Invite a friend or neighbor to check out the Catholic Church. Come with them and grow in your own faith. Babysitting is available Programming for children 7 and older available Food & drinks will be provided.

RCIA (The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) is an ongoing process of study, reflection and growth supported by prayer, worship, and fun to help persons become members of the Roman Catholic Church.  We are always willing to share our Faith and understanding of God to whomever is curious or interested. There is no pressure or obligation to continue at anytime.  Normally the initiation process and reception into the Church takes about a year. However each person is unique and consequently the time period may vary and there is no pressure.  Each person is encouraged to move as Jesus speaks to him or her. For more information, please contact the church office

THE RCIA PROCESS:

Inquiry (Pre-Catechumenate): Anyone 15 years of age or older is welcome to attend.  Come and meet fellow inquirers and ask any questions that may come to mind.  St. Patrick Parish has an ongoing inquiry session and you may start at any time.

Catechumenate:  This part follows the Rite of Acceptance and Welcoming, after the person has expressed a desire to know more about joining the Catholic Church.  Catechumens and Candidates now learn more about the life and worship of the Church.  On Sunday, they attend part of the Mass and are dismissed after the Homily.  On dismissal, they meet with a catechist to instruct them on the readings of that particular Sunday and how it applies to their daily lives.

Purification & Enlightenment: By now Catechumens and Candidates have a real desire to join the Catholic Church.  From Ash Wednesday to Easter, in-depth instruction and support by sponsors is given to future new members of our Catholic Family.  The culmination of this stage is the wonderful Rite of Reception into the Church at the Great Easter Vigil.

Mystagogy: As new members of the Catholic Church, the converts are helped to understand the mysteries of the Church and are given opportunities to offer help when needed in their church family.  Sponsors and other church members are there to help these new members.

The facilitators are the RCIA team and members of the St. Patrick Church community.  Most of the meetings are group-oriented.  Catechumens and Candidates are encouraged to actively participate at all sessions.  If a special problem arises, team members or even the parish priest will be happy to assist.

A sponsor is a Catholic in good standing who is willing to share the Catholic faith with the inquirer and attend sessions with them.  The sponsor becomes a companion along the faith journey.  You must have a sponsor when you enter the Catechumenate or Candidate stage.  The RCIA team will help you find a sponsor if you do not have one.

Catechumens are those people who are entering the church and have never been baptized in any church.
Candidates are people who are entering the church and have been baptized in another faith church.

The RCIA Process for Children

The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, modified for children, is customized to be more suitable to the child’s age, and also typically requires attendance in the Religious Education classes held for students on Sunday. Please have the child come with an Adult to an Inquiry Session to have your questions answered.

Catholics belong to the faith community called the Church where we grow, search and build our relationship with God and God’s people.  On Sunday Catholics all over the world worship God together.  The Eucharist celebrates our oneness with God and with each other, and to ask God’s help in living as Jesus did.

The leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, consults with bishops from all over the world about important matters of faith and morals.  He is the guide to the people of God in relating faith to contemporary life.

Bishops and priests help us to identify how God is at work in our lives and in the world.

The Church is our special meeting place with God and God’s people.  It is in our day to day lives that we try to reach out to God moment by moment.

Our church community has something very special to offer, and we would like to share it with you!

Eight individuals took the next step in the formation process as they discern and prepare for full communion with the Church through RCIA.  In the rites that took place at Sunday’s Mass, we as a parish community committed to getting to know these individuals and to helping them in their formation in the faith (especially through our prayers). In the upcoming weeks a poster with pictures of the catechumens and candidates will be placed in the narthex. Please check it out and fill out a sheet committing to pray for these individuals between now and Easter.

All photos courtesy of Stan Sandhoe.

The photo below is courtesy of Stan Sandoe and was taken at the 11:00 Mass on October 20, 2013.