A brief history of Journey in Faith

The Second Vatican Council envisaged a new way of reaching out to Adults.  For those who have decided that they want to become Catholic, the new Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults [RCIA] was developed.

But what about those who simply or initially want to find out more? What about those who want to enquire without any commitment?  What about those who feel drawn to the Church, but don’t really understand why, and simply need to explore.  What about those who are filled with misconceptions about the Catholic Church, but have married a Catholic, have Catholic children?

In the mid 1980s St Peter’s Parish started a Journey in Faith programme. It was always and absolutely an enquiry programme with no commitment required.  For those who did want to commit, the opportunity for the RCIA was also provided. After 2 years Deacon Ted Hogan with his wife Pat, took the lead of the Journey in Faith programme and developed a structure that, with tweaks and evolution, has been used ever since in the parish.  It is an enquiry programme that aims to allow people to explore the principles of Catholic life and teaching to whatever extent they feel comfortable.

We try and do that by copying the example of Mary – in that everything we do points to the person of Jesus Christ.  We journey with Him and towards Him, encountering Him in the Scriptures, and in the Creed, and in particular exploring the Sacramental encounter with God within each of the seven Sacraments.  Over the years we have welcomed and journeyed with over 250 enquirers, sharing our faith, inviting the Holy Spirit into our minds and hearts, and pointing to the person of Jesus Christ; in the Sacraments, in the Scriptures, in His Church, and in our neighbour.

The group dynamic, with humour and with joy is critical to the success of the Journey in Faith, as each enquirer brings their own faith journey and their own witness to the action of God in their lives.  

We have travelled with people of pretty much all faiths and none, of all adult ages from late teens to into 90s, from most continents (apart from Antarctica!) and from many diverse backgrounds.