RCIA
This is an exciting year for RCIA in our parish community. We look forward to welcoming ten members into the Catholic faith. Our seekers are in a time of sincere reflection on their journey to becoming fully Catholic. We held our retreat at the Benet House, traveled to Peoria for the Rite of Enrollment with Bishop Lou Tylka, and have three Scrutiny Rites during the month of March. We ask that you continue to pray for these catechumens, candidates, and confirmand, along with the sponsors and team.
Here is a little information on each of these faith-filled people.
Christine Clark - Christine is married to Michael and they have two young children. Christine attends Sacred Heart with her husband and his family. She has told us that she strives to become closer to God and strengthen her faith through the Catholic church.
Malinda Flynn - Malinda is engaged with three grown children. She attended many churches seeking a home, but Sacred Heart is the one that feels like home to her.
Lorraine Franklin - Lorraine is married to Terry and has seven grown children. Her daughter Allison entered the church through RCIA a couple of years ago. Lorraine shared that when she entered our church the first time, she felt God was there and she knew that Sacred Heart was home.
DeAnn Gandia - DeAnn is familiar to us at Sacred Heart, since she is the finance officer for our parish. DeAnn has two grown children. DeAnn attends Mass with her daughter’s family and feels welcome at Sacred Heart. She believes this is where she is supposed to be.
Natalie Gladwin - Natalie and her husband Nicholas have two young children. Her husband Nicholas is serving in the military overseas and is completing the RCIA program there. He is expected to be home this summer and they are looking forward to attending Sacred Heart as a family.
Sue Ellen Meredith - Sue Ellen has two school-aged children. It was our church building that first attracted Sue Ellen to Sacred Heart. She periodically attended Mass here for the last couple of years and now wants to grow more spiritually as a Catholic.
Cael Terronez - Cael is a high school student, who was drawn to the Catholic faith through his parents and grandparents. His recent involvement in TEC pushed him to grow in faith by becoming Catholic.
Stuart Terronez - Stuart and his wife Jodi have three children, one of them being Cael. Having a father and son combination in RCIA has been delightful and they share this journey with Joe and Deb Terronez: parents, and grandparents. Stuart is looking forward to being confirmed in the church and credits his return to his parents’ faith.
Alexis and Caleb Thome - Alexis and Caleb have four children. The school-aged children attend Seton. They were drawn to Sacred Heart by family who attended our parish and children at Seton. They felt this was the community they wanted to join. Caleb desires to join the church so he can be part of his children’s religious education. Alexis wants to help her family grow in God’s love. Their children will join them in baptism and age-appropriate sacraments at the Easter Vigil.
The RCIA catechumens, candidates, and confirmand feel that Sacred Heart is a welcoming faith-filled community. That is a sincere compliment to you the parishioners, priests, and parish staff. We have wonderful parish sponsors and a team assisting them with their journey of faith. Please welcome them when you meet them at Mass and consider attending the Easter Vigil to support them as they join our Catholic community.