Since being Catholic is meant to be a way of faithfully living the Gospel of Jesus, becoming Catholic needs to be a journey in faith. From experience, we know that all important journeys begin with a first step, and the Church in her wisdom has provided that in a process called RCIA:
The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults
This involves a ritual that includes four stages of a faith journey which serve as passage through three major rites of the Church. A period of inquiry – not of commitment – is the first stage, called the Pre-Catechumenate. This stage begins here at Our Lady of Refuge on September 19th, and is a wonderful beginning to a journey that will be supported by the whole parish community as the coming year takes shape in our program.
The best advice we can give to you if you are reading this and feeling a tug at your heart is to listen to God, to the Scriptures, to yourself, to the community, and know with great certainty – you are most welcome to come and explore this first stage with us! If you feel that you might wish to begin this journey this year, please feel free to call Mary at the parish offices (248-682-0920) or speak to Fr. McEnhill after one of the weekend masses. Father will get you started with all you need to be ready for September 19th. God bless you as you begin the most exciting journey you can ever embark upon!
We begin on September 19th at 7pm, and meet in the Parish Office at 3725 Erie Street. Just park in the horse shoe drive of the Parish Office. We are meeting in the conference room, but the setting is very informal. Please feel free to come and join us and bring a friend-maybe you know someone who might benefit from these meetings as well. Give them this article and say a prayer for them. Need more information? Call the parish office and ask for Mary 248-682-0920.
Mary Theisen
8/3/11