RCIA is the gateway to the Catholic Church

    What is the RCIA? Unfortunately, many Catholics know little or nothing about it, beyond what those initials represent. It is likely that some do not even know that they stand for “Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.” However, to persist in such ignorance is unacceptable, and even more so as we prepare to enter into what our Holy Father has designated as a Year of Faith (officially beginning on Oct. 11).
    The RCIA is an indispensable element in Catholic efforts to evangelize. A Protestant preacher once defined evangelization as “one beggar telling another where he found bread.” As Catholics, we can recognize that precious, life-sustaining bread as none other than Jesus himself, the Bread of Life, the Eucharist.
    Pope Paul VI once famously wrote, “The Church exists in order to evangelize” – meaning that our eucharistic faith was never meant to be kept to ourselves. Rather, it is the Good News that Christ intended for his followers to share with every human being, to the ends of the earth.
    Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:14-16a are therefore addressed to all believers: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others …”
    How can this light shine? Certainly, it can (and should) come across through what we say about our faith, but it shines most brightly through how we live on the basis of that faith. Thus, St. Francis of Assisi once reportedly told his followers, “Go! Preach the Gospel. And, if you must, use words.”
    Evangelization, or faith-sharing, can be carried out in various ways, but Pope Paul clearly meant that every baptized believer is to actively seek opportunities to share the faith with those who come within his or her sphere of influence. However, after our faith-rooted words or deeds have struck the heart of a friend, a coworker, a neighbor or the person behind us in the supermarket checkout line, what then?
    Once people have been exposed to our Catholic faith in a way that ignites their hunger to learn more – whether they are already baptized or not – the RCIA is the name given to the official process developed by the church to feed that hunger. This process (which might aptly be called “the gateway into Catholicism”) is meant not only to acquaint seekers with the essential doctrines of the faith, but also to give them an insider’s view of how Catholics actually worship and pray. It also exposes them to other faith expressions within and beyond the particular parish community in which they are becoming increasingly involved via the RCIA.
    The RCIA process normally culminates in the celebration of the sacraments of initiation – baptism, first Eucharist and confirmation – at the Easter vigil. However, those who have already been validly baptized in a different Christian tradition are never re-baptized because they are already members of the Christian family. Baptized Catholics, who for whatever reason have never completed their initiation in the faith, may also participate in the RCIA process as a part of their preparation for reconciliation, first reception of the Eucharist, and/or confirmation.
    The RCIA experience – also sometimes called the catechumenate – is the journey or process in which parish catechumenal ministers are called to shepherd their RCIA participants toward their initiation (or the completion of their initiation) into membership in the church. It involves three distinct, but interrelated components or aspects: pastoral, catechetical and liturgical. Through careful attention to each of these three aspects, participants become acquainted with the most crucial dimensions of the Catholic faith as they proceed through the four distinct stages, or periods, that comprise the RCIA process.
    Transitions from one period to the next normally are marked by liturgical celebrations in the midst of the parish community. These celebrations help the participants and the community become better acquainted with one another as the participants draw closer to becoming full members of a local faith community and the global Catholic community. Throughout their journey, catechumens are closely accompanied by their godparents, while candidates are accompanied by their sponsors.
    Please see the accompanying box on this page for information on upcoming RCIA workshops in the archdiocese, sponsored by the Office of Religious Education. Rome has indicated that all catechesis in the Catholic faith should be modeled upon the RCIA, so all of those serving as catechists in Catholic schools or in Parish Schools of Religion can also benefit from this workshop.
    Walter Bonam is associate director of Evangelization and Catechumenate for the archdiocesan Office of Religious Education. He can be reached at [email protected].