Our parish continues to welcome people into the Catholic Church through Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.  On the first Sunday of each month, we provide the opportunity for new parents to present their children for the Rite of Reception at a Sunday Mass, where we receive their child’s name, hear their request to have their child baptised and sign them with the cross.  This is the beginning of the journey of faith.  In the coming weeks we will be celebrating confirmation with dozens of young people across our parishes.  These young people have made their own request for confirmation and wish to be sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

In addition to infant baptism and school-age confirmation, we have other people who request baptism and confirmation as adults.  There are many reasons why adults express the desire to be baptised and confirmed in the Church.  Some people have never had the opportunity to learn about the Christian faith and have developed an interest or empathy with Christianity as they have matured in life.  Some people have married a Catholic and sent their children to a Catholic school and then formed the desire to be baptised or confirmed in the Catholic Church, where they join their partner and children in the same faith.  Some people may have been baptised as a child and then had no further education or catechesis along the way.  Some people are curious to learn more about faith in the Catholic Church but perhaps not ready to make the next step to being baptised or confirmed.  Some people have had a significant event in their lives that has made them rethink their views on faith and in God.  Our parish welcomes all such enquirers and their requests.  Each year we run a process in which people can bring their faith questions and ponderings and together, with a supportive group, determine if they would like to take the next step into initiation into the Catholic Church.     

If you or an adult family member or a friend are interested in exploring the Catholic faith further, or being baptised and confirmed in the Catholic Church, we would like to hear from you.  Our next group of enquirers will begin in October this year.  Please contact either Fr Brendan, Parish Priest  or Tricia Norman, Senior Pastoral Associate for further information or to express your interest.

By Fr Brendan Reed

Published: 30 August 2024