The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is the order for initiation into the Catholic Church.
We believe that God extends his personal call to individuals to learn more about whom God is and what he has done for all of us. He extends his loving invitation to recognize our sinfulness and our need to receive God's reconciling love offered through his life, death and resurrection. Jesus calls us to become members of his body which is the Church. The fullness of Jesus' plan for humanity can be found in the Catholic Church.
St. Mary's RCIA strives to promote the catechetical education as provided by the Magisterium of the Church gathered from Holy Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In addition, St. Mary's RCIA emphasizes the liturgical aspect of learning about the celebrations of the Church and the pastoral guidance of those interested in becoming Catholic.
For those wondering what entrance into the Catholic Church entails:
If you have not been baptized, the Christian initiation process prepares you to become a Catholic Christian by celebrating and receiving what we call the sacraments of Christian initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist or Holy Communion. These sacraments of initiation fully incorporate us into the life of God and make us members of his Church.
If you have been baptized in another Christian tradition, the initiation process prepares you to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church by celebrating the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist or Holy Communion.
We invite you to learn what the Catholic Church teaches in an open and welcoming environment. These sessions also are opportunities for you to ask those perplexing and difficult questions you may have about the Church. We also welcome those who are Catholic and would just like to re-acquaint themselves with or renew their understanding of our beautiful Catholic faith.
Meetings will be every Wednesday night from 6-7:30pm beginning September 15. Registration is FREE! For more information or to register, please contact the Director of Religious Education, Sara Boettcher through the form below or 830-997-9523.