RCIA – Formation in Action

When it comes to Faith Formation, the Catholic Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a wonderful example of what this shared journey can look like.

On Saturday 5 September, our parish welcomed and celebrated prospective candidates and sponsors at the first session of our formal Catholic formation process.

The Holy Spirit was powerfully present as candidates, sponsors, RCIA team members and Fr Josh began getting to know one another over a fabulous BBQ lunch and refreshments – a special thank you to our Community Life team for managing this event!

What struck us most was the generosity, openness and authentic vulnerability with which people shared something of themselves and what had brought them to this point. For our sponsors, it was the call to accompany another person on their journey. For our candidates, it was a desire to explore Catholicism more deeply and discern becoming part of our Catholic faith community.

One of our RCIA sponsors shared an unexpected gift he had received through participating in RCIA at another parish.

As a “cradle Catholic”, he discovered there were many practices and foundations of our faith that he had never fully understood – or perhaps had simply never stopped to consider. This happens easily when ‘being Catholic’ is the sea in which we swim!

He found himself learning, firstly through the instruction and, through the questions asked by RCIA candidates as they discerned their journey towards full communion with the Catholic Church.

His reflection highlights that formation is an ongoing journey that changes all of us.

Our sponsors do not simply accompany our candidates. We learn from one another. We ask questions together. We rediscover aspects of our faith that we may have taken for granted. And, through it all, we grow closer to God and to one another.

We invite you to Journey with us

The RCIA Team invites our whole parish community to be part of this journey.

Please keep our candidates and sponsors in your prayers. When you see our newest community members, reach out, introduce yourself and make them feel at home among us.

We invite you to consider where God might be calling you to take another step in your own formation — whether by becoming an RCIA sponsor in the future, participating in Alpha, joining a Connect Group, coming forward for prayer, or simply having a conversation with someone after Mass. We don’t journey alone we journey together.

Faith & Formation Team – Beth Davies & Marie Bampton