Thinking about becoming Catholic?
If you have never been baptised and are thinking about becoming Catholic, you are very welcome.
You do not need to have everything worked out before making contact. You may have been thinking about faith for years, or you may only recently have begun asking questions about God, Jesus Christ or the Catholic Church.
The first step is simply a conversation.
There is no pressure to make promises before you are ready. The Church wants you to seek the truth freely, ask honest questions and gradually discover what it means to know, love and follow Jesus Christ within his Church.
Who is RCIA for?
This pathway is principally for adults who have not been baptised.
The Church does not simply give an unbaptised person a short course and then arrange Baptism. Becoming Catholic is a genuine journey of faith, conversion, prayer, Christian living and belonging within the Church.
If you have already been baptised, please do not assume that RCIA is your pathway. A valid Christian Baptism is never repeated.
Already baptised?
I was baptised in another Christian Church or community and want to become Catholic
→ Reception into Full Communion
I was baptised Catholic but have never received Confirmation
→ Adult Confirmation
I am already Catholic but have been away from the Church and want to return
→ Returning to the Faith
I am not sure whether I was baptised, or whether my Baptism was valid
→ Please contact the parish priest. We will help you establish the right pathway.
What is RCIA?
RCIA means the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. It is the Church’s process for accompanying an unbaptised adult towards Baptism, Confirmation and the Holy Eucharist.
It includes Catholic teaching, but it is much more than a set of lessons.
The journey includes:
- hearing and responding to the Gospel;
- Sunday worship with the parish;
- learning the Catholic faith;
- prayer and growth in a relationship with Christ;
- conversion of life;
- participation in the life of the Church;
- charity, service and Christian witness;
- the support of a sponsor and other Catholics;
- and the liturgical rites by which the Church marks a person’s journey towards Christian initiation.
There is therefore no automatic sacramental date simply because a certain number of lessons has been completed.
The goal is not merely to finish a course. The goal is to become a disciple of Jesus Christ and to be ready freely and sincerely to receive the sacraments and live as a Catholic Christian.
A journey, not simply a course
The Church normally describes the journey towards Baptism in four broad periods.
1. Enquiry and Evangelisation
At first you are an inquirer.
This is a time to hear the Gospel, ask questions, begin to pray and explore whether God may be calling you to faith and to the Catholic Church.
There is no fixed length for this period.
When a person has begun to believe in Christ and sincerely wishes to continue the journey, the Church may celebrate the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens.
2. The Catechumenate
After the Rite of Acceptance you become a catechumen.
The catechumenate is a substantial period of formation in Catholic faith and Christian life. It includes catechesis, prayer, Sunday worship, Scripture, conversion, charity, parish life and the support of other Christians.
It lasts as long as genuine growth requires.
The aim is not simply to know Catholic answers, but to begin living as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
3. Purification and Enlightenment
When a catechumen is ready for the final preparation for the Sacraments of Initiation, the Church celebrates the Rite of Election.
The person is then called one of the elect.
This period normally takes place during Lent and is a more intense time of prayer, conversion and spiritual preparation. The Church accompanies the elect through the Scrutinies and other rites as they prepare for Baptism.
4. Christian Initiation and Mystagogy
An unbaptised adult who is ready for Christian initiation normally receives:
Baptism → Confirmation → Holy Eucharist
These sacraments are normally celebrated together, especially at the Easter Vigil.
After Baptism the newly initiated Catholic is called a neophyte.
The journey does not end there.
The period of Mystagogy follows, especially during the Easter season. It is a time to deepen the experience of the sacraments, grow in prayer and become more fully rooted in the life and mission of the Church.
Becoming Catholic is a beginning, not a graduation.
Your preparation companion
Becoming Catholic
RCIA — A Catechumenate Companion
Our parish uses a simple preparation companion containing 24 short Catholic conversations.
Each conversation follows the same straightforward pattern:
REMEMBER → SHORT TEACHING → TALK ABOUT IT → THE ESSENTIALS → PRAYER → THIS WEEK
Most conversations can be used in about 20–30 minutes.
They cover the central truths of the Catholic faith, including God, Jesus Christ, Scripture and Tradition, the Church, grace, the sacraments, the Eucharist, Christian morality, prayer and the life of discipleship.
The book makes the teaching clear and consistent without reducing the catechumenate to a classroom course.
The book supplies the lesson; the parish supplies the journey.
The preparation companion does not replace Sunday worship, personal accompaniment, conversion of life, the Church’s liturgical rites, parish belonging or pastoral discernment.
