Supper guests share their stories with archbishop

Sydney
2 March 2003

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Supper guests share their stories with archbishop

Dr Pell and his supper guests

By Marilyn Rodrigues

What better invitation can a person studying and praying to become a Catholic receive than one to the archbishop's house?

The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr George Pell, wanted to get to know the candidates (those already baptised in another Christian tradition) and catechumens on a more personal level before they are presented at St Mary's Cathedral for the Rite of Election on March 9.

He invited them to supper, but it was the archbishop himself who was in for a treat.

The group of faith-filled people from Marrickville, Ashfield, Cronulla, Hunter's Hill and the Haymarket Chinese community, joyfully shared stories about the very different ways they were drawn to the Catholic Church.

They included being the only non-Catholic in the family and feeling "left out" of their loved Catholic parish; having experienced a miraculous gift of healing; being invited to Mass through a Catholic girlfriend or friends eager to share their faith; and through feeling a need to deepen the faith they were already blessed with in another Christian tradition.

Sr Elizabeth Brennan, the archdiocesan co-ordinator of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), was represented by Sue Wigmore, the RCIA co-ordinator from St Charles Parish, Ryde.

After reflecting on a Gospel passage, sharing their stories and chatting over supper, they all went home.

Of course, their biggest supper invitation of all time is still standing - for Easter time when they will be fully initiated into the Catholic Church.