RCIA - Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults

Welcome from the Bishops

1. Welcoming new members is one of the most wonderful experiences in the life of the Church. It brings new life and vigour not only to the newly baptised but to the whole Church community.

2. In the early Church, people seeking baptism spent a long time in formation. As more people were baptised as infants, this process, known as the catechumenate, almost disappeared.

3. When the bishops of the Second Vatican Council were considering effective ways to spread the Good News to the world in the twentieth century and to enrich the life of the Church with new members, they decided to restore the adult catechumenate.

4. Introduced in 1972 and presented in final form in 1986, the Church's Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is now the norm for all who desire to become Catholic.
Children of catechetical age should be initiated in the same manner as adults (RCIA 3).

5. So the rite is not optional: it is the normative way that the Catholic Church welcomes new members.

6. To people who grew up with the notion of Church as a place where the priest did all the important things, the RCIA presents a vision of the Church that is vastly different. The RCIA involves everyone – all Catholics, laity and ordained alike, share the work of responding to those who desire to follow Christ with us, as members of the Catholic Church.

7. What happens in the liturgical rites of the RCIA journey is powerful and important. The catechumens and candidates learn to 'turn more readily to God in prayer' as they pray with the community. They walk with catechists and sponsors to come 'to a profound sense of the mystery of salvation', and learn 'how to work actively with others to spread the Gospel and build up the Church' (RCIA 75).

8. The Rite tells us that, as well as initiating people into the teachings of the Church, we are initiating them into a community of believers who express their belief in the liturgy they celebrate together and in the lives they lead.

9. The RCIA challenges us, as a community, to be:

• people of the Word
• people of the Eucharist
• people of hospitality
• people of the story of salvation history
• people of conversion
• people of mission.

10. The role of this community, beautifully expressed in the words of the Rite itself, is 'to surround the Elect with prayer, so that the entire Church will accompany and lead them to encounter Chirst' (RCIA 108).

11. The implementation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults in parishes is to be in accord with the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference Policy Welcoming New Members.

Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me.
Jeremiah 29:12-14

1. A Welcoming Parish

2. Forming an RCIA Team

...in their diversity, all bear witness to the admirable unity of the Body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12: 11

3. Parish Priest

4. Catechists

"And this is the job of the catechist: constantly to go forth to others out of love to bear witness and to talk about Jesus, to proclaim Jesus. This is important because the Lord does it; it is the Lord that impels us to go forth."
- Pope Francis

5. Ministers of Hospitality

6. Catechumens or Candidates?

Resources:

• Valid Baptisms
• Discerning the appropriate process for people wanting to become Catholic. See table below for guidelines:

• The Heart of Faith [A Field Guide for Catechumens & Candidates] Nick Wagner Twenty Third Publications

7. Sponsors and Godparents

Content and Outline of RCIA Sessions

The early Christian Church faced the task of making Christians in the cosmopolitan and sometimes hostile Roman Empire. To assist with this task the Church identified five important touchstones of the Christian life. They were:

Period 1 – The Precatechumenate

The emphasis of the Period of Evangelisation and Precatechumenate or the Enquiry Period is on welcoming the enquirers, seeking to answer any questions they have, helping them to recognise the call of God in their lives and giving them a taste of what it is to be part of the Catholic Church.

It is important to keep in mind that this Period of Evangelisation may extend outside of your planned programme. Here is a short video that offers a few easy ways you can evangelise during this period or even perhaps before your planned sessions begin.

6 Sessions

The sessions outlined below are intended as one helpful model. They do not need to be slavishly followed. Depending on the needs of the enquirers you may choose to have less or more 6 sessions. The emphasis should be on using this time to answer any questions the enquirers have.

These sessions are based on those in the book, 'Come and See', by Elio Capra SDB.

1. Welcome to the RCIA/An Exploration of the Inquiry Period/This is a Time for Questions/A Tour around the Church
2. Come and See – What Our Community Believes/Images of God/Catholicism in perspective
3. Come and See – How Our Community Lives/ Being Catholic Today
4. Come and See – How Our Community Prays/ Ways of Praying/Seasons of the Church.
5. Come and See – How Our Community Serves and Ministers/Some examples.
6. Are you ready to Move On? An Exploration of the Period of the Catechumenate, and of The Rite of Acceptance.

