By Amy White
The Texas Catholic
A convert to Catholicism, Susan Platt of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish in Garland said her faith has inspired her to love God through service to others, including through her decades of dedicated pro-life ministry to mothers and their children.
Raised in the Church of Christ, Platt’s Christian faith shaped the rhythm of her adolescent years: On Wednesday nights, Sunday mornings, and sometimes Sunday nights too, Platt would head to church to pray with her family. Even while they frequented the church together, however, the family’s fervor for faith did not always seep into life at home.
“Our home life and our church life seemed completely separate,” Platt reflected. “By the time I reached college, I felt detached from the church of my childhood.”
In 1994, Platt married her husband, Reg. That same year, the couple moved to Chicago — away from family, friends, and Platt’s church community — to take up a job at a nonprofit theater. Just weeks after arriving, the financially faltering theater laid off most of its staff, including Platt. Mere months after that, a fire in the couple’s apartment building forced the Platts to look for a new place to stay. Providentially, they turned to a local parish for help.
“The Catholic community at St. Gertrude’s welcomed us with extraordinary kindness,” Platt said. “We stayed for a week in the former convent next to the church, and parishioners helped us find an apartment. Their generosity and faith made a deep impression on me. I wanted what they had, and my husband experienced a renewed awakening of his faith as well.”
“I was drawn to the Catholic Church,” she continued, “because of the community I found there — people who were willing to help, give generously, and open their hearts to others.”
With time, that initial allure grew into deeply felt conversion, as Platt became increasingly convicted by the beauty and the truth of the Catholic faith. After two years in Chicago, the couple returned to North Texas, and Platt began the process of joining the Church through the RCIA program at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish in Garland.
“I found my spiritual home,” she said.
After joining St. Michael the Archangel, the Platts were quickly introduced to the parish’s pro-life coordinator, Tom Clark, who invited the couple to take part in the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil in Dallas. He also invited the Platts to the annual Bishop’s Pro-Life Dinner, which featured addresses from Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, then-chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Abby Johnson, a Planned Parenthood director turned pro-life advocate.
“The evening was overwhelming,” Platt recalled. “Surrounded by hundreds of pro-lifers who were filled with the Holy Spirit, it was impossible to remain unmoved.”
Platt soon began to feel the tug of the Holy Spirit on her own heart, she recalled, inviting her to become a local leader in the respect life cause.
“Although I tried hard to convince the Lord that he had the wrong person, I eventually became a prayer partner and then a sidewalk counselor and was one of the vigil coordinators for the Dallas 40 Days for Life,” Platt said. “I was blessed to be hired by the Catholic Pro-Life Committee (CPLC) to serve for 13 years as the director of prayer, advocacy, and community outreach.”
While working at CPLC, Platt said, one of her responsibilities was to research and share with her colleagues about a “saint of the week.” This experience deepened her admiration of the holy men and women who lived lives of humility, courage, and conviction.
“Through these experiences, my relationship with God grew from something I understood primarily through family and worship into a personal calling to serve,” Platt shared. “What initially felt outside my comfort zone became one of the greatest blessings of my life.”
Today, Platt continues to live out her faith through service, as well as through prayer, study, and community.
“I participate in a women’s Bible study, pray online for women who are struggling with decisions involving the lives of their unborn babies, and belong to a book club that focuses on works centered on faith,” she said. “These activities help me continue growing in my relationship with God while also growing in community.”
Reflecting on her Catholic faith, she added, “I am Catholic because the Church has helped me know Jesus more deeply and has given me a community through which I can live out my faith in service to others.”
Cutline for featured image: Susan Platt, a parishioner of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish in Garland, is pictured at her parish on Sept. 18. Platt shared her story of faith with The Texas Catholic as part of the “Why I am Catholic” series. (AMY WHITE/The Texas Catholic)
