Becoming Catholic

By Bishop James V. Johnston, Jr., seventh bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph

I am fascinated by the stories of those who seek to enter the Catholic Church. The stories are as unique as the individuals themselves. Some stories share a common thread, others are out of the ordinary, but each, in its own way, is quite remarkable. And while we see reports and hear stories of those who have stopped living out their Catholic faith, or even abandoned it entirely, it is important to take note of the many each year who are led into the Catholic Church. They may not realize it, but they have much to teach us by their witness.

As a bishop, I like to be somewhat forward upon meeting someone becoming Catholic and ask, “What led you into the Catholic Church?” Most often, there was someone else involved who helped. Often it is a spouse or a fiancé. The beauty of married love often opens the path to another relationship, that with God. Sometimes, as is the case with college students, it is a roommate or a group of good friends who do the same. In the past year, I have met families who were becoming Catholic because they fell in love through the children’s experience in a Catholic school. And every so often, itis a “friend” who gives witness through another form, such as a book, which resonates in the heart of a reader. For example, I recall having met several people over the years who were impacted by Thomas Merton’s well-known spiritual autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain. Many others like Merton continue to accompany others even though they may have gone home to God long ago. In the same vein, the lives of the saints also continue to inspire.

But along with these key friendships, new Catholics often speak about specific reasons which emerge from their journey. Why did you become Catholic? “To be saved and go to heaven.” “To live a new life with and in Christ.” “To have my sins forgiven.” “Because it is true.” “To receive Christ in the Eucharist.” These are some of the profound reasons I have heard — and continue to hear — from those who have traveled the remarkable spiritual road into the Catholic Church.

Catholics who have been Catholic for as long as they can remember can sometimes take for granted or overlook the beauty of our faith and how blessed one is by it. Then there is the effect of scandal. The sins and weaknesses of the Church’s members can obscure the Church and discourage us at times. The witness of those coming into the fullness of the faith can inspire us to see things through new eyes. In a way, new Catholics become the ones who accompany us!

Across our diocese and around the world, Lent marks a time for the final preparation for many who are preparing to receive the sacraments for the first time. Those who are not baptized, known ascatechumens, look forward to receiving the new life of grace with baptism and then the fullness of Christian initiation in the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit with confirmation and the Lord’s Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist. Catechumens typically are initiated as Christians and enter the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. Other Christians who have already been baptized, known as candidates, also often enter the full communion of the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil or during the Easter season, although it is often fitting for them to do so at other times during the liturgical year. Candidates receive the sacraments of confirmation and Holy Eucharist following a formal profession of faith and reception into the full communion of the Church.

As these new Catholics join us, let us thank God for them and for His goodness to them. Let us continue to pray for them, welcome them, and be inspired by their witness to Christ, who is Lord!