There is no prize for finishing quickly.
Some conversations may need to be repeated, divided or explored more deeply. Questions are welcome.
Readiness matters more than a calendar.
APP for Preparation
For those who would prefer an app to help them prepare please use: https://3stepuk.github.io/Becoming-A-Catholic-
This includes the full text with questions to help you remember what you’ve learned.
Sunday Mass and parish life
Coming to Sunday Mass is an important part of the journey.
Before Baptism you cannot yet receive Holy Communion, but you are warmly invited to worship with us, listen to the Word of God, pray with the Church and become part of parish life.
You will gradually become familiar with Catholic worship, the Christian year, the sacraments and the life of the parish.
Where appropriate, catechumens may also take part in the Church’s dismissal after the Liturgy of the Word so that they can reflect more deeply upon the Sunday Scriptures.
Faith grows not only through reading, but through prayer, worship, friendship, service and ordinary Christian life.
What happens at Baptism?
Baptism is not simply a public sign that you have decided to become Catholic.
It is a sacrament in which God truly acts.
Through Baptism a person is freed from sin, born again by water and the Holy Spirit, united to Christ, made a child of God and incorporated into the Church.
For this reason, an unbaptised catechumen does not make sacramental Confession before Baptism. Baptism itself forgives all sin.
Before Baptism you will nevertheless learn to examine your life honestly, repent of sin and turn towards Christ.
After Baptism, the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation becomes part of ordinary Catholic life.
At Christian initiation an adult normally receives Baptism, Confirmation and the Holy Eucharist, completing the Sacraments of Christian Initiation.
What if I have a complicated situation?
Please speak with the parish priest early if:
- you are not sure whether you have ever been baptised;
- you were baptised in another Christian community;
- you were once Catholic;
- you were baptised or chrismated in an Eastern Christian Church;
- you have been married previously;
- you are currently married outside the Catholic Church;
- or there is another sacramental or personal situation you are worried about.
Please do not stay away because you think something in your life will make you unwelcome.
The purpose of an early conversation is to understand your situation properly and find the correct pathway.
Some matters require pastoral or canonical attention, but they are much easier to address honestly at the beginning than to discover shortly before the sacraments.
I am interested, but I am not sure yet
That is completely fine.
Making an enquiry does not commit you to Baptism or to becoming Catholic.
You are welcome to come to Mass, ask questions, meet the priest and explore the Catholic faith before making any decision.
No one should make a profession of faith that they do not sincerely mean.
If there is a Catholic teaching you do not understand, say so.
Difficulty understanding something is not the same as rejecting it. Honest questions are part of seeking the truth.
The Church asks only that you approach the journey freely, honestly and with a willingness to listen to where Christ may be leading you.
Come and see. The journey begins with a conversation.
Want to go deeper?
Catholic Faith Online Course
Our parish also provides a substantial Catholic Faith Online Course for anyone who wants to explore the faith in greater depth.
It covers subjects such as:
- reason, faith and the existence of God;
- Divine Revelation;
- Sacred Scripture and Apostolic Tradition;
- Jesus Christ;
- the Blessed Trinity;
- the Church;
- the sacraments;
- grace and salvation;
- Catholic moral teaching;
- prayer;
- Mary and the saints;
- the Four Last Things;
- and the ordinary life of a Catholic Christian.
These resources can be used by inquirers, catechumens, candidates, existing Catholics and anyone wishing to understand the Catholic faith more deeply.
They are additional formation resources.
They do not replace the catechumenate, the preparation companion, Sunday worship, personal accompaniment or pastoral discernment, and completing the online course does not by itself determine readiness for the sacraments.
Use the course to explore questions, deepen understanding and go further into subjects that particularly interest you.
EXPLORE THE CATHOLIC FAITH ONLINE COURSE
After becoming Catholic
Baptism is the beginning of Christian life, not the end of preparation.
After initiation, the parish continues to accompany new Catholics through Mystagogy and ordinary parish life.
New Catholics are encouraged to:
- participate faithfully in Sunday Mass;
- receive the Holy Eucharist regularly and worthily;
- make regular use of the Sacrament of Penance;
- develop a daily life of prayer;
- continue learning the Catholic faith;
- read Sacred Scripture;
- become part of parish life;
- practise works of mercy and charity;
- and discover how God is calling them to serve.
The Lord who calls you into his Church also calls you to holiness and mission.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
Acts 2:42
Ready to begin?
You do not need to know everything.
You do not need to have solved every question.
You simply need to be willing to begin.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 