Through Baptism we are welcomed into the faith community of the Church. We become part of God's family, through water and the Spirit.

Baptisms are celebrated on the fourth Sunday of the month, at 11:30pm. In preparation for their child's baptism, parents are asked to attend an interview session where the sacrament is explained, and a welcoming mass on the second Sunday of the month at 10:30am. For further information, please contact the parish office.

Baptism is the introduction of a person into the Church community. Through the waters of Baptism the person enters into the life of God - Father, Son and Spirit. He or she is dedicated to God and all that is good.

If you want to have your baby baptised, the first step is to phone the parish office.

Parishes vary as to what they expect of parents bringing a child for Baptism. It is good to see any preparation for Baptism as an opportunity for you to understand more about what you are asking for your child rather than as a task to be fulfilled.

If you are a regular member of your local parish, Baptism is a wonderful opportunity for your fellow parishioners to share your joy in your new baby. That is why Baptism is often celebrated during Sunday mass so that as many people as possible can welcome your child into the community.

Godparents
It is good if the godparents can be adult Catholics who will take an interest in your baby as he or she grows up.

In the early Church the godparents were sponsors who taught the new Christian, usually an adult, about the faith.

Later on when infant baptism became usual, the godparents often took the role of guardians of the child if anything happened to the parents. Something of these two roles remain today.

Choose godparents who are likely to be around and have an interest in your child over the years.

For adult baptism, please see the section below on the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).

In Marriage, two people promise to love and honour each other for the rest of their lives. It is a union based on the same unity as that of Christ and the Church.

WHAT'S SPECIAL ABOUT MARRIAGE?

When a couple marry in the Catholic Church, the ceremony speaks of love, permanent commitment, fidelity, openness to children, and perseverance in good times and bad. It is these qualities which make marriage a unique relationship. There is no other human relationship which requires so total a commitment between two people.

In fact, marriage is more than a relationship. It is a union, a communion, between husband and wife. Their life together is now very different from their lives as two separate individuals. Once married, everything they do is done with the other in mind. They do not lose their individual identity, but that identity is enriched by sharing life with the other partner. Their marriage holds out an extraordinary challenge: to become so completely united that everything they do, big or small, is geared towards strengthening and deepening their union. There is no development unless both develop, no happiness unless both are happy. And so their communion grows through their years together. It can never remain static.

Day by day husband and wife seek a greater knowledge and understanding of one another. They celebrate and deepen their communion through the most intimate form of communication possible between two people: through sexual intimacy. In the union of sexual intercourse, the couple are also opened to the possibility of children. As the fruit of their love, children expand the marital circle of love and challenge it to achieve new depths.

At least six months' notice is required for this sacrament, and further enquiries can be made through the parish office.

The RCIA is the process by which adults and young people, over a period of time, become members of the Catholic Church.
The process initially involves a time of inquiry which is designed in such a way that it moves at the rate of each person's need.

For the majority of Catholics, belonging to the church is rooted in the faith of their parents...

They are baptised soon after birth, and brought up to accept the teaching of Catholicism as a part of their lives. Yet there are others, for whom the beginning of faith and the call to join the church occurs in adulthood. To Beverley Smith, the decision to convert is the response to a deeper searching that touches a spiritual part of one’s life.

‘I think that innate to all human beings is this search for spirituality’, Beverley says.

Beverley was herself an adult convert to Catholicism. Until recently she worked with the Melbourne Archdiocese preparing individuals for the different stages of RCIA. A senior member of her parish, Beverley was involved in welcoming those inquiring about the Catholic faith, and facilitating their belonging within the community of the church.

‘It can be quite scary for some if they’re not church people, or if they’ve come from other denominations. I’ve had the experience of converting and I find it to be a great help, like welcoming someone into your own home’, Beverley says.

There are many catalysts that prompt people to enquire about RCIA. They might be influenced by Catholics they know, and wish to emulate the structure and values they recognise in their friends’ lives, or they may have found love with a Catholic. Even if love is the catalyst, Beverley is adamant that ultimately the call to the church is something that must be undertaken for oneself.

‘I’ve known one gentleman who wanted to participate in RCIA because his wife was Catholic, and his children were Catholic. But when he came close to the sacraments of initiation, he said "No, this isn’t what I want". A number of weeks later, he came back with a huge bang and said "Yes! I want to do this for myself!"

‘RCIA is a big transition, and at whatever age this takes place—it could be 16, 30, 65—they need to really want to do it.’

For Nicole Wilkin, the call to Catholicism began in Kalgoorlie. Raised in the Anglican faith, but never practising, she began attending the local Catholic church when she met her husband, David. ‘My husband’s a Catholic, and he grew up a Catholic, but he wasn’t going to church. I wanted to go’, she explains.

Nicole began to enjoy the gospels and the homily, and often found herself reflecting on its message through the following week. Nicole also enjoyed the sense of community she found in the parish, and credits that as an important motivation.

‘I think part of the decision to convert is about the togetherness. You really come to feel part of something.’

Nicole was initiated into the Catholic church two years ago. The support she received from her husband was instrumental to the deliberation she underwent, and the eventual decision that she made.

‘He was one hundred percent behind me. Going to church became something we could do together’, Nicole says.

For Nicole, preparation for RCIA took around nine months. It involved weekly meetings and prayer, and the study of scriptures and Catholic traditions. Whilst for many, the spiritual journey can be drawn out by questions, reflection and doubt, Nicole describes the process of preparation as an intensely enriching experience that served to deepen her faith.

‘I think you actually feel closer to God ... because you’re surrounded by people with really deep faith: people you can talk about it with all the time’, she says.

