By Georgia Whiteley
FR Isaac Falzon is welcoming a record cohort into the Church at Easter and says he is always struck by the power of the Eucharist in their lives.
He remembers being moved by newly-initiated Catholics weeping at their seats after receiving the Body and Blood of Christ for the first time at Easter vigil last year.
He said their tears were “the natural response of hearts that had longed, searched, and finally encountered Christ sacramentally”.
The Maroochydore Parish has seen “remarkable growth” in Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults with almost 50 this year.
It was the Holy Spirit who “awakens in people a desire for truth and communion”, Fr Falzon said, “No pastoral strategy can manufacture that”.
The parish regularly advertised RCIA and created an accessible enquiry process with a focus on getting back to the person quickly.
“When the spiritual invitation meets a practical and welcoming structure, people are far more likely to take that courageous first step,” Fr Falzon said.
When Maroochydore Parish RCIA catechist Jacinta Elks first started, she ran groups of two to three and was always surprised at “how few people were knocking on the door of the church”.
Things had changed.
Over the last few years, Ms Elks has taught in three groups each with around 20 members and would soon start her fourth.
The priests say the growth has been a gift, but the lack of adequate spaces to fit the large groups was a challenge.
Fr Isaac and the leadership team “got creative”, “reconfiguring spaces, utilising different parish venues” all while ensuring the environment remained welcoming and fit for learning.
He said the increase in numbers was a “call to stewardship”.
“RCIA will only ever be as strong as the spiritual depth of those who lead it,” he said.
“In many ways,” RCIA it is about “safeguarding the integrity of the faith while breaking new ground pastorally so that more people can encounter Christ and enter deeply into the life of His Church”.
Ms Elks said having multiple catechists meant they could cater to the diversity within the group.
She said some people who joined RCIA were already familiarised with the faith, while others coming in had no prior knowledge.
“We as catechists all come with different charisms,” she said, “the whole is greater than the sum of our parts”.
Fr Falzon said the future of RCIA would unfold according to God’s providence if the parish remained “attentive in prayer, courageous in leadership and generous in service”.
“Ultimately, the vision is not merely for a strong program, but for a missionary parish where those seeking truth encounter Christ, are formed deeply in the faith, and are sent out as disciples in their own right,” Fr Falzon said.
