For adults, youth, and children 7 years of age and older.

"RCIA" stands for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. When the Church uses the word "adult" in reference to Christian initiation, it includes children. In other words, there is no additional rite for children or teens. "Adult" refers to everyone who has reached the age of reason.

This is an ongoing process designed especially for:

• people who are interested in finding out more about being a Catholic Christian,
  
  
• those who have decided that they wish to be baptized in the Catholic Church,
  
  
• those who have been baptized in another faith, and would like to become Catholic,
  
  
• those who have been baptized Catholic, and would like to complete their Sacraments of Initiation (First Communion and Confirmation). ***
  
  

The "Inquiry" is a group for those who would like to know more about what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, be baptized, and become an active member of the Catholic Church. This is a place to ask questions, find out more, and discern your call to Catholic Christianity. The dynamic in this weekly group is warm and welcoming, and discusses basic questions of faith, as well as being willing to address individual concerns. It usually meets on Sundays at 11:00 AM.

The "Catechumenate" is a group of people who have discerned that they are ready to take the next step toward becoming Catholic. This group meets weekly to journey together in faith, "breaking open" the Word of God that is proclaimed at Mass each week, and learning more about the tenants of the Catholic Faith. Opportunities are offered for individuals to enter into the life of the church through prayer, liturgy, service and outreach, and community building. All of this is preparation for encountering Jesus Christ in the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation, the sacraments that complete their initiation in the Church.

When individuals discern, together with their sponsors and the leadership team, that they are ready to celebrate Baptism, they enter a special time of prayer and preparation during Lent, and will celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation during the Easter Vigil liturgy on Holy Saturday.

Adults, Teens, and Children (over the age of 7) journey in separate but parallel tracks, joining together at special liturgies and ultimately at the Easter Vigil for Baptism.

Contact: Mary Birmingham 254-1595 x3068 mbirmingham@ascensioncatholicsch.org to find out more and to get started!

Click here to read more details about the process of becoming Catholic.

 

*** Adult Catholics who have been active in the life of the community, but for some reason were never confirmed, may prepare for the sacrament of Confirmation with others who also wish to complete their sacraments. These individuals will attend several formation days together and receive Confirmation together when the bishop comes to our parish to confer the sacrament.  Contact Deacon Tom Stauffacher at 242-4504 or proftom369@cfl.rr.com

 

Welcome to the Initiation Process!

You have come to us wanting to inquire into the Catholic way of life, or perhaps you already know that you want to become a Catholic. You may fall under one of the following categories of people who come to us. 

1. People who have never been baptized and desire to become a Catholic through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and Eucharist.

2. People who were baptized in another Church tradition and desire to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church by completing their sacraments of initiation into the Church (by celebrating the sacraments of confirmation and Eucharist).

3. Catholics who were baptized Catholic but never put the faith into practice and who also wish to complete the sacraments of initiation.

In summary, the way the Church initiates new members is through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and Eucharist.  If you are already baptized in another church tradition, the Catholic Church honors your baptism and believes that we already share a unity because of our common baptism.

Thus, in order to become a Catholic, the Church has given us a process to help you prepare for the initiation sacraments.  It is called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.  Sacraments are not things we receive.  They are encounters with God who is in relationship with us.  Sacraments are celebrations that invite the entire Church to experience the saving presence of Jesus Christ and to grow in  relationship with God.  Through these sacraments people are incorporated into the life of Christ within the Roman Catholic Tradition.

The process the Church has given us is designed to allow those seeking sacraments to develop a personal relationship with God and to become involved in the life of the community.  The process is designed to incorporate people seeking membership into the Catholic way of life—the way Catholics pray and give worship to God, the way we give service to others and what we believe--sacred Scripture and Christian  and Catholic teaching. 

How does this process work?
This process is designed much like an apprenticeship system is designed.  You journey with the community as it celebrates the life of Christ throughout the Church’s yearly cycle. You learn how to be a Catholic from the community itself---the way it prays, gives service, and how it puts what it believes into practice.  Just like the apprenticeship model, there are various stages to this journey of faith. A good analogy is the dating process.  A couple begins to date and get to know each other.  As they become more serious and decide to get married, they move to another stage in their relationship.  They ritualize that stage and their relationship by the presentation of an engagement ring. After a period of engagement the couple ritualizes their lifetime commitment to one another and they get married.

Each time you move to a different stage in the process it is marked by a ritual celebration.  The ritual celebrates what God has been doing in your life in the previous stage and then invites you to pass through to the next stage.

 THE FIRST STAGE is called the period of evangelization, (Or Inquiry). The Church also uses an ancient word: "precatechumenate." During this first stage you will spend time growing in your relationship with God, with Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  You will share with others and with a leader [catechist] how God has been part of your life and how God invites us to become more like him.  You will share stories from the Bible and you will be invited to see the way in which God has been active in the stories of your own life.  You will meet other members of the community and perhaps hear how they live out their Christian life.  You will begin the practice of calling on God in prayer. 

When does the precatechumenate meet?
We usually meet at 11:00 on Sunday mornings.  Sometimes we gather for other parish events as they occur.

How long does this first stage last?
There is no set time for this first stage.  It could be a matter of weeks or months.  It depends on each individual and his or her relationship with God. (It generally does not exceed a couple of months.)  It is up to you, your sponsor and the catechist to determine when it is time for you to move to the next stage of the process.  The Church provides some criteria for our discernment, things for us to consider when determining if a person is ready to move to the next stage.

