An Inside Look At Christian Initiation: Welcoming Members “Home” To The Catholic Church

“Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit” — these are the words the celebrant, most often a bishop, says at Confirmation while signing the confirmand’s head with chrism, an oil also used at Baptism. This is one of three Sacraments of Initiation — as the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist “lay the foundations of every Christian life” (1212).

This past Easter, we welcomed six people into the church through the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist.

Steward for Christian Initiation and Matrimony Andrew Casad enjoys being able to accompany people through the journey of becoming Catholic. Some people attend Christian Initiation classes having never been baptized and others are preparing for Confirmation and receiving the Eucharist for the first time. The latter group makes a Profession of Faith as part of receiving the sacraments — these are conducted throughout the year, usually during a weekend Mass. The Saint Michael process is unique in that people can join at any time throughout the year. They currently meet virtually every Wednesday night, and each person is matched with an SMP parishioner who serves as a sponsor.

“The sponsors are just people from our parish living out their regular faithful life who are willing to share that with someone,” Andrew says.

During the Wednesday sessions, participants pray, reflect on the Scriptures and learn about various aspects of being Catholic.

Morgan Benson entered into full communion with the Catholic Church at Easter. Morgan visited SMP and Steward for Life Teen Brandon Jones noticed he was new. Brandon invited Morgan to sit with his family and connected him with Andrew to learn more about becoming Catholic.

“Saint Michael is a very welcoming place,” Morgan says. “He had me sit with his beautiful, lovely family, and he showed me what to do.”

That invite by Brandon changed the course of Morgan’s life. Morgan will be the first to admit he has had a tough road, spending time without a home and abusing substances.

“At times, I felt like I was being called by God,” Morgan says. “I didn’t know what to do with any of that.”

Shortly after visiting SMP, Morgan started attending the Wednesday classes. He ultimately entered into the Catholic faith, left his job, and started working at a homeless shelter. He now attends daily Mass as often as possible and finds the Eucharist to be a true source of healing.

“To all those experiencing homelessness and criminality — this doesn’t have to be your life,” Morgan says. “There is a better life — you are loved. Knowing that you are blessed and that the Lord Jesus Christ actually wants to heal you and love you, it’s a powerful thing. It has really changed me.”

Morgan credits the Wednesday night classes and Andrew’s guidance as part of his conversion.

“Andrew has truly been the greatest blessing to me,” Morgan says. “It helped me, when coming into the faith, to have such clear guidance on how to engage with the Catholic life.”

Everyone has a conversion story, and it has been a blessing to welcome new Catholics into our parish in the past few months. Andrew asks all of us to consider inviting those in your life to attend Mass at SMP — you could change a life. As he recalls, a parishioner once said that we would know we were welcoming enough when every parishioner had sponsored at least one person in their journey to becoming Catholic.

To learn more about becoming Catholic or serving as a sponsor, please call or email Andrew Casad at 360-292-7127 or acasad@saintmichaelparish.org.