Windsor-Lake St. Clair 

Part of being a disciple of Christ is to share the Good News with others. One of the ways we can do this is by inviting someone to join us at Mass, walking with us on our journey. As they do this invite them to join Alpha. Alpha is the first step in the process of becoming Catholic. In Alpha they learn who Jesus is, why he died for us, who the Holy Spirit is and why we pray, and other topics that help them experience the love of Jesus and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. For more information on Alpha click here!

The second part of the journey to become Catholic and our Discipleship Path is Discovering Catholicism. Through this program they learn the teachings of Christ, the traditions of the church and what the Catholic Church believes. For more information on Discovering Catholicism, click here!

The third part of our Discipleship Path is Connect Groups. Connect Groups are communities of 6-10 people who meet regularly to connect with each other, growing in their faith and pray together as they journey through the joys and challenges of everyday life. For more information on Connect Groups, click here!

I’m already baptized, but not Catholic can I join? Absolutely! Alpha, Discovering Catholicism and our Connect Groups re for everyone!

I’m already a baptized Catholic, can I join in these programs as well? Yes! Alpha, Discovering Catholicism and Connect Groups are for anyone. Many people who come are Catholics wanting to learn more and deepen their relationship with Jesus.

Who will you invite?

What can I do to help? Pray! Grab a prayer card from the Welcome desk and Pray for people to hear the call of Jesus, Pray for people thinking of becoming Catholic, Pray for who you could invite, and Pray that the work of the Holy Spirit be alive in our Family of Parishes!

Thinking of being a Sponsor? Maybe God is calling you to journey with someone on their path. Want to know more? Fill out the form on this page!

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:35-38

Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

This is everyone’s ministry. Is there someone you know who:

• Is baptized Catholic but never completed celebrating 1st Communion or Confirmation?
• Is baptized in another faith but wants to know more about the Catholic Church?
• Is not baptized and wants to know more about becoming Catholic?
  • All these people are Candidates for RCIA (the process of becoming Catholic)

People are waiting to be INVITED by you to take the next step in their faith. To invite people, to share faith, is an opportunity to enhance their lives with the freedom and deepest desires of their hearts. We are inviting people into the Kingdom that Jesus inaugurated for all humankind.

Here are some things you can do!

• Live like a Christian in a way that people can see them doing so.
• Invite the candidates into your homes.
• Talk to the candidates.
• Invite candidates to community gatherings.

Also:

• Many people have questions… keep an eye out for an interesting question and how it is answered in our Bulletin.
• Has anyone shared with you something that they witnessed happening in our parishes that impressed you? Share that information with us!
• Pray,
  • pray for people to hear the call of Jesus.
  • pray for people thinking of becoming Catholic,
  • pray for who you could invite,
  • pray that the work of the Holy Spirit to be alive in our Family of Parishes.
  • Pray for Sponsors. Someone to walk the journey of faith with our Candidates. Maybe God is calling you to journey with someone on their path.
  • Pray for the Alpha, Discovering Catholicism & Connect Group Teams along with our RCIA Team.
• Talk to people about the Catholic Faith
• Pray as a family, ask your children to pray too!
• Encourage our candidates, get to know them.
• Share how you have witnessed God act in your life!
• Participate during Mass in the Rite of Welcome, The Scrutinys, Celebration of the Sacraments.

Jesus gave all of us a mission: Make Disciples!

The primary roles of the Sponsor are:

1. Provide prayerful support to the candidate: Pray daily for the candidate that you are sponsoring. If possible, pray for them as a family.

2. Witness to the faith in word and action: Be a model of faith for the candidate by attending mass with them and encouraging them.

3. Attend faith formation classes and retreats: Attending Alpha and/or Discovering Catholicism sessions and retreats. A schedule will be provided for you.

4. Walk the faith journey with the candidate: Get to know your candidate. Create opportunities to get together and talk about the journey and questions they may have. You may not know all the answers, and that’s okay, be willing to listen. They may have questions that you may have pondered yourself.

Get to know the Candidate (Team RCIA August 19, 2021)

The “getting to know you” process between a candidate (seeker) and sponsor is a lot like anyone getting to know a new friend. But there is one important difference. The sponsor’s goals is to become a friend in faith. That means the sponsor has to be willing to open up about their own faith journey, their own struggles with remaining faithful to the gospel, their own joy that faith in Christ has given them. And it means the sponsor has to listen deeply to the seekers hopes and goals. The sponsor has to have an open, nonjudgmental attitude. As much as possible, the sponsor has to be an ambassador of Christ for the (candidate) seeker.

Assist the Candidate

The candidate (seeker) is likely going to have a lot of questions. Some might be anxious or worried about the initial process. Many worry that they won’t be able to learn enough to become Catholic. A key role of the sponsor is to be a rock of support for the seeker. Sponsors do not need to know the answer to every question the seeker has. They do not need to be experts in Catholic doctrine. They do not need to know what every step of the initiation process entails. Other members of the team can cover all of that. The most important thing a sponsor needs to do is literally and figuratively place a comforting hand on the seeker’s shoulder and assure them that everything is going to be just fine.