By Alison Simpson

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While contemplating a call to religious life, Chris Landry unexpectedly found the connection and community he deeply needed: Young Catholic Professionals (YCP). The friendships Chris formed at YCP were instrumental in supporting him during a crucial time of discernment and decision. 

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Chris Landry was raised in a Greek Orthodox household in Massachusetts. “Faith wasn't really something that was talked about a ton outside of the church,” Chris recalls. “When I was fourteen, I really just stopped going to church and fell into all of the things that the world tells you will bring you peace and joy and fulfillment.” 

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He built a successful corporate career and had all the markers of success on paper, but he desired something deeper. When Chris was 27, he started dating a Christian whose faith was a central part of her day-to-day life. Her family's genuine love of Christ planted a seed. “I had gone to church with my girlfriend and her parents. Her dad bought me a Bible. I kind of gave him the run around that I was going to read it, but I had no intention to.”

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Some time after receiving this gift, Chris found himself in a period of desolation. He did not know where to go from here. “I was in my room getting ready for work in the morning and couldn't pinpoint why, but I knew something was missing,” Chris said. “I just gravitated toward the Bible and I started reading it.”

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Chris opened to Matthew 11:28: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Reading this verse, Chris felt an immediate and profound sense of peace. In that moment, Chris felt as if Christ Himself was speaking to him. “He was just telling me that it was him that I was looking for the whole time. I had tears of sorrow before that turned into tears of joy,” Chris shared. 

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Later the same day, Chris received an unexpected text from his girlfriend’s father “He just felt like he needed to share this verse with me. It was that same exact verse, Matthew 11:28. I just knew something was going on.” 

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After that moment, Chris began to take his faith more seriously. “I became evangelical, kind of non-denominational Protestant for seven years, but was really on fire for the Lord during that time,” Chris recalls. 

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While in the midst of his evangelical years, Chris married the woman who had first introduced him to a faith-filled life. Tragically, she passed away a few years later. The suffering he endured with her during her illness and after her death became the crucible for his conversion to Catholicism. 

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In the midst of this loss, Chris found comfort in Christ and the Catholic Church. “I now realize that what I had really been missing the whole time was Jesus Christ and the Eucharist, and just the beauty and richness of the Catholic faith. The faith that Christ desired us to have. Before, it felt like I was just in a small room within the mansion and now I had the whole mansion.” 

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Upon reflecting on his conversion to Catholicism, he was guided by the Holy Spirit to a memory from before his wife’s passing. During her illness, she had told him she would want him to move on if anything happened to her. At that moment, he had replied that he would become a "Franciscan friar," a term he didn't even fully understand at the time. “I really just started devoting myself to a life of prayer and service to the church,” Chris shared. 

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While Chris was looking for ways to serve his community, he joined the Society of St. Vincent DePaul. Chris wanted to find more ways to get involved. “I had really wanted to just unite my work life with my faith life,” Chris said. Eager to unite his work with his faith, he sought out a Catholic organization where he could use his skills. This led him to YCP, and it was there that he met Aric Nelson, the Dallas chapter president. 

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With his connections at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, he was able to connect with YCP and help coordinate service projects. This initial connection with YCP evolved, and Chris was invited to join the YCP leadership team as a volunteer.

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Through YCP, he found a community of like-minded young adults who provided a crucial support system after his conversion. “It's really been such a gift because as a new convert, most of my Protestant friends who I was really close with before converting, I no longer am friends with.” 

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YCP offered Chris a place to find friendship and grow in his faith outside of his parish, an experience he describes as a tremendous blessing. Ultimately, Chris’s time with YCP was a beautiful, but short-lived, relationship as he knew his vocational discernment would likely lead him to a different path.

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However, he emphasizes the profound impact the community had on him. “YCP has been such a blessing for me,” he said, “I've met some really good friends that I continue to see regularly, not only on the leadership team but even through the YCP members. So it's just been awesome.”

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As Chris prepares to enter postulancy with the CFRs in 2025, he reflects on his journey with a sense of awe and gratitude. He views his life as a beautiful story, authored by God himself. “He is an amazing storyteller,” Chris said. “I wouldn't trade any of it. I really wouldn't, you know, even the lowest of lows, because I know that He takes all of those things into consideration to do His will for His glory in the end.” With a heart full of hope and eager anticipation, Chris is ready to continue following where God leads. 

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Chris Landry’s inspiring faith journey is a compelling example of how YCP fosters a network of faith, friendship, and service that can gently support individuals toward the very purpose God has in store for them.