Before long, it will be time to embark on a spiritual journey entitled The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). RCIA is a process that invites all persons to explore, sometimes anew, the Catholic Christian Way of Life. The RCIA process has been designed for non-baptized persons who want to explore the Catholic Faith and as a result, choose to enter the Catholic Church. No participant in this process is obligated to join the Catholic Church.
In the way that it is designed, RCIA is far more than a head trip. It includes prayer, reflection, sharing, rites that signify important stages in the process and an invitation to fellowship with others in the Lord.
Persons who have been baptized and raised in the Catholic Faith are invited to attend sessions of this process to update our understanding and grasp of the Catholic Faith. Individuals can choose to attend specific sessions that cover areas of our faith-life in which they want to be updated. An effort is to be made to indicate in the bulletin the topic to be covered at the next session.
We are each aware of non-Catholic Christians who have been baptized and raised spiritually in non-Catholic Christian faith communities. It is for persons in this situation that the RCIA process can be adapted to meet their needs. Depending upon the unique spiritual background of each non-Catholic baptized person who wants to explore the Catholic Faith and join the Catholic Church, the number of sessions that it would be essential for that individual to attend can be significantly reduced. Hopefully, this news is encouraging.
All who want to explore the Catholic Faith are invited to contact one of the RCIA directors: at St. Mary Parish, Judy Pompei serves in this role. She can be reached at 419-589-3585. Sherry Stockmaster is the RCIA director at Resurrection Parish. She can be reached at 419-884-0060. Both of these ladies are equipped to answer questions that arise in regard to the RCIA process.
Weekly sessions for RCIA will begin later this summer. Participants in the RCIA process who are preparing for the Sacraments of Baptism and/or Confirmation will need to find Sponsors. A Sponsor serves as a spiritual role model for an individual who wants to receive Baptism and/or Confirmation. Sponsors accompany candidates on their spiritual journeys. For those who know now that they want to join the Catholic Church, it is not too early to pray and reflect about persons whom they want to serve in this vital role. The Church insists upon the following for those who would serve as Sponsors: that he/she be at least 16 years of age; that the prospective Sponsor has received the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. It is vital that one’s Sponsor continues to receive the Eucharist on a regular, frequent basis. It is thus assumed that if a married person is asked to serve as a Sponsor that she/he is in a marriage that is recognized by the Catholic Church.
Whether or not we come to the sessions of the RCIA process, we are all invited and encouraged to pray faithfully for those who do participate in this spiritual journey. The RCIA process calls each of us to be instruments of His renewing love in the ever-developing life of the Catholic Church.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Nelson Beaver – Pastor