What is RCIA?
IN SHORT: RCIA is for any adult who is not baptized, any adult who was baptized in another Christian faith tradition, or anybaptized Catholic who never received their First Communion and/or Confirmation. RCIA prepares adults for full communion with the Catholic Church.
OVERVIEW: People have chosen to enter the Catholic Church for various reasons. Members of the Church have different understandings of what makes them Catholic or why they are Catholic. However, there is a common thread that binds all Catholics together. Catholics belong to a Christ-centered faith community that views Jesus Christ as the foundation. Catholics share Jesus’ vision and model their lives after Jesus’ example of love. Catholics are called to care for one another and to use their unique gifts and talents for the good of the community and the world.
Parishes welcome new members into the Catholic Church through a process of education, faith sharing, and rituals known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). This process includes several stages marked by prayer, study, and discussion. Included in the process are several Rites, which take place within the context of the Mass. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) describes the RCIA as a process in which participants “undergo … conversion as they study the Gospel, profess faith in Jesus and the Catholic Church, and receive the sacraments … The RCIA process follows the ancient practice of the Church and was restored by the Second Vatican Council as the normal way adults prepare for baptism.”