World-renowned makeup and tattoo artist Kat Von D is sharing another step in her faith journey with her many fans and followers.
The normally private celebrity has shared some of her most intimate faith moments in her lifetime with her fans and followers. It started in 2022, when she publicly tossed her occult books, and then she shared again in 2024 when she got baptized and declared her faith in Jesus Christ.
Now, Von D is sharing another spiritual pivot: joining the Orthodox Church.
In a recent Instagram post, Von D, whose real name is Katherine von Drachenberg, told her followers that despite being told to wait a year to share the news about joining the ancient denomination, she wanted to continue to be transparent about her spiritual journey.
“One of my favorite parts of this European tour, was that I was able to visit different Orthodox parishes throughout every country!” said Von D in a social media post earlier this month.
She explained that she officially joined the parish during “this last Pascha” or Easter.
“Many of you have lovingly asked to hear more about why I converted from Protestant to Orthodoxy,” Von D said in the caption of a video montage of churches and cathedrals she visited with her son.
“It brings me joy to share some of the beauty of Orthodoxy within these sacred (and historic) places with you,” she wrote.
The singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur noted that she was “encouraged” to refrain from “going out and doing any public interviews, etc, about it until after at least a year.” Von D added that she believes it is great advice, but wants to remain transparent with her audience.
“Regardless, I never want to ‘hide’ where I am, spiritually speaking, but am OK in waiting until I am better equipped to represent the Church that I love so much,” she explained. “In the meantime, I hope you enjoy peeking into this window – it’s the biggest part of my life that most of the time I keep to myself and loved ones.”
As CBN News reported, Von D’s most notable interview about her faith took place with Christian podcaster and influencer Allie Beth Stuckey in 2024 on her podcast, “Relatable.”
She completed the interview a few months after being baptized at the Switzerland Baptist Church in Indiana in front of a small group of friends and family.
Video footage of the intimate baptism was posted to her Instagram account in October 2023.
“Katherine von Drachenberg, upon your profession of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in obedience to His Divine command, I baptize you, my sister, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” her pastor said before submerging a white robe-clad Von D.
She reflected on the experience while on Stuckey’s podcast, sharing that her journey from darkness to light has unfolded over a lifetime.
“I’m on fire for Jesus, and I don’t plan on this dimming out,” she explained. “The more and more I learn, the more and more excited I get about things and the more at ease I am about what is happening in this world.”
She reflected that although her parents were missionaries for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, her journey taught her that God will passionately pursue all his children who walk away.
“I remember finding myself in very dark moments, and like intuitively I was praying,” she recalled. “It wasn’t because my dad made me, but it was because He had been waiting.”
“When you can fall in love [with Jesus] and learn as an adult, it is so much more meaningful and real,” Von D expressed at the time.
The 43-year-old, who has a large following from a diverse audience, shared with Stuckey after revealing her baptism online that, surprisingly, other Christians criticized her.
“Baptism is so beautiful and it’s such a big landmark in time — for me, at least, it was one of the most important days of my life, so it’s strange that these handful of negative, critical Christians would come at me in such a public way,” she said of people who called her baptism “fake” and a “PR stunt.”
“I think it’s really insane that we live in a time where people still judge a book by its cover,” she told Stuckey, joking, “I wasn’t aware that there’s a uniform that you’re supposed to wear once you give your heart to Jesus.”
Since then, Von D has remained largely quiet about her faith journey.
In her recent post, she thanked Archdeacon Joseph in Warsaw for suggestions of parish sites to visit while on tour in Europe.
“Because of his help, I was able to attend Divine Liturgies, important feast days, and have much-needed quiet prayerful moments throughout this tour,” she said, concluding, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God have mercy on me, a sinner.”
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