On Sunday 9 March at St Mary’s Cathedral, the Archdiocese of Sydney welcomed a record 384 catechumens and candidates at the annual Rite of Election—a 30 per cent increase in converts from the previous year.
They were accompanied by 310 godparents and sponsors from 54 parishes, swelling the congregation to more than a thousand in total and reflecting the increasing priority of evangelisation in the archdiocese.
Simon Yeak, who has overseen the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) in the archdiocese for the past five years, described the experience as “unlike anything I’ve been part of.”
“I never could have foreseen the rise in the number of converts coming into the church, and it’s really a testament to showing where we are as a church here in Sydney,” he said.
Outside the cathedral it was a gloriously sunny autumn afternoon, while inside the usually hushed space there was nervous excitement as many catechumens and candidates experienced the grandeur of the cathedral for the first time and prepared to affirm their readiness for full initiation into the church in the company of their godparents, sponsors, families and the wider church.
They were ushered by the many volunteers who supported the afternoon together with staff from the archdiocese’s Sydney Centre for Evangelisation.
The newcomers were also welcomed by one another like family, a testament to the connections formed through their parish RCIA groups and strengthened by months of shared faith and formation.
It was an exultant moment for the church in Sydney as the entrance procession began at 2pm, with Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP acknowledging the many gathered with a gentle smile, nod and welcoming word.
In his homily the archbishop recounted the personal journey of Rob Parsons, the founder of the UK charity Care for the Family.
Rob had welcomed a homeless man, Ronnie Lockwood, into his home for some temporary respite. The archbishop illustrated how this chance encounter initiated a transformative journey of “self-emptying and living the Gospel” for Rob who opened his home to Ronnie for 45 years until his death during the COVID pandemic.
The archbishop candidly addressed the challenges of Christian life while highlighting its deeply fulfilling nature.
Living out the Christian faith involves resisting the temptation to take an easy path, particularly during Lent, he said, a season that requires effort through practices of fasting, praying, and almsgiving.
It reassured those about to enter the faith and those journeying with them, that while we embrace self-denial, we are not alone in this journey; Christ is with us, guiding us to live a genuine Christian life through repentance and turning to him.
As His Grace concluded with a warm “Welcome to the Catholic Church” applause echoed through the cathedral in anticipation of the newcomers’ full initiation this Easter.
Another highlight of the ceremony was the procession of catechumens and candidates with their sponsors and godparents before the archbishop, who acknowledged each at a time.
The experience brought candidate Natalie Bonanno to tears as she shared of the profound grace of this moment in her own journey to full initiation.
“It was just amazing walking up to Archbishop Anthony,” she said. “To be in such a presence like that was just an experience I will never forget.”
Bonanno heralds from St Benedict’s church, Broadway, and attended the Rite with her sponsor and fiancée, Andreas Forero.
For Forero, journeying with his bride-to-be was especially rewarding.
“I’m very happy to see her come back to the faith and prepare for our soon to come wedding. I’m very excited. I’m over the moon,” he said.
Particularly poignant for the catechumens was the moment names were inscribed in the Book of the Elect. “They are now elect,” Yeak elaborated. “They belong to the church.”
“I really felt the Holy Spirit today, and leading up to this has been an incredible force of peace and joy in my life,” said catechumen Matthew Murray from St Declan’s parish in Penshurst.
“The sense of community is something I’ve not experienced before, just seeing the amount of people coming forward. The church is in a great place.”
His sponsor, Karolina Jazwinski felt a great sense of pride and fulfillment accompanying Murray on his journey.
“I am very greatly proud that I’ve been able to influence someone,” she said.
“I keep reflecting to when I was a little bit younger, I always struggled with the thought of ‘How will I be able to bring people closer to God?’ And it’s really, powerful and special that I can be a part of something like that today,” she said.
Daniel Ang, Director of the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation, said it had been a “wonderful day to witness so many hundreds be formally recognised by the church in their journey toward becoming full members of the church this Easter, and to see their families, sponsors and parish teams alongside them.”
“As our Catholic tradition shares and the Rite affirms, conversion is a transformation—a turning toward Christ that transforms our entire being,” he said.
“These new members of the church are not only embracing a set of beliefs, but they are entering into a profound communion with the living God. It is a grace-filled opening of hearts to God’s love.”
Yeak noted the growth in the number of converts this year in the Indonesian Catholic community as well as consistent growth seen in strong numbers again from the Western Sydney Catholic Chinese community, the Catholic Chinese Pastoral community based in Ashfield, Sacred Heart parish in Cabramatta, Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in Mt Pritchard, Holy Family parish in Menai and St Declan’s parish in Penshurst.
For the many RCIA co-ordinators who have journeyed with them, it was an especially proud moment.
“I think the feeling is really touching and quite overwhelming to see every one of the team support our catechumens and candidates. We’ve got sponsors and godparents, but additionally, we’ve had our ministries such as our welcoming ministry, and our prayer ministries as well,” said Earl Lappen, RCIA co-ordinator from St Raphael’s in Hurstville.
“I can see the changes. The society is moving into a different direction. It’s a huge change. Everyone starts to recognise the greatness of our Lord and growing in faith and growing in love, seeking for the truth. This is just incredible,” said Josh Lee, a godparent from the Indonesian Catholic community.
As the day concluded, the cathedral echoed with a sense of joy and anticipation for the grace of Easter yet to come and the Paschal Eucharist to be celebrated in May.
Yeak summed up the sentiment: “If it is this beautiful and this much grace on this side of the veil, how much more is waiting for them on the other side?”