Nick Wagner, from Team RCIA presents five important questions to ask your enquirers sometime during this Precatechumenate process. You may need to adapt them slightly to suit your enquirers.

How do you discern whether the inquirer is ready for the Rite of Acceptance and entry into the catechumenate?

What do you ask of God's Church?

Period 2 - The Catechumenate

It must be emphasised that catechists should strive in each session to achieve the balance between the head, heart and hand dimensions of faith. In practice this means that input on the topic by the catechist should be limited to ten or fifteen minutes of an hour-long session. The rest of the time should include prayer, reflection on scripture, faith sharing and discussion of any questions raised.

The following topics will be covered at some stage during the process, not necessarily in the order given, but as far as possible ordered by the focus of the Sunday readings and the teaching points that emerge from there.

32 Sessions

(First 12 sessions are on articles of the Apostles Creed)

1. I believe [faith]
2. in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth,
3. and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
4. who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary
5. suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell;
6. on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
7. from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
8. I believe in the Holy Spirit,
9. the holy catholic Church,
10. the Communion of saints,
11. the forgiveness of sins,
12. the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
13. Mary (under her various titles) 
14. Saints
15. The Old Testament (a Catholic perspective)
16. The New Testament (a Catholic perspective)
17. Prayer (What, why, how, when and where)
18. Prayer (continued) 
19. Sacraments and sacramentality (a general explanation)
20. The Sacrament of Baptism 
21. The Sacrament of Confirmation
22. The Sacrament of the Eucharist (brief history and form of the Mass)
23. Eucharist (the meaning and significance)
24. The Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation
25. The Sacrament of Holy Orders
26. The Sacrament of Matrimony
27. The Sacrament of the Sick
28. The Church (as a mystery, the sacrament of Christ, People of God etc.)
29. The Church (brief history and structure)
30. The Moral Life
31. Social and Environmental Justice
32. Preparation for the Rite of Election

Period 3 - The Enlightenment

‘This is a period of more intense spiritual preparation, consisting more in interior reflection than in catechetical instruction ...’

(RCIA n.126).

Accordingly the sessions in this period are based on reflection on the gospels for the Sundays in Lent – Year A, and preparation for; the various Scrutinies, the presentation of the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, and the Sacraments of Initiation.

It is common for RCIA teams to organise a brief retreat for participants towards the end of Lent e.g. on Palm Sunday or Easter Saturday. 

6 Sessions

• Temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4: 1-11)
• The Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9)
• The Woman at the Well (John 4: 4-4) First Scrutiny [for the Elect i.e. unbaptised] and Presentation of Creed at Sunday Mass
• The Man Born Blind (John 9: 1-41) Second Scrutiny
• The Raising of Lazarus (11: 1-45) Third Scrutiny and Presentation of the Lord’s Prayer
• Passion Sunday – Preparation for Holy Week: Passion Sunday, Chrism Mass, Holy Thursday – Mass of the Last Supper, Good Friday, Saturday – the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday.

Here are short reflections from TeamRCIA for each day of Holy Week:
Spy Wednesday
Holy Thursday
Good Friday
Holy Saturday
The Easter Vigil

Easter Vigil

Celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation for the Elect and/or Celebration of the Rite of Reception of Baptised Christians into the Full Communion of the Catholic Church for those already baptised, followed by the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist.

Period 4 - The Mystagogia

This is a time for the community and the neophytes (the newly baptised) together, to grow in deepening their grasp of the paschal mystery and in making it part of their lives through meditation on the gospel, sharing in the Eucharist, and doing the works of charity (RCIA 234 NZ). The sessions in this period are built around reflection on the Scripture readings of the Season, reflection on the new Catholics’ journey so far, in particular their experience of celebrating the rites of Easter, and consideration of opportunities for service and ministry.

Once again the needs of the participants may require a different pattern of sessions e.g. monthly meetings extending to December.

6 Sessions

• Jesus appears to his disciples (Jn. 20: 10-31)
• The road to Emmaus (Luke 24: 13-35)
• The Good Shepherd (Jn 10:1-10)
• The Last Supper (Jn 14: 1-12)
• The Advocate – the Holy Spirit (Jn 14: 15-21)
• The Prayer of Jesus (Jn 17: 1-11a)

In addition to the reflection on the Scriptures, each week someone from one of the following parish or diocesan groups or organizations may be invited to speak to the new Catholics, if they have not already done so: St. Vincent de Paul, soup kitchen, musicians, Scripture Readers, Eucharistic Ministers, Refugee and Migrant services, prison visitors, Caritas, Catholic Social Services, Prayer group etc. (These are just examples. Adapt to suit your local circumstances).

