Becoming Catholic

How do I Become a Catholic?

God calls to everyone. The response to that call will have different expressions for different people because of our individual natures. There are a number of doors to seeking membership of the Catholic community. They might include:

Religious: a search for the holy
Christian: a desire to form a relationship with Jesus Christ
Ecclesial: a yearn to be part of a particular community
Moral: a turn towards a particular values base
Intellectual: a thought process towards truth

Therefore, an individual may find themselves seeking to explore membership through one or more of these doors.

Becoming Catholic, while a weighty decision, is easy in practice. Although it does take time, it’s easy to take your first step. The church is waiting to welcome you and help you along your journey. The first stage to becoming Catholic is getting to know a local Catholic community. You may have Catholic friends whom you join when they attend Mass and parish gatherings, or you might want to contact our parish office who will put you in touch with Catholics locally. When you are ready to move into discernment you will need to become part of the RCIA process.

RCIA stands for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, and is the process by which adults are welcomed into membership of the Roman Catholic Church. RCIA is:

A journey of faith. There are a number of different phases, with no specific timeframes.
A time of discovering about being a son or daughter of God who is loving and gracious.
An opportunity to reflect on a personal relationship with God and how God calls everyone.
A period of getting to know Jesus Christ (more) deeply.

After an initial six-week enquiry period, those who wish to continue enter a more formal time of discernment called the Catechumenate. This runs from September through to Easter, when those entering the Church are baptised and confirmed at the Easter Vigil. (If a person has already been validly baptised – Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, and so on – they are not baptised again.) After this, there is a time of settling in to the Church, called the Mystagogia period.

To become a part of the Becoming Catholic programme, arrange an appointment with the parish priest (see Contact). There will be a RCIA Adult Inquirer Information Form for you to complete (See links below for forms). You can bring along a Catholic friend (sponsor) if you’d like. There is a considerable commitment involved – most of all, the commitment to take on the life and teachings of Christ and His Church. You also need to be able to attend most of the RCIA sessions, and make Sunday Mass a part of your weekly routine. The sessions will continue each week until Christmas and then resume in Lent of the following year. Participants can then choose to be received into the Church at the Easter Vigil Mass.

You are led in the process by a team of catechists - Catholic parishioners who lead you through the various aspects of the Faith and introduce you to: Church, Scripture, Sacraments, Church history, prayer, ministry, and so on (See RCIA Program for more details). As well, you will have a sponsor to journey with you through this programme. This person needs to be a practising Catholic (i.e. goes to Mass every Sunday), and is able and willing to attend most RCIA sessions with you, as well as meet with you on other occasions to informally discuss your “progress” in the journey to faith. If you don’t know of such a person, we can team you up with a suitable parishioner. While there is a considerable commitment involved, you are able to withdraw from the programme at any time. Becoming Catholic is an exciting, challenging journey. May God bless you.

RCIA Adult Inquirer Information forms