Shaun McAfee - 20 Answers - Conversion (20 Answers Series from Catholic Answers Book 33)

In a way, the experience of converting to Catholicism is unique for everyone. The writer G.K. Chesterton, himself a convert, famously remarked, The Church is a house with a hundred gates; and no two men enter at exactly the same angle. This is true on the level of personal experience, but the formal process of entering the Church is similar for most people. It involves a number of phases, often preceded or accompanied by prayer and rituals.

First comes preparation . Many enter the Catholic Church from a Christian background and thus may have already been baptized and, perhaps, require a little less formation. Those converting from non-Christian or irreligious backgrounds naturally require more. For adults and children who have reached the age of reason, entrance into the Church is governed by the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). The staff of any parish will have the key information on RCIA, usually starting in the fall.

After this phase of inquiry and preparation comes a phase of education, during which the candidate or catechumen one who is previously baptized or unbaptized, respectivelyreceives Christian instruction for several months.

After this, the candidates and catechumens move into a final phase before reception into the Church. The Rite of Election closes the period of the catechumenate . Usually occurring in a church on the first Sunday of Lent, catechumens once again express the desire and intention to enter the Church, and the Church judges that the catechumen is ready to take this step. Catechumens sign the Book of the Elect and usually meet with their bishop in person at a massive diocese-wide gathering.

During the time that follows, further into Lent, the elect avail themselves of scrutinies rituals intended for self-searching, reflection on sin and repentance, and final spiritual preparation. Concluding the scrutinies, pastors invite the elect who are already baptized to receive the sacrament of reconciliation.

The initiation part of RCIA ordinarily comes last, at the Easter vigil Mass. At this most solemn holy day on the calendar, the catechumens are baptized, then given confirmation, and finally receive the holy Eucharist.

Following their entrance into the Church, toward the end of the Easter season, there is often another meeting of all the new Catholics (known as neophytes ) to encourage a deepening of involvement in the local Catholic community. This period, during which neophytes enter more deeply into the mysteries of the faith they have embraced, is known as mystagogy .