At Easter Vigil this year, we welcomed six people into the church after they had completed their Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) program. We wanted to share their stories with you, so we spoke to a few of them recently to hear about their experience.

How did you end up at Saint Benedict Parish?
CAROLYN MYATTE: I heard about Saint Benedict because I live and work in the neighbourhood.
SHERI CRAWFORD: My husband Andrew and I had not been going to church in a while. Andrew had grown up Catholic and I had not. We had heard that there was a 4pm Mass partially celebrated in Latin. Seeing as we are rather geeky and were using the Duolingo app to learn Latin, we knew we had to try it out. With hindsight, I know the Holy Spirit had prompted us to go. The first time we attended, we had a sense that this was home, so we continued to attend.
COLETTE SULLIVAN, MOTHER OF ALYSON & ANDREW MILLER: My family has always been a part of Saint Benedict, we were at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, a precursor to Saint Benedict.

How did you hear about RCIA?
CAROLYN: After taking Alpha my first time, I had heard about RCIA.
COLETTE: My children wanted to get confirmed, and Dinah Simmons thought that, because of their ages, it would be a good solution to join the RCIA group.

Did you take Alpha at Saint Benedict Parish ahead of joining RCIA? What was that like?
CAROLYN: I was involved in two online Alpha sessions. The first session was amazing and made me want to convert to be Catholic right away. Unfortunately, it was right after Easter and I had to wait another year. Then I did another Alpha course recently. Both experiences were lovely, as I was able to create long lasting friendships.
SHERI: Andrew and I had taken Alpha at Saint Benedict Parish. We decided we needed to do more things together outside the home and thought this would be a good thing to do that was not super expensive, and our schedules at the time allowed us to be able to attend. As we were new to the parish, we (and I mean Andrew) were quiet. I have never been known as a shy person. (As my father-in-law says, “I am not backwards about coming forwards.”) We were enjoying the Friday nights and the welcomeness of the group we were with.

What led you to join RCIA?
CAROLYN: I wanted to go deeper in my faith and become a full Catholic so I could receive the Eucharist.
SHERI: With Andrew already being Catholic and myself not Catholic, he started to feel a longing to partake in the sacraments. He asked how I would feel about getting married, and I said, “Uh, duh what have you called the last 25 years?” After some more giggles, Andrew explained that even though we are married, we weren’t married in the Church. After some prayer and a few more discussions, I said yes. We started the process of getting all the paperwork. We were still waiting, but I had started to think about joining the church myself during this time. So I asked Andrew to find out when the next RCIA was and I signed up.

What difference has this journey made in your relationship with God? CAROLYN: It has made all the difference. Being able to take the Eucharist is such a blessing in my life.
SHERI: I have always had a strong faith and relationship with God, but this has given me a deeper perspective that I did not have before.

What was Easter Vigil like for you?
COLETTE: It was very special. We hadn’t been before and, although it was long, we enjoyed the service and the candle lights.
CAROLYN: The Easter Vigil was an amazing experience. I love being confirmed and receiving the Eucharist for the first time.
SHERI: It was a strange and wonderful time. I had just had gallbladder surgery, so I was still in recovery. I remember when we, the candidates, were standing up at the front, I could not help but just continually grin and feel such joy.

Congratulations to all who entered the church at Easter! Please keep them in your prayers in the months and years ahead.