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Yet when you seek the Lord, your God, from there, you shall indeed find him if you search after him with all your heart and soul.
Deuteronomy 4:29
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Becoming Catholic
Becoming or being a Catholic is not an idea, project or an item list. It is not going into a class or a mere intellectual activity. It is more than an outlook on life or belief. It is not a label, a bumper sticker or a tagline. To be Catholic is having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Faith is a personal contact with God which touches our innermost being and places us in front of the living God. I can speak to Him, love Him and enter into communion with Him.
But at the same time that being Catholic is personal, it is also inseparably communal. To be Catholic is to be introduced into a community of ‘we’, sons and daughters of God, a pilgrim community of brothers and sisters. The personal encounter (relationship) with God means also, at the same time, that I myself become open, torn from my closed solitude and be received into that living community of the Church. I live out my personal faith with others. Faith comes from hearing (fides ex audito). Listening, in turn, implies a partner.
Through listening to the Word of God, we are challenged by Him. In order to believe, we need the witnesses of those who have met God and make Him accessible to us.
As Catholics we are not self-made — the Church was created by God and is continuously formed by Him. The Church best expresses itself in the Sacraments, above all baptism: I enter into the Church through the sacrament, not a bureaucratic act. Becoming a Catholic is to be welcomed into a community that did not originate in itself and is projected beyond itself.
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Faith and Reason
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We Are Catholic
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What are you looking for?
We welcome you to Our Lady of Hope Parish, the Catholic Churches of Saint Mary, Saint James, and Saint Phillip in the Grafton community.
The journey to seek God, to know God, and to love God and to receive Christ in your life, has started with you, sparked by the Holy Spirit. We are here to encourage you and to help guide you, as you discover your faith and spirituality, as given to you by God.
Please, complete your contact information. You may also contact us by phone 508-839-3993 x10 or visit the parish office (hours are posted here).
We joyfully anticipate meeting you and providing you with the next steps.
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Becoming Catholic:
Rite of Christain Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a process designed to help those who are not Catholic (or to those Catholics who never received Christ's sacraments) to learn more about our Catholic faith.
For those who feel called by God, the process guides them with prayer, ritual and study, and prepares them to be received into the fullness of the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil.The RCIA process for each Individual
- Someone who has been baptized in another Christian church or in our own faith, is a Candidate. The Catholic Church recognizes that the grace of the sacrament of Baptism is validly celebrated for other Christians as well and presumes that a candidate already has a relationship with Jesus. The preparation process for Candidates can vary depending upon their circumstances and the depth of their relationship with Jesus and their prior knowledge and exposure to the Catholic Church's teachings.
- Someone who has never been baptized in any faith, but has decided they would like to enter into the process of Becoming Catholic, is a Catechumen. The RCIA preparation process for them will be more intensive because they do not just need to come to know about the Catholic Church they also need to come into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. Their weekly sessions will include Scripture reflection as well as learning about specific beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church.
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Catholicism
The essentials of the Catholic Faith are summarized in the Nicene Creed (Our Profession of Faith).
Here we find the truths of the faith that have been handed down to us by God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Apostles and since the foundation of the Catholic Church established by Christ, Himself.
Our Profession of Faith
(Nicene Creed)
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
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Uniqueness of the Catholic Church
Below are two of the many unique characteristics of the Catholic Church that set it apart from Christian denominations.
Only the Catholic Church can trace its roots back to Christ Himself.
Within a few short years of the Resurrection, the followers of Jesus began calling themselves “Christians” (cf. Acts of the Apostles 11: 26), and by the end of the first century, the word “catholic”—meaning “universal” —was applied to the Church. The idea of different (and sometimes competing) Christian denominations would have been unthinkable to the early Christians, especially in light of Christ’s pronouncement on one shepherd and one flock (John 10:15) and his prayer that his disciples remain one (John 17:22).
It was only human weakness and sinfulness that brought about the religious divisions that afflict Christianity today. The Orthodox church drew apart from Rome off and on over several hundred years, finally separating in the fifteenth century, and the various Protestant denominations date back no earlier than the sixteenth century. These churches can trace their roots back to Christ only through the Catholic Church. To put the matter rather bluntly: Why should anyone settle for an imitation when the original is available—especially when it comes to knowing and living the truths necessary for salvation?
