Becoming a Catholic...

What does it mean to be a Catholic?

To find an answer you are invited to visit our Churches. You might like to join us for one of our Services and come to an RCIA course (See more below) where you can ask questions and find out more about becoming a Catholic Christian. You will be more than welcome.

First of all, come to Mass on Sunday on join us. You don't need to worry - you are welcome just to come in, sit at the back and watch what's going on. You can pray in your own words during the quiet parts of the Mass. And you never know - the sermon might even be interesting!

A very good book to get hold of is the Simple Prayer Book which is published by the Catholic Truth Society or CTS. This has a good collection of Catholic prayers and some other information about the Catholic faith.

As you are reading this on the Internet, you could have a look at some of the many good things on the Web. If you want a book which summarises Catholic belief, you could look at the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Catholic parishes usually run a course for those who want to become Catholics. You will be in the company of others who have very basic questions and it is enjoyable to make friends with others who are in the same boat. Many Catholics say that the people who are learning about the faith tend to know more than "cradle Catholics".

(This course in parishes is often called the "RCIA" which stands for "Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults".)

As it is a serious decision, you will not be rushed into becoming a Catholic. The course of teaching takes several months - or longer if you need.

When you are ready, you will be baptised and confirmed and receive holy Communion at a special Mass - preferably at Easter. If you are already a baptised Christian, you will make your confession first and then be received formally into the Church.

Many people would like to become Catholics but feel a bit nervous about taking the first step. So God gave us email! If you live in Blackfen, you can email me (Fr Finigan). Otherwise, just call down to your local Church, introduce yourself to the priest, and see what happens from there.

What is the RCIA?

RCIA or Journey of Faith is the programme local Catholic Churches use to help people find out more about the Church and discover what it means to be a Catholic. It can lead to becoming a full member of the Church. RCIA courses often start in the Autumn and run through till the following June.

RCIA Courses

Here are some comments by the people following an RCIA course.

What difference do you think the journey in faith course and becoming a Catholic has made to you?

"I have a feeling of wholeness, calm and peace. It's like the missing piece in a jigsaw and it has filled every area of my life. The joys are more joyful and the lows easier to get through."

"I feel more positive and feel I belong."

Out of the various rites which do you think was the most helpful or meaningful? Can you say why?

"I would say the first rite, the rite of welcome, was the most meaningful. In my eyes it confirmed that my journey of faith really began. It was also the first time the Church community had seen us and the applause we received showed us that we were welcome into the church."

What did you find most memorable?

"Having the time and opportunity to spend on spiritual life has affected all other aspects of my life."

"The rite of election night and the session on the Creed because it is such an important part of Mass."

What did you find most difficult?

"Learning that no matter what heinous things you do in life if you look and ask for forgivenes, God loves you."

"For us it was finding babysitters and parking!"

If someone were thinking about becoming a Catholic could you share anything from your own experience that might help them decide?

"It makes you feel part of a huge family - not only your church but churches across the diocese and the world."

What made you want to come along?

"After years of promising myself 'Next year I would do it' I decided to take the plunge. I was nervous about doing the course but was soon put at ease."

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Catholic is an adjective derived from the Greek adjective 'καθολικός / katholikos', meaning "general; universal"

The term "Catholic Church" is normally associated with the Church that is led by the Roman Pontiff, currently Pope Benedict XVI, and whose over one billion adherents are about half of the estimated 2.1 billion Christians. Other Christian denominations also lay claim to the description "catholic", including the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Churches possessing the historic episcopate (bishops).

The word commonly refers to the members, beliefs, and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, including all sui juris particular Churches that are in full communion with the Holy See, namely the Latin Rite and twenty-two Eastern Catholic Churches. The latter include the Ukrainian, Greek, Greek Melkite, Maronite, Ruthenian Byzantine, Coptic Catholic, Syro-Malabar, Syro-Malankara, Chaldean, and Ethiopic Rites.

The term is used also to mean those Christian Churches which maintain that their Episcopate can be traced unbrokenly back to the Apostles, and consider themselves part of a broad catholic (or universal) body of believers. Among those who regard themselves as "Catholic", but not "Roman Catholic" , are Anglicans, and some small groups such as the Old Catholic Church, the Polish National Catholic Church, the Independent Catholic, the Ancient Catholic and Liberal Catholic Churches, as well as Lutherans (though the latter prefer the lower-case "c," and, like Anglicans, stress that they are both Protestant and Catholic).