June 2019

Hello Holy Family Community,

For more than 20 years, I have had the pleasure of welcoming individuals into the Catholic Way of Life. For the most part, we have three groups of people: those who are in a relationship with a Catholic; those who are seekers looking for a deep connection with God and the Church; and those who have endured some kind of loss. Whatever the reason, the RCIA Team welcomes, nurtures, and engages these people and brings them to you, the Holy Family Community, to finish the initiation process.

Some of you may not know that you are part of the Initiation Team. Allow me to explain.

RCIA is an acronym of Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. This formal Rite of the Catholic Church is a process in which people who are unbaptized or from another Christian faith or Catholics who have had little or no faith formation are brought to the sacraments of initiation at Easter Vigil. It is a joy to walk with these people. And you, the Holy Family community, are the real inspiration!

I like to interview each person as they explore the possibility of becoming a Catholic. Generally, the first thing a potential candidate says is, “l just love Holy Family,” or “l feel peace here,” or “l feel welcomed,” or feel at home!” That is because of you!

Recently, I was with our Bible Study group, and I was talking about a newly baptized adults. One of the parishioners at the Bible Study said, “l know her. Well, I don’t really know her, but I have been praying for her all of Lent.” He had picked up one of the prayer cards and kept her in prayer all of Lent leading up to her baptism. He helped to initiate a woman into our Catholic faith he feels he knows but who he has never met. What a gift to both parties! This is just one example of how you make RCIA work. There are many more stories like this one.

At Holy Family, we want to welcome everyone to be one with us and come to the Eucharistic table. Our RCIA team is looking for more ways to encourage your help.

• Let us know if you or someone you know might consider becoming a Catholic
• Could you be a companion, an RCIA sponsor?
• Would you like to be an RCIA team member?
• Invite family members and colleagues to explore the Catholic way of life

Join us in our fall campaign, Yellow Ribbon Sunday. During this weekend in the fall, we will encourage you to bring a friend to Mass. You may want to invite Catholics who have been hurt by or alienated from the church so we can work on mending that relationship. Additionally, we will have a presentation dealing with people in second marriages. Many people do not understand the church’s position on second marriages, and we would like to provide information about the process so that they can come back to the sacraments.

Please call or send me an email if you have any questions about RCIA or Yellow Ribbon Sunday. Please let me know if you can help.

Please continue to make Holy Family a special place. Keep the warm, welcoming approach that is our Holy Family community.

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Dawn Ponnet

Director of Faith Formation