Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults

I was born into a Catholic family of six children. I remember my mother and my father’s parents as being devout. One of my earliest memories was praying the rosary with my grandmother. I celebrated Baptism, Reconciliation and Communion with my twin brother before we moved to Dallas in 1968. Our family drifted away from attending Mass and CCD. I married and had a daughter. I wanted her to have some foundation in the church so she attended Catholic school. She was confirmed and I remember how proud and grateful I was. I began to read the early Church Fathers and Catholic blogs. Eventually, I went to confession and Mass, and although I was embarrassed by how much I’d forgotten, I continued to go because I wanted to be there. Reading about the Catholic faith changed me, and I felt that I could approach Christ. I went to Adoration and the RCIA sessions, and am grateful to attend Mass and Adoration as often as I can. I hope to pray the rosary with my granddaughter, as my own grandmother did with me. I attend Mass regularly and am filled with joy at becoming part of Christ’s family. I feel as if I have finally come home.

A lot of people might have these crazy stories about how they found God, but mine is pretty average. I grew up with parents who were different religions (Catholic and Baptist), but unlike what most people think, it wasn’t hard at all. My parents wanted to expose me to God, and know what religion was, but ultimately, they wanted me to make my own decision. I was baptized Catholic when I was a year old, and then chose to have my First Communion in third grade. However, as I got older, my family and I didn’t attend church as much. We were the typical family that goes to church on holidays. God has kept my family together even when we were separated for long periods of time due to military deployments. I prayed multiple times that God bring my father home safe, and keep us together has a family. These experiences have led me to have faith in God and ultimately a desire to grow closer to Him. So, when I moved to Texas to start my freshman year of college, I figured it was the perfect time to start the Confirmation process. My family and friends have been very supportive of my decision, and I can’t wait to grow closer to God through this process.

As a boy, I was baptized in the Anglican Church. All throughout that time, I pretty much attended church every Sunday; not because I wanted to, but because I was asked to go. I lacked a solid relationship with God. During my college years I began exploring on my own. I began attending various non-denominational churches. I started to understand what a relationship with Jesus was all about, but I still felt I was missing something spiritually.
Then in 2016, I started attending the Catholic Church. Prior to this time, I had heard so many things about the church which now I have come to know as lies. I began to do my research, and taking RCIA classes. I really wanted to know the truth and understand the reason behind the traditions and rituals of the church. Bible study with a young adult group was also essential because I was able to fellowship and grow with an amazing group of brothers and sisters (something I rarely did before joining the church). These all gave me a fresh new insight on what a relationship with God is all about.
I am so glad to be revamping my faith and learning more about my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Desde el comienzo de estas clases me interesé bastante porque este conocimiento lo es todo para mí, el conocimiento de Dios. Es en mi vida muy interesante porque a través de la palabra de Dios para mi es como cuando me voy a tomar mi vitamina, me ayuda a seguir adelante mirando las cosas de una manera diferente positiva, cuanto más escucho hablar de la palabra de Dios más quiero saber. Este conocimiento es tan importante que es por eso que yo estoy aquí, me ha ayudado a crecer espiritualmente. Le comento al Señor Javier mi catequista que quisiera seguir adelante. Estoy muy contenta aunque el grupo es pequeño, eso no importa. Estoy muy agradecida con todos.

When I began this formation for Confirmation, I realized that the knowledge of God is very important to me. Learning the word of God is like taking your vitamins and helps me to keep a positive outlook. The knowledge of God is so interesting, and this has helped me to grow spiritually. Although our group is small, it does not matter. I am grateful to my catechist Javier and to everyone.

My mother is a cradle Catholic but my father did not practice religion. I was raised knowing about God and his love from my mother but without a church or any sense of community. During graduate school, I attended Mass with my best friend. I loved the history and traditions. I was drawn to God’s grace. After graduate school, I met my fiancé who is a practicing Catholic. It was at this time in my life that I began to feel that these connections were not mere coincidence but God nudging me in the right direction. I have spent the last months in RCIA growing spiritually which has strengthened my faith and love for God. I can't wait to continue learning, praying, and finding ways to serve.

I was born and raised in an areligious family. My parents are practitioners of Falun Gong (Falun Dafa), a spiritual practice originating from China, but I was too restless as a child to practice it. However, I was always fascinated by Christianity and joined a church choir at a United Methodist Church at the beginning of my high school years. I didn’t attend church to foster my relationship with Jesus, rather I attended solely to hang out with friends and sing in the choir. Sure enough, I quit the church and became an atheist, detesting the church and Christianity during my high school years. When I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2012, I began to question my militant atheism, and found myself rekindling my relationship to Jesus and God. Over the next five years I tried going to various protestant churches, but none drew me in. Roughly six months ago, I asked my friend (now sponsor) Adam Carr about the Catholic Church and began attending Mass and RCIA. My time at All Saints made me open my eyes and realize the Holy Trinity has been guiding me my whole life. Faith and prayer have become a normal part of my daily life, and I am excited to contribute my life and talents to the Catholic Church, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and God.

