R.C.I.A.
RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION FOR ADULTS
ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT BECOMING A CATHOLIC?
DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN BECOMING A CATHOLIC?
WOULD YOU LIKE TO PARTICIPATE AS A CATECHIST, A WITNESS, A SPONSOR OR A GOD PARENT?
The St. Francis of Assisi Parish Community welcomes those inquiring about the Catholic faith and feeling called to become a Catholic. This is accomplished through a process called the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA).
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is the process by which people become members of the Roman Catholic Church. The process is concerned with the total formation of the person into believing, living, praying, and serving with the Church community. This gradual development culminates in the celebration of the initiation sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist. The RCIA process is described in more detail below.
Down through the ages, Christians have had many questions, but few have found easy answers. Jesus' first followers had questions, and when they posed them to Jesus he simply answered, "Come, follow me" (Mark 2:14). We at St. Francis extend that same invitation to you. "Come follow with us, along the way of the Lord." As you come to know us, you will discover that although Jesus didn't offer any easy answers, he did give his followers a framework for living and loving the questions.
So, ask your questions, it's the best place to begin your search. We welcome you and your questions to this journey of faith, and hope you will find us as friends who offer ourselves as companions with you on your journey. Take the time you need to articulate your needs and to explore the Church's ability to respond to them.
If you are already a member of our faith community and you wish to support those who are on their faith journey seeking truth, you can have a meaningful impact by participating in one or more of the following areas of the conversion and initiation process:
- As a Catechist – someone who helps pass on the truths of the faith by working with the participants through a process of systematic study and instruction.
- As a Witness – believers who share their personal story of how Christ has touched their life and how the Church has helped guide them on their faith journey.
- As a Godparent – A person, chosen by an unbaptized person, who is a companion on the journey after the Rite of Acceptance (begins the period of preparation for unbaptized inquirers)
- As a Sponsor – A companion on the journey for a baptized person who is inquiring into the Catholic faith and decides to participate in the process of initiation.
The godparent’s and the sponsor’s role is significant in incorporating the participant into the parish community, in witnessing to the Christian life and in being of service to the participant throughout the conversion process.
Please scroll down for a more information about the initiation process and a definition of the terms we use in discussing it.
If you wish to speak with someone please contact either our pastor Father Dunn at 203.227.1341 or via email at FatherDunn@sfaparish.com, or our RCIA coordinator, Pam Frano
Jesus spoke to them again, saying,
"I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life."
-John 8:12
What is the RCIA?
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)is the official text of the Church’s rituals supporting the way of faith and conversion by which adults are initiated into the Catholic Church. The RCIA was reintroduced in 1972 as the normative way by which adults will be initiated into the Catholic Church. In 1988, the National conference of Catholic Bishops published the ritual test we now use. Although this process may seem new, it is a return to a former practice that was integral to the growth of the early Church.
For the first 300 years the Church existed in a pagan world and suffered much persecution, so that often its members were required to give up their lives for the faith they professed. Those who desired to join the Church had to understand fully what it meant to be a Christian. They also had to undergo a compete change in their lives, giving up all that tied them to the pagan culture. The process, or catechumenate, by which they underwent this change, often took one to three years so that, upon entrance into the Church, they were ready to take on the full responsibilities of being a Christian.
CHRISTIAN INITIATION IS A PROCESS OF CONVERSION
In returning to the catechumenate the Church recognizes that, as it was in the early days, conversion to the Catholic faith involves an evident change in a person’s life prior to his or her reception of the sacraments of initiation. The person seeking to become a Catholic not only must learn what the Church believes and teaches, but also must accept the Gospel and its values as a way of life, becoming fully incorporated into the faith community. Accordingly, the Church recognizes that conversion is a free gift from God that must be nurtured, supported and allowed to grow with the help of the Spirit until the individual is ready to take the final step of professing his or her faith and becoming a Catholic.
Since this process or journey toward initiation involves the whole person, it takes into account that we are intellectual, physical, emotional, and spiritual beings who must include all these aspects of self in our faith commitment.
Christian Initiation, therefore, provides for times in which the candidate learns the doctrinal content and the tradition of the Catholic Faith. But, beyond this, the person must also come to know and understand the practices of Catholic living – what we do when we gather to worship, how we live and act as Christians in the parish community, and how we do Christ’s work in the world. Since faith and conversion involve more than knowledge and action, committing to the Catholic Faith also calls for an internal change of heart and an ever deepening spiritual growth.
“Brothers and sisters: I declare and testify in the Lord that you…should put away the old self of your former way of life…and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.” Ephesians 117, 20-24.
The initiation process provides for this journey toward maturity of faith through constant prayer and through ritual that occurs when the individual is ready to take another significant step toward full incorporation into the Body of Christ. This progress is celebrated in specific rites or ceremonies during the Sunday Liturgy so that the candidates feel the welcome and support of the parish which they will be joining. Likewise, they benefit as the community prays for their spiritual growth.