You are very welcome, indeed. Please spend time looking around the site and take watching our live stream Mass each morning at 10am, or when able to come and visit us at one or more of our four churches; St Joseph's, St Pius X, St Mary's and St Edward's. Also check out our bi-weekly parish newsletter. No one expects a newcomer to know or understand all that is happening and everything about the faith. It sometimes takes a very long time before a person decides to actually become a Catholic. However, most people who become Catholics either visit us out of curiosity and end up staying or have partners who are Catholic and either through them or through the children, they discover their faith.
There are plenty of ways to become involved and share in the life of the parish before you make that commitment and there are also lots of people and sources of information that will help you as you find your way and learn more about what this Catholic thing really is. Because being Catholic is not just about attending Mass every Sunday. It really is a way of life, a way of seeing the world and it is about being a member of a Christ-centred community and family. Once you feel that being a Catholic is for you, you will no doubt spend time on the RCIA programme - which is a course and spiritual/social journey. RCIA stands for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and it is run by a team of Catholic parishioners. You emerge from it not just a much better informed person ready to make the commitment to become a Catholic, but as a member of the community who has already begun to contribute to parish life and worship. But the initial steps are fairly easy. Please accept our welcome and spend time looking at the website; we will look forward to meeting you sometime soon in church. Also check out this years RCIA course that starts in September, with more details below |
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The Schedule Weekly Meetings take place over three terms to share and learn about Catholic Christianity. The course starts in the Autumn, running until May. The Tuesday sessions, start at 7.30pm and the meetings take place in St Mary's Hall, Aldershot Rd. GU2 8BP. Some liturgical celebrations at Sunday Masses take place to mark stages in the candidates faith journey. The climax is at the Easter Vigil when baptism, confirmation and first Communion are conferred, after which the group continues to meet for a few weeks, finishing with a celebration before Pentecost. Interested? If you would like to be part of that process or know of someone who may be interested in becoming a member of our Church, then please do get sign up through the link above by the image, or if you have queries please contact the course coordinator Jan Burr through the form above. If you're not baptised or confirmed or are a member of another Christian denomination - then the RCIA would be able to help. R.C.I.A (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) is a process for welcoming new members into the Roman Catholic Church. It Prepares Adults for Baptism, Confirmation, First Communion through Teaching Discussion and Prayer. |