Every couple of years we devote a Faith Journey article to our readers who have indicated they are not Catholic. By our calculations, a high proportion of our 2000-plus readers are in this category and have stumbled across our website or reached out to us with questions about the Catholic faith.
Are you one of these readers? If so, we wish to extend to you a warm invitation to take the next step in discovering God and the Catholic faith. If you are unsure what this journey might look like, here is some information we hope you find helpful.
Once you have discerned – thought deeply – about taking the next step to becoming Catholic, it would be best to reach out to your local Catholic parish. Every town and suburb in Australia is connected to a parish, and the contact details can be easily found via an internet search. Just type in the name of your town or suburb followed by ‘Catholic Church’.
When you contact the parish, they will probably ask you a few questions about yourself. Specifically, they will want to know if you are baptised already. If you have been baptised in another Christian tradition, for example, Anglican, you do not need to be baptised again. Hopefully, you will be invited for a further conversation about your journey so far. The priest or someone at the parish might have lots of questions – and so might you. All this helps in working out the best path for you to take in becoming a Catholic.
The next step is likely to be an invitation to join the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) process. You can read more about the RCIA here. The important thing to remember is that the RCIA is not a ‘program’ with a defined beginning and end. Every person thinking about becoming a Catholic has an individual journey to make. And while it is critical that this journey takes place in the community of believers and you learn about the teachings of the Catholic Church – it is more important that you take the time to allow your heart to be transformed and come to a deeper understanding of what God is calling you to. This transformation can be immediate – or may take many years.
We encourage you to take some quiet time – away from screens and other distractions – so you can really hear God and the yearnings of your heart. Take notice of any promptings you receive and respond to them, even if tentatively at first. Investigate the resources listed below. Ask members of the local Catholic faith community lots of questions.
We pray you will be received with the open arms of people who are ready to accompany you on your journey of faith. And, if you are a Catholic already, please feel free to share this article with anyone who might be interested in the faith.
Resources
Becoming Catholic: A website for all those enquiring about the Catholic faith.
Becoming Catholic – The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (web article)
Utilising the National Centre for Evangelisation’s new resources (web article)
Image: Lightstock
Words: Sharon Brewer