I am genetically Catholic,” jokes Rodrigo Concha. Originally from Chile, Rodrigo grew up in a country where Catholicism dominates the religious scene. In his teenage years, however, he started questioning the teachings of the church.

Rodrigo’s quest to find answers eventually led him to a WELS church in the United States. After his first visit there in 2000, he recalls, “I was so inspired; I needed to tell everyone about it.”

Telling everyone is just what he’s working on today. Rodrigo and his family currently reside in New Ulm, Minn., where he is studying to become a pastor. He’s also involved in Hispanic outreach in the area.

Early years

Although Rodrigo went to Mass with his family as a child, he didn’t find a spiritual home in the Roman Catholic Church. “When I became a teenager, I started questioning things,” he says. “It came to the point where all of my Catholic friends were getting confirmed and I decided, ‘No, I cannot profess a faith that I have so many questions with.’ ”

Rodrigo started turning to other sources to fill his spiritual void. “I believe the Lord uses every tool he has to guide you,” he says. “One of the things that kept me focused in Christ as a brother, as a Savior, and as a Man that came lovingly to save no matter what you did was the movie Jesus Christ Superstar.” Shortly after it hit the screens, it became his favorite film.

“Once I became a little freer of the bonds of family obligations, I started searching for some sort of truth, and I went to everything,” Rodrigo says. His journey led him to different religions, including a stint with Hinduism. “I always liked Eastern philosophy and in some ways the Native American philosophy—the contact with nature and self—because I never had the spiritual life that I was supposed to have with the Catholic Church,” he says. “I was searching to fill that gap in my heart, looking for that spiritual center that I didn’t have growing up.”

Moving to the United States

Rodrigo moved to the United States in 1981. When he arrived, he returned to the Catholic Church for awhile. “I went, but it was out of a need for a spiritual center,” he says. “I knew I didn’t belong there.”

When Rodrigo and his wife-to-be, Sandra, wanted to get married, they again turned to the Catholic Church. Since Rodrigo was not confirmed, the priest insisted that he take confirmation classes. After three classes, Rodrigo realized he did not agree with the teachings. The priest told him that the two could get married but asked Rodrigo not to come to any more classes.