By Caroline Smith
Despite coming from different backgrounds and having diverse reasons for joining the Catholic Church, former Catechumens Ian Donaldson and Shirlene Caldow have both found the experience of conversion an enriching and joyful one.
Now members Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Girrawheen, Mr Donaldson and Mrs Caldow completed the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) last year and two years ago respectively, and say the process set them up well for full involvement in the Church.
The RCIA guides participants through a period of learning and discussion about the Catholic faith, culminating in the receiving of sacraments at the Easter Vigil Mass.
Participants who have not been baptised are known as Catechumens, while for those who have been baptised in another Christian Church and seek Full Communion in the Catholic Church, are known as a Candidates.
For Catechumens, all three sacraments of initiation, Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist, are received at the Easter Vigil mass.
For Mr Donaldson, who previously attended another Christian Church, the process of conversion began through discussion with Catholic colleague Barbara Russell.
“I came to it [the Catholic Church] through another member of Our Lady of Mercy Parish who worked with me,” he said.
“I was going to another Christian Church at the time, and we started talking about faith.
“By the time I joined RCIA, I’d been going to the Girrawheen Mass for two years, but took communion in my own Church as well – this allowed me to make a comparison over time.”
Mr Donaldson said his time in the program was a supportive one, where he was supplied with engaging and helpful information.
“There were worksheets and information sheets handed out at each meeting, and they involved doing readings but also chatting about them,” he said.
“It was definitely a very pleasant experience – I always found it interesting to go there, rather than thinking it was like a chore.”
For Mrs Caldow, the faith journey initially began with family connections to the Church and the Girrawheen parish.
“Both of my boys attend Our Lady of Mercy School and were baptised,” she said.
“My husband is Catholic and I went to a Catholic school, although I wasn’t of that faith myself growing up.”
This relationship meant that Mrs Caldow – like Mr Donaldson – was already attending Mass at Our Lady of Mercy, and this was one reason why she decided to commence the process.
“Because of a personal experience, I found myself turning more towards the Church,” she said.
“I was going to Church anyway, and I had always meant to do it.”
She agreed that the RCIA framework had provided a great entry into the Catholic Church, but added that her son’s involvement in taking the sacraments had provided extra support.
“At the time, my youngest was making his First Holy Communion and my eldest was making his Confirmation, so that helped me a lot,” Ms Caldow said.
“Because the boys go to a Catholic school, they were bringing home information about it, and I was acquainted with the issues and process.
“Being in the RCIA was a fantastic experience though – I would recommend it to anyone, just based on the way organisers taught us and expressed their views and ideas.”
Since completing the process, Ms Caldow says she has felt welcomed by the Girrawheen parish, which she describes as being more like a ‘family’.