By Veronica Law
You did not choose me but I chose you - John 15:16
KUCHING — The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults 2021 finally concluded on 22 May 2022, during the annual Life in the Spirit Seminar where catechumens, reception and confirmation candidates received their respective certificates as well as met their brothers and sisters in Christ for the very first time.
This year’s LSS and RCIA was a little different from previous years. Instead of holding physical classes, RCIA was conducted almost exclusively online due to the physical distancing regulations during the pandemic.
The experimental RCIA journey was the answer to the enquirers who reached out to the church expressing their intention to receive Our Lord Saviour into their lives, even in the midst of a pandemic.
For close to a year, the participants and facilitators of RCIA gathered online on a weekly basis to learn from various lay ministries and organisations to achieve a deeper understanding of the Catholic Church in preparation for receiving sacraments.
Upon completing their journey, candidates were encouraged to join the Life in the Spirit Seminar as it helps both newly baptised Catholics find their way in the Christian community as well as reinvigorate the faith of existing Catholics.
When asked about their experience, a couple of participants shared:
“This is my first time attending the Life in the Spirit Seminar as a Catholic. I am really grateful to be part of this religious event throughout my journey of faith. I’ve learnt a lot from the talks, sharing, presentations as well as praise and worship. Special thanks to all the committee members and organisers; the Holy Spirit worked its way throughout the 3-day event. I would like to express my gratitude to the Lord Jesus for this blessing. I also want to thank all the facilitators for all their commitment and hard work guiding me throughout my journey of faith. They are so kind and helpful during the process, answering all of our doubts and questions. Even though the classes were held via Zoom, they still manage to perform it perfectly. Special thanks to Brother Hillary Kelvin for being the group leader of Group 5, who constantly reminds us of the schedule and events so that we do not lose track throughout the RCIA programme. I’m really thankful for being part of the RCIA batch 2021. May we continue to grow in Christ and His kingdom.” – Aylmer Ganeng Awa
“The Life in the Spirit Seminar that I had attended was a memorable one. It helped me understand the importance of praise and worship and prepare us to open up to the Holy Spirit. It was also nice to be involved with such a positive and loving Christian community. Everyone there was nice and genuine. Besides the talks that were given by the speakers, we were gathered into small groups, where we got to share our life experiences and talk about our journey from the start, up to the point where we have found our way towards God. Though most of us are broken people, we learnt a lot from each other and through God’s way, life has changed every single one of us in this journey. It was really eye-opening. I am glad that I got to experience and learn many things throughout this seminar and hopefully from now on, I am able to have a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, and find more peace, love and joy throughout this life journey.” – Salvatore Brandon Jude Speldewinde
LSS was a fitting end to the journey of RCIA candidates as they were able to experience pastoring, witness live testimonials, and receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as well as God’s Gift. But it is only the beginning of their Christian journey, as this participant puts it:
“I always intended to become a confirmed Catholic, but life got in the way and I was always ‘too busy’. When I found out that St Joseph’s parish was holding RCIA online, I jumped at the opportunity. I can see God’s hand at work through the conceptualisation of the Zoom classes and the facilitators who helped us on our journey. Everyone I’ve met has been kind and eager. Wrapping up our RCIA with LSS was quite bittersweet because we will no longer have our Thursday lessons together but at the same time, we were able to finally meet the generous souls who facilitated us through RCIA. It has been an experience that has brought me closer to God, and the LSS has sparked a flame that I hope will burn brightly for the rest of my Catholic journey.” – Veronica Law
