Rich experience came at Rite time for Caringbah parishioner

Sydney
9 June 2002

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Rich experience came at Rite time for Caringbah parishioner

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Rich experience came at Rite time for Caringbah parishioner

Grant Dodds (holding sign in front) and the RCIA team at Our Lady of Fatima, Caringbah

By Marilyn Kerjean

For Caringbah parishioner Grant Dodds, receiving the sacraments for the first time at Easter was a rich experience because it was the culmination of a journey with others in the way of the first disciples through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).

“We had broken bread together, prayed together, shared together and had built trust and friendship just as the disciples had done,” he reflected afterwards.

“From the beginning of our program (September 2001) to Easter, the spiritual growth in each and every catechumen and team member alike was fully evident and encouraging.”

Grant was one of more than 1500 Australian adults welcomed joyfully into the Catholic Church at Easter. He, like

others, said he felt like he was walking on air.

But what about those parishes that have not yet embraced the Church recommended RCIA program?

And what are the responsibilities of a parish once their new Catholics’ initial fervour passes?

These questions are on the agenda for a conference in Launceston this month entitled RCIA – asking the hard questions. It will be the fifth biennial conference of the Australian Catechumenate Network, which is made up of RCIA co-ordinators and parish leaders.

The June 26-29 conference will coincide with the celebration of 30 years of the restored RCIA and is expected to attract RCIA leaders from most dioceses across Australia.

It will address the question of why the RCIA has not been fully implemented in all parishes, when there has been a dramatic rise in the number of adults and young people seeking initiation in the Catholic Church within a communal context.

Other issues to be highlighted include the initiation of young people through RCIA, RCIA team formation, the reception of Christians of other denominations and the inclusion of the parish community in the initiation process.

Martin Teulan, chief operating officer of Church Resources, will speak on the success of the RCIA in terms of evangelisation and spirituality.

Sr Ilsa Neicineiks, RCIA co-ordinator for the Adelaide archdiocese, will speak on the interconnection between ritual and growth in faith.

Penny Edman, director of Catholic Media, Tasmania, will hold a workshop called Proclamation or Silence – the role of the media.

The Archbishop of Hobart, Archbishop Adrian Doyle, has given enthusiastic support to the conference, which is being held in Tasmania for the first time. He will formally welcome participants and preside at the Mass.

Representatives already enrolled from the Sydney archdiocese include parishioners from Lurnea, Church Hill, Strathfield, Marsfield and Concord West parishes.