Christus Vivit in the RGV: Kimberly Capuras

Christus Vivit in the RGV: KIMBERLY CAPURAS

After college: Encountering God through pilgrimages, art, and the rosary

Kimberly Capuras, a graduate from the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, spoke with Jose Ricardo Palermo, associate director of Young Adult Ministry for Catholic Diocese of Brownsville about the challenges of being a young Catholic professional. Capuras, who earned a degree in business and administrative accounting in the spring of 2023, is now pursuing her master’s degree. While she learned about the Newman Center on campus her last semester in college, she is grateful it put her in contact with other Catholic students who are interested in their faith and learning more about it.

What are some of the challenges you have faced since transitioning from being a student to a young Catholic professional?
One of the challenges was talking about my faith with co-workers. Many of them are not exactly religious, so I cannot really tell them about my faith. That has been a struggle because it gets uncomfortable. When I was a student, it was a lot easier because I was surrounded with people my age who are Catholic, and we could talk about our faith without feeling embarrassed about it. Now as a professional in the workforce not only am I not talking to people my age, talking about our faith is not necessarily encouraged. It is difficult sometimes to relate to my coworkers. I don’t relate to the topics that they talk about and we don’t have much in common.
 
What are you are doing to grow in your faith and prayer life?
Praying the rosary. I've been praying  the rosary since I was a young girl, and I try to pray it every day. I try to make it a habit. I am also trying to be conscious of my actions, more conscious of what I've been doing, especially as I prepare for confession, because confession is very important.

There was a period in my life where I was trying to pray, but I was always distracted. It got to the point where it bothered me so much that I decided I'd go to the Newman Center and ask for some help. I asked Eddie, the former coordinator for the Newman Center, for advice. I asked him if I was going crazy. I know I'm not, but with my distractions, I was really feeling in my heart that something was wrong. He told me to calm down, to take a take a deep breath. He told me, “It’s okay. It's normal for people to feel distracted while praying.” Before you pray, he said, it is sometimes best to ask God to help you to overcome those distractions as you pray. He also gave me a little rosary booklet that was written by Bishop Robert Baron, from the Word on Fire Ministries. It included a lot of beautiful Catholic art. The beauty of the art helped me grow in appreciation for Catholicism.

Tell me a little more about how you found art and beauty to be one of the things that has helped you with your faith?

Let me tell you a story. Last year I went on a family trip to Italy and visited Vatican City and St. Peter's Basilica. There are a lot of churches in Italy and in each church, there are beautiful paintings and statues. You can see how man's love for God is expressed through art and beauty. I know some people say art is subjective, but I believe that art is objective, and it resonates with your love for God.

Is there anything you are looking forward to the most regarding your spiritual growth?
One. I wish to be more zealous in my faith, to be more outspoken because in  the culture that we live today, the culture easily mocks Christianity. I don't know if you've heard about what happened during the opening ceremony of the Olympics where they included an offensive mockery of the Last Supper. As a Catholic, and even non-Catholic Christians as well, it is something that you should be angry about, not hateful, but angry, yes. We should speak out about such offenses. 

Second. I am also looking forward to going on a pilgrimage. Many people say it is hard to go on a pilgrimage, and that it should be different from a vacation. I would like to experience that hardship, of walking many miles while reflecting on my spiritual journey with God. I would love to go to Fatima in Portugal. Since I was a little girl, for some reason, I have had a special love for Our Lady of Fatima.