Discovering Faith

The Catholic faith is the Christianity originally handed down directly from Jesus Christ to his Apostles that He commanded to build His Church. The Apostles, in turn, handed down that faith to their successors (the Pope and Bishops) for the last 2000 years with unbroken continuity from Jesus Christ to us today.

Visit the Our Catholic Faith page

Catholics seek the same things in life as anyone else - as sense of purpose, a sense of belonging and an understanding of the meaning of their life, but the way in which we live our lives may be very different from that chosen by people who are not Catholic; or even by other Christians. For information on what living Catholicism means day-to-day, download the 'What Catholics Believe' leaflet, prepared by Catholic Discovery. 

You might be reading this because you are curious about what is involved in becoming a Catholic, or because you firmly desire to join the Catholic Church. Either way, we wish to assure you that at no stage you be put under any pressure to sign up and become a full member. In fact, you may find the process of becoming a Catholic somewhat slower than you would like… because membership involves making a firm commitment to God and to the local Catholic community, and is not to be undertaken lightly!

There are two sides to becoming a Catholic – receiving instruction in the faith, and taking part in the services of a local Catholic community. You can start with one or the other, but you will need to have completed sufficient instruction AND be attending regular services before you can become a full member of the Catholic faith.

Download What Catholics Believe

The main Sunday service in a Catholic Church is called Mass, and at Mass we remember the command of Jesus to take bread and wine – to “do this in memory of me”. The priest repeats the Lord’s words, “This is my body, this is my blood” and as Catholics, we believe that the bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Jesus. The wafer and the liquid don’t change their taste or appearance, but we believe that what they are in God’s sight has fundamentally changed. No longer are they truly bread and wine, but rather the Lord’s own Body and Blood. For this reason many churches also offer Adoration – the Body of Jesus is placed in a frame on the altar and members of the congregation come for silent prayer.

Guests are welcome to attend Mass, Adoration, and all other services in your local Catholic Church. You might choose to try attending Mass before introducing yourself to the local priest or community. If so, be aware that there are lots of different styles of Mass – with or without music, some using Latin, some using other languages that reflect our cultural diversity; some Masses have special provision for children. Please do not judge the whole Catholic Church on one single experience of attending Mass!

Most parishes will have some kind of prayer card or book available to help you follow the service and take part in the prayers. There is only one restriction: when Holy Communion is distributed, guests who are not yet members of the Catholic Church are asked to refrain from receiving communion: you may either remain in your place, or join the queue and come forward to receive a blessing, indicating this by folding your arms in the form of an X over your chest.

Catholics in good health are expected to honour the Lord’s Day by attending Mass every Sunday, as far as practically possible (a Catholic ‘Sunday’ includes Saturday evenings). You don’t have to attend Mass regularly to join a group exploring what Catholics believe, but if you decide to become a member, you will need to have become used to attending Mass regularly.

Becoming Catholic - he Hīkoi Taumano is about experiencing God in a community of believers who open their hearts and minds to the experience of Jesus Christ in the scriptures, express their belief in the liturgy they celebrate together and in the lives they lead.

The journey towards becoming Catholic is a gradual process. The length of time it takes varies for each person (RCIA 4-5 and 75). Each step of the journey leads adults towards Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist (Holy Communion) in the company of the Catholic community.

But the journey does not end there – becoming Catholic is a lifelong transformative journey of faith for all who belong to the Catholic community.

What does this journey involve?

The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, which can be likened to a spiritual journey, moves through four times and steps:

1. The initial time of evangelisation or enquiry leads to the celebration of the Rite of Acceptance
2. The time of the catechumenate or formation in Christian Life and deepening commitment to the Jesus Christ and the Christian way of life leads to the celebration of The Rite of Election
3. The time of purification and enlightenment in Lent is a time of intense preparation and prayer for receiving the Sacraments of Initiation. Scrutinies and other Blessings and Rituals are celebrated throughout the weeks that lead towards Easter and the celebration of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.
4. 'Initiation' is the beginning of something new - the time of Mystagogia that follows the Easter ceremonies of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist provides the opportunity to reflect and deepen the experience of living with the sacraments and the community of the faithful. But the journey does not end here…

Initiation marks the beginning of a lifelong transformative journey of faith.

For more information on OCIA Programme contact your local Parish.