About 12 years ago my twin brother Joe, Contributing Editor at The Gateway Pundit, married a lovely, beautiful woman from China. Catherine moved here to the US from Shenzhen, China, and lived with Joe in the St. Louis area until they moved to Hong Kong where Joe served as an international corporate executive overseeing the audit function in Asia and the Pacific for a top 200 corporation.
But Catherine almost didn’t make it to America.
Catherine grew up in Hubei Province in a typical working-class home with her parents and an older brother. When Catherine was around 10-years-old she learned how to cook with her mother. The two would cook for the many guests who would regularly congregate at their home. It wasn’t until years later that she learned those friends who came to her home belonged to an underground Christian prayer group. They would meet at her home and read the Bible and pray.
Then at one point the authorities caught on to what was taking place at Catherine’s home. They arrested her father and an uncle. They brought her father to the police station and beat him hoping to force a confession on their illegal prayer meetings. Her father would not admit to the Bible meetings no matter how much he was pressured and beaten. Catherine’s uncle was not so lucky and was sent to prison for three years for praying.
Above Catherine with her parents in Beijing across from Tiananmen Square and in front of Forbidden City.
When Catherine met Joe and after they were married she almost did not make it out of China. During her screening, the authorities told her that her father had engaged in illegal activity several years earlier. The illegal acts on her father’s record were the Christian prayer meetings at their home when Catherine was a little girl. Somehow Catherine and her uncle were able to convince them to let her relocate to the US.
Since that time Catherine and Joe had a son, left Hong Kong, and relocated back to the States. Joe writes for The Gateway Pundit and hosts The Joe Hoft Show on Real Talk FM 93.3 FM.
This brings us to today. This Easter holiday, after several months of preparation, Catherine Hoft was baptized Catholic. Catherine was baptized, confirmed and received her First Communion this weekend.
This took place just hours ago.
Now that Catherine is an American she does not have to worry about professing her faith in God. At least not yet. Americans still have the freedom to convert, to profess their faith, and most years, to practice their religion.
We have much to be grateful for this Easter.
Joe, Catherine and Dean at St. Patrick’s on Easter.
More… Italian Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano wrote Catherine and Joe a wonderful letter tonight in celebration of her Baptism and First Communion:
