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Are you interested in becoming a Catholic?

 

Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St George – like many other parishes round the country – opens the way for people to find out more about what Catholics believe. The parish has a group which meets every Wednesday during school term-time, in the presbytery next door to the church.  Led by lay Catholics – those who are not priests or nuns – the group aims to provide a friendly and informal setting for members to find out about the Catholic faith and to assist them to become Catholics if that is their wish.  The group is open to adults of all backgrounds, experiences and faiths. The format of the group sessions follows a series of stages known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).  The term may be a little off-putting but people who join the group quickly grow in attachment to the sessions. Penny Peters who was baptised at Easter said about the RCIA: “I was initially very nervous that I’d be expected to know all about religion, but the atmosphere was so informal that my nerves quickly disappeared.  It was a wonderful way of not only coming to understand my relationship with God, but also making friends within the church.” Those in the RCIA group are in a journey in which tens of thousands of people in Britain have joined since the Second Vatican Council in the mid - 1960s.  The RCIA was introduced then as the model or normal way by which people may become part of a local Catholic community. The Catholic Church tries to acknowledge that the Church is made up of individuals who are unique in themselves and that the Church grows stronger as each of its members develops in faith and feels able to put their faith to work in the circumstances of their own lives. The sharing of experiences within the Enfield RCIA group has proved to be a great help to individuals in their journeys to a deeper understanding and development of their faith and prayer. Adults who would like to be received into the Church are encouraged to develop their own faith with Catholic lay people through learning about the teaching of the Church which is constantly being applied to new circumstances and understandings. In the weekly sessions the group consider scripture readings, learn about the origins, teaching, and authority of the Church, and discuss the role of God in our lives. Those members of the group who decide that they would like to become Catholics find these sessions most helpful.  Fifteen members of the group took this step at Easter 2009. Adults who would like to be received into the Church are encouraged to try like all other Catholics, and with their support, to become more like Jesus Christ – the model for all of us in the way in which we live our lives.  Over the years, the RCIA approach has proved to be welcoming and reassuring for scores of people in Enfield , many of whom started uncertainly and are now parishioners. People starting on the RCIA journey make a commitment only to come to the meetings and listen. They may ask as many questions as they wish. Members of the group can decide at any time to withdraw - simply to cease to attend but most people find that they want to continue in the RCIA sessions and take up the invitation which is extended to us all to search for an idea of God. Only individual members can decide whether to become Catholics or not. The priests and the lay helpers – catechists - in the RCIA sessions will provide you with assistance and as far as possible the whole Catholic community of Enfield are involved and supportive to the people who want to be baptised in the Catholic Church or - if baptised in another Christian tradition – want to become Catholics. The priests are always available, usually outside the group meetings.   There is no obligation to become a Catholic.  People starting on the RCIA journey make a commitment only to listen.  Members of the group can decide at any time to cease to attend.		Members of the 08-09 RCIA group outside Westminster Cathedral in February.   Father Richard Andrew with members of the 08-09 RCIA group     Penny Peters meets Bishop John Arnold outside Westminster Cathedral in February 2009 Meeting the Cardinal, February 2008 Some of the 2009 new Catholics
FIRST MEETING OF THE GROUP 8.00 pm Wednesday, September 9, 2009 in the Presbytery next to the Church. Sessions normally go on to 9.30 pm. Meetings may be arranged on Saturday mornings for people who are not able to attend on Wednesday evenings. Please tell one of the priests of your interest as a first step. The telephone number is 0208 363 2569.        You will be made very welcome.		“Becoming a Catholic was the best thing I ever did. I wish I had joined the RCIA group much earlier.” Doreen Gifford who was received into the Catholic Church in 2003.

 September 2009