Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
Those who are not baptized by the “age of reason” (normally understood as seven years of age) come into the Church through the RCIA process (canon 852) unless there are exceptional circumstances. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is the way that the Catholic Church initiates new members.
The RCIA process is concerned with the total formation of the person into believing with the Church community (doctrinal formation), living with the Church community (practical formation), and serving with the Church community (apostolic formation).
Since the RCIA is a process, there should be no pre-determined time frame for instruction and formation. An experience of growth and conversion cannot be predicted, nor contained. For someone who is neither baptized, nor familiar with the faith, we may be doing a great injustice by expecting them to grow into active members of the Church and community in a few months time and in a set time frame.
There are four main periods of the RCIA process:
The Pre-catechumenate, or Inquiry Period
The Catechumenate
Purification and Enlightenment
Mystagogy.
With the exception of Purification and Enlightenment, which takes place during Lent, an ongoing RCIA process may have all periods active at any given time. Our process at St. Dominic currently has several people in the Pre-catechumenate, Catechumenate, and Mystagogy Periods.
Quite often, people are baptized in a non-Catholic Christian church and now wish to become Catholic. These people make a solemn profession of faith and are then confirmed and share Eucharist with the community for the first time. At St. Dominic, we normally receive these baptized, non-Catholic Christians into full Communion with the Catholic Church during Easter, although a baptized, catechized, person may come into full communion at any time.
A person who was baptized Catholic, but not catechized, or raised in the faith, also comes into full communion through the RCIA process.
If you have any questions about the process, please call me at 471-7741 x.415 or e-mail me at Deaconmark@stdominicdelhi.org.