Press Release

For Immediate Release - 6 April 2009

Easter Journeys To Catholicism: A Model, A Chief Executive And A Primary School Teacher

This Easter it is estimated that the number of people who will be received into the Catholic Church in England and Wales will be up by 20% compared to last year’s figures. (1) People convert for many different reasons and in response to a wide variety of experiences. Every person’s faith journey is unique and special. Here we share three stories of conversion: a model, a chief executive and a primary school teacher.

Barbara Field is a 59 year old separated mother of three. She has two daughters aged 25 and 20, and has a son who has died. She works for ‘Treehouse’ which is a school for children with autism and has recently featured as a model for the ‘Dove Real Women Campaign’:

‘My journey to Catholicism began a long time ago when I was a child. I grew up in New Mexico and my grandfather was Spanish so a lot of his side of the family were Catholic. Most of my friends were Catholic. I seemed to be surrounded by Catholicism all the time! My grandmother used to give me little crosses to sleep with when I stayed over at her house. Although I’ve lived in England for 30 years and been in a Bible study group for 20 years which is attended by  Anglicans and Catholics, it was these early experiences that were the first seeds of my journey to Catholicism.

‘I was brought up in the Anglican Church by my mother and was always attracted to Catholicism. I was drawn to the rosary and to Mary especially. I bought a rosary and taught myself how to say it. I was a closet Catholic!

‘A few years ago I met a Catholic nun named Sr Pia and she influenced me a lot. I went to a prayer group of hers for a while and I loved her depth of faith. Through her I went to Clare Priory in Suffolk which is an Augustinian retreat house and over the last 5 – 6 years I’ve been going fairly regularly. The last time I was there, which was last Spring, I just suddenly realised: “What am I waiting for?” The thing that really struck me was a time of prayer called Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. This is where I connected as I saw people kneeling and prostrating themselves before God.  The only way that I can describe it is that the Holy Spirit came into me and I saw the beauty of what we’ve been given should we choose it. Then all the things that I just knew vaguely about the Eucharist in Anglicanism and Catholicism came to the fore. I realised that the Eucharist really is the Body and Blood of Christ. I came back home and thought: “I’ve always wanted to be a Catholic and I’m just gonna do it.”

‘I signed up for the RCIA at my local parish - Our Lady of Muswell – in September. I will be received into the Church this Easter and it is very exciting.  I like the structure of the Church.  It is grounded, I like the rituals and I love the role of the saints in helping us.

‘Mary, the Mother of God has played a significant part on my journey and I pray to her. Some years ago my son was very ill and he died when he was nine from Leukaemia. Whilst he was in hospital one of my Catholic friends came and prayed with us. She prayed to Mary. It mean so much to me that prayer because Mary was a mother and her son died too. Of all the prayers that were said I remember that one came into my heart – the ‘Hail Mary’ prayer was said and my friend also prayed that Mary’s mantle would cover me.  That tragic and sad time had a big impact on my faith. I became more dependent on God and less dependent on things that vanish away. We don’t understand how and why these tragedies things happen and it is a matter of trusting and loving.

'I’ve found it difficult at times, this road to conversion. There is a process of your friends accepting that my decision to become a Catholic is a personal thing, that it is right for me. It’s simply what the Spirit was speaking to my heart. When you make a change and decide to begin the RCIA it can leave you feeling a little in limbo as you’re not part of the old structure or the new, but you know that Christ is calling you. It’s especially been hard not to receive Holy Communion. I feel it most when I go up to get a blessing because I desire to receive Jesus so much. It’s been one large fast from the Eucharist but it has had a positive effect because it’s been a time of ‘interior deepening’. I’ve felt lost during the past few months at times, because I’m having to delay a movement from one place to the next place. I’m longing for it but it’s coming and can only be described as a bit like being in the desert with Jesus. I am not deterred. I’ve been walking down the path obediently. I haven’t had any doubts about what I’m doing.

‘This Easter is going to be so special. In the Catholic Church I think that your whole body is involved and all your senses, not just your mind and spirit in a mental way. So that makes it a deeper experience. The rituals of really meditating on the Stations of the Cross and the physical and mental focussing on The Passion obviously deepens your gratitude for the resurrection and the saving power of Jesus. I suppose I have a painful insight into what Mary must have felt seeing her son die on the cross in light of the experience with my own son. I can relate to her pain but also her hope and joy in the promise and reality of the resurrection and a belief in life after death.

