What Is The RCIA Ministry?

The RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) is the ministry of the Catholic Church that guides adults (teens and older) in becoming fully initiated Catholics whether they be unbaptized, baptized in another Christian tradition, or Catholics who have not fully completed their initiation. A fully-initiated Catholic has received the three sacraments of initiation; Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation.

The equivalent of the RCIA had developed in the Church by the third century, but fell into disuse by the fifth century after most individuals were baptized as infants. The modern RCIA was brought back by the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), and was implemented at St. Thomas in 1982.

The St. Thomas RCIA ministry consists of the individuals, known as the Core Team, who coordinate the various elements and processes of the RCIA. Additional ministry members include catechists, sponsors, and hospitality providers.

The STV RCIA provides its participants with an initiation faith journey that leads each to full initiation in the Church, and beyond, to a deeper integration into the life of the parish. Each participant may begin this journey at any time of the year. The journey is customized in length and character to the specific background and needs of the participant, and is designed to meet both the spiritual and educational needs of the individual.

The initiation faith journey is structured in terms of the four periods or phases listed below:

• Inquiry,
• Catechumenate,
• Period of Purification and Enlightenment; and
• Mystagogy

Unbaptized participants, known as catechumens, are initiated into the Church at Easter. They receive all the sacraments of initiation. Baptized participants, known as candidates, are received into the Church at any liturgically appropriate time of the year, and receive the Eucharist and Confirmation, or Confirmation alone, depending on the participant's situation.

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The First Phase — The Inquiry

The first phase of the RCIA initiation faith journey, which leads each participant to full initiation in the Catholic Church, is known as Inquiry. As its name implies, a principal purpose of Inquiry is to provide the participant with the time he/she needs to "inquire" about becoming Catholic, to address any questions or concerns about the Catholic faith. Thus, Inquiry is the "kicking the tires" or "getting your feet wet" phase of the initiation faith journey. The participant, or Inquirer, is under no pressure or obligation to continue the process.

Who are the people who come to Inquiry? They are often the spouse of a Catholic and want to share the faith of their family, or have been influenced by a liturgy or CHRP experience at St. Thomas. Perhaps they have been drawn to us by Catholic teaching, or have been impressed by the deeply-felt faith of a Catholic friend. Some are Catholics who never completed their initiation in the Church. Many participants are attracted to the St. Thomas community spirit. Whatever the reason(s), we believe that each participant has been called by God to consider becoming a fully-initiated Catholic, whether the person is new to the faith, deeply knowledgeable and faithful, or somewhere in-between.

Inquirers attend weekly meetings on Wednesday evenings at the home of an RCIA team member. Meetings last about 1 1/2 hours. Since the STV RCIA is a continuous program, participants may begin Inquiry at any time of the year. There are typically three to five Inquirers at any one time, and the average Inquirer spends about three to five months in Inquiry.

Inquirers are given booklets and specially prepared presentations about the Catholic faith. Some of the topics covered are; the Bible, the Mass, the Sacraments, the liturgical year and saints, Catholic spirituality, structure of the Church, history of the Church, and Catholic social teaching. Questions are strongly encouraged. Videos are shown. Open-ended discussions and faith-sharing often occur. Prayer and Bible reading play an important part.

The individual who completes Inquiry has made a firm commitment to continue the initiation faith journey and become a fully initiated Catholic.

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The Second Phase — The Catechumenate

Once a participant on the STV RCIA initiation faith journey completes the first phase, Inquiry, discerning a desire to become a fully initiated Catholic, he or she enters the second, and principle, phase of this journey, the Catechumenate.

The Catechumenate, or "spiritual/religious teaching," that is, is based upon the particular reading from the Bible heard at the Mass each Sunday. These readings are used to more deeply teach the participant about the Catholic Christian faith, spirituality, and practices. The participants, catechumen (not baptized) and candidates (baptized), attend the 9:30 a.m. Sunday Mass with the RCIA community, dismiss after the homily and move to the parish office with a trained catechist (spiritual teacher) for their catechumenate meetings which last until about noon.

Each participant is assigned a sponsor at the beginning of the Catechumenate, a member of the STV community who acts as a companion and mentor to the participant during the remainder of his/her RCIA journey.

