By Natashya Fernandez
Since joining St Helena of the Holy Cross Ellenbrook Parish, Claire Merry, now in her second year with the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), talks about her faith journey and taking her group through the classes to become Catholics.
Having grown up in a Catholic home and educated in a Catholic school, it was obvious when Claire graduated from university with a minor in Religious Studies that she would stay true to her beliefs.
Re-locating from Busselton to Perth with her husband, Claire started at the Ellenbrook Parish, to help with the after school program with the sacrament classes.
“I eased into the role quickly because of my religious education background and within a year of being there, I was asked if I would run the RCIA. And, that’s where it all started,” she said.
“Having spent long hours for 10 weeks at the Newman Siena Centre and being taught about the processes, the sessions in the evening were challenging and interesting to say the least.
“While the first part was more knowledge sharing which made us confident in what we were supposed to do, the second half taught us how to run our sessions, plan our RCIA meetings, and how to prepare our candidates and catechumens, and that was invaluable,” she said.
“When you’re teaching adults, they’re at this point where they have decided they want to become Catholic and their faith journey and development is so different to a teenagers.
“It’s the beginning of their faith; they want to learn more. The sacraments are not an end point, that’s their initiation. And, you do your best because you want to build that fire in them to continue on the process.”
Claire, now in her second year, looks back on the last two years and is still just as excited as she was in her first.
“Working with the first group, I learned so much and even though it was challenging initially, I loved preparing the classes.”
“One of the key words that Karen Hart, Archdiocesan RCIA coordinator, talked about was building relationships so that people in the group feel like they belong. That it’s not just a teach-and-learn group but to make them feel a part of a church community,” Claire said.
“So this year, we have the sponsors involved and have made it more of a community gathering. Because of our small group, we are able to get all the families together and by doing this, it has helped more with their faith journey.”
With more than 14 years of experience in religious studies, Claire says some of the questions did challenge her at times.
“Being a cradle Catholic, you just know things and don’t question it but when an adult who is in the thick of their faith journey asks you something, it throws you and most often they’re the simplest questions and that gets you thinking that you take these things for granted.”
“If I don’t know it, I will have to look it up. It’s the little ones most often that challenge you and the reward of it is that you come out every week knowing more about your faith,” she said.
While there are many who continue on their faith journey to receive the sacraments at Easter, some don’t.
And, it’s at these times that Claire questions if she is doing the right thing. This second year the group has dropped from 12 to four, Claire said.
“You can’t control anyone on their faith journey, you just take them through the process and hope that you can inspire them enough to keep going. I am just the vessel providing them with the information they need. At the end of the day, they are the ones who have to decide what’s right for them. It’s a huge thing for the adults and you have to understand what a massive decision it is for them,” she said.
A vibrant, multicultural parish in Ellenbrook, it is enriching to see Claire with her Catechumens and Candidates gathered on a Sunday with their families and sponsors, in this case their spouses, to attend a class and share a meal with each other.
“Since moving to Perth and joining the parish, it was enriching to be a part of a welcoming and accepting community. Its big milestones in your life that can make you really look at your faith, and for us, it was something that really strengthened our faith.”
When asked what she would like to tell others about the RCIA process, she said that more Catholics who have something to offer should put their hands up and be involved with groups like this.
“Perhaps one of the areas that is the hardest is getting parishioners to understand the RCIA process and what it means. It is a really powerful and wonderful experience for whoever wishes to be a part of this in their faith journey.”
“For people who are considering becoming Catholic and feel the need to be a part of something bigger and are ready for it, embrace the opportunity,” she said.
One of the strongest reasons for people to come back to their faith or become Catholic is the influence of family, she said.
“It could be a child’s interest in the Catholic faith, it could be having a child or wanting to marry someone who is Catholic.
“It is one of the strongest drivers for people joining the RCIA process. It is a sense of belonging and being a part of a bigger community,” she concluded.