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"I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture."
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The Eucharist—the Real Presence of Christ—is not found in Protestant churches.
Jesus described himself as the bread of life, stating that whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood will have life eternal (John 6:54). At the Last Supper he gave the apostles and their successors, the bishops (and through them, validly ordained priests), the power and authority to continue his sacrifice when he said, “Do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19). The Catholic Church has been obeying Christ’s command for almost two thousand years, and whereas many Christian denominations see the Eucharist mainly in symbolic terms, the Church has consistently taught that it is truly the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ. Moreover, only Catholic and non-Catholic Eastern priests—because of their ordinations—have the sacramental power to consecrate the Eucharist. (Anglican or Episcopalian priests sometimes claim to possess this power, but Pope Leo XIII, after carefully examining this issue some one hundred years ago, concluded that the link of apostolic succession had not been preserved by the Church of England.)
Catholics are privileged to be able to receive the treasure beyond all price—Jesus himself—each time they attend Mass. It may be true that many Protestant and Evangelical congregations at times seem to offer a greater sense of fellowship and community, more dynamic preaching, and various activities and programs than the average Catholic parish. These things are all valuable and praiseworthy—but for a Catholic to give them a higher priority than the Eucharist is akin to Esau selling his birthright for a mess of pottage (cf. Genesis 25:29–34). If we truly understood what a wondrous gift the Eucharist is, none of us would even consider ever leaving the Church, and our example would attract many other persons to Catholicism.
-An excerpt from the article, "Christian Yes...But Why Be Catholic" by Fr. Joseph Esper
READ HERE the entire article.
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Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.
John 6: 53-57
For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me..."
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Ears and Eyes of Faith
To believe is both to hear and to see. Faith's hearing emerges as a form of knowing proper to love: it is a personal hearing, one which recognizes the voice of the Good Shepherd; it is a hearing which calls for discipleship, as was the case with the first disciples: Hearing him say these things, they followed Jesus (John 1:37). But faith is also tied to sight. Seeing the signs which Jesus worked leads at times to faith, as in the case of the Jews who, following the raising of Lazarus, having seen what he did, believed in him (John 11:45). At other times, faith itself leads to deeper vision: If you believe, you will see the glory of God (John 11:40).
In the end, belief and sight intersect: Whoever believes in me believes in him who sent me. And whoever sees me, sees him who sent me (John 12:44-45). Joined to hearing, seeing then becomes a form of following Christ, and faith appears as a process of gazing, in which our eyes grow accustomed to peering into the depths...
How does one attain this synthesis between hearing and seeing? It becomes possible through the person of Christ himself, who can be seen and heard. He is the Word made flesh, whose glory we have seen (cf. John 1:14). The light of faith is the light of a countenance in which the Father is seen.... The truth which faith attains is the revelation of the Father in the Son, in his flesh and in his earthly deeds, a truth which can be defined as the "light-filled life" of Jesus. This means that faith knowledge does not direct our gaze to a purely inward truth.
The truth which faith discloses to us is a truth centered on an encounter with Christ, on the contemplation of his life and on the awareness of his presence.
-Pope Francis
His Holiness Pope Francis was elected to the See of Saint Peter in 2013
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In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
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How can I help someone that I know who is considering being Catholic?
- Pray for that person! We know that God calls all of us in unique ways and that He is already inviting each of us into a relationship with Him. So pray that your friend or family member will respond to God's call.
- Be open about and proud of your faith! When others ask you about your faith, you do not need to be defensive even if you do not know all the answers. Often people ask because they can tell that your faith makes a difference in your life. Feel free to share what makes you feel good about being Catholic.
- Invite the person to attend Mass with you! There is an ancient saying in the Church that we pray what we believe. Bringing someone to Mass can help that person experience what we believe, in a way that is beyond words.
- Seek the counsel of the Pastor or priest of your local parish! Spiritual guidance in our faith community comes from our priests. Make an introduction to them and share your thoughts and questions.
- Encourage the person to read the Bible! Hearing and listening to the Word of God is inspirational.
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