How to Go Through Catholic R.C.I.A.

R.C.I.A. is the process and rite through which many adults join the Catholic Church.

Instructions

1. R.C.I.A. (The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) is actually a revival of an older practice whereby people joined the Church. It is designed to educate converts in the Catholic faith and prepare them to receive the sacraments of the Church.

2. The process attracts non-Catholics who are about to marry Catholics, people who were baptized in the Church at birth but never confirmed and others who have just decided that the Church best fits their beliefs.

3. Different parishes handle R.C.I.A. different ways and the classes can run anywhere from a few months to two years. Ordinarily though, the process lasts anywhere from late spring, summer or early fall until the Easter vigil (the evening before Easter). A lot depends on the convert's marital and baptismal status, as well as his pre-existing knowledge of the faith and experience in other Christian denominations.

4. Anyone who has divorced and remarried will have to obtain an annulment of their first marriage before they can join the Church, and indeed the subjects of marriage, divorce and annulment can take up a good deal of the discussion time in the classes.

5. If a person has already been baptized according to the Trinitarian formula, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, she will not need to be baptized again. But baptisms "in the name of Jesus" or "in the name of the Holy Spirit" are not considered valid. A person entering the Church who has already been baptized is called a "candidate," while an unbaptized or invalidly-baptized person is referred to as a "catechumen." Candidates can sometimes take the "fast track" towards joining the Church.

6. The prospective convert starts out with a period of inquiry, where he is evangelized and gets an overview of what it means to be a Catholic. This is the pre-catechumenate period. The prospective convert then selects a sponsor or godparent, a Catholic in good standing who will ideally accompany him to all meetings, classes and ceremonies.

7. If she decides to proceed, she goes before the Church community and announces her intention to join the Church and become part of the Order of Catechumens. The priest performs the Rite of Acceptance and the community then gives her their consent. She is often then presented with a cross to wear around her neck and a Bible.

8. The next stage is the Catechumenate, which can last for months or years. The faith is studied in even more depth and the catechumen prays and contemplates further about the step he is taking.

9. Next comes the Rite of Election and Enrollment. The catechumen again goes before the community and announces her intention to have her name enrolled on the list to join the Church at the Easter vigil. The Bishop receives her, and again the people give their consent.

10. A period of extreme purification and enlightenment follow. This usually occurs during the season of Lent. The catechumen tries to discern if he is ready to join the Church, if he has truly had a conversion in both mind in action, if he is filled with faith and charity, if he knows the Catholic faith and if he is ready to receive the sacraments. At this time, he makes his first confession and if he receives absolution, he is ready to move on to the next step.

11. On the evening before Easter Sunday, the catechumens and candidates are brought into the church, where the Bishop baptizes those needing baptism, confirms all by anointing them with sacred chrism and gives them Christ in the Eucharist.

12. From Easter Sunday to Pentecost, the neophyte Catholic goes through one final stage, the mystagogia, wherein she is instructed further in the faith and is prepared to go out into the world as a member of Christ's Body, the Church.