Tengblad

Two years ago my boyfriend and I, both new to the area, started “church shopping” together despite him being Catholic and me being Protestant. Both of us valued going to church together more than we valued going to a particular church, so we tried several Protestant and Catholic communities. 

We stuck with Nativity of Our Lord because we both connected with Fr. Patrick Hipwell’s homilies and with the gorgeous liturgical music, and in hindsight I have no doubt that we are meant to be here. We came for a year before I started to feel the rub of not receiving Communion, and hesitantly inquired about OCIA.

OCIA turned out to be an incredible blessing. I was fortunate to meet Dave and Sharon Altman, John Rigsby, and Rick Johnson, who became my sponsor. 
They guided me through the process while answering my questions and modeling the faith for me in a compelling and encouraging way. 

If you have ever considered participating in OCIA as a sponsor, please do. OCIA is equally powerful for sponsors and candidates as an opportunity to strengthen your knowledge and practice of the Catholic faith.

My journey of faith took on yet another dimension over the past year as I was offered a job in the Nativity parish office. I had been laid off from an engineering position and I started helping out here part time while I discerned my long-term career path. 

It became clear that God’s plan for me was here at Nativity, and I have accepted a full-time position as Parish Secretary and Volunteer Coordinator. I look forward to getting to know everyone better, and to using my talents to give back to the parish that has already given me so much.