Dear Friends in Christ:
While we always pray that many people will receive the gift of faith and come to embrace Jesus and the Catholic faith, this is the time of year in which we intensify our prayers for many converts to the faith. Because Easter is the time in which the Church normally receives unbaptized adults and Christians baptized in other communities into full communion with the Catholic Church, the preparation for the Sacraments of Initiation normally begins in late Summer or Fall. The Second Vatican Council restored the ancient process for adults to be received into the Church. This process is called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). The Sacraments of Initiation are the same for all Catholics. They are Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. To be a fully initiated Catholic, one must receive all three of these sacraments. The ancient order of the reception of the sacraments which is preserved in the RCIA may seem unfamiliar to many Catholics today. For many centuries the Eucharist was reserved for adults and teens who were Confirmed; young children did not receive the Eucharist. Today, most Catholics receive the Eucharist as young children prior to being Confirmed. This is a recent development. In 1910 Pope St. Pius X permitted children to receive communion at the age of reason (7 years old) prior to being Confirmed. The pope did this to strengthen children’s love of Jesus in the Eucharist.
The stages of this process are broken into four periods. The first period is the Period of Evangelization and the Pre-Catechumenate. This is a time of inquiry where individuals come to begin to ask their questions about faith, God, His Son Jesus and the Church. This period is an opportunity for individuals to hear the call of the Good News and the invitation to follow Jesus. The second part of this process of turning to God and embracing the faith is called the Period of the Catechumenate. This is a time of some duration for the nurturing of the individual’s faith and conversion to God. Here they begin to encounter truth and the beauty of the Word of God and the teachings of His Church. The Catechumens are assisted during this period of formation and learning by prayers and blessings.
Following the time of the Catechumenate, the catechumens become The Elect as they express publicly their desire to receive the Sacraments and are received (elected) by the bishop. The Period of Purification and Enlightenment is the final stage prior to Easter and corresponds to the liturgical season of Lent. This period is one of spiritual reflection, purification, and preparation for reception into the Church. With the reception of the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil, the new Catholics, the Neophytes, enter the fourth and final stage, the Period of Mystagogy. This is the opportunity during the Easter Season (Easter through Pentecost) for further instruction and formation of the new faithful into the mystery of living the life of faith.
While many may tend to think of the RCIA as a program or series of classes, it is anything but that. The RCIA is a journey, a spiritual walk where the true companion is Jesus himself. The RCIA is a journey where an individual seeks to hear and listen to Jesus and His invitation to life with Him. The Church is the instrument that Christ uses to help people come to encounter, know, embrace, and follow Him. The RCIA is a journey to know oneself in a new and deeper way, and to discover God’s call to a richer and more meaningful life as a Catholic. In a real sense, the RCIA helps one to come to a fuller and truer knowledge of oneself as a beloved child of God and a member of His family, the Church. Do you know someone who is not Catholic but has questions about our faith? Pray for them and then invite them to consider becoming Catholic. Invite them to the RCIA.
In Pace Christi,
Fr. Troy