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.
MARRIAGE CARE
Representative
Carole Sawyers
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
Representative
CAROLE McKENNA
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 discernment process is now available ONLINE. See the website here.
For more information or to discuss what Called and Gifted could mean for you, please contact Carole McKenna, using the form on this page to get in touch through the parish or email 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.
We have a Bible Study group beginning on Tuesday 4th November from 2pm to 3.30pm, and you are all invited to Bible study sessions on the Gospel of St Mark. If you have any queries, email: evangeliseabingdon@outlook.com
PECS GROUPS
Parish Evangelisation Cell System
Do you want to grow in your faith? Do you want to get to know new people? Do you want your faith to be more than just Mass on Sunday? The early Church was made up of small groups of followers of Jesus who met in homes. Recently this model has been adopted by parishes around the world, helping Catholics to grow in their own faith and invite friends, family and others to discover more about having a relationship with Jesus. The Parish Evangelisation Cell System is approved by the Vatican for the formation of small groups of parishioners, and we now have PECS groups in our parish. To take part, or for more information, email: evangeliseabingdon@outlook.com