Catechumens prepare to enter the Church

By Veronika Cox

After a difficult period of life, Isaac Clifford found himself called to the Catholic faith.

The 23-year-old catechumen passed through the Rite of Election at St Mary’s Cathedral on Sunday 6 March.

“I was raised in a Baptist household and enjoyed that during my childhood,” Isaac explained.

“I drifted into a sort of spiritual, but not religious, demographic and then I became an atheist for a little while.”

Isaac said in his early twenties, after a series of personal tribulations, he was drawn to the idea of finding peace, forgiveness, and a welcoming community.

“I started going to St Finn Barr’s Church and when the opportunity to undertake the RCIA (the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) program presented itself I decided to join in because this is something I really want to be part of,” he said.

“My grandmother is Catholic, so it felt like a return to cradle experience, in a way.”

Isaac said the “remarkably sacramental experience” of the Rite of Election made him feel part of a global mission.

“That gives me a great deal of peace and I feel like I am part of something much larger than myself,” he said.

Isaac was one of nine catechumens to pass through the Rite of Election this year – the largest number in recent history.

Director of the Office of Evangelisation and Catechesis Dr Christine Wood said it was the work of the Holy Spirit and the committed parish RCIA teams who accompany the catechumens on their journey of faith.

“Many people in the Archdiocese have been praying for the work of evangelisation here to bear fruit in our parishes,” she said.

The Rite of Election is an important liturgical rite for catechumens, as they journey towards reception of the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil.

“In the RCIA process, someone becomes a catechumen by passing through the Rite of Acceptance which is celebrated in parishes at different times during the year. Initially someone is called an enquirer when they approach the Church to ask about Christ and the Gospel,” she said.

“If they experience initial conversion and begin to enter into a relationship with God, and then wish to proceed further, they pass through the Rite of Acceptance to become a catechumen and begin a lengthy period of instruction about Christ, the Scriptures, and how to live the Christian life. This period involves getting to know God in Christ through catechesis, prayer, and liturgy, and getting to know other members of the parish community. It’s a very rich and personal process of conversion.”

The Rite of Election closes the period of the catechumenate.

As Easter approaches, Isaac said he would use the time to prepare himself to be a good Catholic.

“Now I get to be part of this community, I will find a place where I can contribute, God-willing,” he said.

“Then come Easter I get to experience baptism. I am hoping I will just continue to grow in faith.”

As part of the Catechist Formation Program, the Archdiocese is currently offering a course on the ‘RCIA & Catechumenate’ to teach parishioners (and RCIA team members) how to facilitate RCIA in their parishes. For further information go to Verbum Domini Institute