The Office of Christian Initiation
The Office of Christian Initiation is an agency of the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth. The role of the Office is to provide support and training for Parishes conducting the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and Young People (RCIyp). This is the process through which non-Catholics who have a desire to become a member of the Catholic Church are prepared to enter fully into the life of the Church.
The Office of Christian Initiation supports the RCIA process within Parishes by offering:
- Initial training and formation for those involved in the ministry to become commissioned Catechists.
- Ongoing training and formation in the areas of Theology, Scripture, Spirituality and the foundations of the RCIA process, so that Catechists continue to mature in their own faith journey and strengthen the skills necessary for their ministry and resources.
The Office of Initiation is also responsible for preparing the liturgical celebrations of the RCIA process.
Meet the Team:
Dr Carmel Suart
Director
Anne Kennedy
Officer
Marcelle Batticci
Administration Assistant
A Message from the Director
“When one witnesses the election by God through the catechumens and candidates, we come to know more profoundly that God is at work in our Church.”
One of my greatest passions is sharing my faith with others and learning from other people’s experience. Coordinating RCIA in my parish for fifteen years has been a truly rewarding experience for me; one which has deepened and enriched my faith. As Director, I am looking forward to sharing my learnings and experiences with you and in turn, learning from your knowledge and experiences.
I am married and my husband and I have two daughters and a son and one grandson whom is my greatest joy. In the little spare time that I have, I enjoy reading, cooking, gardening, going to the football (Dockers will win a flag – one day), knitting and listening to music.
In my professional life, I began my career as a primary school teacher. With further studies, I moved into adult faith education as a consultant with the Catechist Service Team at Catholic Education Western Australia. I have been a sessional lecturer in Religious Education at Edith Cowan University and a Doctoral student and sessional lecturer at the University of Notre Dame Australia.
While these experiences have allowed me to share the knowledge and traditions of the Catholic faith, I have always felt that most rewarding in my own faith journey has been my involvement in RCIA as I have had the privilege of walking side by side with people of all ages and cultural backgrounds.
My hope as Director is that I can continue to build on the good work of assisting parishes by providing the necessary training, formation and resources so that you may guide your enquirers more confidently on their conversion journey. My aim is for all parishes to work collaboratively, assisting one another to become welcoming parishes who open their doors when those who are seeking to find God knock. I believe that such a parish is truly blessed because it understands its’ mission of evangelisation.
I am also look forward working with you all and to to have conversations on how best to support one another within our roles.
God bless
Carmel