Alumni Spotlight: Erica (Drown) Seelman (X06)

2006 Xavier graduate Erica (Drown) Seelman is an active member of the Xavier alumni board, mother of two Future Saints at St. Matthew Elementary, was raised Lutheran, and now is a recent convert to Catholicism. She is an avid Xavier fan, and you can spot Erica with her family at various Xavier events. However, she walked the halls of Xavier not too long ago. “I loved my experience at Xavier,” stated Seelman, and there is a lot more that goes into that. The word ‘community’ is one that comes to mind when Seelman thinks about the Xavier experience. 

From Xavier’s sense of community and focus on Christ, Seelman recalls an environment where individuals who may not be Catholic still feel welcomed. Xavier continues to be a special place to her for many reasons, especially the people she has met over the years. For Seelman’s parents, the choice of Catholic schooling for their daughter was a decision they made...“For me to be in a Christian environment, in addition to the small class size and community atmosphere.” 

During Seelman’s time at Xavier, Father Vu was integral in her conversion to Catholicism. According to Seelman, “Father Vu was always supportive of my faith life while never pushing my conversion. He is someone who sparked my interest in the church years ago and we’ve been able to stay in touch. When our second son was born in 2017, my husband and I had a knock on the hospital door. It was Fr. Vu and he was there to pray for our newborn baby.” She also made many friendships at Xavier that are still in her life today. 

Seelman always appreciated the well-known fact that within the Xavier community there are many who are always sending prayers and well wishes to those they have met through Xavier, but Seelman felt that in a special way prior to her conversion. During the summer of 2020, the passing of Seelman’s grandmother, whom she was very close with, and the Derecho took place within days of each other. “These two tragedies happening within the span of 48 hours made me realize how truly important faith is,” Seelman said. At this same time in her life, Seelman heard a call of  ‘What are you waiting for?’ in regards to her becoming Catholic.

She and her husband Brett, who is Catholic, had both of their boys, Henrik and Leo baptized, and Seelman spent a lot of time studying the Catholic faith through books, podcasts, and listening to others conversion stories, trying to learn as much as she could about the Catholic church and its teachings. But when that call came to stop waiting, she began to make the steps toward her conversion. Her journey of conversion was not one that happened overnight. 

“My journey to the Catholic Church was an unexpected journey, and one I never saw coming. I found myself undeniably drawn to the sacred tradition, depth and beauty of the Catholic Church. I didn’t know how to participate in Mass, which was humbling. This forced me to slow down and listen to what God was trying to tell me. It is amazing when you let God do the talking,” exclaimed Seelman.

Another person who made a huge impact on her conversion is Fr. Aaron Junge (X08). “Fr. Aaron Junge, a fellow Xavier alumnus, was another important person to me as I explored the Catholic faith. He went above and beyond to answer all of my questions and has been there every step of the way. He is an incredibly wise priest, and he makes the faith exciting. I feel so thankful our paths crossed when they did,” stated Seelman. Even now, as a Xavier alumni and parent of two young students at St. Matthew Elementary, Seelman can see the greatness that is Catholic schooling. “As parents, we have a short amount of time to bring up our children in faith. Children have their own unique relationship with God that needs to be nurtured. The ability to pray and talk about God in a Catholic school is an incredible blessing,” says Seelman.

If there is one word to describe what Xavier means to Seelman, it is 'community.’ It is from the aspect of support from the Xavier community in the time between her moving away and living in Boston, to coming back home to Cedar Rapids. It is a community of uplifting and understanding. A community of friendship, and acceptance. Xavier is an incredible community to be a part of, and Seelman’s story only exemplifies that statement.