CANARSIE — Celeste Grillo poured me a cup of Lipton tea and in a soft voice, told me how she helps new Catholics navigate their journey into the faith.
We were standing in the kitchen just off the community room at the Shrine Church of St. Jude in Canarsie on a recent Monday night and we were a few minutes away from the start of the weekly meeting Grillo conducts at St. Jude for people who are in the process of becoming Catholic.
Grillo is a longtime volunteer in the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) program at St. Jude.
As we waited for other participants to arrive, we chatted a bit.
Reaching for a packet of sugar for me to put in my tea, Grillo said that she prefers to encourage a person to open up about their spiritual journey rather than ask them pointed questions about why they want to join the Catholic faith.
“It’s important to find out why a person wants to become Catholic because you want to make sure they’re serious about it and they’re committed. But I try to make people feel comfortable instead of making them feel like they’re taking a test,” she explained.
Grillo is often one of the first people a would-be Catholic encounters when they come to St. Jude and express an interest in joining the faith.
Think of her as a welcoming committee. She’s one of many people around the Diocese of Brooklyn who volunteer their time to work with faith formation directors to help newcomers in the OCIA program.
According to the Office of the Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis, the diocese does not keep figures of the number of OCIA volunteers. The office confirmed that 331 people will be baptized at the Easter Vigil on Saturday, March 30.
There are different ways in which people take the first step toward Catholicism, Grillo said.
In some cases, they attend a few Masses out of curiosity and then gingerly approach a parishioner who they know to inquire about becoming a Catholic. In other cases, they walk up to a priest after Mass.
Grillo, who is one of three OCIA volunteers at St. Jude, guides newcomers through the OCIA process and outlines the steps involved in preparing for the sacraments of baptism, Communion, and confirmation.
“The first thing I would do is invite you to one of our OCIA meetings. We meet once a week. You can come, ask any question you want and say anything you want. Don’t be shy. We’re not here to judge you,” she said.
Grillo also encourages newcomers to bring family members. “We welcome them. Families often supply much-needed support. We had one woman who used to bring her husband and her two daughters. It was a blessing!” she recalled.
God is patient and so is the Church, Grillo said. “Everyone’s timing is different. Sometimes, people come for a while and then drop out. They have busy lives and careers and they decide now isn’t the right time because they’re busy. And that’s OK. They usually come back at some point,” she added.
There are four phases to the OCIA process. First, there is the Inquiry, in which people can learn the basics about the faith. The next step, the Catechumenate, allows the person to delve deeper in their study of the faith.
Next comes Purification and Enlightenment, where both the Catholic Church and the individual seek to discern whether the person is ready to join the faith. This phase culminates in the Easter Vigil.
After individuals have received the sacraments, they enter a period of Mystagogy, in which they become integrated into the faith and receive support from their parish for their neophyte year as Catholics.
John Johnson, who will be baptized at this year’s Easter Vigil, called Grillo a mentor. “She’s very, very knowledgeable, very patient, and a very understanding person. And she explains everything and helps you along the way,” he said.
On this Monday night, the discussion at the meeting centered around the importance of prayer. Grillo described the different types of prayers Catholics recite, including prayers they have memorized, like the Our Father, conversational prayers of gratitude, and prayers in which people seek a saint’s intercession.
Grillo also led a discussion about the seventh Station of the Cross, in which Jesus falls for the second time. “It teaches us that when we fall, we can get back up with Jesus’ help,” she said.
While the meetings she conducts bring Grillo a great deal of joy, what she really relishes is the sight of someone who had entered the OCIA program standing on the altar of the Shrine Church of St. Jude to be baptized.
“It’s a beautiful feeling to see them take that big step in their lives,” she said.
