My friend who has fallen away from the Church<\/a> was making light of my conversion some months back. He said, \u201cYou just wait, Webster. When they see you want to get involved in the parish, there\u2019s no end to what you\u2019ll be asked to do.\u201d My friend doesn\u2019t know me that well, I guess. Because to get involved\u2014as many hours a day as possible\u2014is one big reason why I am Catholic.<\/p>\n
I said that for me Catholicism is nothing less than my great adventure, and I explained the many ways in which I\u2019ve explored it in my two years in the Church. I encouraged them to consider some of these, dividing my suggestions into three groups: personal growth, service, and adventure. <\/p>\n Personal Growth<\/p>\n Service\u2014I listed some of the volunteer organizations in our parish, including the Legion of Mary, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Pax Christi, and Communion & Liberation, then suggested some forms of service that I\u2019ve found meaningful.<\/p>\n Adventure\u2014I wanted the class to know that there really are adventures to be had, from worshiping at the Cathedral in Boston, to visiting shrines near and far<\/a>, to going on retreat<\/a>.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_dmDaLWNETzg\/SyWIc7XJEII\/AAAAAAAAAqo\/Qa8I8cdjZPs\/s320\/CRW_5773.jpg\")
<\/a>I thought of this Sunday morning when I had the privilege of addressing this year\u2019s RCIA class at our church. I started out by saying they could look at RCIA in two distinctly different ways: One, they could see it like driver\u2019s education\u2014do the work, pass the test, get your license, and you\u2019re good to go. Two, they could see it as the beginning of the great adventure of their lives.<\/p>\n\n
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![](\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_dmDaLWNETzg\/SyWi1py4_MI\/AAAAAAAAAqw\/EO4CwUo6nYo\/s200\/frank*.jpg\")
<\/a>I ended by telling the RCIA class about my friend Frank Gaudenzi (left). No matter how early you arrive at daily mass in our church, you are likely to find Frank there ahead of you: on his knees in the front pew, unmoving, praying silently. Frank is 85 years old, and he is there every morning. Frank has a couple of great expressions. One, delivered with a fist pump, is \u201cGo easy.\u201d But my favorite is Frank\u2019s secret to keeping your faith alive. It\u2019s simple, Frank will tell you, \u201cYou have to stay plugged in.\u201d For Frank that means being at his post every morning.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/tracker\/6738513599344023043-5941052203841369399?l=yimcatholic.blogspot.com\")
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