I began this journey in July of 1962, when I was born and baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As a two year old, my recollection of Jesus was from a small painting of him praying and looking up to the Father.
I was raised in the Lutheran and Methodist churches but stopped going when I was about ten. I’d felt that there was something missing in the sermons, the “Truth” about Jesus and God. I’ve visited many Christian denominations but never found what I was looking for.
The Lord works in mysterious ways. I’ve always had hope that I would find His Way, and I finally did.
A friend of mine, who’s also a member of All Saints, had been looking for the same things. She was baptized Catholic and had been looking to strengthen her relationship with Christ.
She began to attend Eucharistic Adoration. This intrigued me. I invited myself to join her to see what it was all about. I was not disappointed. I knew I’d found what I was looking for. Jesus inspired us to attend the RCIA sessions and learn about the Glory of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

As a young girl, I knew and loved Jesus and was baptized in the Baptist Church in Arkansas. I found myself continually having some emptiness inside, despite regularly attending Sunday and Wednesday services with my fellow Church members. Then God started to draw me nearer to Himself to fill this hunger. Once in Dallas, I began to attend Sunday Mass at All Saints. Through my being present with the All Saints community, different parishioners reached out and introduced themselves to me. God brought me home to the Church through multiple encounters and experiences. Praying the Rosary and learning more about my heavenly Mother Mary has deepened my faith. The peace I had been longing for, I have found; sitting before Jesus in the tabernacle in the Eucharistic Chapel. This journey has filled my hunger and brought me to All Saints.

I grew up attending Protestant churches. I always believed in God, and considered myself a Christian while growing up, but I realized how considering yourself a Christian, and actually being a Christian were completely different things. It wasn’t until later in life I started to seek a relationship with God, so I started to attend a non-denominational mega church, so that I could blend in without being noticed, but I could tell something didn’t feel right.

It was at this time that God started to place people in my life to lead me to a more fruitful relationship with Him, and, also, to notice those already in my life that were living as beacons of the Catholic faith. It was through my relationship with my fiancé that I started to attend Mass at All Saints. Over the course of roughly a year, my desire to be a part of the Catholic faith continued to grow, which lead me to RCIA. Now I find myself surrounded by Christ-centered Catholics strong in their faith. It is by God’s grace that these people are in my life, leading me to the Catholic Church, and a personal relationship with Him filled with faith and prayer.

Growing up in a small, East Texas town, I was surrounded by a Christian community. I’ve always believed in Christ, but church wasn’t a primary part of my life. Through childhood and college, I never found a church or denomination that I felt passionate or connected to. Once I moved to Dallas after college, I went to Mass for the first time and was deeply moved by the traditional aspects of Catholicism. I began learning more about the Catholic faith, and was deeply inspired by the Sacraments. It was about a year later, after going to Mass every Sunday that I decided Catholicism was my true faith. Going through RCIA has opened my eyes to learn how blessed I’ve been. Life is the biggest gift, and I look forward to baptism and the new beginning, lifelong journey with Christ.

Like most Catholics, I was baptized as an infant and took holy communion at the age of eight. My family and I attended mass every Sunday. My parents, grandma, and aunts played an essential rule in my Catholic faith. I can remember my lovely grandma teaching my siblings and I how to pray the rosary whenever we visited her for the summer holidays. These devoted family members taught me how to pray and love God. But, I always felt something was lacking. I had taken most of my sacraments, except for the sacrament of confirmation. I kept procrastinating and brushing it off each time the thought came to mind. The feelings of emptiness and guilt kept crowding my mind each time I knelt before the Eucharist. At the beginning of the year, I promised myself that this Easter I was going to get confirmed, and truly be the proud Catholic Christian I always say I am.

Fui bautizada de niña, pero mis padres no me acercaron a la iglesia para completar el resto de mis sacramentos, y no recibí ninguna formación religiosa. Yo estaba muy alejada de Dios, pero un día, mi amiga me animó a que tomara las clases de RCIA, y honestamente, yo me resistía un poco. Me sentía incómoda las primeras veces que fui, me sentía muy rara, pero poco a poco me fue gustando, y fui poco a poco aprendiendo sobre Dios en la iglesia católica. Y ahora me siento muy feliz porque voy a recibir los sacramentos le agradezco a Dios por su paciencia conmigo y su gran amor. Sé que de hoy en adelante mi vida va a cambiar para bien. Tratare de estar siempre en gracia de Dios y ser mejor cristiana.

I was baptized Catholic, but wasn’t raised with any formal religious education, and I grew up far away from the Church. A friend invited me to attend the RCIA sessions, and honestly, I was very hesitant and uncomfortable at first. Slowly, I started to understand more about the word of God and our faith. Now, I am very happy to be part of it because I will receive the sacraments, and I thank God for His presence and His great love for me. I know that my life is going to change for the better.