For Dana Jonas, it will be the continuation of a journey that began 55 years ago on another continent.

For her 18-year-old son, Eric, it’s the start of a journey of inclusion and community.

Both will come into full communion with the Catholic Church this Easter Vigil at St. Joseph Church in Port Huron, part of Holy Trinity Parish. The celebration that will take place on April 19, 2025, is all the more special because it is 55 years to the day when Dana Jonas was baptized in Czechoslovakia.

“I grew up in Czechoslovakia, where religion was oppressed, of course, because it was a communist regime until I was 18 years old,” Dana Jonas told Detroit Catholic. “So in the most crucial era when a person is spiritually formed, there was a lot of oppression. However, I was baptized because my mom was a secret believer. She didn’t tell anybody, she couldn’t, but she had me baptized.”

detroitcatholic.com

Joyfully, mother and son to enter Church together at Easter vigil in Port Huron - Detroit Catholic

Dana Jonas was baptized 55 years ago in Czechoslovakia; will be confirmed alongside 18-year-old son with autism