Participants begin the catechumenate with the Rite of Welcoming and/or Acceptance celebrated at the Sunday 9:30 a.m. Mass. The typical participant spends about 9 to 10 months in the Catechumenate, although this time can vary somewhat depending upon the participant's situation.

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The Third Phase — Period of Purification and Enlightenment

When a participant in the second, Catechumenate, phase of the RCIA discerns, in conjunction with the St. Thomas RCIA community, then he or she is ready to be initiated or received into the Catholic Church, the participant begins the third phase of this journey, the Period of Purification and Enlightenment (P&E). This period ends with the participant receiving the sacraments required for initiation (unbaptized) or reception (baptized) into the Church.

Unlike the other three periods of the RCIA, the P&E is fixed in length. For unbaptized catechumens, it coincides with Lent. For baptized candidates, it either coincides with Lent or takes place for an equivalent period at another appropriate time of the church liturgical year.

During P&E, the participant's emphasis shifts from the spiritual and religious teaching of the Catechumenate to an intense and profound self-examination and final preparation for reception of the required sacraments of initiation.

Participants in P&E continue to attend the 9:30 a.m. Sunday Mass with the RCIA community and to dismiss after the homily, but they then move to a meeting in the Parish Office separate from the Catechumenate meeting.

Catechumens and candidates completing P&E during Lent receive the required sacraments of initiation during the Easter Vigil Mass. Candidates completing it at another time of the year receive the required sacraments at a Sunday Mass at the end of P&E.

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The Final Phase — Mystagogy

Once the participant in the RCIA initiation faith journey receives the required sacraments of initiation, whether at the Easter Vigil or another appropriate time of the year, he or she becomes a fully-initiated Catholic, but his or her journey in the RCIA is not yet complete. There is a fourth and final phase to the journey, know at Mystagogy.

Derived from ancient Greek, the word Mystagogy means mystery, because a key element of this final phase is an exploration of the mystery inherent in the sacraments of initiation just received, and how they relate to the participant's life in the Church and hoped-for salavation. A second, equally important element of Mystagogy, is an examination of the participant's role in the parish and Church community as a fully-initiated Catholic, including the wealth of ministries and spirited and social groups available at St. Thomas.

Participants in Mystagogy meet weekly for a minimum of eight weeks, but may continue to meet beyond this period for as long as they wish. They attend the 9:30 a.m. Sunday Mass with the St. Thomas RCIA community, and then move to the Parish Office for their meeting.

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How Can St. Thomas Parishioners Relate To, View, and/or
  Be Affected by the RCIA Ministry? They are the following:

There are several ways in which St. Thomas Parishioners can relate to, view, or be affected by the RCIA ministry. They are the following:

• Evangelization.  In the 1970's, Pope Paul VI stated in an important Church document that evangelization is the single most important activity of the Church. The RCIA is an important form in which this evangelizing role of the Church is carried out, but also emphasizes to us that we also have an important responsibility to, and role in, evangelizing others for Christ.
• Being Catholic.  Because the RCIA ministry deals specifically with initiating or receiving adults into the Catholic faith, it can stimulate or encourage us, as Catholics, to consider more deeply what it means to be Catholic, and perhaps lead us to a renewed study of what our Catholic faith is all about.
• Community.  Seeing individuals at Mass who are participating in the RCIA initiation faith journey as they join in its various Rites, or simply being aware of such people, reminds us of the importance to us of our Catholic Christian Community as we welcome these individuals to our faith and parish life.
• Ministry.  As Catholics, we parishioners can have a direct role in the RCIA by serving as sponsors to those participating in the initiation faith journey. If you are interested in serving in this most important ministry role, please call the Parish Office at 847-358-6999 for contact person.
• History and Traditions.  Finally, the RCIA reminds us of the long, two-thousand-year history of our Church and the traditions it has developed. Much of what you see in the RCIA today had developed in the Church by the third and fourth centuries, some 1,700 years ago.

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Where Can One Obtain More Information?

You can obtain more information about our ministry by contacting the Parish Office at 847-358-6999 or through our email service at stovparish@stov.org. The Parish Office will then put you in touch with one of our representatives.

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