Already baptised and thinking about becoming Catholic?
If you have been validly baptised in another Christian Church or community and now believe that God may be calling you into the full communion of the Catholic Church, you are very welcome.
You do not need to have everything settled before making contact. You may have been considering the Catholic faith for many years, or you may only recently have begun asking questions.
The first step is simply a conversation with the parish priest.
Your Baptism is already real
Because you have already been validly baptised, you are already a Christian. You are not starting the Christian life again and you will not be baptised again.
The Catholic Church gives thanks for the Christian faith, Scripture, prayer, moral formation and witness that may already have shaped your life.
Reception into full communion does not mean pretending that God was absent from your earlier Christian life. It means freely embracing the fullness of the Catholic faith and entering into full visible communion with the Catholic Church in her faith, sacramental life and communion with the Pope and the bishops united with him.
Is this the right pathway?
This pathway is for an adult who:
- has been validly baptised outside the Catholic Church;
- has not previously been received into the Catholic Church;
- now wishes freely to profess the Catholic faith;
- desires to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church; and
- is willing to prepare through prayer, Catholic formation, Sunday Mass and Christian living.
This is not the correct pathway for everyone.
If you have never been baptised, please see:
BECOMING CATHOLIC, RCIA AND THE CATECHUMENATE
If you were baptised Catholic but have not received Confirmation, please see:
If you are already Catholic but have been away from the Church, please see:
If you were baptised or chrismated in an Orthodox or other Eastern Christian Church, please speak with the priest before beginning any programme. A different canonical and sacramental route may apply.
If you are uncertain whether you were baptised, or whether your Baptism was valid, please contact the priest. We will help you establish the correct pathway.
The initial conversation
During the first conversation, we will talk about:
- your Christian background;
- where and how you were baptised;
- what has led you towards the Catholic Church;
- any questions or difficulties you may have;
- your present experience of prayer and Christian worship;
- any sacraments you have already received;
- and the most suitable preparation for you.
Please bring a baptismal certificate if you have one. If you do not have a certificate, do not worry. The parish will explain what needs to be done.
Please also mention at the beginning if:
- you are uncertain about your Baptism;
- you were previously 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 that concerns you.
Please do not stay away because you think your circumstances will make you unwelcome. The purpose of the conversation is to understand your situation properly and find the correct way forward.
How preparation works
Preparation is personal and flexible rather than a fixed annual course.
After the initial conversation, you will use the parish preparation book and may meet with a sponsor, parish mentor or priest at a suitable pace.
The preparation book provides the teaching. Sunday Mass, prayer, conversion and parish life provide the wider journey.
Someone with years of serious Christian formation may need less time. Someone encountering Catholic teaching for the first time may need longer.
There is no prize for finishing quickly. Conversations may be repeated, divided or explored more deeply when necessary.
Completing twelve conversations does not automatically determine a date for reception. Readiness matters more than a calendar.
Questions are welcome. Difficulty understanding a Catholic teaching is not the same as rejecting it. It is important to seek the truth honestly and not to make a profession of faith that you do not sincerely mean.
Your preparation book
Our parish uses:
Coming into Full Communion
A Catholic Preparation Book for Baptised Christians
The book contains twelve short Catholic conversations:
- The Call to Full Communion
- Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium
- The Creed and the Mystery of Salvation
- The Church Christ Founded
- Mary, the Saints and the Communion of Saints
- Grace and the Seven Sacraments
- The Eucharist and the Holy Mass
- Conversion and the Sacrament of Penance
- The Moral Life, Freedom, Conscience and Virtue
- The Moral Life, Love in Concrete Life
- Prayer and the Ordinary Catholic Life
- Profession, Reception, Confirmation and Eucharist
Each conversation follows the same straightforward pattern:
REMEMBER → SHORT TEACHING → TALK ABOUT IT → THE ESSENTIALS → PRAYER → THIS WEEK
The book also contains:
- an initial Baptism and pastoral check;
- guidance for preparing for Confession;
- a step-by-step explanation of the Rite of Reception;
- essential Catholic questions and answers;
- answers to common questions from other Christian traditions;
- a readiness conversation;
- and a simple rule of Catholic life.
DOWNLOAD THE CATHOLIC PREPARATION BOOK
Sponsor and mentor conversation guide
The Activity and Conversation Guide is used alongside the preparation book.
