{"id":368,"date":"2015-06-24T18:00:17","date_gmt":"2015-06-24T17:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.holycrosscarshalton.co.uk\/?page_id=368"},"modified":"2025-09-19T23:33:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T22:33:50","slug":"adult-formation-and-christian-education","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/holycrosscarshalton.co.uk\/?page_id=368","title":{"rendered":"RCIA – Journey in Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Thinking of becoming a Catholic?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Journey in Faith 2025 \u2013 2026\u00a0 <\/strong><\/span>(Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults)<\/strong><\/p>\n

This process prepares adults who are seeking to be received into the Catholic Church.\u00a0 It invites people to deepen their knowledge of Jesus and their relationship with Him. Weekly sessions take people through the key teachings of the Catholic faith and the issues facing Catholics in today\u2019s world.\u00a0 We look in detail at the sacramental life and prepare those who decide to become Catholics to receive the sacraments of initiation (baptism, confirmation and holy communion) in due course.<\/p>\n

Other parishioners who would like to join us and perhaps refresh their own faith are also very welcome.<\/p>\n

Sessions are held weekly from September to Pentecost and last for about an hour, including refreshments.<\/p>\n

Sessions continue:<\/p>\n

THURSDAY’S throughout 2025<\/strong>\u00a0at\u00a07:30 pm in the parish centre.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are interested in joining this year\u2019s group, please contact the RCIA co-ordinator, Kathy Ball, via the contact form on the parish website or email edmsutton@rcaos.org.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

===============================================<\/p>\n

We joyfully welcome<\/strong><\/em> Kimberly, Chika, Lorraine and Jason into the Church and into our parish community. They have received the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil 2025<\/p>\n

================================================<\/p>\n

The warmest of welcomes to our new Catholics (2024)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Six wonderful people were received into the Church at the Easter Vigil this year \u2013 Amy, Ava, Christie, Sam, Paul and Rob.\u00a0 At our Pentecost service on 15th<\/sup> May, Sam and Paul shared a little of their experience of their personal journeys in faith and touched many hearts.\u00a0 Here are their testimonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>\"\"<\/a>The other day, a Catechist asked me what had changed since I began the Rite of Christian Initiation last September.I replied, “Everything.”Like many parents, I started rethinking my own faith when the time came to consider my children’s spirituality. And the kind of life my wife and I would like them to lead.I wanted to be a good role model but realised my work life was tying me up in knots.I didn’t have enough time for my kids. I’d developed a shorter fuse. And I felt like I was always rushing to achieve the next big thing.\u00a0 Yet I was never satisfied.\u00a0\u00a0 In hindsight, I was running on empty – because I’d neglected my faith.The course guided my group through the teachings of the Church and allowed us to explore our beliefs together.\u00a0 It brought conversations about faith, loss, and forgiveness, and always at our own pace.\u00a0 We attended our first Benediction, made our first confessions, and received the Eucharist together for the first time on this journey.Now I’ve invited Jesus back into my life I see the world with different eyes.\u00a0 With faith, I feel more gratitude, more love, and more peace. I’m better equipped to help my kids reach their potential and I’ve made some great friends.\u00a0 A part of me that had been overlooked feels complete again.If you feel like you might be running on empty. I recommend you give it a go.Thank you.<\/p>\n
\n

Samantha-Jayne<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I have been a member of this parish since my daughters were born, nearly 14 years ago. Having married my husband in a Catholic church, I vowed to raise our children as Catholics even though I was baptised as Church of England. Whilst always feeling welcomed at Holy Cross, I have always felt somewhat of an outsider not being Catholic and not fully part of the family or belonging. Then, last summer, a familiar parishioner pointed out the RCIA notice in the newsletter to me and my journey began.<\/p>\n

The first meeting was a little bewildering with new people and discussions about sacraments with words I didn\u2019t fully understand at first and trying to find verses in the bible. However, very quickly, the six of us, along with the Catechists developed a friendship which has enabled us to share our experiences openly and ask questions that we once thought were \u2018silly\u2019 or \u2018obvious\u2019. The weekly groups soon became a part of my week that I looked forward to. I realised that I knew more than I thought about scripture, and I started piecing it all together.<\/p>\n

Mid-way through we attended St George\u2019s Cathedral for the Rite of Election to become Catholics. This beautiful service was delivered by Archbishop John Wilson who himself is a convert to Catholicism. It was a special moment as we were informed that we were each one of the record number of catechumens and candidates for ten years. We celebrated afterwards with a drink in a local pub together.<\/p>\n

As our journey continued, we then entered Holy Week which was even more significant for us as this marked the moment we became Catholics. The mass on Maundy Thursday was very moving. Having discussed the importance of the events leading up to the Lord\u2019s Passion, I felt I had a better connection with the Church. The opportunity to reflect on how far I had come on this journey made me even more grateful for this connection. Finally, the big day came, Easter Saturday vigil. I felt a level of nervousness and anticipation at the service. However, knowing that I was with my new friends that had traveled this journey with me, and the support of the catechists made me feel more at ease. Standing outside by the fire in the darkness with only the glow of the candles for light was a truly magical moment that I will never forget. I remember looking around at everyone and feeling so grateful and happy to be a part of this celebration of the sacrifice Jesus has made for us. Then, receiving the Eucharist for the first time was THE big moment – after years of watching everyone else receive, it was now my turn. I remember feeling quite nervous as I now understood the importance of receiving Christ in this way as I too became part of Him. Once we had all received our first Holy Communion, I felt an overwhelming feeling of happiness and connection with Christ. And as I looked at everyone, including the group, I knew that I now belong in this special family.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Thinking of becoming a Catholic? Journey in Faith 2025 \u2013 2026\u00a0 (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) This process prepares adults who are seeking to be received into the Catholic Church.\u00a0 It invites people to deepen their knowledge of Jesus and their relationship with Him. Weekly sessions take people through the key teachings of the … Continue reading RCIA – Journey in Faith<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-368","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/holycrosscarshalton.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/holycrosscarshalton.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/holycrosscarshalton.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holycrosscarshalton.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holycrosscarshalton.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=368"}],"version-history":[{"count":66,"href":"https:\/\/holycrosscarshalton.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/368\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7342,"href":"https:\/\/holycrosscarshalton.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/368\/revisions\/7342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/holycrosscarshalton.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}