The grace of second chances

Alvaro and Jessica Celaya of St. Stephen Parish in Weatherford and their twin daughters, Olivia and Sofia, pose for a photo inside the parish on Feb. 10. (NTC/Richard Rodriguez)

In the beauty of the domestic Church, one finds the Lord, says Pope Francis in his apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love). The spirituality of family, the pope writes, is made up of “thousands of small but real gestures. In that variety of gifts and encounters which deepen communion, God has His dwelling place” (315). 

With their blended family of nine, Jessica and Alvaro Celaya of St. Stephen Parish in Weatherford built a life of faith from the ground up for the betterment of their family. Together, the couple provides their combined seven children and six grandchildren with an example of how to develop a love for Jesus and Mary with their everyday practices of devotion.

Return to the Church

Alvaro and Jessica met in 2000 while working as correctional officers in El Centro, California. 

“We had a lot of things in common,” Alvaro said, sharing they both had children from previous relationships. The two got married civilly and raised their kids, their youngest a set of twins born in 2009. 

“But we were not actually, when we got together, living our Catholic faith. We had kind of fallen away. It wasn’t until 2014 that Jessica and I discussed trying to do things differently,” Alvaro explained. 

“We were having a rough spell, and then with the babies, it was a lot of work,” Jessica added.

They decided to make a change for the sake of their family and visited their local Catholic priest.

Alvaro recalled thinking, “Let’s do this with God and see where it leads us.”

While Jessica completed RCIA to receive her confirmation, the two also took marriage classes and their union was convalidated by the Catholic Church in El Centro on May 30, 2015.

“From then, everything just kind of started working. God was working in our lives,” Alvaro reflected. “No family is perfect, and we have our share of struggles and everything, but we keep ourselves grounded with our faith, and we always come back to that.”

Even as their older children started their adult lives in different parts of the country, Jessica and Alvaro continue prioritizing their faith.  

“We’ve had a lot of wonderful experiences everywhere we’ve been, and our faith has grown, and so has our church community,” Alvaro said. 

Family bonding time

The Celaya family moved to San Diego before they arrived in Weatherford in June 2023. But Alvaro and Jessica determined no matter where they relocated, a few family practices would remain constant.

“Anywhere we go, we try to get involved in our parish,” Alvaro said.

“We all have to do something,” Jessica added, sharing that her twin girls have been serving in the Church since they were 5. “Every parish we’ve been to, everyone had to do something, that was our thing.”

The practice started at their first parish in El Centro when Alvaro became a Knight of Columbus, Jessica joined the choir, and their 5-year-old twins attended catechesis, eventually becoming altar servers. 

“We knew as soon as we got here [to Weatherford], we were not going to buy a home if we weren’t close to a Catholic church. And sure enough, we got to St. Stephen right away.”

This time, their girls decided to help with the choir while also beginning their confirmation preparation.

“We said, well, let’s do it as a family, so we are in the choir, plus I transferred my Knights of Columbus membership here,” Alvaro said. “We help with anything. I mean, we just know that if God asks us to serve, we’re going to serve.” 

Proud of the faith

The Celaya twins, Olivia and Sofia, are sophomores in the local public high school. Sometimes, they see some of the friends they’ve made at church at school, but for the most part, Catholic students attending Weatherford High are in the minority.

On one occasion, Olivia’s classmate took offense to the Virgin Mary, insinuating that Catholics worship her.

“We pray to her, and we ask for her intercession, and we ask for graces from her — we don’t worship,” Olivia recalled explaining to him.

“I was really proud of her,” Alvaro said. “It’s tough nowadays not only just to be a teenager, but then to have to defend your faith at that age is tough.”

Love for the Rosary

The Celayas take pride in their everyday family traditions, like wearing their scapulars, praying together before school, and saying grace in public. 

“Livie [Olivia], my dad, and I have been wearing our scapulars since we were like 5 years old,” Sofia shared with a smile. 

“When you’re ready, and it’s time, you’re going to wear it, and there’s not going to be any ifs, ands, or buts,” Jessica said, sharing that she’d initially struggled to wear her scapular until she fell in love with the Virgin Mary after attending a Cursillo retreat. 

“It just changed everything,” she said.

Alvaro also has a devotion to the Virgin Mary and to Our Lady of Guadalupe, which began when he started getting involved with 40 Days for Life.

“That’s how we got started praying the Rosary, and then it trickled into becoming a weekly family event, if not more often, like when we’re on a road trip and begin praying the Rosary,” he said.

Advice for parents

Get involved with your parish, Alvaro urged. “It’s the most rewarding thing you can do, especially when you see your kids blossoming in the different things that you’re involved in.” Start with one thing, one ministry, that you can do as a family, he said.

“And just say yes,” Jessica added. “It’s not always easy, but once you’re there, you’ll be glad you came.”