God has placed within each human heart, the desire to come to know, love, and serve God. Roman Catholics have responded to this divine call by embracing the Catholic faith. For us, to be all that God created us to be means that we live a life of faith based on the Gospels and we do so as members of the Catholic Church.
There are others, as their lives unfold, that begin to wonder if God is not calling them to come to know God through the Catholic faith. The Church calls these people “Seekers” or “Inquirers” and has established a process by which they may discern if God is calling them to be Catholic. This process is named the R.C.I.A. (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults). It is a journey that involves learning about Catholicism and the community of faith they wish to join. Members of the community of faith or parish have an important role in accompanying these Seekers on this journey. Parishioners are asked to pray for them, to role model what it means to be a Catholic disciple of Christ, and to take an active role (when possible) in the process by attending sessions and volunteering to help the Seekers discuss the readings/Gospel from our Sunday liturgy during our Dismissal Rites.
The R.C.I.A. process is for anyone who is
● baptized in the Catholic Church, but may not have made First Communion or been Confirmed;
● baptized in another Christian Church, but now desires to become a member of our faith community;
● someone who has not been baptized.
Please pray about whether you are being nudged to explore the Catholic Faith or to invite someone to consider this process. You might even be called to take an active role in helping prepare those who come forward as Seekers. If this sounds like something you may want to be involved in or if you have any questions, please contact Mary Ann Obark at [email protected] or 585-490-0389.