The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

The RCIA is the process by which men and women become members of the Catholic Church.  When inspired by the Holy Spirit, a person ought to begin asking questions from their local church.  The ideal is that a church would have a team of members ready to walk in Faith with such a person.  However, the reality is that many church communities will wait for a small group of "inquirers" to form and have their RCIA team leaders begin this process approximately thirty weeks before Easter. 

The RCIA takes places within the context of the parish community, and after a suitable period of formation, culminates in the celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation.

Formation includes several areas:

Ô   Scripture: the stories of God’s people

Ô   Teaching: how we communicate with God

Ô   Liturgy: how the community worships

Ô   Mission: how we live out what we believe