Have You Ever Wondered What The Process Is For Becoming Catholic???

All adults who are interested in becoming Catholic enter the process called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). This process lasts as long as is necessary for the adult to have an adequate understanding of the Catholic faith, to feel a part of the community, to take an active part in the prayer life of the Church and to live the faith in the world. Adults who are not baptized will receive the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. Adults who are already baptized can be initiated (sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist) when they are ready.

The process is tailor-made for each particular person.

For example, if a man has been married to a Catholic spouse for 20 years, has been going to church with her for 20 years, raised their children as Catholics, took an active part in teaching the children their faith, prays on his own and with his family, then that person will not be in the process for very long at all.

Another example, if a woman was raised Lutheran and went to church every Sunday, went to Sunday school as a child and teen, continued to be an active member of that faith, and then felt strongly the call to inquire about the Catholic faith, then she would not be in the process long either.

There are two criteria which we look for when a person starts the process: their relationship with God and their experience with the Christian tradition. Both of these factors help us to determine how much more formation a person needs before they are initiated into the Catholic Church.

Four Components for Initiation

(adapted from paragraph #75 of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, 1984)

Knowledge of the traditions, doctrines and teachings of the Catholic faith

Those who experience the process of Initiation will, over a period of months, acquire enough knowledge of the basic teachings of the Catholic church, so that they may be able to live confidently as Catholics in their daily lives. These basic teachings are outline in Sharing the Light of Faith: the National Catechetical Directory, Chapter V.

Community Life

Each person will be introduced to the life of the parish community through parish- wide events, service opportunities, and through their sponsor. The sponsor will invite the catechumen* or candidate** to attend various parish events and also encourage the catechumen or candidate to "shadow" the sponsor when he/she is involved in a parish ministry.

Liturgy/Prayer

Those in the Initiation process will be formed in Catholic prayer life through both teaching and the experiences of various prayer forms. The catechumens* and candidates** will be encouraged to use these prayer forms in both personal and family prayer. They will be taught about the Liturgy of the Church: Mass and the Prayer of the Hours (Morning and Evening Prayer) so that, when they are fully initiated, they may enter into Sunday worship with confidence and ease.

Apostolic Mission: Service and Daily Life

Each person in the Initiation process will be given the opportunity to serve both the parish community and the needy through parish-sponsored or community- sponsored events, such as: Adopt a Family, Day of Caring, Soup Suppers, Soup Kitchen. Each one will be informed of the teachings of the Church about peace, justice, mercy and how we are to reach out to the poor and to be advocates for them.

Each person will, by the time he or she is fully initiated, be confident enough in his or her understanding of the Catholic faith, that he or she may be able to live that faith daily: to make moral decisions with confidence, to form his/her children in the faith, to know how to live as Jesus would have us live, to be a person of compassion, who works for peace and justice in the home, neighborhood, community and the world.

* a catechumen is a person who has never been baptized into the Christian faith
** a candidate is a person who has been already baptized into a Christian community

For more information, click on the following links.

Baptized Christians

Unbaptized Adults

Children and Youth

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