RCIA:  Inviting the Faithful into  Full Communion with the Church

RCIA stands for Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.  There are two types of participants in this process:  Catechumens (those who have not been baptized) and Candidates (those who have been baptized in another faith).  The process includes weekly meetings from October until the Easter Vigil.  During the meetings,  The Bible, The Catechism of the Catholic Church, The Life in Christ and a variety of others are used to study the many aspects of the Catholic faith.  The group also participates in three rites prior to the celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation.  The rites include:

    1)  The Rite of Welcoming, which is conducted at the parish and serves as an introduction of the participants to the parish family,

    2)  The Rite of Sending, which is conducted at the parish the morning of the Rite of Election, and

    3)  The Rite of Election, which is celebrated by the Bishop at the Cathedral of St. Mary.

During the Easter Vigil, catechumens are baptized, confirmed and receive their first communion.  Candidates, since they have already been baptized, are confirmed and receive their first communion.  They are then able to participate fully in the sacraments of the Catholic Church.  We refer to this as “coming into full communion” with the Catholic Church.   

“Some people begin RCIA with the intention of just wanting to understand the Catholic faith,” said Connie Dulany, RCIA Coordinator, “but during the course of the year they recognize that coming into full communion with the Church is their desire.

RCIA participants often want to know where the Catholic Church stands on different moral issues.  “The Catholic Church has not changed its moral teachings in the last 2,000 years,” he said.  In fact, the Church has had only two official Catechisms issued from Rome:  one in 1566 after the Council of Trent and one in 1994 (which was revised in 1997).  One thing the most recent Catechism deals with is the moral issues related to our modern medical practices, including organ transplants and in vitro fertilization. 

For more information on the RCIA program, Please contact RCIA Coordinator, Connie Dulany.