What is RCIA/OCIA*?

Are you interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith and Traditions?

• Have you been touched by someone’s enthusiasm for their Catholic Faith and want to know more yourself
• Do you have a child attending St. Francis of Assisi school and you want to know more about the Catholic Faith so that you can share it as a family
• Are you interested in exploring your relationship with God
• Do you have burning questions about the Catholic Church or your journey of faith
  
  

The Church has a way of welcoming people who want to know more and perhaps become a member of the Catholic Church. You may have heard of RCIA, which stands for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. The RCIA process begins when someone first inquires about learning more about the Church. That path proceeds to your reception of the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist and beyond. RCIA has been renamed to "Order of Christian Initiation of Adults" or OCIA. We still use "RCIA" because it is well-known.

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA/OCIA) is for those not yet baptized, those baptized in another Christian Tradition and those who are un-catechized but were baptized in the Catholic Church. Those interested in the Rite of Christian Initiation process will start meeting in September.

What is the Inquiry Period of RCIA/OCIA?
In the inquiry stage, you’re just finding out about Jesus, Christianity, and the Catholic Church. Talk to people, walk around in our shoes for a bit and get a feel for the place.
Your main task here is to develop your faith a little bit. Get to know Christ, prayer, the Catholic Church, and how Christians live. That’s the only way you can make an informed decision about entering the Catholic Church. To put it more simply: you need to fall in love with Jesus.
We encourage you to begin by attending our next Alpha session.


What are the steps of RCIA?
Prior to beginning the RCIA process, an individual comes to some knowledge of Jesus Christ, considers his or her relationship with Jesus Christ and is usually attracted in some way to the Catholic Church. This period is known as the Period of Evangelization and Pre-catechumenate. For some, this process involves a long period of searching; for others, a shorter time. Often, contact with people of faith and a personal faith experience lead people to inquire about the Catholic Church. After a conversation with a priest, or RCIA director, the person, known as an "inquirer," may seek acceptance into the Order of Catechumens, through the Rite of Acceptance. During this Rite, the inquirer stands amidst the parish community and states that he or she wants to become a baptized member of the Catholic Church. The parish assembly affirms this desire and the inquirer becomes a Catechumen.
If you are an Adult and wish to find out if this process is right for you, please contact Father Dick in the Parish Office, to set up an appointment to discuss the process and receive paperwork.

If your child is 7 years or older and has not been Baptized, contact Cheryl Brooten, (206) 242-4575, ext. 24 for information about the Rite of Christian Initiation of Children (RCIC) process.

*RCIA has been renamed to "Order of Christian Initiation of Adults" OCIA.