{"id":43821,"date":"2022-06-23T13:33:50","date_gmt":"2022-06-23T03:33:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northlakesparish.stackedsite.com\/?page_id=43821"},"modified":"2022-06-30T12:40:05","modified_gmt":"2022-06-30T02:40:05","slug":"becoming-catholic-copy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/stbenedictscatholicparish.com.au\/becoming-catholic-copy\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rite of Christian Initiation (RCIA and RCIA)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t\t
Becoming Catholic may not look the same for everyone. While many people are welcomed into the Catholic Church with their baptism as a newborn baby, every year, hundreds of Australian young people and adults choose to become a part of the Catholic Church.\u00a0 Perhaps you have learned about the Catholic faith through a friend or family member, or have been drawn to become part of a parish community in another way. Wherever you are in your journey, we welcome you to speak to our parish priests about opportunities to explore your interest in Catholicism.Catholics undergo three rites of initiation as they become a part of the Church. These rites are the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist. After these rites, a person is in full communion with God.The Catholic Church recognises one baptism. If you have been baptised in any Christian denomination, you do not need to be re-baptised to become a Catholic, as you have already taken the first step towards God. Although many baptisms happen when a person is an infant, there is no age restriction on who can be baptised and any person is welcomed to seek relationship with God. Building a relationship with God is similar to that of building a loving and respectful relationship with another person. It takes time to know God, to see yourself within that relationship and to strengthen and build your connection.\u00a0 It is a commitment to faith in Jesus Christ, which can always be improved upon and is progressive and cumulative.