Every year thousands of adults enter the Catholic Church.  People come from all walks of life and range in age from adolescent to centurian.  These adults come into full communion with the Catholic Church through a process called the Right of Christian Initiation of Adults better known as the RCIA
 

        The RCIA consists of a series of 4 stages with no pre-set time table, each celebrated with a particular rite or service.  Participants move through at their own pace. Generally, full reception into the Church takes place at an Easter Vigil with the celebration of Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion. Those who have been baptized into another Christian faith make a profession of faith instead and are not baptized. 

 WHAT IS THE RCIA PROCESS?

       Regular sessions provide instruction in the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Church. The focus is on developing and/or deepening a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, one that gives praise to God and leads to loving service of others. It is a journey in faith and an opportunity to grow in mind and spirit.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

THE 4 STAGES OF THE RCIA:

• Precatechumenate: Better known as the period of inquiry. We share with the inquirer a general overview of the Catholic Church and her teachings and address any questions they may have.  Sessions are held once weekly and there is no obligation or pressure to continue beyond this point. It is merely a time to explore the Catholic faith.  
• Cathechumenate: During this extended period of instruction the emphasis is on Scripture, community, our faith and worship in the Catholic tradition. Catechumens attend Sunday Liturgy and are dismissed after the homily for their catechetical session. It is after this stage that the final decision to continue the process into full communion is made.
•  Enlightenment: This shorter period is the immediate preparation for the Easter Sacraments and takes place during Lent. Formal instruction gives way to more focus on prayer and spiritual readiness.
• Mystagogia: This period comes after being brought into full communion with the Catholic Church - usually from Easter to Pentecost. This is a time of reflection on the mysteries of membership in the Church. It is a time to work out their place in the community and find the action or activity which will deepen their experience of full membership. 

HISTORY OF THE RCIA

    The early Church was without question a "missionary" Church, which not only welcomed, but actively sought new members. Many of the stories in the New Testament suggest that, the very first wave of conversion to Christianity was handled in a relatively simple matter.  Basically, the converts would repent of their sins, be baptized and commit themselves to living their new life as Christians.  It quickly became apparent however, that many of these new converts understood very little about the faith and oftentimes they even mixed various pagan practices and beliefs with their new religion.  Many of these concerns were even addressed in scripture by St. Paul.

    Another problem that the early Church faced was that of deadly persecution, which in turn created a climate of caution.  Often they had to meet in secret, and had to be on guard against "spies" who would disguise themselves as new converts. Aside from this caution, the thought of an unbelieving pagan consuming the Eucharist was appalling to this first generation of Christians.
 
    To help ensure that new converts truly understood their faith, that spies could do no harm and might actually be converted, and to reduce the likelihood of a non-believer infiltrating the Eucharistic assembly - the Church developed a much more careful process for conversion.  The basic approach taken by the Church was to allow “catechumens”, the term used to designate those preparing to become Christians, to join in the first part of the liturgy - the Liturgy of the Word - but then to "dismiss" them at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The dismissed catechumens would be taken to a nearby room where they would reflect on the word and be taught the essentials of the Christian faith.  After an extended period of preparation - usually three years - the catechumens would be fully initiated into their new faith at the Easter Vigil by celebrating the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and the First Communion.

    This process of initiation fell out of use in later centuries, in no small part because of the reformation and the competition this presented for new members.  However, this initiation process was restored by Vatican II and began reintroduction into the local parishes during the nineteen seventies and is our model for today’s RCIA. 
 

For more information please call Susan Finley at 586-727-5215 Ext. 141