Please contact Deacon Paul Fisherkeller, to learn more about RCIA for the Fall of 2020.
The way to full communion in the Catholic Church or, "how to become a Catholic"
In the Letter to the Ephesians (4:17-24), Saint Paul teaches that to be a Christian means to live in a radically different way than the way offered by the secular society that surrounds us. Being a Christian means acquiring a new mind and heart—the mind and heart of Christ Jesus—as we journey toward God’s Kingdom.
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is the primary way the Church welcomes new members. The thrust of RCIA is not merely making new members in the Christian community; rather RCIA emphasizes growing “disciples of Jesus.”
Through RCIA, unbaptized persons encounter Jesus by hearing the sacred scriptures proclaimed, by immersing themselves in the Tradition of the Catholic Christian community, and by discovering the Risen Jesus present concretely in the seven sacraments.
RCIA is the process that the Church has designed to help women and men respond to the impulse of God’s Spirit, drawing them to community fellowship in Jesus Christ, to personal holiness, and to engage in loving service in the world.
RCIA is bringing the "Good News" alive in the modern world ...
The letters "RCIA" stand for the "Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults", the document flowing from Vatican II which guides the process by which adults are initiated into our Roman Catholic community. The RCIA describes a process in which men and women are guided and cared for as they awaken in faith and are gradually introduced to the Catholic way of life.
The RCIA process is a series of carefully planned stages, marked by liturgical rites in the presence of the whole community, in which new Catholics embark on and join us in a continuing and deepening conversion into faith and discipleship. The RCIA takes the distinctive history and spiritual needs of each person into account, differentiating between the baptized and the unbaptized, the catechized and the uncatechized. The needs of mature, practicing Christians from other faith traditions are considered on an individual basis.
The RCIA draws its model from the "catechumenate" of the ancient Church. Becoming Christian in the early days of the Church involved a sharp break with the surrounding culture. New Christians entered into the joy of new life and a life-sharing community of faith, but also entered into a way of living which demanded deep commitment and entailed great risks. In the modern world, our faith also demands deep commitment -- our beliefs and the beliefs of our society are often in tension. The Church revived the catechumenate -- embodied in the RCIA -- because new believers in the modern world need careful preparation and caring support as they enter into the mysteries of Christ and the commitment of Christian living
RCIA for children is a program for children between the ages of 7 and 14 who have not been baptized or who are baptized but have not received their First Eucharist.
RCIA for children is open to parishioners who have children in need of preparation for these Sacraments of Initiation and for reception into the Roman Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. Whether your family is just entering the church, is returning after time away, have decided as a family to delay the children's sacramental preparation, or any other circumstances, all are welcome.
Please contact Angi Swiezy for more information.