Their journey into the Catholic faith began last year with their mother, Kathy Nguyen, who works at a nail salon. One of Nguyen's nail clients, a catechism teacher at St. Theodore of Canterbury Parish in Westland, invited them to join.

Nguyen and her husband, Dong Nguyen, have three children: Andy, 16; Julie, 12; and Lindsey, 4. At the Easter Vigil April 10, Andy, who is baptized, will receive the sacraments of confirmation and the Eucharist, and Julie, a catechumen, will receive all three sacraments.

Their younger sister, Lindsey, will begin attending catechism classes when she begins school, Nguyen said.

Faith has always been important to her, she said. The Nguyens previously lived in California, where there was a large nearby Vietnamese Catholic community with whom she and her family worshiped.

Although there is also a Vietnamese Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of Detroit – Our Lady of Grace (Vietnamese) Parish in Eastpointe – it's too far for her and her family to drive, she said.

She and her husband (who was Buddhist and became Catholic when they married in Vietnam) were hesitant to join a parish, because "we'd go to church, but we don't really understand. I am not very good in English," she said. "(Faith) is something I can't explain (to my children.)"

Having recently settled into their new home in Michigan, and with work established for both Kathy and Dong Nguyen, they wanted their children to learn the faith. "I wanted them to go to class because the teachers can teach them better than I can," she said, adding she could explain to them better about the faith in her home language – but they don't speak Vietnamese.

She said Andy was leery about having to wake up early and go to catechism class on Sundays, "but now he gets into it. Now, on Sundays, he says, 'I want to wake up and go.'"

Andy and Julie's celebration will extend beyond their parish to their home, where their grandparents, aunts and uncles will be visiting for about a month – to which Andy and Julie's little sister, Lindsey, responds with her arms in the air: "But we only have three TVs!"

Lindsey, who said she is excited to be go to church and be there for her siblings, said she also looks forward to the day when she can wear a white Communion dress.

Kathy will see to it that her daughter will begin catechism class as soon as she's able. "I tell them, 'My mom gave me my religion, and now I want to give to you,'" Kathy said.

Andy said he's happy with what he's learned in the past year. "I'm doing better in a lot of things," he said. "I talk to more people and I don't really shut people out."

Julie said learning about her faith has helped her make better life decisions – "I really like it now," she said.

Their catechism teachers have been a tremendous benefit to both of them, they said, "because they explain everything and they're willing to stop and answer questions," said Julie, adding her favorite aspect of catechism classes is learning about the parables in the Bible.

Both said they try to apply what they learn in class to everyday problems and situations, including praying for others.

Andy said he's heard there's power in prayer – his friend's mom, who lives in Florida, has cancer, and "we're all praying for her."

METRO AREA — God welcomes those who welcome others.

That's an important idea for every Catholic to keep in mind while welcoming new members into the Church at Easter time and beyond, local clergy and RCIA directors say.

About 1,285 candidates and catechumens throughout the Archdiocese of Detroit will enter the Church on Holy Saturday. Many will be welcomed with applause, congratulations and even care packages.

More than 150,000 people will join the Catholic Church in the United States at Easter, according to the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Evangelization. Detroit is one of at least 17 U.S. dioceses that will bring in groups larger than 1,000 people, according to Catholic News Service.

The Church wants to ensure that the welcome never ends – even after the Easter Sunday celebrations do.

"'Welcome' is the word," says Paula Miller, RCIA coordinator at St. Clare of Montefalco Parish in Grosse Pointe Park. "How can we show hospitality to these folks? The best thing is recognition."

Miller says that an important first step of making new parishioners feel at home is simply to talk with them.

"Once you've seen them week after week, as you notice them in the pew next to you or in the parking lot or the grocery store, just say 'hi,'" Miller says. "That's one of the best things to do. Say 'welcome,' and 'we're happy you're a part of our community.'"

In fact, says Fr. Marc Gawronski pastor of St. Mary Parish in Rockwood, the Church even has a year-long welcoming process for new Catholics. It's called mystagogy, and is defined "as a time for the community and the neophytes together to grow in deepening their grasp of the Pascal mystery."

"It's not just a time for the newly baptized," says Fr. Gawronski, a member of the archdiocese RCIA implementation committee. "It's time for the whole community to grow together."

Making new Catholics feel welcome at parish functions is vital to the growth of the community, too. Concretely, Fr. Gawronski says, that means helping them get involved – everything from feeding the poor and visiting the sick alongside them, to socializing at parish picnics with them.

"The job of welcoming new Catholics belongs to the whole parish," he says. "Look at all those things that people in the pews can do to invite them and help integrate them more fully into the lives of the (parish) communities."

Some parishes give gifts or write letters to new parishioners, as reminders to them that their new Church family supports them. That way, says Nancy Thomas, RCIA coordinator of St. William Parish in Walled Lake, both the gift-givers and gift-receivers are getting more involved in their faith.