Called to be Catholic.
On Sunday 9 March at St Mary’s Cathedral, the Archdiocese of Sydney welcomed a record 384 catechumens and candidates at the annual Rite of Election—a 30 per cent increase in converts from the previous year.
They were accompanied by 310 godparents and sponsors from 54 parishes, swelling the congregation to more than a thousand in total and reflecting the increasing priority of evangelisation in the archdiocese.
Simon Yeak, who has overseen the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) in the archdiocese for the past five years, described the experience as “unlike anything I’ve been part of.”
“I never could have foreseen the rise in the number of converts coming into the church, and it’s really a testament to showing where we are as a church here in Sydney,” he said.
Outside the cathedral it was a gloriously sunny autumn afternoon, while inside the usually hushed space there was nervous excitement as many catechumens and candidates experienced the grandeur …More