RCIA - Are you interested in learning more about the Catholic Church?

**For non-Muslims only**

The below is the bulletin from my church. However, the invititation is open to all the people in this world (except Muslims) as RCIA or Rites of Christian Initiation (Adult) normally begins around this time of the year and last until next year March or April. You can ask from your nearest Roman Catholic church, in any parts of the world.

I took the step to find out more on Christianity in 2003, after the death of my fourth son. It was just one crazy idea as I detest Christians. Urrggh…they and their preachings. LOL. But I had totally lost direction and was searching for some calm, senses and answers. So, I want to find something ’sadistic’ to do. You know….like you go for an extreme hair cut or tattoo after a break-up or something?

(stained glass on Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Penang)

I purposely did not want to ask my (FGA) Christian friends about it. I took out the Yellow pages (yes, this is a classic tale about how I find God through the Yellow Pages of Telekom Malaysia), find the nearest church. The first number I phone, I get a ringing tone. I think it must be the Methodist church. Then next number I dialled, I spoke to Wai Chun our reliable church clerk and she told me there is really a course to ’study Christianity’ the next week.

(Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is the ‘blue cross’ church you see at night. The one behind Caltex)

The rest, as they say, is history. I sailed through RCIA eventhough I got a problematic fifth pregnancy and was on bedrest. Thereafter, I had my baby and was on confinement. But I was the tough cookie who insisted to attend the rites, two weeks after I delivered my baby by caesarean. Hhmmmm…I wonder how I could kneel and stand and kneel with all those stitches???

So, in short, RCIA is not something to ’study’. Rather, it is all about soul searching and we have no obligations to attend and complete it. Even if you have completed the whole year, on the last day, one of my RCIA course mate decided she is not going to be baptised that night. So, trust me, it is freewill, like how God intended us to be.

(The Pieta, from St. Anne’s Church Bukit Mertajam)

* Do you recognize a need for spirituality in your life?
* Are you a baptized Catholic or baptized into another religion but never received any formal religious education?
* Are you married to a Catholic and attend Mass but just don’t know what the next step is to become one of the Catholic faithful?

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is the place for you. The RCIA is the process through which adults from other faith traditions can join the Catholic Church. Every year adults are welcomed into the Catholic Community through RCIA. It is a learning and loving process in which conversion of the heart brings you to Jesus Christ who is our Lord and Saviour.

Here at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit RCIA sessions are held every Sunday after the 10.00am mass. At these sessions, the facilitators will share with you the fundamentals of Catholicism. The new sessions will start on June 1, 2008.

(This is how we worship God but usually, this is only on special occasion)

Anyone who is seriously thinking about becoming a Catholic or would simply like more information can contact the Parish Priests or the Cathedral office. Ordinarily, meeting with the Parish Priest would be first step in the journey toward becoming a Catholic.

I can ramble on and on about my RCIA because it was the turning point in my life. I ended up a lot smarter, wiser, forgiving, loving, courageous and there is nothing that I cannot achieve if God has willed it.

So, dear friends, if you feel the promptings to learn more about this mysterious being call God or you wish to know who is the real Jesus or you just want to go there and find out what makes us ticks, do look for your nearest Catholic Church.

(Melaka - One of the oldest church)

You may ask, “Why do you Christians have so many ’sect’ amongst you when all of you claim to be Jesus Christ followers? Why do I hear you guys waging wars and killing each other in the earlier times? Why do you have Catholics, Methodist, Baptist, Protestants and etc?”

Well, the Christian faith is over 2,000 years and through the years, the ‘original’ group broke into different continents and so on. Some are due to political matters, some due to religious leaders and some due to the King who wish to marry his mistress. LOL. But the Roman Catholic Church is the ‘original’ and that’s why you probably see us so constipated stifling because we are still practising some of the things handed down by Jesus to Peter. But I like it because I always buy ‘original’.

(I got chased by the caretaker’s dog while taking photo of this Kampar church)

If you live in the Green Lane/Bayan Baru/Sungai Nibong/Jelutong area and wish to know more about the church, do feel free to ask me direct. I will be honoured to meet you and guide you to find the right person to assist you. You don’t need a Yellow pages now.

My church has a more serious explanation on what RCIA is.

May you find peace in your heart.

BTW, I am still praying for the day when my husband will say, “OK, I want to join the RCIA.” I pray that day will come, somehow.