After cartwheeling across the stage, U.S. Olympic gold medalist Dominique Dawes told Spalding University graduates May 9, “Each and every one of you, remember, you are children of God.”
Dawes, who converted to the Catholic faith in 2013, delivered the keynote address and received an honorary degree during the Catholic university’s commencement exercises at The Galt House Hotel.
In the hours before returning home to her children on Mother’s Day weekend, she shared her experiences of Christ’s love with Spalding students and local media.
Dawes, a wife and mother of four, said she has hung up her Olympic gold and, when it comes to glory, she saves it for God, not the podium.
Dawes grew up in Maryland, where she resides today, and was briefly raised in the Baptist church. Although she doesn’t remember it, her mother was a Sunday school teacher, she noted. Later in life, Dawes said she learned one of her grandmothers was Catholic.
Because of the demands placed on Olympic-level gymnasts, Dawes said, she had an unconventional upbringing — raised in part by her gymnastics coach, who wasn’t religious.
When she began searching for something more in her life, she first “gravitated toward interdenominational churches,” feeling they were more accessible, she said. She joined Bible studies and grew to know a variety of faithful people.
Dawes said there came a day — sometime after the 2000 Olympics — when she was seeking the peace of Christ’s love, and none of her usual churches were unlocked.
“I stumbled upon a church in Rockville, Maryland, … and I remember thinking, ‘There’s no way this church is open,’ ” she recounted.
But it was open, said Dawes. The church, St. Patrick Catholic Church in Rockville, was the same church Dawes would join when she became Catholic.
‘Knowing that I didn’t have an earthly mother who was capable of love … that relationship with Mother Mary, and just being in complete silence, made me feel as if this was my home.’
— U.S. Olympian, Dominique Dawes
“I remember the history and the beauty of it, but it was completely silent,” she said, recalling the day she first found respite there. “I remember embracing the silence because the world can be very busy and very loud.”
In addition to Christ’s love, Dawes said she was also drawn to the Catholic Church by the Blessed Mother.
She noted that from her experiences in other churches, it was noticeable that “Mother Mary is not really addressed like she is in the Catholic Church.”
Dawes said she had a tumultuous relationship with her own parents and began to develop an intimate prayer relationship with the Blessed Mother.
“Knowing that I didn’t have an earthly mother who was capable of love … that relationship with Mother Mary, and just being in complete silence, made me feel as if this was my home,” she said of the Catholic Church.
Dawes noted that she would love to see more community and unity within the Catholic church, especially towards newcomers. Before she converted, she noted, she knew she wasn’t supposed to receive Communion, but she wasn’t sure why.
“I would go up and get a blessing, but I never had people come up to me. Like, in the church, no one ever came up to me and said, ‘Hey, I’d love to get to know you,’ ” she recounted.
At other churches, she said, people would greet and welcome her. But it was not that way in the Catholic Church. That is, until she met her husband.
“I don’t know if it’s because Catholics think the calling should come from Christ, or should come from within. … But the other churches are like, ‘Hi! We’d love to get to know your name, where are you from?’ They notice new faces right away.”
Jeff Thompson, a Catholic school teacher and Dawes’ now-husband of 13 years, was the first person who made Dawes feel ready to take the next step in her Catholic faith.
“He wasn’t pushing me by any means, but encouraging. He knew I was looking for fulfillment. I was looking for something, I think, because my other walk left a void,” she said.
In 2012, Dawes signed up for RCIA and received the sacraments of initiation in 2013.
To anyone discerning the faith, Dawes said, “The church is always open, and so it’s not just waiting for service on Sunday. … We have access to daily bread. … Also, confession — you can save a lot of money on therapy.”
Dawes is the founder and owner of three Dominique Dawes Gymnastics & Ninja Academy locations, all in Maryland. Dawes has said that her life’s mission is not to train children to earn Olympic gold, but to provide a safe space to teach children gymnastics and promote the mental and physical health of all gymnasts.
