I decided to become Catholic on Easter 2013 because my husband and children are Catholic and, after 20 years of marriage, I thought it would be nice to join the family.
I was brought up Church of England and, although my husband was Catholic, we got married in my Church at the time.
My husband continued to go to a Catholic church on Sundays with me and wanted the children to be brought up as Catholics so, when my eldest was a baby, we went to an information evening on baptism.
I appreciated everything they had to say and all the values that they held and I kind of agreed with him.
We were living in the UK at the time and when we came across to Australia in May 2002 we brought our two children with us.
We have had three more children since we’ve been here. Tate (15), Shai (11), Jessie (8) and Ottilie (4) all go to Catholic school and my eldest Talia (18) was my sponsor for my confirmation.
My confirmation name is Teresa after St Teresa of Avila. I chose her because she is the patron saint of headaches and I am a sufferer of migraines.
She was also known to put others before her (which I can really relate to) and was very supportive of women.
I think that I was always a believer but the RCIA experience took me on a faith journey which has deepened and definitely strengthened my belief.
I hope it continues to help me make the right choices and try to be the best person I can be.
Mother Mary’s example has taught me to show more tolerance and patience to my own children.
Through her, I feel I am able to support, encourage and guide them as well.
I hope the Catholic faith will help make my children well-rounded, happy individuals as they grow up.
There is so much to appreciate, isn’t there?
When they are at church and school, they are taught to share and to be a nice, decent person.
What I hope for them is that they will make the right choices in life and I feel that the Church and the Catholic education help to guide them.
Along with their parents, obviously, we are sort of hand-in-hand.
I want them to be the best people that they can be.
I like to go to Church during the week because I don’t have my children with me and I can just go and listen and contemplate.
I like that time because it has a calming effect on me and I enjoy the peace.
It is so funny because every time I go, I always hear something relevant to me.
Like the priest might say something about losing your temper and that morning I have, so it really makes me think, “My goodness!”
It might be on patience and I think I should have had more of that. It’s like a message.
Since doing the RCIA I find that even though I had attended Mass before, I appreciate it more and there’s a deeper meaning.
Before I was there to support my husband and children but now I think I am there for myself.
Our RCIA coordinator was Ann Cunneen. She gave us the historical background to the Bible passages and you realise they’re about real people and it’s real stories.
In the society that Jesus lived in most people were Jewish. There was no Christianity until he came along and even Jesus was a Jew.
Ann explained what the customs were at the time and how Jesus was different to those practices because he had a different message that he wanted to bring to the world.
So then you got that understanding of why many people were against him and how difficult that would have been.
There was real hostility there. I appreciate his courage and sacrifice.
Now I understand their role better, I realise the life of a priest involves sacrifice.
Both priests at our Craigie parish are lovely. Fr Joe Tran and Fr Bonaventure Echeta couldn’t make you feel more welcome.
They would try and come to the RCIA classes so we got to know them on a personal level as well.
Priests have no worldly possessions – just their car and the Bible.
They have to give everything up. The Church and their parish were their lives. If they got transferred to another parish, they had to go.
When you listen to their stories you think wow, what special people they are.
They do so many things like giving the last rites, celebrating marriages, counselling and teaching at schools… they are everything, to everyone.
I try to be all things to everyone, like most mums do. I worry about my husband, children and parents. Doing confession for the first time was really emotionally draining.
I didn’t plan what I was going to say but it was like 41 years just flooded out of me.
It is not like I have done a lot of naughty things but when I came out I felt lighter, like something I had been carrying was lifted from me.
I am a bit of a worrier and I do hold a lot of emotions in. I do get frustrated and stressed and it erupts in me. Fr Bono just sat and listened and he must have thought, goodness me! It was lovely though because I felt I could share.
Do I make mistakes sometimes? Unfortunately, I do. So it is a learning curve all the time.
Without my faith, I would struggle to find inner peace. I’d analyse myself and think have I done the right thing or said the right thing?
Now when I doubt myself I can share that with God by praying.
It isn’t only at church. I can do it in the house as well. That’s if I can find a quiet place to pray – it’s usually in the bathroom with the door locked!
My faith means a lot to me. I don’t think I am ever going to be one of those people who stand on a soap box evangelising and converting everybody but I would like to think by my actions and thoughts and the sort of person I portray, my faith shines through.
I would like to think from the way I speak to people and treat people they would know I am a practising Catholic.