RCIA

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a process through which adults learn about the teachings of Jesus as the Catholic Church has handed them on and put these teachings into practice by living as part of the Catholic community, serving others and praying.


RCIA is for three groups of people

RCIA has several aspects

Spiritual – candidates attend part of Sunday Mass as a group each week. They learn new ways of praying, and they look into themselves to discover what God is saying to them now.

Educational – candidates learn what the Catholic Church believes about God, about Jesus, about the Bible, and about what the Church teaches.

Community – candidates are encouraged to be part of the parish and to attend parish events and celebrations. Their sponsors are representatives of the parish community.

Service – In the Bible, Jesus directs us to “love your neighbor as yourself”, and lets us know that “whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me.” Following Jesus, RCIA asks each candidate to contribute 4 hours of service to the needy between September and March.

Time

At Holy Name, the next session of RCIA will begin on Sunday, September 23, 2007, and end on Holy Saturday (the night before Easter), March 22, 2008. We meet each Sunday morning, except for the Sundays near Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. The Sunday morning schedule looks like this:

9:30 AM Meet in the Cathedral for Mass
10:00 AM Candidates are given a blessing and dismissed to the Parish Center for “Breaking Open the Word”
10:30 AM Sponsors join candidates after Mass for coffee and light breakfast
11:00 AM Input session – a teaching on a major aspect of the Catholic faith
12:00 noon End of session

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Some ask if attending RCIA is like taking a course. It is and it isn’t! Most importantly, RCIA is a process which helps a person figure out what God is saying to him or her at this point in life. The emphasis is on personal reflection and prayer. Many sessions involve formal presentations on subjects such as God, Jesus, the Sacraments, and the Church. There are no quizzes or exams.

Many ask if a fiancé, spouse or friend may act as a sponsor. The answer is yes, as long as this person is a baptized and confirmed Catholic. Sponsors are expected to attend all Sunday morning sessions and the annual retreat. Additionally, Holy Name is blessed with a number of parishioners who volunteer to act as sponsors.

RCIA will give each candidate a small book called “Handbook for Today’s Catholic”, and a Bible.

What is the charge for RCIA? There is no cost. RCIA is an important component of Holy Name’s mandate to spread the Gospel.

Sometimes, because of business, personal travel or illness, people find themselves unable to attend a Sunday morning session. For these rare occasions, make-up sessions will be held on Tuesday evenings at 6:00 PM.

Once someone begins RCIA, he or she is not required to complete it. Sometimes people begin RCIA and, after several sessions, realize they are not ready to be received into the Church. There is no pressure to complete the process.

Important

The first 3 RCIA sessions (on September 23 and 30, and on October 7) will begin at 10:30 AM and end at 12:00 noon. They will take place in the Parish Center – across the courtyard from the Cathedral.

If you think you would like to be part of Holy Name Cathedral’s RCIA, or if you would like more information, please call Ann Klocke, RCIA Director, at 312-573-4467 (direct) or e-mail annk@holynamecathedral.org.

 

. . If you search for God honestly and sincerely, you will find Him. . . .
For Yahweh, your God, is a merciful God and will not desert . . . you . . .

Deut. 4:29-31