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Saint Francis of Assisi |
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| Sacramento, CA | Home | Children's Baptism | RCIA | Adult Confirmation | Reconciliation | Marriage Preparation | Anointing of the Sick | ||||
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For more information, contact: Director of Faith Formation (916) 443-8084 x112 or DFF@stfrancisparish.com.
Is RCIA Right For Me? RCIA is designed for adults who: • Are not baptized or those who were baptized Catholic as infants but had little experience with participation in the Church. • Are baptized in another Christian tradition, but have little experience with the Roman Catholic tradition. If you are an adult who was baptized and active in another Christian tradition, and have more than a year of experience within the Roman Catholic tradition, you may want to discuss this process and other available alternatives at DFF@stfrancisparish.com. Not an adult yet? What is RCIA? RCIA, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, is a two-year faith journey for those wishing to join the Roman Catholic Church. Along the way you will receive weekly support, encouragement and assistance from the RCIA team, parish companions, Sunday catechists, guest speakers, as well as parish staff and parish members. Your RCIA faith journey will have four steps ... • Inquiry Which will culminate at the Easter Vigil with the celebration of ... • Baptism/Profession of Faith And will include a neophyte year for those newly initiated into our faith community and church. FAQ What if I can't make the days listed on the schedule? No problem! We are here to walk with you, and all are welcome. Just fill out our form and let us help you start on your faith journey. Director of Faith Formation, at (916) 443-8084 x112 or DFF@stfrancisparish.com. Resource: RCIA Explained (PDF) Walking Through RCIA Your First Step: Inquiry Inquiry meets once a week for six weeks, followed by a retreat and opportunity to participate in the Rite of Acceptance for those discerning God's call to take a next step in the RCIA process. The Inquiry process is available four times per year. Contact DFF@stfrancisparish.com, to learn more and to find out how you can begin your inquiry into the RCIA process. Going Deeper - The Catechumenate This step follows Inquiry and begins with the Rite of Acceptance, where you are claimed for Christ and marked with the sign of the cross. You are then referred to as a catechumen if you have not been baptized, or a candidate if you have already been baptized in another tradition. This period of RCIA is a time for the catechumens and candidates to deepen in faith and commitment to Christ. You will participate in the Liturgy of the Word each Sunday during Mass. Then, along with the other RCIA catechumen and candidates, you will be dismissed from Mass with the book of the Gospels and move to a separate meeting place to reflect with the RCIA catechists (and each other) on the gospel message and how it pertains to your lives. This stage of the RCIA usually lasts a year or more. It includes formal sessions on Catholic teaching and practice and is an opportunity for the individual to grow in prayer and to mature in faith. Preparation for the Sacraments - Purification and Enlightenment This stage begins on the first Sunday of Lent with the Rite of Election and the Call to Continuing Conversion. In local parishes catechumens inscribe their name in a book which is presented to the Bishop in a ceremony at the cathedral later that day. At the Rite of Election the Bishop elects (chooses) the catechumens in the name of Christ to receive the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist at Easter. The Bishop also calls (exhorts) the candidates to continue growing in their faith as they prepare for Confirmation and Eucharist. The next 40 days are intensive days of preparation to receive the sacraments at Easter. The local community accompanies the Elect (not baptized) and Candidates (already baptized) by participating in the Lenten practices or prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Special rites of interior searching, known as the scrutinies, are celebrated with the elect and candidates. These take place on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of Lent. This period of the RCIA culminates at the Easter Vigil with baptism by immersion for those who are not baptized, a profession of faith for those who are baptized, confirmation, and the reception of Eucharist. This completes the third step of the journey. The final step of the RCIA finds the Neophytes rejoicing in their awareness of God's presence in them and around them. Neophytes remain with the community during Mass to pray and eat at the banquet of the Eucharist as fully initiated members of our faith community. Outside of mass, the neophytes meet every Sunday during the Easter season, then once a month through the next year to share prayer and community with one another as they become more integrated into the parish and the larger Church. Each step you take on this journey will deepen your relationship with Christ. But these are not steps that you take alone. As a faith community the parishioners and staff at St. Francis journey with the adults who are seeking to join the Roman Catholic Church. During Mass the community will pray with the candidates and catechumens and will witness the rites that lead up to and include Baptism as well as First Eucharist and Confirmation. Together with the candidates and catechumens members of the St. Francis faith community renew their baptismal promises and strengthen their call to walk the way of Christ. Ready to go now? Fill out our form and let us help you start on your faith journey.
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