This is the second in a series of articles designed to help Parishioners take part in the process we call “RCIA” or “Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.” RCIA is a foundational part of Catholic Church life: please read these articles and take on your own role in the RCIA. The first article focused on Paragraph #1 of the RCIA and our call to proclaim Christ so that all may come to know and follow him.
Paragraph # 1 of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults states the purpose of the RCIA in a few words…
“The rite of Christian initiation presented here is designed for adults who after hearing the mystery of Christ proclaimed, consciously and freely seek the living God and enter the way of faith and conversion as the Holy Spirit opens their hearts. By God’s help they will be strengthened spiritually during their preparation and at the proper time will receive the sacraments fruitfully.”
“Adults who…consciously and freely seek the living God and enter the way of faith and conversion as the Holy Spirit opens their hearts.”
RCIA is for those adults who wish to be formed in the Christian faith for the first time. These adults may never have experienced baptism; others may be baptized. What adults in the RCIA have in common is their need and their desire for conversion to Christ. Conversion doesn’t happen as a result of a set program: there is no timetable for conversion and no person can make conversion happen – it is the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of each person that brings about conversion. Conversion itself is more than a matter of turning one’s back on all that is bad or evil in one’s life, though this is certainly an aspect of conversion; conversion is the process by which we leave behind our former way of life to join ourselves to Christ Jesus, becoming his disciples.
At St. Monica the RCIA Team has long had a motto, “In support of journeys, not outcomes.” This motto is the Team’s way of affirming every person who comes to RCIA seeking the Lord, seeking faith. The first step in RCIA is the Period of Inquiry – and it is just what the name suggests: it is the time for “inquirers” to hear about Christ for the first time, and to ask questions about the Catholic faith. Some persons may need to ask questions and inquire for a very long time, others may need only a short time: some persons will feel called to go further and actually become Catholic, others may feel called to break all ties completely. No matter what the outcome is, we support those who seek faith, and we support their own personal timetable – the work of the Spirit within their hearts. This honest sifting and sorting of what is in the heart of each person is important in RCIA; discernment is key.
If and when an inquirer feels called to become Catholic, there is a discernment of readiness for the first major Rite of the RCIA, the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens (for those who have not been baptized) or the Rite of Welcome for Baptized but Uncatechized Adults. This Rite marks the movement into a new Period of the RCIA. Information on that Period, the Catechumenate Period, will be included in next week’s Bulletin.
This week Parishioners are encouraged to invite someone to Inquiry at St. Monica. Who do you know who may be drawn to Christ? Let them know they can come and learn more about the way of Catholic faith – with no obligation or cost! RCIA brochures will be on the Narthex table throughout the month of August – take one and give it away.
For more information, visit our RCIA page under Ministries.
