Noah Ricca, Cole Felician and Joshua Ricca are among several students from Trinity High School entering the Catholic Church this Easter.Founded in 1963 by the Brothers of Christian Schools, Trinity High School has been nurturing faith and honoring God by educating children from families surrounding Camp Hill for over six decades. Some families elect to send their children to be educated in the Catholic Tradition even though they are not Catholic, and the fruit of that education is often finding a home in the one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. The chaplain, pastors, campus ministry team, and faculty all play a crucial role in the lives of students who desire to enter the Church.
Reverend Peter K. Rettig, chaplain, relies on Trinity’s faculty and campus ministry team to identify students interested in becoming Catholic.
“My goal is to find the people who want to become Catholic…at the beginning of the school year in September or even August,” Father Rettig said. After conversation and counsel, he reaches out to the pastor of the parish the student wishes to join, asking, “How would you like to do it? Would you like them to go through catechesis here at the school or with you at your home parish?”
Father Rettig explains that most students ultimately come into the faith at the parish level. Attending the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) at the parish helps students “grow roots” in their parish community.
This year, among other Trinity students, Cole Felician and twins Joshua and Noah Ricca will be received into the Catholic Church during the Easter season.
Cole Felician did not need Father Rettig’s invitation to join the Church. The Holy Spirit was already at work in Cole’s heart when he approached Father Rettig following an after-school Mass for the boys’ basketball team.
Father Rettig recalls, “I didn’t even preach about anything like this. After the Mass he [Cole] comes up and says ‘Hey, Father, I have a question’ … ‘I was thinking, um, I think I want to become Catholic.’”
Cole had attended Cumberland Valley public schools before transferring to Trinity. He considers himself a Christian, though he admits, “I am not gonna lie. I didn’t do any praying. I didn’t do anything special. I went to church on Easter.”
Cole originally chose Trinity for its basketball program, but at the start of his sophomore year he realized, “Maybe I am here for something else.” He began attending Mass and felt God calling him to become Catholic. As he started to pray, he found his prayers were being answered.
Cole said his prayers consisted of, “Help me through this thing or help me do this thing, and it would happen. It was crazy, so I was like, I should probably believe in this guy.”
From left, Joshua Ricca, Cole Felician and Noah Ricca spend time in prayer and reflection in the chapel at Trinity High School.Cole gave up part of his lunch period to learn about the faith with Father Rettig. During the Easter season, he will receive the Sacraments of Initiation—Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist—at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Enola.
Since Cole cannot yet drive, and he knows that Sunday Mass attendance is an obligation, he asked his mother to take him to Sunday Mass; she replied, “Of course, I will go with you.” She has been supportive of his choice to join the Catholic Church, telling him, “If this is what you want to do, you can do it.”
God has used Cole’s athleticism as a catalyst to draw him into relationship with Himself. Our Lord was not only working in Cole’s heart, but He was also calling the Ricca twins to Him as well.
Joshua and Noah Ricca’s family moved from South Carolina to Central Pennsylvania in 2025. While in South Carolina, the twins attended an Episcopal school but worshipped at a Catholic Church, as their family is Catholic. Because their father served in the Navy, the Ricca family relocated frequently. When the opportunity arose to attend Trinity, Joshua chose it “because I wanted to explore my religious faith,” and Noah agreed.
Joshua credits Ms. Morgan Hall’s religious studies class as “really helpful” in deepening his faith, along with Thursday catechism sessions with Father Rettig. Noah simply says, “I like the community of the Catholic Church.”
On April 4, during the Easter Vigil at St. Joan of Arc Parish, Hershey, both young men will receive the Sacraments of Initiation and become full members of the community they revere.
Looking ahead, Joshua hopes to “be more active when doing service projects”—such as volunteering at a soup kitchen or at Recycle Bicycle, where bikes are donated to those in need.
The twins offer this counsel to other young men: “Faith is the most important thing. You can’t have a proper relationship with God without it. You will struggle; there will be things you don’t understand. Sometimes people can’t help you; you just need to talk to God.”
Cole describes his experience as a “rollercoaster ride.” He had the mountaintop experience when he first started praying to our Lord, but “not everything is just [I will] give it to you,” so Cole found himself in the valley. As Joshua and Noah say, “you will struggle.” The beauty of a Catholic education is the support the students have while they are making their way in faith.
Let us pray for the continued conversion and education of all those coming into the Church this Easter. May our Lord continue to guide all students of the Faith especially Cole, Joshua and Noah.
(Photos by Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness.)
By Laura Loose, The Catholic Witness
