RCIA
Do you want to be a Catholic?
• Never baptized?
• Baptized in another church?
• Spouse or fiancée Catholic?
• Baptized a Catholic but never were formed in faith or received First Eucharist or Confirmation?
If you are seeking to find a faith you can embrace fully as your own, then we welcome you to explore with us what it means to be Catholic!
The RCIA Process
Persons who are seekers of faith are invited to enter a wonderful process with a big name: The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults or RCIA. Through this process people gather with others to explore, learn, discuss, question, experience and celebrate the Catholic faith. People are invited to begin this journey of faith at any time. They enter the church when they are ready, usually during an Easter Vigil, where they celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist. Those who are already baptized and feel drawn to become members of the Catholic Church are received into Full Communion at various times throughout the year depending upon their readiness. The process can take anywhere from 8 months to a year or more. Each individual’s own journey is respected and no one is ever pressured to enter the Catholic Church.
During the course of the process, members of the RCIA group are invited to participate in several preparatory Rites, which usually take place during Sunday Mass. Throughout the year, RCIA members that attend weekend Mass are dismissed after the homily to gather together to reflect on the homily and the Sunday readings until the end of Mass.
Who typically attends RCIA?
• Non-Catholics who are married to Catholics, whether unbaptized or baptized another faith
• Visitors who are interested in the Catholic Church, whether unbaptized or baptized in another faith
• Those who do not currently have a church home, but are looking for the faith experience found in the Catholic Church
• Adult Catholics who have not yet received the Sacraments or First Eucharist or Confirmation.
Should I expect to be ready to join the Catholic Church after attending the RCIA classes?
The RCIA proceeds in stages. Every individual’s faith experience is different and that is respected. No one is ever pressured to proceed to the next stage before they are ready. By the same token, no one is ever pressured to enter the Church – it must be a free and personal decision.
Is the RCIA the only way to become Catholic or for someone already Catholic to be Confirmed?
Depending on one’s faith experience and religious background, the RCIA process may not necessarily be the only way to come fully into the Catholic faith. An adult who has participated in Catholic education up to confirmation age and has been an active Catholic for many years is not required to be part of the RCIA process to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation. However preparation is still necessary.
For more information about our RCIA process, please contact the Pastoral Administrator, Dr. Jerry Green at (989) 828-5720, or email him directly at drjeromegreen@gmail.com to discuss options.