Those interested in becoming Catholic, or Catholics desiring to receive Sacraments missed at an earlier age, use a process known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) or the rite for children (RCIC).

Would-be Catholics immediately enter the Inquiry stage of the process. First, inquirers experience a Rite of Welcome. At that time, those who were never baptized become catechumen, and others, (7 years and older) who were baptized in another Christian tradition, i.e. Baptist, Lutheran, etc. become known as candidates.

When sponsors think that the catechumens and candidates are ready, and the RCIA Team concurs, the next step may be taken in the process. This step is called the Rite of Sending. This rite is much more than a formality of the initiation process. It is an opportunity for us to support these people in their choice, to bless them and pray for them as they encounter the questions and struggles that we know will accompany their choice. It is a chance for us to acknowledge that even we, as Catholic Christians, have not yet arrived. At the Rite of Sending, they will be called by name.

When the catechumens are ready to respond totally to God’s call to faith, the RCIA once again provides a ritual to mark this step in the conversion process — the Rite of Election. It is the Church’s way of confirming God’s call in the life of the catechumens. The ritual provides an opportunity for the catechumens officially to request entrance to the Church through the Easter Sacraments of Initiation. The community responds to that request by saying, in effect, “We confirm God’s call to faith in your life, and will welcome you into the Church this Easter.” This step also marks the final Lent before the catechumens receive the Sacraments of Initiation. Beginning with the First Sunday of Lent, the catechumens enter into their “40 day retreat”, to focus on deepening their awareness of God’s grace through prayer.

Another ritual that the Church celebrates to help express the penitential and reconciling aspects of the Lenten season are called Scrutinies.

Mystagogia, is a strange term meaning “revealing or savoring mysteries”. It is not a new tradition in the Rite of Christian Initiation, but is a continuation of the RCIA process  —  Technically a period from the Easter Vigil to Pentecost and then beyond for the remainder of the year leading up to the first anniversary of initiation. It is a time when the community and the newly initiated move toward a closer relationship and deeper understanding of God’s Word, the Sacraments and living the Christian life. In reality this is a never-ending process... looking at life from a new perspective and savoring its mysteries. 

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