MEET THE SCHWAN FAMILY: Growing and Sharing in Faith Together

Having looked into strong school options for their family, Ryan and Emily Schwan enrolled their daughters at Saint Michael Parish School for fall 2020.

“We fell in love with school and parish, and it helped bring my husband and I back to our Catholic faith,” Emily says. “We decided we wanted the girls baptized in the Church also.”

Lila, 6, received the Sacrament of Baptism in January, and Sadie, 8, had her Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil this past April.

Sadie’s full reception into the Church was a wonderful experience for her and the whole family. She also took the RCIA course to prepare for the event.

“Most of her learning about Catholicism is done during school, but we had some special Masses to attend and, of course, the Easter Vigil,” Emily says.

The Easter Vigil was a particularly exciting experience for the Schwan family, as they had the opportunity to witness Sadie receive her sacraments and take the next step on her journey of faith.

“The Easter Vigil was wonderful for our family,” Emily says. “We were hesitant about the late night and having little ones, but there was so much love, joy, and tradition that they stayed wide awake and eager to participate.”

Lila’s Baptism was also a special and memorable moment for the Schwan family.

“It was very special to witness our daughter’s Baptism with our family, as well as the special bond she will forever have with her Godparent,” Emily says. “Watching the joy and peace in our daughter’s eyes was such a blessing.”

Seeing their daughters received into the Church was special and important in the Schwans’ faith lives. Both Ryan and Emily had been raised Catholic, but coming back to the Church and witnessing their girls’ experience has been significant for them.

“It was important for them to receive these sacraments,” Emily says. “It’s been very special for my husband and I to come back to the Church and see everything through our children’s eyes and have them immersed in our Catholic faith at the school.”

In addition to the reception of sacraments, Emily says that it’s also been special to see their daughters learn and grow in their faith through their Catholic education at school and in RCIA. The girls are constantly learning at school and coming home to tell their parents about a saint they have studied or other important lessons they’ve received.

“With our daughters being in school, my husband and I are actually being reminded of and even learning more than we ever knew through our children, which is wonderful,” Emily says.

Emily and Ryan Schwan were grateful to have their daughters, Lila and Sadie, receive their sacraments this past year.