Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
The RCIA process is the Catholic Church’s way of welcoming and assisting those
who inquire about the Catholic faith and are searching for meaning and direction.
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a result of the mandate from
Vatican Council II calling for the restoration of the catechumenate
process of the early Church. This is expressed in the Decree
on the Church's Missionary Activity. The RCIA was prepared by
and through the Congregation for Divine Worship, approved by Pope Paul
VI in 1972 and approved for use in the United States in 1974.
In 1986 the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops approved the
ritual edition of the RCIA for use in the United States which included
additional rites for both the baptized and unbaptized.
The RCIA process is
a continuation of one’s journey of faith and is divided into
various stages, which help foster the conditions in which conversion
might occur. This is done with the help of a qualified parish community
team of a Parish Coordinator, Sponsors, Catechists, Pastor, Hospitality
Group and Prayerful Parishioners.
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Invitations and Advertising done in
July/August. Contact Sr. Marilyn at any time.
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Process
begins: The last Tuesday in August -
General Gathering for those interested for one hour from 7-8 p.m. in
Room 1 of the Parish Hall.
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Sessions begin: Beginning of September - one
evening a week 7:00-8:30 p.m.
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Participants:
from Our Lady of Lourdes, St.
Vincent de Paul, St.
John the
Baptist join together for the first 13 weeks at Our Lady of Lourdes.
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The day
of the week for meetings is decided
by the group each year.
We continue to work with two
neighboring parishes, St.
Vincent de Paul and St. John the Baptist sharing facilities and
catechists. This has been a great experience of the extended Church to
all of our participants.
All
parishioners are an integral part of the Parish Team.
Their ministry is to pray for, support, and encourage those going
through the RCIA process each year. They also need to help them get
involved and acquainted with the activities and celebrations in the
parish during the year.
To inquire about the process, contact Sr. Marilyn Chall, OSF
at 636.239.3520
or email her at srmarilync@charter.net.
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