Above: Dan Balogh presents a program on discipleship and evangelization. Below inset: Balogh, of Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, with his wife, Laura, during a January trip to the Holy Land. She serves as Notre Dame’s faith formation director.
Atheist to evangelist: One man tells his story
By MICHAEL WOJCIK, News Editor
Five years ago, Dan Balogh wouldn’t have darkened the door of a Catholic church — or any house of worship. An avowed atheist, he looked askance at people with religious faith.
“I believed religious people had something wrong with them, had something missing in their lives, or were gullible,” said Balogh, 61, a retired systems engineer at Bell Labs in Whippany.
But through a series of providential experiences — including the influence of his wife, Laura, this lapsed Catholic returned to the Church in 2019. It culminated in a moment Balogh was being prayed over by a small group from the Alpha faith-formation program, which he joined at Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish in Cedar Knolls.
“Within seconds, I started sobbing. I was feeling joy and remorse. In the end, I felt a profound sense of peace,” said Balogh. He had already begun to accept the logical arguments about Jesus being the messiah that Alpha presented. “I also learned that faith involves the heart and mind.”
Balogh not only changed his view about people of faith but also started getting involved in what became his home parish: Notre Dame in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township. He later led Alpha and other outreaches there.
Next month, Balogh will bring his new-found passion for Christ and his insights about evangelization to a wider audience.
On Wednesday, Sept. 6, he will start teaching “The Joy-Filled Disciple: Following Jesus Beyond that First Call,” a 13-week series at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison. Participants will learn more about the faith and become better equipped to spread the Gospel, guided by the Holy Spirit. It will run on Wednesdays, from 7:30–9 p.m., until Dec. 6.
Then, on Saturday, Sept. 30, Balogh and Debby Kispert, also of Notre Dame, will hold an “Everyday Apostles” workshop at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Mountain Lakes from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Participants will learn to evangelize people they know through personal interaction.
“Today, I practice my faith in a fury. I can’t sit still. I want to tell my story. I want to help make faith more alive in people and bring more people to God with the evangelizing techniques I’ve learned in the last four years,” Balogh said.
A cradle Catholic from South River, N.J., Balogh went to Mass as a child but didn’t get anything out of it. He left the Church as a young adult.
“I was born with an overly logical mind,” said Balogh, who worked at Bell Labs, home to many Nobel Prize winners and “evangelical atheists.”
In 1993, Balogh married Laura, a lapsed Catholic who returned to the Church years before he did. She would invite him to Mass, but he would decline. Later, he would listen to Laura as she practiced presentations she gave as a student in St. Paul’s Certificate in Catholic Evangelization program.
“What Laura was talking about resonated with me,” Balogh said. Today, she is Notre Dame’s faith formation director.
In 2019, Balogh reluctantly joined Alpha, a faith-formation program at Notre Dame. He enjoyed videos by the future Bishop Robert Barron, who was “smart and logical” and gave solid arguments for the faith.
“Dan is a true witness to the power of the Gospel and of God’s ability to change a person. His course will be fruitful for everyone involved,” said Brian Honsberger, St. Paul’s executive director and diocesan director of mission and technology integration.
Learn more about “The Joy-Filled Disciple” by visitinginsidethewalls.org/follow or by calling 973-377-1004. Details and sign-up information for “Everyday Apostles” will be available soon on St. Catherine’s website.