RCIA
RCIA The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Opening our arms to
people who want to learn more about what it is like to be in our
family. This is a program for adults who wish to join the Catholic
Church. They may be adults who were already members of another faith,
or not a member of any church, or they may even be adults who are
already baptized in the Catholic Church but received no formal Catholic
education.
RCIA is a journey of faith toward being welcomed into the Catholic
Church. There is also a special program for adults who are already
Catholic who have not yet received confirmation and are looking to do
so. Classes are held in Bloomfield at the Archdiocesan Center at St.
Thomas Seminary . Classes will also be held at St. Joan of Arc, Hamden.
For those interested in classes in Spanish, they will be held in East
Hartford at St. Mary's Church.
RCIA is the contemporary form of a rite that extends back to the
early Church. In this contemporary format RCIA team members of St. Pius
X Church, in cooperation with Father Balchunas, gather with inquirers
weekly at Sarto Hall to discuss issues of faith and Church. There are
several stages in this Rite. Stages
RCIA is a journey of faith on which an inquirer travels with a friend
or sponsor and members of the church which the inquirer wishes to join.
There are stages in the journey and, as the inquirer completes each
stage at their own pace, a Rite (a ceremony and celebration) marks the
transition to the next phase. Each phase takes as long as the inquirer
needs.
We try not to refer to the weekly meetings as "classes". This is a
journey of faith, which is a profound change that affects many aspects
of a person's life, not merely the intellectual aspect. The inquirer
spends many weeks asking all the questions they've always wanted to ask
about the Catholic Church, learning about St. Pius X parish in
particular. If the inquirer likes what they hear and is serious about
continuing the journey, we have a Rite of Acceptance. In this brief
Rite the inquirer is introduced, during Mass, to the parish that they
wish to join. Thereby they move into the phase called the
Catechumenate. The Catechumenate is a period of learning. All questions
have been answered and we cover the articles of the Catholic faith. The
inquirers are now called "catechumens". Since this is a journey toward
baptism, we have a special term for those inquirers already baptized,
and that is "candidates". The catechumens/candidates study and learn,
always asking more questions if they have any. The goal is to reach an
understanding of the Church they are joining, and to celebrate the Rite
of Election.
The Rite of Election is a beautiful ceremony celebrated by the
archbishop at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford. In this
ceremony, the catechumens and candidates sign a book indicating that
they wish to join the Catholic Church. Before they leave for Hartford,
however, our parish will have a Rite of Sending at the Mass of that
day, where we as a parish formally acknowledge that the candidates wish
to join our church and are sent to the cathedral in Hartford with our
blessing. Many people from dozens of parishes meet each other at the
cathedral and get to see how many other people are traveling the same
path that they are. This is when our inquirers are now accepted as
members into the Catholic Church, and the Church is now their Church.
It is a day for great celebration. Upon completion of the ceremony, the
catechumens are now called "the elect", and the elect/candidates enter
the period of Purification and Enlightenment.
In the stage of Purification and Enlightenment, the elect and
candidates should have finished all formal learning and are now growing
in their faith. Sponsors are an integral part of this period, where the
elect and candidates are growing in spirituality in preparation for the
Sacraments of Initiation (baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist). These
sacraments are celebrated at the Easter Vigil at St. Pius X Church.
When that much-anticipated day comes, the candidates and elect receive
the blessings and graces given to us by Jesus through those sacraments.
It is a joyous day.
Our inquirers have now become neophyte Catholic Christians, and move
into the period called Mystagogia (a Greek word meaning "entering into
the mysteries"). In a sense, this period never ends for any of us. We
are always learning more about ourselves, our faith, our fellow
parishioners, and our Church. The neophytes enter into parish life,
perhaps joining one or more of the various service and social
organizations. Then, as their Christian life matures and they share it
with others, it may give birth to the stirrings of faith in someone
else who would wish to start the journey of faith called the Rite of
Christian Initiation of Adults. If you would like to start this journey
with us and consider joining St. Pius X Church, contact the St. Pius X
Rectory at 203-879-2544 or RCIA team member Pat Quill at 203-879-9384.
For more information on RCIA in the archdiocese of Hartford, go to
http://www.orehartford.org/rcia-conf.htm
