If you have already graduated high school and are intersted in becoming Catholic, please contact Martha Tonn at the office or by email:
RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION (RCIA)
What is RCIA?
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is the process established for the universal Church for individuals to become Catholic and receive the sacraments of initiation—Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist. This initiation process also involves a parish community experiencing a renewal in faith as it prepares and welcomes new members into the Church. The Rite speaks of conversion as a “spiritual journey.” Centered on fostering a deep relationship with Jesus and the Church he founded, this journey takes place through distinct stages over a period of time suitable to bring about a thorough explanation of the Catholic Faith, significant experience of the parish community, and commitment to the liturgical and moral life of the Catholic faithful. The RCIA process is a restoration of the ancient catechumenate arising within the first three centuries following the era of the apostles. It was the early Church’s way of Christianizing the pagan Roman Empire. The Second Vatican Council called for the restoration and use of this venerable and powerful method of initiation for the worldwide Church.
Who is RCIA for?
1. Persons in need of Baptism.
2. Persons baptized in another Christian tradition who desire to become Catholic.
3. Persons baptized Catholic in need of First Communion and/or Confirmation.
How long is the RCIA Process?
The time varies, but is rarely shorter than six months or longer than three years. The Church greatly respects the time each person needs for conversion and decision. The RCIA text gives guides for discerning this on a case-by-case basis.
Why are some RCIA participants dismissed in the middle of the Mass?
On Sundays, during the RCIA formation process, many of our adult Catechumens or Candidates are dismissed at the end of the Liturgy of the Word. This will continue each Sunday until Easter when, at the Easter Vigil, those who are ready will join us at the Table of the Eucharist for the first time. The parish is not sending them out because they are somehow “unworthy” to stay for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Though they cannot yet come to the table of the Eucharist, Mother Church still has an obligation to feed those who have entered into a relationship with her through the Rite of Acceptance and Welcoming.
God’s Word is their primary food during this period. Instead of remaining for the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the participants depart from the Mass with their godparents and sponsors (if available), and one or more RCIA team members, to discuss the Mass readings for that Sunday and to experience more fully the impact of the Scriptures in their lives. This time is know as “Breaking Open the Word.”
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the one who belongs to God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Through the dismissal to Break Open the Word, the parish community is also invited to pray for the Catechumens and Candidates, and to join in Our Lord’s prayer that we all may be one as He and the Father are One.
The Rite of Sending for the RCIA is a time when our parish candidates and catechumens are sent forth to gather with the RCIA from other parishes and Bishop Vann. Across the entire world, Catholic bishops on the first Sunday of Lent will welcome those sent by the parish to gather together with their godparents and sponsors in what is known as the Rite of Election and the Call to Continuing Conversion.
The Rite of Sending offers the parish community an opportunity to acknowledge the spiritual progress that the catechumens and candidates have made, express approval of their election or recognition, and send them forth to our bishop with assurance of the parish’s care and support. To send a catechumen or candidate to the bishop means that a parish has discerned that he/she is ready to enter the Catholic Church. In Sacred Scripture, the Book of Revelation makes reference to a “Book of Life,” in which is written the names of those who have chosen to follow the Lord Jesus and be baptized. Those who are already baptized, as Catholics or in other denominations, had our names written in the Book of Life at our Baptism. In this Rite, those preparing for Baptism are invited to come forward and sign a book, which we call the “Book of the Elect,” as a sign of their desire to be numbered among the chosen of God.
