If you would like to explore Catholicism or the possibility of becoming Catholic, please call our parish office at (626) 447-1671.
- How Do I Begin? What Do I Do?
The Question
Sometimes, it is a quiet but insistent inner urging. Sometimes, it feels like an irresistible and powerful need. Sometimes, it seems clear and certain, something you have known. Other times, it is a tentative question, full of uncertainties, unknowns, and anxieties.
You may have felt moved by a Catholic friend, spouse, or Mass, but the idea appeals to you.
No matter how the feeling arose or its shape for you, we welcome you and your search if you are drawn to explore the Catholic faith. It is important to take those vague yearnings for “something more” very seriously because they are often the way in which we are called forward to deeper spiritual growth and deeper communion with God and all of life.
Catholics are Christians, united with Protestant and Orthodox Christians in our belief that Jesus Christ has revealed to us in human form God’s loving nature and God’s dream for all people. Like many other Christians, we believe Christ lives on, still revealing God through the Spirit, who calls us to help God’s dream become a reality by making the earth a place of justice, compassion, and peace.
Catholics believe that all of us who are baptized are part of a people, a global family, and are thousands of years believe Christ’s Spirit lives not only in individual hearts but also in the people – all of us togChrist’swho are Christ’s hands, feet, and voice in the world. Catholics believe that the Baptized alChrist’ser is Christ’s Body on earth, called to be his presence at every time and in every land we live. That is why Mass is so important to us: it is how we come together to remember who we are and then to be sent back out to the world on our mChrist’so bring Christ’s love into every situation of our lives.
Catholics believe Christ is present not only in individuals and their personal relationship with God but also in the community of the Church and the Church in which we live. The sacramental vision of Catholicism God’ssizes that God’s presence is to be found everywhere in life: in nature and beauty, in the arts and human love, in learning and the intellect, in you and me, in bread broken and wine shared.
Catholics are ordinary people who struggle and fail like everyone else but often sense and always celebrate the extraordinary, determined love that infuses all of life and is God’s heart of God's mystery.
What is the Process Through Which One Becomes A Catholic?
If you have never been baptized…. You will have ample time to explore, grow, and make decisions. You will participate in the “Rite of Christian Init” action of Adults” (RCIA). There are several periods to this process:
The Period of Inquiry
This is exactly what it says: a time to inquire and explore without any strings attached and without having to make any commitments. It goes on as long as you want or need it and is meant to help you get a sense of how God is acting in your life and what Catholicism is all about.
The Period of the Catechumenate
If and when you feel you are ready to commit to becoming a Catholic Christian, you will be welcomed by the Catholic community during a Sunday Mass. You are then called a Catechumen, meaning you are an apprentice member of the Church, prepaChurchor the full initiation. The period of the Catechumenate usually lasts a year, and longer if that seems best for you. During that time, you can reflect each week on the scriptures of the Sunday Mass and on what questions those scriptures raise for you about your life and purpose, our Church, and oChurchiety. You will be given an” anion (“Sponsor”) to talk with – an ordinary Catholic who will be there to share your reflections and to be a friend to you as you ask your questions.
The Period Of Purification And Enlightenment
When you seem ready to fully enter the Church and taChurchits work in our world, you will be baptized at the next Easter. During the forty days before Easter, known as Lent, you will be asked to enter a time of deeper prayer and reflection to prepare you for this great event.
The Period of Mystagogy
Baptism in most Catholic churches takes place on the night before Easter. On that night, you will be baptized, confirmed, and brought to the table to join the Eucharistic Prayer and share the bread and cup of Holy Communion with us. Your initiation will mean that you are a full member of the community and that Christ has sent you to carry out his mission in the world in which we live.
In the fifty days after Easter and throughout the first year after your Baptism, we continue to help you reflect on the beautiful mysteries you have experienced in your life and journey and discover how the Spirit is calliGod’su to share God’s love with others.
What if I Have Already Been Baptized?
If you have been baptized in another Christian tradition and have not been active in your church, or if your church denomination is very different from Catholicism, you may participate in a process similar to that for unbaptized people.
If you have been baptized in another Christian tradition and have been an active Christian, then a process suited to your circumstances will be developed.
If you were baptized as a Catholic but have never received Communion, you can participate in a process similar to that for unbaptized people but especially suited to you.