Julie Cook is now happily directing the ministry that brought her back to the Catholic Church. As the Director of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), Julie recognizes that her path to this program could only be led by the Holy Spirit.
Julie grew up in Wyandotte County in Kansas City, Kan., with six sisters and seven brothers. She moved to Houston in 1988 for a job relocation. In Houston, her children received the Sacraments of Initiation through the RCIA ministry and while they were involved, Julie was asked to sponsor. Julie said that when her son told her she was not a practicing Catholic and did not qualify as a sponsor, this was the moment she turned her heart back to Christ. After she began practicing Catholicism again, she continued sponsoring and eventually she and her husband, Mike, were asked to become the Adult RCIA Team Leaders. Christ the Redeemer (CtR) parishioner and RCIA Coordinator at the time, Patty Lynch, asked them later to take over the RCIA Ministry. By the Lord’s grace, Julie was laid off from the oil and gas job she had for 29 years and two weeks later became the RCIA Coordinator at CtR. She was promoted to Director of RCIA in July 2017.
She and her husband, Mike, married in 1981. They live in Barwood, just five minutes from CtR. Julie and Mike have two married children and three grandchildren. Julie enjoys reading, gardening, college basketball and star gazing.