ENQUIRY
OCIA
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) involves a process of four stages and a number of rites. The first stage is called the Inquiry phase. This is a period in which, without any obligation, adults interested in the Catholic faith are given some information about the beliefs and practices of Catholics and are encouraged to ask questions they may have. After this period if someone wishes to continue they are welcomed into the next phase, called the Catechumenate, with a Rite of Acceptance. The Catechumenate is a period of learning or catechesis aimed at the deepening of faith. The third phase, the Period of Enlightenment begins with the Rite of Election. This usually takes place during Lent and is a period of reflection and preparation. The climax of the OCIA process comes at the Easter Vigil when the catechumens, those who have not been baptised, receive the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. Any candidates who have already been baptised in another church, follow a similar process with appropriate modifications - Gary Finlay 04 388 2020
REFLECTION
LEGION OF MARY
We seek to become instruments of the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth through a balanced program of prayer and service. We meet once a week for prayer, planning and discussion, then perform two hours of definite work of service in union with Our Lady. Works include door-to-door evangelization, prison ministry, visitation of the sick or aged, crowd contact, religious education, visiting the newly baptized, and Pilgrim Virgin Statue rotations. We seek to do great things for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. We meet every Saturday morning 9.30am in the meeting room at back of Holy Cross Parish Hall.
APOSTOLATE OF ST JOSEPH
Our simple goal is to spread knowledge, love and devotion to St Joseph, the foster father of Christ. By getting to know the man closest to Christ, we learn to appreciate our salvation. contact David Hyland 04 386 3428
RELIGIOUS VOCATION
A religious vocation is a special gift and call from God that is received in faith and cultivated and discerned in prayer. The formation process will allow you to grow and mature in their response to God’s call. The Lord prepares, moves and helps those He calls, granting them the graces and talents needed in order to embrace their calling.
HEALING
Reconciliation
The peace of mind and soul which this sacrament imparts to us is one for which there is no substitute. It is a peace that flows from a certainty, rather than from an unsure hope, that our sins have been forgiven and that we are right with God. This power to forgive sin which Jesus conferred upon his Apostles was not, of course, to die with them; no more so than the power to change bread and wine into his Body and Blood, which he conferred upon his Apostles at the Last Supper. Jesus did not come upon earth just to save a few chosen souls, or just the people who lived on earth during the lifetime of his Apostles. Jesus came to save everybody who was willing to be saved, down to the end of time.
ANNOINTING
The Anointing of the Sick is a remarkable sign of God's great love for us. In his merciful efforts to bring us safely to himself in heaven, God seems to have gone to the very limit. The primary purpose of the special grace of Anointing of the Sick is to comfort and to strengthen the soul of the sick person. This is the grace that quiets anxiety and dissipates fear. It is the grace which enables the sick person to embrace God's will and to face the possibility of death without apprehension.
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