There will be Rite of Welcome at the 10am Family Mass in St. Anthony’s Church, Kilcoole, on Sunday the 23rd of February to formally welcome and bless our 4 adult RCIA candidates who will be completing their Sacraments of Initiation (First Holy Communion and/or Confirmation) this Easter. Please join us in praying for them and celebrating with them.
Let us continue to pray for the 4 adult members of our community who will complete their Sacraments of Initiation (First Holy Communion and/or Confirmation) this Easter – Alan, Lila, Eduardo & Roberta.
This is a special journey that we can all be a part of through our support and prayers.
The process by which these candidates are being prepared is known as the “Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults”, or “RCIA” for short. It is a journey with different steps & stages, and it includes a number of “rites” or rituals, where the candidates are formally welcomed and recognised, first in the community through a “Rite of Welcome”, and then at a ceremony which takes place in the Pro-Cathedral with the Archbishop, in March, known as the “Rite of Election”.
The candidates are also taking part in weekly preparation as part of a small group led by one of our priests.
We look forward to the Easter ceremonies where our joy will be double as we witness to the celebration of the sacraments of First Holy Communion and/or Confirmation for these adults, who will then have completed their Sacraments of Initiation.
Many of us are not very familiar with the RCIA or even the term “Sacraments of Initiation”, seeing as we were for the most part babies and children when we were baptised, confirmed and received First Holy Communion. If you would like to find out more about the RCIA and this journey, which can benefit all of us as we continue to learn about our faith, please see HERE.
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Alan is one of our candidates who is preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Let’s meet him!
We had a little chat with him recently and he shared a little bit about himself.
We asked him a couple of questions:
What does it mean to you to celebrate your Confirmation?
Confirmation means so much more than only going to Mass, as a practice. Catholicism is about mission and my decision in following Christ and his example. I want the Holy Spirit to reign over me so that I can inspire people and share the love of Jesus with everyone.
Who inspires you in your faith?
Blessed Carlo Acutis is a huge inspiration to me, and in fact, it is through him that I met my fiancée, Anna. That’s a story for another time! But what’s also amazing is that after we set the date for our wedding, we discovered that it is the same weekend that Carlo is going to be canonised in Rome! We both really feel he has been a spiritual guide all through our relationship and we would love to visit Assisi, maybe for our first anniversary, if not before!
Can you tell us about some of your interests and hobbies?
I enjoy working in programming and web design; I like board games, good food and music. I like to use my talent as a musician to give praise and worship to God, and to spread His joy.
