Something is happening in our community. Adults across Spruce Grove, Stony Plain and Parkland County are asking questions about the Catholic faith, attending inquiry sessions and considering whether the Catholic Church might be where they are being called. At Holy Trinity Parish, that interest is becoming increasingly tangible. As the parish prepares for its next Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) cohort, it is looking for Catholics willing to become sponsors and accompany those who are exploring the faith. And you do not need to be a theologian to do it. You simply need to be willing to walk alongside someone.

A Growing Interest in the Catholic Faith

Holy Trinity’s experience is part of a broader pattern being seen across the Archdiocese of Edmonton. Nearly 300 catechumens participated in the 2026 Rite of Election, compared with 265 the previous year. The Rite of Election is an important step in the journey toward Christian initiation, when those preparing for Baptism publicly express their intention to enter the Church and are formally enrolled among the elect. The numbers provide one measure of what is happening.

But behind every number is a person who has begun asking some of life’s biggest questions:

• Who is God?
• What is the purpose of my life?
• Could there be something more?
• What is the Truth?
• Where do I fit in?

At Holy Trinity, those questions are bringing people through the doors.

Why Are People Looking?

The interest is not unique to Alberta. A 2026 study of more than 2,100 people participating in OCIA programs across 20 U.S. dioceses offers some insight into what is drawing people toward the Catholic Church.Among the reasons participants identified were a desire for goodness, virtue, truth, inner peace, joy and purpose. Others were drawn to the beauty of Catholic worship, the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist, and the depth and continuity of a faith that reaches back two thousand years.

That is significant.

In a culture characterized by rapid change, constant digital noise and increasing isolation, many people are not necessarily looking for something new. Theses people are looking for something solid. They are looking for truth that does not change with the latest trend. They are looking for beauty, meaning and a community where faith is not simply an idea, but something lived.

For some, that search begins online. A video, podcast or conversation introduces them to Catholic teaching or the Mass. Eventually, curiosity becomes a desire to experience the Church in person—to walk through the doors, meet Catholics and discover what the faith actually looks like in daily life. That is where a parish matters.

This Is Where Sponsors Come In

Someone entering OCIA does not simply need a teacher. They need a person. A sponsor is a Catholic who accompanies a catechumen or candidate throughout the journey. That can mean attending OCIA sessions, answering questions, sharing experiences of Catholic life, praying for the person and helping them become comfortable in the parish community. Most importantly, a sponsor offers friendship and encouragement.

You do not have to know the answer to every theological question or be an expert in Catholic doctrine. You simply have to be willing to say: “I’ll walk with you.”

For someone who may be taking their first steps toward the Church, that relationship can be enormously important. A sponsor provides something no book, website or video can provide: a living example of what it means to be Catholic.

What This Means for Holy Trinity

The people exploring Catholicism in our community are not statistics. They are our neighbours, coworkers, friends, parents, young adults and families. They are people who may have spent years away from religion, people who were never raised Catholic, or people who simply reached a point in life where they began asking deeper questions.The Church does not need to manufacture those questions. It needs to be ready to receive the people asking them.

That means Holy Trinity needs Catholics who are prepared to open the door, sit beside someone and accompany them as they discover the faith. The Church calls this accompaniment. It is also a very practical expression of evangelization.

Could You Be a Sponsor?

If you are a practicing Catholic at Holy Trinity and feel that you might be called to accompany someone through RCIA, consider becoming a sponsor. You do not need to have all the answers. You need a willingness to listen, to pray, to share your own experience of faith and to walk with another person as they discern where God may be leading them.

And if you or someone you know is interested in exploring the Catholic faith, Holy Trinity welcomes that conversation as well.

For more information, check out this link or contact the parish office at 780-960-0135 or [email protected].

God may already be stirring someone’s heart. The question is whether we are willing to walk with them.

Will you be that person?