The long journey from atheism to Catholicism

By Josh Low

The arrival of the Easter season each year sees catechumens and candidates across the country and around the world celebrate a momentous occasion at the Easter Vigil.

Following a period of preparation through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), catechumens are baptised and together with candidates, (who have already been baptised as Christians) officially enter full communion with the Catholic Church.

Cathedral parishioner Daniel Yuen, originally from Hong Kong, is one who completed the RCIA program, having become Catholic in late 2021.

Having been raised with no religion, Daniel explained that he was “obsessed” with physics, science, and astronomy.

“In my teenage years, I thought of physics as a law of the universe; that there was so much built based on physics and maths in the world we’ve living in, which scientifically made it fundamental to what the universe has come from and how it led to the formation of life.

‘Therefore, I decided – there is no God; I’m an atheist’,” he said.

“As I got older though, I started to think more and more philosophically and began asking myself, “Why am I here? And why am I doing this now? That’s something physics can’t explain.”

After spending time learning about religions and exploring various Christian churches and groups, Daniel began attending an Evangelical Protestant church.

Despite eventually being baptised, he found that he still had many questions which were left unanswered.

“During my time in the Protestant church, I didn’t really have faith or grow in faith. You could say I was a very lazy Christian if Christian at all,” he said.

Having attended both an Anglican primary school and Catholic secondary school in Hong Kong before moving to Australia, he felt the church he was going to “lacked the formula and structure” in the understanding and practice of faith and worship.

“There didn’t seem to be any proper way of teaching,” he said.

“They did have similar things, similar lessons to RCIA, but mostly through listening to YouTube videos from somewhere else, which I never really found it intriguing or fulfilling.

“They also talked about how Catholics worshipped Mary and false idols.

“But I went to Catholic school and had been to Mass. I remembered that Catholics did not worship Mary.

“And so that was an interesting part of wanting to know more about Mary’s role, and how it related to Christianity.

Following the invite of a friend involved in music at the Cathedral, Daniel decided to explore Catholicism more deeply.

After being introduced to the Office of Evangelisation and Catechesis Director, Dr Christine Wood, speaking with her about Christianity and out of curiosity for Catholicism, Daniel began the RCIA program, while still attending the Protestant church he was going to.

In the end, the RCIA program became the fulfilment of the seeds that were sown during his childhood Catholic education.

“In RCIA you learn about the philosophy and theology of the Catholic Church, but also more about yourself on a personal level and whether there might be any wounds or emotional baggage to address.

“The RCIA session always starts with a prayer or some scripture readings in prayer, setting up a prayerful mood directed towards God, followed by jumping into what the church teaches, how to put its teachings into practice and how to utilise it in the modern day with the secular world,” he said.

Daniel said having people mature in the faith guiding him through the RCIA program played an important role in his conversion.

“When you trust the catechists and you know each other well enough, you just pour out those struggles you face in life, and can pray with them about it,” he said.

“Whether it’s about your faith or personal life, [the personal connection] is very important, otherwise it is like a university unit or a course, where you just get it done and become Catholic because you finished the course.

“But it is not like that in RCIA, and it shouldn’t be – it involves being guided to God and forming your personal relationship with Him. Then, eventually, you become part of His Church.”

Now Catholic for more than a year and having taken up altar serving both at St Mary’s Cathedral and the Latin Mass community, Daniel said being Catholic still feels unreal.

Receiving the Eucharist for the first time was also an experience he said he will never forget.

“Even though I’ve been Catholic for over a year, it feels unreal.

“Receiving Holy Communion for the first time was a very intimate moment. I remember tearing up a little bit. But, yeah, it was joyful tear.

“It’s one thing having the Eucharist physically in front of you. But it’s next level when it is inside you. When you receive, God is physically dwelling within you.

But it’s not like eating food – God doesn’t become part of you. You become part of God and the Mystical Body of Christ.”

He added that entering into communion with the Church was only his first step, with a long way still to go.

“You don’t just do all this stuff to be pretend holy. You have all this knowledge you’ve learned from RCIA and then you put that knowledge into practise, to grow more closer to Christ over time.

“It’s a continual process and will continue throughout your whole life.

“It’s the same for all of us – Conversion is continual. You just have to take your knowledge and try to live the Gospel in everyday life.”