Becoming a Catholic
WELCOME
How can I become a Catholic?
Dear Enquirer,
The brochure below, entitled Becoming a Catholic, gives a basic outline of the initial enquiry process and below that you will see an article called What is the RCIA? which provides a more detailed explanation of what to expect on your journey of faith.
Becoming a Catholic.pdfBecoming Catholic means undertaking a spiritual journey. This will normally take about 12 months, depending on the readiness of each individual. The process is called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, or RCIA for short, and there are ceremonies or "rites" at each stage to signify the steps along the way.
Generally new members of the Church are received at Easter each year. There are normally about 100 people in Adelaide each year who are received either through Baptism, Confirmation and First Holy Communion, or simply received and confirmed for those who have been previously baptised in another Christian tradition.
You may simply wish to make some general enquiries at this stage, and you are most welcome to do so.
You can either:
- contact a Catholic parish in your area
- do some further reading on this website. See linked pages below.
- discuss your particular circumstances in confidence with the Diocesan Co-ordinator in Adelaide, Brother Patrick Cronin cfc (Doctor of Ministry). Contact him at pcronin@ow.adelaide.catholic.org.au or on 8416 8452.
- If you wish to find out more general information about the Catholic Faith, you may like to try the Catholic Enquiry Centre http://www.catholicenquiry.com/.
My story of becoming Catholic
My name is Katie and I am newly baptised Catholic. However, my faith journey began many years ago...
This journey began in 1997 in Brisbane. I had a new boyfriend called Tim and the time had come to go home to Victoria with him to meet his parents. As we planned our weekend, he mentioned to me that on Sunday morning we would go to Mass. My heart skipped a beat and all of a sudden I became nervous. I had never set foot in a church before, let alone had any understanding of why you went, what you believed or what you did when you were there.
Nevertheless, off I went, nerves and all, and took in as much as I could. There were people touching their heads and chests in strange ways, standing up and sitting down, up and down, speaking words I didn’t understand in unison, and singing songs I had never heard. I felt so out of place......
Read more of Katie's story at:
My Faith Journey.doc
