Countdown to Communion

Tonight WordGirl and I will finally be received into the Catholic Church and partake of the Holy Eucharist. The past year has been a long period of preparation for us, attending Mass, participating in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), reading, and praying.

We attended the Maundy Thursday service, at which the Last Supper is commemorated and the Host removed from its usual position in the tabernacle to its reposition in a small adoration chapel area off the main sanctuary. The service ends without dismissal and without greeting with the altar cleared, a disturbing end to the Mass.

Last night we attended the Good Friday service and took part in the Veneration of the Cross, where the gathered faithful come in procession to kneel at the foot of the cross and kiss it. As the purpose of the service was to commemorate Jesus' suffering on our behalf, we spent a large amount of time on our knees, suffering somewhat ourselves. Last night also marked the last time we will have to receive a priest's or deacon's blessing rather than the Eucharist.

On the way out of the service, which was presided over by our bishop, I took his hand to kiss his ring of office only to find he was not wearing it. WordGirl, ever the brave one when it comes to asking questions, asked him where his ring was. He smiled and told us that on Good Friday, he may not wear any symbols of office nor honors.

As we took a minute to chat with our deacon about logistics for the Easter Vigil, a woman I recognized as a catechumen from last year came up to chat with him, holding a carrier containing a newborn baby. We took that as a good sign.

But good signs abound this Easter season. My boss called me on Friday afternoon to let me know I was being given a promotion and a raise. The official announcement wouldn't be till next week, but he had had a feeling he needed to tell me before the weekend.

A woman in our RCIA class likewise found out she was being promoted yesterday.

It may well all be coincidence, but such things are great comforts on the eve of the Easter vigil, and confirmation that when you follow God's path, good ensues.

Tonight we return to Mother Church, and lay claim to the 1,500 years' of Christian thought and tradition hitherto largely denied us. It has been a long journey, with most of our road still before us.

Those joining the Catholic Church choose a patron saint to guide them on this journey. St Augustine of Hippo is my patron saint; St Catherine of Siena is WordGirl's, chosen because their lives and actions resonate with us and call us to be better and more God-faring people. Moreover, their lives confirm what is possible for Christians if we only seek God's will before our own.

May God bless and keep you all on this holiest of holidays.