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The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is the process by which people become members of the Roman Catholic Church. This catechetical program begins in the fall and continues until its culmination at the Easter Vigil.

The sessions are made up of presentations on various aspects of the Church’s teachings, including Scripture, Tradition, liturgy, and social justice. While these presentations make up the core of the actual meetings, the central principle of the RCIA is conversion. By entering into the journey through the RCIA, those who are participating join the paschal journey of Jesus Christ and are introduced to Church doctrine, prayer life, liturgy, and apostolic work.

RCIA is designed not only for those who seek to join the Catholic Church. Those who participate in the program fall into one of two categories. One group is called catechumens, those who have not been baptized into any Christian denomination and are preparing to receive the three sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil: baptism, confirmation and first Eucharist. The other group is called candidates, and is made up of those who have either been baptized into another Christian denomination, such as Lutheran or Presbyterian, or have been baptized Catholic. Those who have been baptized in another Christian denomination prepare to be received into the Catholic Church and receive first Eucharist and Confirmation.

The program is also for Catholics who have not yet been confirmed and would like to receive the sacrament of Confirmation. The RCIA program develops the faith of each individual who is going through the process while maintaining the ideals and visions of the Catholic community. Those who are going through the RCIA program are assigned a sponsor from St. Olaf, who serves as a spiritual companion who walks on the journey with the candidate or catechumen and offers support and encouragement.

Again this year, St. Olaf will have RCIA classes on Sunday mornings, following the 10:00 am Mass. In addition to those who are in the RCIA program, the classes will be open to the public to provide continuing faith formation for members of the parish community.

The presentations, given by myself and members of the St. Olaf staff, will begin after Mass in Fleming Hall and will last about an hour, followed by time for question and answer and small group faith sharing.

I invite you to think about adults you know who might be interested in joining the Church if they are not Catholic or if they are Catholic and have not yet been confirmed. Or perhaps you are interested in learning more about the Catholic faith and desire to join our faith community. The RCIA program is a tremendous learning experience, both for those who are preparing to receive sacraments and for the sponsors.

Members of the RCIA team will be available after all Masses on Sunday, September 9th to answer any questions you may have about the program and the first class, which will be on September 16th at 11:00 am in Fleming Hall.

Most importantly, I ask all of you to join me in prayer for this program, which will bring many people to journey closer to the Lord and bear much fruit for our parish.