The warmest of welcomes

With great joy, the parish of St Hilda’s, Whitby, welcomed three women and two men into the faith during our Easter Vigil Mass.

Father Michael Weitl of Madonna House, the lay community that had prepared them for their reception, presided over the celebrations, during which Milo Pierce Thelwall received the sacrament of baptism and then was confirmed, along with Harry Baker, Olivia Dealtry, Eilidh Macintyre and Denise Ritchie.

Here's what they had to say about their decision to become a Catholic...

“I first came into contact with Christianity online and listened to people talking about their experiences. Slowly I was drawn to Catholicism, read up more about it until I felt that this was the church that felt right for me.

I then made contact with my local church in Whitby and met Father Pat. The first time I came was last Easter Sunday and I’ve been coming ever since. Father Pat introduced me to other people, and I felt really welcome. The community here in St Hilda’s felt different to other churches, more sincere in its welcoming. I also really enjoyed the RCIA programme run by Madonna House. We watched videos, shared what we had heard and spent time in prayer together. It was all very meaningful.”

“For many years I had had a lot of personal problems and was looking for something, but I didn’t know what. By chance, I met Father Pat. He told me to come and have a chat, which I did. He seemed to understand where I was and he put me on the road to find what I needed. I then found other people in the parish who have also helped me on my way to faith. The centre of my faith? Jesus, obviously – I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

“It felt weird to become a Catholic. It’s a really big step if you aren’t ‘cradle’. For me, it purely had to do with who I met. I met Father Pat and another parishioner out walking on Westcliff during lockdown. I was thoroughly miserable, having been widowed shortly beforehand, and they stopped and spoke to me. It took me a long time before I began going to Mass, and even then I was quite happy being an outsider for a long time. But, as I’ve gone on, I’ve realised how much I do appreciate the Catholic faith. It has been like coming back to Jesus after a long time. I’d been brought up as a church-school Anglican and then there was a big gap, so now it feels like coming back home to something I’d missed, and somehow it has just kept getting better as I’ve progressed. I’ve met others and found the community here incredibly welcoming.

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