THE RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS (RCIA)
Representative
Pauline Hanley
RCIA is the programme the Catholic Church uses to help people find out more about the Church and discover what it means to be a Catholic. It can lead to becoming a full member of the Church. RCIA in our parish begins in the Autumn and runs through till the following June.
RCIA stands for Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and is often also called Journey in Faith. It is indeed a journey - it is a gradual process that takes place within the parish community and is for those who wish to be baptised, or those who are already baptised in another Christian tradition and now wish to become Catholic and receive the Sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Eucharist. You may be married to a Catholic and attend Mass and wish to know more, or you may have questions about the Catholic faith you would like to discuss, you may be a Catholic but not yet received the sacrament of Confirmation, if so, RCIA could be for you. For further information please email pehanley@hotmail.com
JOURNEYING TOGETHER IN FAITH (JTiF)
Representative
Barbara Habayeb
This programme is aimed at anyone who has an enquiring mind and is interested in growing their faith. This would also be a suitable programme for anyone who has completed the RCIA course. We discuss and explore issues of faith, deepen our understanding of the Bible and also enjoy some social time together. Do let us know if you are interested in joining this programme.
MARRIAGE CARE
Representative
Catherine McFarlane
Marriage Care has maintained both its counselling and marriage preparation services via Zoom throughout the pandemic.
We continue to prepare couples for marriage within the Church via our Preparing Together course and FOCCUS. The Preparing Together Anywhere course now taking place via 3 sessions, with couples completing reflection activities both in between each session and after the course.
For marriage preparation please contact Fr Jamie McGrath, our Parish Priest in the first instance, email: abingdon@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk or Tel: 01235 520375 to make an appointment. Thereafter more information can be obtained from: https://www.marriagecare.org.uk/marriage-preparation-2/
Despite an increasing demand for our services, as an organisation we remain extremely cautious as to when we will be able to safely resume our physical face to face activities, looking at a possible return in the late autumn. Since the pandemic situation seems to be changing on an almost daily basis and we are bringing together couples and facilitators of different ages and from different households, this may be in the Spring of 2022
For information on our relationship counselling service please visit: https://www.marriagecare.org.uk/how-we-help/relationship-counselling/ Sadly, we are seeing ever increasing numbers of couples booking counselling places. Since the cost of private relationship counselling often acts to prevent couples from seeking help, our counselling sessions are on a donation only basis, which is a lifeline for many. We do ask for a £15 registration fee to reserve a place on the waiting list.
CALLED AND GIFTED
Representatives
SEE NAMES BELOW
God is calling you to a unique purpose in life, a work of love that only you can do. You have received gifts in Baptism and Confirmation through which God intends his love to reach others. The Called and Gifted process is an opportunity to start to recognise your charisms (spiritual gifts) and begin to discern God’s call. Come and discover these charisms.
The Called and Gifted Team is very pleased to announce that the Called and Gifted discernment process is now available ONLINE. See the new website here.
For more information or to discuss what Called and Gifted could mean for you, please contact one of the C&G Core Team: calledandgifted@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk
BIBLE STUDY
Are you interested in studying and/or understanding the scriptures a bit more? Do you have questions about the Bible? The Bible is an incredible book of history and facts that proves that there is a God that created all things. Most important of all, the Bible is the Word of God. It contains the mind of God and His will for each one of our lives. That is why the Bible was given to us. The Word of God is infallible, complete, totally authoritative, fulfils many of our needs and will accomplish what it promises. Developing a better understanding will bring us closer to God.
If you are interested in a Bible Study group, you can do any or all of the following:
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Read the scriptures alongside Bible Alive. Copies of the latter are available at the back of our church.
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Join the Wednesday Gospel Webinar by the Dominican Sisters of Sway where they unlock the Sunday Gospel readings every Wednesday. Find this here.
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Fill in the form on this page to indicate your interest in establishing a Bible Study group.