We call the process of an adult becoming a Catholic the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). The RCIA is a process with four distinct phases:

The first phase, the Inquiry, allows the participants to ask questions about the Catholic church.

The second phase, the Catechumenate, discusses a variety of different topics of the Church each week.

The third phase, the Enlightenment, occurs during Lent and is a time of prayer and reflection before receiving the sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation) at Easter.

The fourth phase, the Mystagogia, is a time of reflection on the meaning of the sacraments experienced and an introduction to the various ministries of our parish.

The following sections discuss the phases and rites of the RCIA in greater detail. If you have any questions about this process or how to get involved as a participant or sponsor, please contact Karin Kuropas at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .

To access the calendar of upcoming RCIA events, click here.

Children 7 years old and up who are seeking baptism must be enrolled in the RCIA adapted for children.  The RCIA is a 2 year process culminating in the celebration of baptism, confirmation and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil.

The Inquiry is the first phase and is intended for those first encountering the Catholic faith. What questions has the encounter raised? Does the inquirer hold any beliefs that would prevent them from feeling at one with Catholic teaching?

Our parish usually holds Inquiry sessions twice during the year, usually before Lent (in February/March), and after summer (in mid-August).  Each inquiry phase occurs each week for four weeks, concluding with a detailed tour of the church worship space.

At the conclusion of the Inquiry phase, we celebrate a Rite of Welcome at one of the weekend masses to welcome the inquirer into our community as a Catholic worshiper.  The community members who are present offer their prayers and support for the participant's journey.

At this point the participant is considered a member of the Catholic church, but is not in full communion (does not yet celebrate the Eucharist) until Easter.

The Catechumenate is the second phase of the RCIA. Participants attend a weekly meeting where a specific topic is discussed each week. Each Sunday at Mass, catechumens listen to the scriptures and then go apart to reflect on the Word and its meaning in their lives.  Our parish RCIA team currently holds Catechumenate sessions each week from August until Easter.

At this time the participant, if not baptized according to a Trinitarian Christian formula, is known as a Catechumen.  Our diocese asks that catechumens walk with us on our faith journey, studying weekly scripture and the teachings of the Church for a year before taking the sacraments of initiation, in order that they might experience the fullness of the liturgical year.

If the participant has already been baptized but is seeking one of the other sacraments of initiation (Eucharist and/or Confirmation), they are known as a Candidate.

At some point following the Rite of Welcome, one of the members of our worship community will volunteer to attend the RCIA sessions and will be assigned to the candidate or catechumen as a Sponsor.

In the Rite of Sending, which occurs at the beginning of the Lenten season, our community sends the catechumens to sign the Book of the Elect, signifying their intention to be baptized as a Catholic.

That same day, the catechumens and candidates attend a Diocese-wide or Deanery-wide rite called the Rite of Election, where their names are accepted by the bishop and their sponsors and RCIA team members attest to their diligence in preparing to receive the sacraments of initiation.

At this time the catechumens are now called the Elect, and enter into the Enlightenment phase of the RCIA.

The Period of Purification and Enlightenment is the third phase and is a time of final preparation for initiation into the Church. The time of Enlightenment focuses on the Catholic traditions of prayer, fasting, and reflection, and peaks at Easter when the catechumens celebrate Sacraments of Initiation — Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist — and so come into full communion with the Catholic Church.

At the Easter Vigil Mass, the elect receive the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.  On Easter Sunday, the candidates (already baptized) receive the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist.  Participants are now members in full communion with the Catholic Church.

The final phase is called Mystagogia, or "leading into the mysteries". During this time, the newly initiated members, called neophytes, reflect on and further explore the meaning of their Easter experiences. This last phase of the RCIA process is also the first stage of the rest of their lives of faith because the life of a Christian is a continuous journey of faith and conversion with the community of believers toward new life in the Kingdom of God.

Our parish holds Mystagogia sessions each week until Pentecost, and usually meets once a month until the following Easter.