CONVERT, WELCOME!

Dear God,

I pray that as we initiate a new convert
into our faith, I hope You will bless
my own words of welcome.

Dear Convert to Catholicism,

Please receive the joy and personal good wishes of a fellow believer, on the occasion
of your conversion to the faith.

Most of us came to the Church through
our parents and learned the details of our belief from "the good sisters," or from faithful lay teachers in Catholic elementary schools or in weekend Catechism classes.

Others, perhaps like you, come to the faith
as adults and study through RICA,
the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.

You have the advantage of absorbing
these profound truths with a mature mind
and a life of many experiences.

And you have the merit of having chosen
for yourself, in adulthood, to come
into the Church.

You will find much more to learn as you travel on your spiritual journey:
the Lives of the Saints, the somber prayers and sacrifices of Lent, the grand rituals
of Holy Week and Easter, and, of course,
the joyous celebrations the Christmas season.

I wish you Godspeed and happiness on your sacred journey, which will be unique:
your very own!

You will follow spiritual and intellectual paths which many have taken before you,
but your own journey and Catholic experience will become your particular, personal, relationship with Christ and his Church.

I would caution you to remember that Faith is just that, not a certainty which can ever be proven by scientific or material means, but rather a divine gift and a confidence
in the brevity of this world, the certainty of eternal life, and complete trust
in the promises which God has made to us through the Scriptures, and through the life of Jesus Christ.

I am happy for you, and I extend my deepest Christian love to you as you embark on your own new and personal Salvation Journey,