Candidate: a baptised Christian who is preparing to enter the Catholic Church. Candidates must be distinguished from catechumens (see below). Note that the Rite document uses the term candidate to refer to those participating in one of the rites celebrated during the process (such as the Rite of Acceptance). This may include enquirers, catechumens or baptised Christians.

Catechesis: this is the art of helping people to mature in faith. It is defined in the General Directory for Catechesis (1997) as ‘nothing other than the process of transmitting the Gospel, as the Christian community has received it, understands it, celebrates it, lives it, and communicates it in many ways’ (GDC n. 105).

Catechist: one engaged in catechesis (see above).

Catechumen: an unbaptised person who has been received into the Catholic community through the Rite of Acceptance and who is preparing for the sacraments of initiation.

Discernment: this is the process by which the church community measures the conversion of the enquirer, catechumen and candidate. For example, before someone may be accepted for baptism, the community must make a judgement about his or her readiness (RCIA 112).

The Dismissal: this is the term for the ritual following the Liturgy of the Word at the Sunday Mass by which catechumens, with their catechists and sponsors, are sent forth to reflect on the Scriptures and further explore the life of faith.

The Elect: term for catechumens who have celebrated a Rite of Election and are pursuing a time of reflection and spiritual preparation (normally during Lent) prior to receiving the sacraments of initiation.

Enquirer: someone exploring the Catholic faith prior to making a decision to seek to join the Catholic Church. An enquirer may also be called a ‘pre-catechumen’.

Neophyte: a newly initiated person.

The Period of Enquiry: the first phase of the RCIA during which potential catechumens or candidates are encouraged to ask questions about the Catholic faith.

The Period of Evangelisation and Pre-Catechumenate: another name for Enquiry Phase (see above).

The Period of the Catechumenate: the second phase of the RCIA process following the Rite of Acceptance. During this period catechumens, with the help of catechists and sponsors, strive to deepen their faith as they prepare for the Rite of Election.

The Period of Purification and Enlightenment: the name for the third phase of the RCIA. Usually during the Lenten period, it is a time of reflection in preparation for the celebration of initiation at the Easter Vigil.

The Period of the Mystagogia: the fourth and final phase of the RCIA process. It follows the celebration of initiation and usually occupies the time between Easter and Pentecost. During this Easter season the new Catholics reflect through mystagogical catechesis on their faith journey and prepare for its continuation in the midst of the People of God.

The Rite of Acceptance: is the liturgical celebration by which those who have completed the Enquiry phase declare their intention to become members of the Church, and thus is the first public rite for those becoming Catholic. It marks the transition from inquiry period to catechumenate period. Through this rite, the catechumens and candidates enter into the Catechumenate phase, where they strive to deepen their faith.

The Rite of Election: is usually celebrated in the presence of the bishop on the First Sunday of Lent. This liturgical rite marks the journey from the Period of the Catechumenate to the period of Purification and Enlightenment.

The Order of Christian Initiation: celebrates the completion of the journey of preparation. The Elect are baptised, confirmed and welcomed to the Table of the Eucharist for the first time. The Candidates (who have already been baptised) are welcomed into full communion with the Catholic Church through a formal profession of faith; they are confirmed (if this has not already happened) and are welcomed to the Table of the Eucharist.

Scrutinies: these rites are usually held on the Third, Fourth and Fifth Sundays of Lent using the Cycle A Readings. They are for the Elect (unbaptised) only and are intended to help and strengthen them in their spiritual preparation as they travel towards Easter and the sacraments of initiation.

Find below the weekly newsletter from TeamRCIA

Find here an archived list of weekly newsletters.

Encountering the Divine

This is a small collection of encounter stories written by people in Aotearoa NZ. There are fuller descriptions and introductions in the foreword of the document and on the host web-site.

Faith Journey

Resources to share and grow your Catholic faith as a family.

"Laudato Si" - Our Common Home

faithjourney.co.nz