Are you interested in learning more about the Catholic Church?

Are you unbaptized but recognize a need for spirituality in your life?

Are you baptized Catholic or baptized into another religion but never
received any formal religious education?

 Are you married to a Catholic and attend Mass but just don't know what
the next step is to become one of the Catholic faithful?

 Are you yearning for something more in your life?

What is the RCIA? The Second Vatican Council recommended that the Church renew its way of receiving Adult Candidates.  A revised rite called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) was approved by Pope Paul VI in 1972 and has become the norm for the Church.  RCIA is a process of conversion that emphasizes formation in doctrine, liturgy, Church life, and service.  The Church community is involved in welcoming, instructing, helping and praying for Candidates.  RCIA is a learning and loving process in which conversion of the heart brings you to Jesus Christ.

1. The RCIA is first and foremost a faith journey process. RCIA is for and about people whose faith journey cannot be programmed because programs as such do not cause conversion; only God brings about conversion.

2. The RCIA is a community event. The initiation of adults is about the Christian community initiating new members into itself, and therefore it must take place in community It is never a private process. The RCIA sees the Church as community, as us, and it also sees us as the primary ministers of the RCIA.

3. The RCIA ministry is basically one of witness and hospitality. The document is particularly strong in this respect when it says: "...the Initiation of adults is the concern and business of all the baptized" (RCIA, #41). Although the RCIA involves many parishioners in various ministries (sponsors, catechists, prayers, spiritual advisors, etc.) everyone in the parish community is responsible for ministering to the prospective converts by the witness of their lives and the openness of their attitudes.

4.  The RCIA is ongoing and multi-dimensional. The process of conversion takes time. For this reason there is nothing instant about RCIA. The commitment to gospel values and perspectives is a personal journey which is never accomplished by an educational program alone. Doctrinal instruction as well as spiritual formation is included in the RCIA.

5. The RCIA restores the baptismal focus of Lent, and reinstates the Easter Vigil as the honored time of initiation. This means that the whole initiation process centers on the candidates’ gradual incorporation into the Paschal Mystery — the mystery of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. The sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist celebrate in one symbolic action, one’s initiation into that mystery.

6.  The RCIA is a step-by-step journey highlighted with corresponding rituals. The document sees the process of initiation divided into four basic steps. Between each of the steps, the community celebrates a special ritual which brings closure to the preceding period and moves the candidates into the next step.

Phase 2: The Rite of Becoming Catechumenate phase follows and is a more intense period of instruction and introduction to liturgy, faith-life and service.  Sponsors from the parish community join the process to serve as guides, companions and models of faith for them. Sponsors commit themselves to being a vital link between the catechumens and the community.  Sponsors present the candidates to the Church and also represent the Church to the candidate throughout the RCIA process. This step is often the longest period in the RCIA, lasting from a few months to a few years, determined by the needs of the catechumen, and by the community The catechumens are invited to worship with the community they are dismissed after the Liturgy of the Word with their catechists to ponder the Scripture readings they have just heard. When the catechumens are ready to respond totally to God’s call to faith through the Sacraments of Initiation, the RCIA provides a ritual, the Rite of Election, to mark this step in the conversion process. This Rite takes place on the first Sunday of Lent. The ritual provides an opportunity for the catechumens to officially request entrance to the Church through the Easter Sacraments of Initiation, and for the community to respond to that request by saying, "We confirm God’s call to faith in your life, and will welcome you into the Church this Easter."

Phase 3: Enlightenment and Purification is the third stage.  Beginning with the first Sunday of Lent, the catechumens enter into their "40-day retreat" to focus on deepening their awareness of God’s grace through prayer. During this time the Church also celebrates other rituals with the catechumens, called "Scrutinies." These are prayers of healing prayed by the community (on the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent) that the catechumens will have the strength to withstand evil, and remain pure and free from sin as they journey toward initiation and growth in faith. While we minister to the catechumens, they provide a visible reminder to each of us of the meaning and purpose of Lent, and minister to us through their presence. Finally the night of the Easter Vigil arrives — at which the Sacraments of Initiation are celebrated and the catechumens are made one with the Body of Christ called Church. The community says, “Now you belong, for you have been born again of water and spirit. Come, you are welcome at the Table of the Lord."

Phase 4: The concluding part of the journey to faith is called the "Mystagogia", which comes from the word, mystery. In the early Church it was the time when the community explained the mystery of the sacraments the catechumens had experienced. Today, this step is seen more as time for the newly initiated and the community to move forward together toward a closer relationship with each other and toward a deeper understanding of God’s Word, of the sacraments, and of everyday Christian life. The RCIA place this step during the Easter Season (the 50 days between Easter and Pentecost) and focus on the mysteries of Christ’s death and resurrection. In reality, this step in the journey continues for the rest of the Christian’s life along with the entire community of the faithful as we strive to live the Gospel our daily lives and perform works of service for others.