Each year adults approach the Parish seeking information on "Becoming Catholic” Each person has a different reason for doing so: some are Baptised Christians seeking full Communion with the Catholic Church; some have grown up in other faith traditions and now wish to be Catholic Christians; some have had no connection with any faith community; others are seeking Adult Confirmation.
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is a process that finds a group of Pilgrims who travel together over a period of time, together with 1-3 people as their Spiritual Companions. It is a journey of searching the will of God in our lives, of coming to know Jesus at a deeper level, of growing in understanding some of the Catholic views on life, and of reaching a stage of decision: "Yes, this is the way God is inviting me to live my life.”
The Process involves several Periods or Stages, each with a Liturgical Rite of moving from one to another:
· Period of Inquiry (1-2 months)
· Rite of Presentation of Candidates
· Period of the Catechumenate (a deeper understanding of the Life of Faith)
· Rite of Election
· Period of Purification & Enlightenment (immediate preparation for Baptism/Confirmation)
· Rite of Sacramental Initiation
· Period of Post-Baptismal Catechesis
· Rite of Missioning (Pentecost onwards)