It helps a sponsor, parish mentor or priest to:
- begin with the person’s existing Christian faith and experience;
- make the teaching concrete;
- encourage honest questions;
- use simple activities and illustrations;
- check the central Catholic truth;
- pray with the candidate;
- and choose one practical step to live.
The preparation book supplies the Catholic teaching. The conversation guide helps the parish accompany the person.
DOWNLOAD THE SPONSOR AND MENTOR CONVERSATION GUIDE
Coming into Full Communion App
The app contains the same Catholic teaching and questions as the preparation book. It can be used for reading, learning and revision.
The app is an additional aid. It supports, but does not replace, Sunday Mass, prayer, personal accompaniment, conversion and parish life.
OPEN THE COMING INTO FULL COMMUNION APP
Parish pathway guide
The short parish guide explains the preparation pathway and practical steps in a simple format.
DOWNLOAD THE PARISH PATHWAY GUIDE
Sunday Mass and prayer
Sunday Mass is at the heart of preparation.
You are warmly invited to worship with the parish, listen to the Word of God, join in the prayers and become familiar with Catholic life.
Until you have been received into full communion, you should not yet receive Holy Communion. You are welcome to remain prayerfully in your place while others come forward.
Preparation should also include:
- simple daily prayer;
- reading Sacred Scripture;
- learning the principal Catholic prayers;
- beginning to live according to Catholic moral teaching;
- and becoming part of the life of the parish.
If you are unfamiliar with Catholic worship, do not worry. Nobody expects you to understand everything immediately.
Your sponsor
You will normally be accompanied by a Catholic sponsor.
A sponsor is not simply a ceremonial witness. The sponsor supports you through prayer, conversation, example and friendship. The sponsor should be a practising Catholic who can help you begin living faithfully within the Church.
The priest will explain the requirements and help if you do not already know someone suitable.
Preparing for Confession
Before reception, a baptised candidate normally receives the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation from a Catholic priest.
Your preparation book contains a guide to examining your conscience and making a good Confession.
You do not need to remember every word or formula perfectly. The priest will help you.
Confession is not an examination or an interrogation. It is an encounter with the mercy of Jesus Christ.
What happens at reception?
When you are properly prepared and ready, the celebration ordinarily includes the following:
1. Profession of faith
You profess the Catholic faith freely and sincerely.
2. Reception into full communion
The priest formally receives you into the full communion of the Catholic Church.
3. Confirmation, when required
If you have not already received valid Confirmation, the priest who receives you will ordinarily also administer the Sacrament of Confirmation.
If you were validly chrismated in an Eastern Christian Church, you are not confirmed again. This must be established with the priest beforehand.
4. Holy Communion
You receive the Body and Blood of Christ in the Holy Eucharist as a Catholic in full communion with the Church.
The precise celebration will be explained and rehearsed beforehand so that you can take part peacefully and confidently.
When will reception take place?
There is no automatic sacramental date simply because a certain number of conversations has been completed.
Reception takes place when you:
- understand the Catholic faith at a suitable level;
- freely believe and profess that faith;
- desire full communion with the Catholic Church;
- have begun living a life of prayer and Christian conversion;
- participate faithfully in Sunday Mass;
- have addressed any sacramental or canonical questions;
- and are properly prepared to receive Confession, Confirmation where required, and the Holy Eucharist.
There is no automatic need to wait until the following Easter. The appropriate date will be arranged personally, in accordance with the Church’s rites and diocesan practice.
After reception
Reception into the Catholic Church is a beginning, not a graduation.
The ordinary Catholic life which follows includes:
- faithful participation in Sunday Mass;
- regular and worthy reception of Holy Communion;
- regular Confession;
- daily prayer;
- reading Sacred Scripture;
- continued growth in Catholic teaching;
- charity and service;
- and belonging to the life and mission of the parish.
The parish will continue to accompany you as you become more deeply rooted in Catholic faith and life.
Additional Catholic formation
Our Catholic Faith Online Course offers further teaching for anyone who wants to explore particular subjects in greater depth.
It is an additional resource. Completing the online course does not replace personal preparation or determine readiness for reception.
EXPLORE THE CATHOLIC FAITH ONLINE COURSE
Ready to begin?
You do not need to know everything.
You do not need to have resolved every question.
You do not need to complete the preparation book before making contact.
You simply need to be willing to begin honestly and freely.
CONTACT THE PARISH TO ARRANGE AN INITIAL CONVERSATION
“One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
Ephesians 4:5
