The Adult Baptism, Confirmation & First Communion Registration Form can be downloaded here
Becoming Catholic
I can only say, if it is necessary to say it, that from the moment I became a Catholic, I never have had, through God’s grace, a single doubt or misgiving on my mind that I did wrong in becoming one. |
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WHETHER you are exploring the Catholic Faith for the first time, or are seeking to come into full communion with the Catholic Church through the Sacraments of the Church, there are plenty of opportunities to do so at St John Henry’s.
In the first instance it is important to be in touch with Fr Kenyon. Whether you be a non-Catholic, a lapsed Catholic, or one with no previous religious background, an informal and confidential meeting will assist in determining the right path that God is calling you to follow.
In the first instance it is important to be in touch with Fr Kenyon. Whether you be a non-Catholic, a lapsed Catholic, or one with no previous religious background, an informal and confidential meeting will assist in determining the right path that God is calling you to follow.
Catechesis
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Catechesis - from the Greek κατήχησις, meaning ‘instruction by word of mouth’ - is essential to all formation in the truths of Catholic Christianity. At St John Henry’s catechetical teaching is offered both to those who are seeking to understand more about the Catholic Church and her beliefs, as well as to those who are formally engaged in a process - the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) - that will lead them into the Full Communion of the Church through the reception (or completion) of the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and First Holy Communion).
Beginning each January we offer 18 catechetical sessions, taught by Fr Kenyon, based loosely on the structure offered by the Evangelium course in the United Kingdom. These follow the four-fold division of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Creed, Sacraments, Morals, and Prayers). Whilst this course constitutes a fundamental part of the Periods of Catechumenate and Purification and Enlightenment for those enrolled in our OCIA programme, it is also a valuable way for all those who, with sincere hearts, to further explore the Catholic Faith. |
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults
By his Death and Resurrection, Christ has opened for us a wellspring of holiness and grace. This gift is made available to us in an especially powerful way in the Church’s Sacraments. The Sacraments of Initiation are those through which Christians receive birth, growth, and nourishment... These Sacraments provide the Church with new birth in Christ through water and the Holy Spirit. ~ Bishop Steven Lopes The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) is, at St John Henry’s, the normative way in which a non-Christian becomes a Christian within the Catholic Church. However, the decision to enter into this programme must be preceded by an individual coming to some knowledge of Jesus Christ and feeling a desire to develop a relationship with him and with his Spouse, the Holy Catholic Church. There is no fixed time to this period if Evangelisation and PreCatechumenate, but it should involve attendance at Mass and other services, conversations with our clergy, and an openness to beginning a life of prayer and faith.
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The Period of the Catechumenate
If, under the guidance of God, you come to a point where you determine that you are being called to conform your life to Jesus Christ and to embrace the Good News of his Kingdom, you can ask, at this stage of enquiry, to seek entrance into the Period of Catechumenate through the Rite of Acceptance. This takes place annually in January and is followed by catechetical sessions which cover the whole of this Period and the one that follows up until Baptism and Confirmation. During this stage as a Catechumen, you reflect and pray on what God is saying to you in Holy Scripture and in the teachings of the Church, and what changes in your life you need to make in order to respond to God’s invitation.
When you are ready to make a commitment, in faith, to Jesus and to his Church, the next step is to make a request of Baptism from the Church. This comes in the celebration of the Rite of Election, which takes place on the First Sunday in Lent. The rite involves, with the prayerful support of your Sponsor, the public expression of your desire for Baptism to the diocesan bishop (vicariously, through the priest) and the enrolment of your name in the Book of the Elect.
The Period of Purification and Enlightenment
This next Period of Purification and Enlightenment takes place wholly within the seasons of Lent and Eastertide. As a member of the Elect this is a time of preparation marked by prayer, study, and spiritual direction. At the end of this time you will participate in Preparation Rites before finally receiving the Sacraments of Initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion - on the Sunday after Ascension. You are now fully initiated into the Catholic Church.
If, under the guidance of God, you come to a point where you determine that you are being called to conform your life to Jesus Christ and to embrace the Good News of his Kingdom, you can ask, at this stage of enquiry, to seek entrance into the Period of Catechumenate through the Rite of Acceptance. This takes place annually in January and is followed by catechetical sessions which cover the whole of this Period and the one that follows up until Baptism and Confirmation. During this stage as a Catechumen, you reflect and pray on what God is saying to you in Holy Scripture and in the teachings of the Church, and what changes in your life you need to make in order to respond to God’s invitation.
When you are ready to make a commitment, in faith, to Jesus and to his Church, the next step is to make a request of Baptism from the Church. This comes in the celebration of the Rite of Election, which takes place on the First Sunday in Lent. The rite involves, with the prayerful support of your Sponsor, the public expression of your desire for Baptism to the diocesan bishop (vicariously, through the priest) and the enrolment of your name in the Book of the Elect.
The Period of Purification and Enlightenment
This next Period of Purification and Enlightenment takes place wholly within the seasons of Lent and Eastertide. As a member of the Elect this is a time of preparation marked by prayer, study, and spiritual direction. At the end of this time you will participate in Preparation Rites before finally receiving the Sacraments of Initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion - on the Sunday after Ascension. You are now fully initiated into the Catholic Church.
Reception of Baptised Christians into Full Communion
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No one, I think, has been able to describe a conversion in terms which are objectively appropriate. As in the language of the mystics, analogies which give only a shadow of the substance have to be used. Chesterton, in his sonnet on his conversion, perhaps has suggested the reality of it most vividly when he speaks of the “one moment when I bowed my head/And the whole world turned over and came upright” and how suddenly he found the old controversies and arguments “are less than dust to me/Because my name is Lazarus and I live.” ~ Hugh Ross Williamson, The Walled Garden |
Of course, baptised Christians aren’t, technically, ‘converts’. Nonetheless, in seeking to become one with the Catholic Church they are being called to a continuing process of conversion in and through Jesus Christ. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, ‘The first work of the Holy Spirit is conversion. Moved by grace, man turns towards God and away from sin, thus accepting forgiveness and righteousness from on high.’ (CCC1989)
Reception into the Full communion of the Catholic Church is the process for entrance into the Catholic Church for those already validly baptised. A helpful list of non-Catholic churches and ecclesial communities with valid Baptisms can be found here.
In most cases, these individuals make a profession of faith but are not baptised again. If you are in this category, then to prepare for this reception, you will, as a Candidate, participate with the Catechumens in the OCIA programme outlined above. This will include attendance at all the catechetical sessions in Lent and Eastertide, and a participation in parallel rites which mark your process towards Reception and the celebration of the Sacraments of Confession, Confirmation, and First Communion on Whitsunday (Pentecost).
Reception into the Full communion of the Catholic Church is the process for entrance into the Catholic Church for those already validly baptised. A helpful list of non-Catholic churches and ecclesial communities with valid Baptisms can be found here.
In most cases, these individuals make a profession of faith but are not baptised again. If you are in this category, then to prepare for this reception, you will, as a Candidate, participate with the Catechumens in the OCIA programme outlined above. This will include attendance at all the catechetical sessions in Lent and Eastertide, and a participation in parallel rites which mark your process towards Reception and the celebration of the Sacraments of Confession, Confirmation, and First Communion on Whitsunday (Pentecost).