Mike Hopkins was raised in a Protestant family, but when he married a Catholic woman, and decided to raise their sons in this faith.
After a period of discernment, he joined the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and was received into the Catholic Church in 2012.
As an astronaut, he spends long periods in space to carry out important missions. But by living his Catholic faith with seriousness and commitment, he knows that the Eucharist is the necessary food to strengthen the soul and heart at any moment.
In his testimony at the 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Ind., Hopkins shares the impact of having the Eucharist with him when he was sent on his first mission to the International Space Station as an astronaut in September 2013.
"Joshua 1:9 says, 'I hereby command you, be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.' And I believe that includes beyond the ends of the Earth," he begins.
"For me, the most powerful reminder that God was with me came in the form of the Eucharist," Hopkins declares.
"One of the most dangerous activities we do as astronauts are extravehicular activities, EVAs or spacewalks. And I've gone out the door of the International Space Station five times, spending 32 hours outside in the vacuum of space."
"And each morning of those spacewalks before starting to get suited up in the quiet of my crew quarters, I received communion and the knowledge that no matter what happened over the next 15 hours, Jesus was with me."
“You can’t imagine the comfort it gave me,” he states, revealing he had the hosts in a pyx stored in his suit near his heart.
To transport the consecrated hosts, he was helped by his pastor and obtained special permission from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.