Although the stages of RCIA follow the Liturgical calendar, according to Beverley the journey can take years. While there is a structure to the RCIA, the point of taking the sacraments of Baptism, Communion and Confirmation is not pushed upon those who aren’t ready.

‘If people aren’t ready, they can journey a little bit further’, Beverley clarifies. Conversion is a life-altering decision, so it’s important that participants proceed at a comfortable pace.

Nicole reflects that she never consciously deliberated over whether she was ready for the sacraments of initiation. On the day, however, doubt did surface, and questions arose: Am I doing the right thing? Why am I doing this today?

‘I think a part of it was that I got very nervous’, Nicole explains. ‘It’s quite a personal decision, but at that point it becomes public.’

Ultimately, Nicole and others who have experienced RCIA describe the event as a wonderful high. Beverley attributes this feeling to being embraced by the Catholic community.

‘It’s a very exciting time—new life, new energy, and new members of the Catholic faith bringing their particular gifts. The backwash on the parish community is powerful’ she says.

Nicole has since christened her own daughter into the Catholic faith, but reflects that there is one advantage to being baptised as an adult. ‘It’s a choice, and so therefore I think you respect that choice ... and want to keep following it through. So the commitment’s there. I think you’re more conscious of it and I think you appreciate it more. For my husband David, it’s part of his life, it always has been and maybe you don’t think about it as much as when you’ve made a conscious choice as an adult’, Nicole says.

‘I’m very pleased with my decision. I’d never trade it for the world, and now I’ve been married in that church, and my baby’s been christened in that church. They’re things that I never thought I’d do, and I’ve absolutely enjoyed those occasions because they’ve been in a church, with God around me.’

If you might be interested in finding out more about the Catholic Church, you are invited to contact the Parish Office.

Through Reconciliation, we repent before God and are able to experience complete forgiveness for our sins.

Weekly Reconciliation is held on Saturday at 5:00pm.

Children are prepared for First Reconciliation whilst in Year 3.

Reconciliation before Eucharist
The discipline of the church requires that a child receives the sacrament of reconciliation before receiving First Eucharist. It is important to remember that even though your child has a sense of right and wrong, he or she has a limited sense of sin. His or her understanding of sin will be different from your sense of sin. It is important that a child's image of God remains a loving God and that the experience of reconciliation be a positive experience where the child knows that he or she is greatly loved by God and valued by the church community.

Where possible the celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation should take place in full view.

What happens in the sacrament of reconciliation?
We come to the sacrament of penance when we recognize our sinfulness and with the desire to turn to God, we ask for God's forgiveness.

We begin by preparing to receive the sacrament. We reflect on our lives, sometimes in the light of the Ten Commandments or the Beatitudes, perhaps using a passage from scripture, to focus our thinking.

The rite of reconciliation consists of several steps: The priest welcomes you and both of you make the sign of the cross. You tell the priest something about yourself, especially if you are not known to the priest - whether you are married or single, the times since your last reconciliation, whatever will help the priest to guide you.

Then you or the priest may read a short passage from scripture - this is optional.

You confess your sins. The priest may offer some advice and give you a penance. He may ask you to suggest a penance.

You pray the prayer of penance or carry out the penance after the sacrament.You then pray a prayer of sorrow. In this prayer you express your sorrow, express your resolve not to sin, and ask for God's forgiveness. You may use words of your own or you may use a prayer that the priest suggests.

The priest extends his hand over your head and says the words of absolution. You answer "Amen."

Finally the priest dismisses you with words such as, "The Lord has freed you from sin. May he bring you safely to his kingdom in heaven. Glory be to him forever." You can respond with full confidence: "Amen".

Through the Eucharist, Jesus gives himself completely to us to nourish and sustain us. We offer the bread and wine, which is consecrated into the Body and Blood of Jesus.

To a Catholic the Mass is not only a sacred offering; it is also a sacred meal. That is why Jesus chose to use bread and wine for it. In this way we experience God's love and friendship for us by accepting to eat "the bread of life". When the time for Holy Communion comes at Mass the priest holds up Christ, saying: "This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper". The priest receives Communion and then places the body of Christ in the hand (or on the tongue) of each person who wishes to receive Our Lord. The person who receives the body of Christ in the hand places the sacred host in his mouth immediately.

Preparing Your Child For First Eucharist
First Eucharist is a special occasion - a further step in becoming one with Christ and united with the People of God. For most people first Eucharist takes place at about the age of seven. Children should have an understanding of the sacrament that is appropriate to their age. Hopefully, this understanding will develop over the years.

Priest and people, having offered together the sacrifice, receive together the victim of sacrifice, Jesus Christ, and are brought into communion with him and each other. Hence this sacrament is called Holy Communion.

The church affirms that parents are the first educators of their children in the faith. You are handing on your faith to your children all the time. You have the wonderful responsibility of preparing your child to receive the Eucharist for the first time. Children are prepared for First Eucharist whilst in Year 3.

Confirmation completes the process of initiation into the Church - it completes a person's Baptism. In this sacrament, the Holy Spirit is received in a special way through the symbols of the oil of Chrism and the laying on of hands.

In the archdiocese of Sydney, Confirmation is offered to young people from year 6 onwards who have been baptised.

The sacrament of Anointing is available for all those who are seriously ill.

Anointing of the Sick is celebrated once a month in our local nursing homes, and on the 1st Saturday of the month at 9:00am.

For more information please contact the parish office on 97245997.

For More Information Contact:

Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Parish
18 Vine Street, FAIRFIELD NSW Australia 2165
Tel: 02 9724 5997
FAX: 02 9754 1439
Email: admin@olrfairfield.org.au