How do I become a Catholic?
I'm 15 years old, in Year 11 at a Catholic High School. However, I'm not a Catholic; I was baptized though but didn't go to church much throughout my childhood. This year I went to Lourdes and had such an amazing and unforgettable experience. Since then I have been considering becoming a Catholic. How would I do this?
Thank you for your email. It is wonderful that you had such a great experience in Lourdes: it really is a superb place.
You are very welcome to become a Catholic, and the best thing to do would be to approach a Priest who you know: maybe there is a Priest who comes into your school, or perhaps you have friends who go to your local Catholic church and can introduce you to the Priest there, or perhaps there was a Priest on the Lourdes trip who you got to know a bit. Naturally, I am happy to help you. Alternatively your school may have a chaplain who is not a Priest and they would also be a good person to talk to.
The Priest and some people from your local Catholic church will lead you in a process of preparation to the Sacrament of Confirmation, Holy Communion and Reconciliation. Every area is a bit different in how they do this preparation: it may be that there is a group similar in age to you that you can join.
It will probably take you a few months, and this is good because it means that you can ask questions about what the Catholic Church teaches, and be sure about what you are doing. I hope and pray that everyone you speak to about it will be really positive and encouraging, and that they will also give you space to ask questions. It is a brilliant and wonderful thing to be Confirmed, but it is also important that you are sure about it. You can also discover more about prayer, and that will help you go deeper into your journey of faith.
Finally, it would be wise to chat with your parents about this: hopefully they would be very supportive of you. I do not know your family, and every family is different, so if this worries you at all then ask the Priest who you talk to and they will help you with it.
You will be in my prayers, and do feel free to email again if you have other questions, or if anything I have written is not clear.
Yours,
Fr Dominic
Question Posted: 18th November 2008
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