When that time comes, the people who are seeking baptism celebrate a rite of passage called the rite of acceptance. (People who are already baptized may celebrate an optional rite called the rite of welcome).  These rites ritualize and celebrate the evangelization and conversion that has occurred and what God has accomplished in our life so far. You are thus invited to pass to the next stage called the period of the catechumenate.

THE SECOND STAGE of the process is called the
period of the catechumenate.  Those seeking baptism are now called catechumens.  As a catechumen, while not yet a full member, you are nevertheless a member of the household of God as you prepare for your full initiation.  The Christian training that takes place during this period is more focused and intentional.  It is based on the life of Christ that is celebrated in one complete Church year or yearly cycle. Your primary formation takes place in the Sunday liturgy where we hear stories of Christ’s life proclaimed.  After the Scripture is proclaimed in the liturgy, those in formation are invited to go with a leader [catechist] and reflect on the meaning of the Scriptures that were heard.  Thus, the training you will receive will be based on the seasons of the Church year and what we celebrate in those seasons, on the readings that we hear in the Sunday assembly, on the symbols we use, on Church teaching that comes to us from the liturgy we just celebrated and on doing acts of service. You will be challenged to go out into the world to be a dynamic disciple and follower of Jesus.  This is an extended period of formation. 

How long does this period last?
For a person who has had absolutely no prior experience or association with a church family whatsoever, this second stage is to span one complete Church cycle—that is one complete liturgical year from the time he or she entered this second stage.  Why? ---because the entire mystery of Christ is proclaimed in the gospel at Sunday Mass over an entire liturgical year.  Adherence to this new way of life in Christ [gospel living] takes at least one year to mature. 

For those who have had previous experience the time in this second stage is shorter, depending on each individual situation.

The word “class” is not used as that word assumes that it is your job to learn something before you can become a member.  Rather than "learn” [which you will] as a pre-requisite for membership, the Church prefers to walk with you on a journey until such time that the Catholic way of life has taken deep and lasting root in you. 

When does the catechumenate period meet?
This period of formation generally takes place on Sunday mornings as part of the 9:30 Mass with a session that follows until @12:15.  There are other times we meet for parish events and special activities that will be announced along the way.

At the end of this period another ritual is celebrated that marks what God has accomplished in you during the period of the catechumenate.  Those who are preparing for baptism celebrate a ritual called “the rite of election,” presided over by the bishop in Orlando.  This rite is another passageway into the next stage of the process. 

 THE THIRD STAGE  of the process is called the period of purification and enlightenment, otherwise known as LENT.  It is a time of retreat, renewal, discernment, prayer and more intense preparation for baptism, confirmation and Eucharist which usually is celebrated at the Easter Vigil. We celebrate special healing and purifying rituals with those who will be baptized in preparation for the sacraments. 

The rituals at the end of this stage are the initiation
sacraments of baptism, confirmation and Eucharist, which are celebrated during the Easter Vigil or during the Easter season.  Those sacraments are the rites of passage into the Church itself and into the next period of the process called mystagogy.  

How long does the period of purification and enlightenment last?   It lasts the six weeks of Lent.

THE FOURTH STAGE of the process is called the
period of mystagogy [a Greek word meaning “uncovering the mysteries]. It is a time to reflect on your experience of the sacraments you celebrated at the Easter Vigil, to grow in your understanding and appreciation of the Easter story of Jesus’ incredible sacrifice for us on the cross, and his resurrection from the dead. 

How long does this last period last?
This period lasts the seven weeks of the Easter season.  You and the other new Catholics are welcomed into the Sunday assembly as fully initiated members: as Catholics.

Are there meetings during this period?
Following Mass you will gather for a brief time to reflect on your life as a newly initiated Catholic.  You will meet for the seven weeks of Easter and then monthly for the following year.

What if I am already baptized or if I have already been a member of another church?
Every person comes to us with a history.  God has been present in your life, even if you have been unaware of his action and presence.  Some people have had a church family all their lives and simply want to continue their relationship with God in the Catholic Church.  Other people have never had much religious formation or upbringing at all.  Even though this process of preparing for the sacraments takes place in a group setting, each person moves through it at their own pace, depending on the religious history they bring and the formation they have already received [or not received].  You can begin the process at any time.

If you are an unbaptized [or baptized] person who has never had any religious formation, this is quite an extended [though incredibly wonderful and enriching] formation.  All of the stages mentioned would apply to you.  However, if you are a baptized person, with perhaps varying degrees of religious training and formation and participation in another Church tradition, the timetable is much different and varies according to your story and your religious history.  People move through the process at their own pace and according to their experience. No matter what your experience is (whether brief or more extended) we believe that you will find this journey to be very rewarding.

For those who are baptized and whose journey will be more abbreviated than the more extended process, you will be received into full communion of the Catholic Church at any time during the year when it is discerned you are ready. 

Do I need a sponsor?
Everyone who comes through the process will be provided a sponsor who will walk with them.  If you know an active member of the parish please let us know.  Perhaps that person would be your sponsor.  Your sponsor is not an expert Catholic.  His or her role is simply to journey with you, to talk with you about what is going on in your life and to be someone with whom to share your experience.  We strongly encourage you to call your sponsor throughout the week and to share what God is doing in your life. 

We welcome you with open arms. 
May our journey together be
blessed and filled with joy!