Becoming a Catholic

Becoming a Catholic within the ECC

Are you curious about what’s involved in becoming a Evangelical Catholic, or have you already made the decision to join the Evangelical Catholic Church? Either way, we want to reassure you that our Catholic community will never pressure you to sign up or rush your journey. In fact, you may find that the process takes longer than you expected. This is because joining the Evangelical Catholic Church involves a serious commitment to both God and your local faith community, and it’s a decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

A person becomes Catholic upon being baptized into the Evangelical Catholic Church. While further sacraments like Confirmation and the Eucharist can deepen one's faith and understanding. Baptism is the defining moment of becoming a Catholic.

So, where do we begin? Well, there are two essential aspects to becoming a Catholic:

Two Key Steps: Instruction and Community Involvement

Receiving Instruction in the Faith: Learning about the teachings, beliefs, and practices of the Evangelical Catholic Church.

Participating in a Local ECC Community: Attending Mass and becoming involved in parish life.

You can begin with either of these steps, but before becoming a full member of the Evangelical Catholic Church, you will need to have completed both sufficient instruction and have attended regular Mass.

Welcoming Guests:

Guests are warmly welcome to attend Mass, Adoration, or any other service with us.. If you’re new or just curious, you might want to attend Mass before introducing yourself to the local priest or community.

Guidance During Mass:

If you attend without someone, most parishes provide prayer cards or service books to help you follow the service and take part in the prayers. You’re encouraged to participate as much as you feel comfortable.

Now that we have offered you a basic guide to becoming a Catholic within the Evangelical Catholic Church, We invite you to embrace the following step-by-step guide to the process. It’s fairly easy. Simply follow these steps, in the order outlined below, and in a very short amount of time you will be a Catholic Christian. Here they are…

1. Wherever you are right now, whatever you’re doing, stop and recite this simple prayer.

“O my God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three divine persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I believe that your divine Son became man and died for our sins, and that he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the holy, Evangelical Catholic Church teaches, because in revealing them you can neither deceive nor be deceived.”

This prayer is called the Act of Faith, and when you pray it, you are now spiritually initiated into the Catholic Faith of the ECC. Your journey to full reception as a Evangelical Catholic has just begun.

2. Call a priest, deacon or religious and set up a meeting. The best way to plot your course now is to simply talk to one of these individuals. They can guide you in your next steps. They might have you attend a simple religion class, or they might educate you themselves. Either way, this will help answer questions and fill you in on what to expect in your life as a Evangelical Catholic.

3. Baptism, Confirmation or both? The Evangelical Catholic Church officially recognizes all Trinitarian baptisms regardless of where and how they were administered. So for example, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed, Baptist and many other types of denominational baptisms are recognized as valid by the Catholic Church. So if you were already baptized as one of these, there is no need to repeat the process. All Trinitarian baptisms are considered “Catholic.” Talk to your priest, deacon or religious about this for questions and details. If you’ve already been validly baptized in one of these other Christian traditions, then you will only require a Confession of Faith and Confirmation (anointing of the Holy Spirit) to begin receiving communion. If you have not been validly baptized, then you will need both the sacraments of baptism and confirmation before you can begin to receive communion.

Thank you for taking the time to read and consider our invitation to you. If you have any question, please contact us.

“A Welcoming Community of Faith Rooted in the Catholic Tradition”