‘The change that the decision to become a Catholic has made to my life has been subtle and I think it is unfolding. It is the beginning of something new for me, taking me to a different level. I have so much to learn and I’m excited about it. It’s an adventure, the beginning of a journey. It’s like going on a trip. I believe that where I am going is more into the mystery of God’s love. We are so much loved by Him.  Once you go deeper into that reality, then everything opens for you in your life, your relationships with others, your service, everything.’

Meanwhile, David Wirrich is 55, lives in Torquay, is single and the Chief Executive of St John Ambulance in Devon:

‘The journey to Catholicism began a long time ago. I grew up in Malta for 20 years because my faither was working there as a businessman. The island is very Catholic and I was surrounded by the Faith. My first two schools were convents and I used to go to the Catholic services that were put on. Later I went to a boarding school in England and so those early seeds disappeared for a few years. I tried attending services at various churches but Catholicism was always at the back of my mind.

'For the last few years I was involved with the Anglican church in Torquay and I kept saying to friends that I was going to become a Catholic and one day a Catholic lady took me down to the Catholic Church of the Holy Assumption in the town.  Deciding to take the step to conversion was the best one that I’ve ever made.

'There haven’t really been any obstacles as such. I think because it’s taken such a long time that my experience has been gradual.  In my local Catholic parish I’ve received so much warmth, especially through a nun that I’ve met there.  I really like the leadership structure within Catholicism and I love the strong policies that the Church has and believes in. This is very heartening and you know that the Church is clear and steadfast. The fact that the Bishops and Priests have an unbroken succession from Peter to the present day is also very important to me.

'As for the RCIA, it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. I thought that we were going to have to learn the Catechism by heart but instead we explored a range of subjects and it didn’t involve just receiving talks from the priest. There are some very learned members of the congregation who were laymen and who explained things very clearly. Our group was made up of 6 – 7 people and not all came from the same background (some had not previously been to church at all).

‘This Easter is going to take on a deeper meaning for me. The significance of being received into the Church on Easter Sunday didn’t strike me at first when the group leader at the RCIA session made the announcement. I now realise why this timing is so right. It makes total sense because we are celebrating and experiencing the death and rising again of Jesus. This parallels with how I feel about my own journey – dying to one path in life and entering into another and beginning again. My prayers at the moment are so much more meaningful and I am really excited about receiving Holy Communion.’

‘My life has changed and is changing. I am grateful that I have made this decision and it’s nice to think that I am going to belong to the true Church. That is wonderful. It’s taken me 55 years to get there. I feel very fortunate indeed.’

Vivien is in her thirties and a single mum of one. She is a primary school teacher in Coventry:

‘The turning point came one night when I called out to God for the first time in my life after thinking that things were so bad that life wasn't really worth living. As a single mum I was finding life difficult and had lost a sense of purpose to my life. I mused that there must be something else. To live and die in my current state didn't provide any motivation to go on at all. My prayer was very simple "God, if you are there, now would be a good time to tell me about it." I felt the presence of God in my heart almost immediately.’

For more please see: http://www.life4seekers.co.uk/aplaceforgodinourworld/vivien-testimony-pop.html

Everyone is welcome to join the Catholic Church. There are no age restrictions, no prerequisites and faith in Jesus is a free gift. For more information please see: www.life4seekers.co.uk and www.catholicchurch.org.uk

For those wanting to know more about the RCIA and looking for resources please see: http://www.rcia.org.uk/

ENDS

Editors / Journalists

For more information contact the CCN. T.020 7901 4800 E.ccn@cbcew.org.uk

For information about the Catholic Faith please see: www.life4seekers.co.uk and www.catholicchurch.org.uk

For evangelisation resources for parishes and individuals please see: www.caseresources.org.uk

E. info@caseresources.org.uk T. 020 7901 4863 M. 0770 939 1998

Notes

(1) The Tablet, page 37, 7th March 2009. www.thetablet.co.uk. Referred to above with permission and with thanks to The Tablet.

(2) Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
The RCIA is the liturgical and catechetical process designed for adults attracted by Christ and his teaching. It supports them as they seek to respond more deeply and to enter into the Communion of the Church.

(3) Photo of Barbara Field

(4) Life4seekers.co.uk is an initiative of the Catholic Enquiry Office which is under the direction of the Catholic Agency to Support Evangelisation (CASE): www.caseresources.org.uk