Fifteen adults prepare to join Catholic Church across Meath diocese

Eilís Ryan

Fifteen people across the Diocese of Meath are currently coming close to the final steps of their journey into becoming Catholic.

“There’ll be 10 at Easter, and five at Pentecost, from different parishes across the diocese,” said Fr Derek Darby, who works in pastoral development in the diocese.

At Mullingar Cathedral, two will join at Easter and three at Pentecost. The numbers are typical of what is seen annually in the Meath diocese, and there is always great joy when people go through the ceremonies, he says.

Those who are admitted to the church at Easter are people who have not yet been Baptised, while those who join at Pentecost may have been Baptised, but not received any other sacraments

“We have formation centres in Ashbourne and in Mullingar and also in Mornington. Then we have volunteers and they basically undertake a formation programme with the candidates for six to nine months. And those candidates come from different backgrounds,” says Fr Darby.

“Some have never been immersed in any faith, so they wouldn’t have been Baptised; some then may have been Baptised but have never been formally received into a particular church.

“The beautiful thing about RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) is that we customise the programme to suit the faith journey of the candidates themselves.”

Those entering the faith Easter Saturday will receive thee sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. Says Fr Darby: “For those that are receiving the three sacraments, the pinnacle, if you like, of their formation is of course the celebration of Easter, the Paschal mystery. So they will be received into the church through the sacraments of initiation and the Easter vigil.

“Some of them will come to the cathedral, but the majority of them will celebrate that in their own parishes.”

In his experience, the congregations present are delighted to see the rite: “It’s a beautiful experience for parishes to witness adults who have made that faith journey and have said, ‘yes, look, I want to be a Catholic’.”

Those becoming members come in all ages, and all sorts of backgrounds. “We would have those in their late teens up to maybe those in their 50s or 60s. Some will have studied, and some are in the workplace, some have families, some don’t, but they’re all coming to faith through, I suppose, what we believe is the power of the Holy Spirit and the example of good people in their lives, you see.”

While there is study involved, there is no exam that the newcomers need to pass in order to be accepted, Fr Darby explains: “The process itself is called ‘the inquiry section’. So this is helping them to explore further at this point and how they recognise the various markers in their lives that they can say, ‘yes, that’s the Holy Spirit’ or that’s God calling them to this point. So the first part of their formation is about exploring that whole inquiry; it’s about asking questions and trying to explore the answers.

“And then when they come to the end of that inquiry session, they’re asked if they wish to proceed into the catechetical, so that would be the religious instruction. They then spend the next half of their formation learning about the teachings of the church, the scriptures and so on.

“Now, it’s important to say also that the prayer and scripture is part of every session, every weekly session that they have. So it’s not that they’re just introduced to it at the end, but there’s a greater emphasis in the second part where it’s actually instruction. So they learn about the catechism, the scripture, how to pray, the teachings of the church, and that’s all in the run-up to Lent.

“During Lent then, the formation intensifies because they’re getting closer to Easter. So they undergo various rites such as being presented with the creed, they’re presented with the Our Father, things like that, acknowledging their growth and their faith.

“Then, as I say, at the Easter celebrations, then they receive the three sacraments.”

That happens on Holy Saturday, and part of the requirement is that their Baptism happens in public: “Baptism is a public celebration of faith, so it actually has to take place in public, and it should take place where the community - the believers - are gathered in faith,” he says.

Fr Darby has personally seen a number of people come into the church, especially while he was living in Ashbourne, and was always gratified to see the parishioners get immersed into praying for the candidates, watching them grow in the faith: “They have a kind of a vested interest in them as well,” he says.

Fascinatingly, however, he has had parishioners tell him that when they would see the adults or young people baptised, that they would actually see a kind of a transformation take place in their expression.

“People can visibly actually see it. It was incredible. It’s a beautiful experience for people to witness and to share in. And as I say, we encourage people then obviously to support them in prayer.”

Even before they formally become Catholic, the candidates participate in the ceremonies of the church during their RICA formation: “Even though they won’t be able to receive Holy Communion until they become full members, they’re encouraged to join the community for Mass, to listen to God’s word and hear how God’s word speaks to them, informs them and so on,” says Fr Darby.

Fr Darby adds that a surprising number of those converting are in their 20s, and he sees some of that as being due to the influence of the chaplaincy teams in universities.